Passion for Florence Day 1

According to the recent Travelers’ Choice 2014, Florence is number 13 on the list of Top 25 Cities to visit. It is said to be an art historian’s dream destination and I couldn’t agree more after having visited the capital of Tuscany for the first time. My aunt was on a tour of Italy at the same time we were there so we met in the morning on the Piazza della Signoria which is an L-shaped square located in front of the Palazzo Vecchio and is a very central location near to Ponte Vecchio and Piazza del Duomo, as well as the gateway to the Uffizi Gallery. Here you will also find the Fountain of Neptune which was commissioned in 1565 and is the work of the sculptor Bartolomeo Ammannati. We took a walking tour around the most important monuments of Florence and threw a coin at the famous Il Porcellino (Italian "piglet") a Florentine nickname for the bronze fountain of a boar. It is said that visitors to Il Porcellino must put a coin into the boar’s gaping jaws, and the coin must fall through the underlying grating for good luck, you can make your wish and rub the boar’s snout to ensure a return to Florence. Afterwards we had a coffee and wine break and walked around the shops. My aunt had to catch her group later on and we went back to the hotel to rest and get ready for the evening out and about.

In the afternoon we discovered the San Lorenzo market which was very close to our hotel, and comprises of two separate markets, one is the Central Market which is a two-level, indoor food market (here you can buy all sorts of Italian delicacies and spices for pasta and meats). The other is the outdoor market full of stalls selling leather, clothing and souvenirs. It runs from the Church of San Lorenzo along Via Ariento all the way to Via Nazionale. We had dinner at the Trattoria La Madia with cute tables outside, and as the weather was warm enough to sit outside, that’s what we did! Until next time, ciao darlings. xoxo ES