Italia days 4-6

Day 4: Monday, January 17
Planned itinerary:

• arrive in Florence, check into San Giovanni hotel
• lunch at somewhere delicious
• visit the Duomo, climb the dome, admire the Ghiberti's gilded bronze doors on the Baptistry
• Cooking class

the view from our hotel!

What we actually did:

• Had roasted chestnuts from a street vendor and espresso at a cafe on del Corso
• Train to Florence, checked into Hotel San Giovanni (so charming, great location!)
• Was way too excited about being back in Florence, dragged Sarah all around showing her everything I remembered. Pointed out the statue of Brunelleschi, saw the bronze doors, walked to the Piazza de la Republica, down Villa Della Vigna Nuova, showed the front door to my old apartment, walked to/crossed the Ponte Vecchio, then headed to Piazza di Santa Trinita
• Took a cooking class across the Arno in the Oltrarno area, made a delicious 4-course traditional Tuscan meal including a mashed potato casserole dish, crepes, gnocchi, and tiramisu
• Went for a glass of wine with new friend Brian from cooking class at a bar by Santa Spirito
• Made some new friends, went to see some live music which we apparently were too late for, explored a few other bars in the Oltrarno area before turning in for the night somewhere around 3am

Day 5: Tuesday, January 18
Planned itinerary:

• Academia
• Uffizi Gallery
• lunch in Piazza della Signoria
• Ponte Vecchio
• Brancacci Chapel
• shops on Villa della Vigna Nuova
• visit Palazzo Rucellai, where I went to school!
• Mercato Nuovo

What we actually did:

(this is not a stock photo)

• After a late start due to a late night out, nixed the Academia and Uffizi and headed to the Bargello sculpture museum, where we saw Donatello's David and St. George, Giambologna's Mercury, as well as my favorite, Michelangelo's Bacchus
• Wandered into the piazza in front of Santa Croce, had lunch at Oibo. Struck up a conversation with the Italians next to us, one of which is the owner of a custom leather shop, ended up getting some free limoncello and cheese cake
• Visited our new friend's leather shop, tried on some jackets, got a lesson in how custom Italian jackets are made
• Did some damage at the jewelry shops on the Ponte Vecchio
• Roamed around the Oltrarno area until we found the Brancacchi Chapel, only to learn that it's closed on Tuesdays
• Crossed back over the river, strolled down Villa della Vigna Nuova, made a detour at Palazzo Rucellai and showed Sarah my school
• Perused the Mercato Nuovo and bought some necklaces with Italian glass beads after doing a little vintage book shopping along the way
• Freshened up at the hotel, then headed to one of the restaurants recommended by one of my old teachers in Florence
• Restaurant was closed, bought a half bottle of wine and some treats, wandered the streets searching for a place to have dinner while enjoying our own personal happy hour
• Stumbled upon an adorably charming restaurant called Il Teatro. Had fungi porcini on polenta canapes, penne with salmon and mushrooms, almond biscotti with dessert wine, and limoncello
• Too full to function, retired for the night

Day 6: Wednesday, January 19
Planned itinerary:

• "Tuscany in a Day" tour

What we actually did:

• Woke up early with a cold. Stopped into the Mercato Centrale before heading to the train station to join our tour. Showed Sarah around the market and grabbed some tea. 
• Walked to the train station and hopped on the "Best of Tuscany" tour bus
• First stop: Sienna. Enjoyed a very rainy guided tour through the city and then took 20 minutes to have an espresso and enjoy Sienna's duomo and main square
• Had lunch at a farmhouse outside of San Gimignano. Partook in a wine tasting and were served a delicious lunch made of organic ingredients from the farm. Would have enjoyed the beautiful view of Tuscany but couldn't see much through the rain and fog
• Took an hour to explore the medieval city of San Gimignano. Not much to see in the off season, but a very cool little town
• Last stop: Pisa! Saw the leaning tower, but at this point was feeling way to miserable to climb it. Had some tea and a cookie from a coffee shop and mustered up the energy to take in the square in the rain and take a few cheesy pictures of Sarah...
• Once back in Florence, stocked up at a pharmacy and then popped into a few cute shops on our walk back to the hotel
• Dinner at Tijuana Mexican restaurant. Needed a break from Italian food! Had sangria and a veggie burrito, so delicious
• Home early to get some rest before our last full day in Florence

Will post the last 2 days of the vacation tomorrow! Stay tuned!