Tuscan Cooking Class - Day 8

This will be a shorter post as we are running out of time here in Florence and still so much to see, do and eat! The food in Italy is spectacular so we decided to take a full day cooking class up in the Tuscan hills overlooking Florence. There are quite a few to choose from but we had gotten a recommendation from my son Tom and his girlfriend Anna and her parents to book with Walkabout for the Cooking Class at a Farmhouse in Tuscany. It’s a full day. You meet the group and walk to the Central Market with the chef to buy the ingredients you will cook the dinner with, and that alone was a fun experience. We hadn’t gotten over to the market but if you have time it is worth a stop. Main level are all the food shops and the second floor is a great food court. 

One of the chefs Issac at a cheese shop explaining and buying the cheeses we needed. The lower left is tripe. Ugh!! I had to post the fun stuff - there were gorgeous fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, breads, flowers etc. Super clean and so tempting.

Then we hopped on a bus to take us up into the hills overlooking Florence to the beautiful grounds and excellent kitchen where we would prepare the amazing meal we would all enjoy together. The menu was bruschetta, pesto pasta, bologanese pasta, roast pork, roasted potatoes and tiramisu. Yes we made and ate all that!! And everything from scratch including the pasta!!! I hardly ever cook so I learned a lot and we had a great time.

Pasta is only flour and egg - who knew!!! That’s Julie with her flour and egg. And me when I got mine to roll out and then the finished product!! Easier than I would have thought and so delicious. I have to admit I was pretty proud!

We met some great people and all enjoyed the fantastic meal together along with plenty of good Chianti wine. And we each made our own tiramisu and had to decorate the top so that we would know which was ours. 

Theat’s Julie’s and mine. So good and really not hard. The grounds of the farm were beautiful. 

And after dinner we each got a certificate of completion. I passed!! Not sure I will make homemade pasta again but there’s a chance.

Issac and Carmela were awesome. She didn’t speak English so Issac was chef and translator. She had so much energy and kept hugging and kissing us. I love the zest and enjoyment of life so many of the Italians display. It makes you feel so joyful.

We did the Rick Steve’s walking tour of Florence last night and got to see it with the lights. So much history. Florence hasn’t changed much since the early 1300’s. 

The jewelry shops on the Ponte Vecchio all closed up. Our evening pizza!! So delicious and cheap. The city at night. Beautiful.

One more day here before we are moving on. I’m going to enjoy every second. Thanks for coming along!

Siena - Day 7

Everyone that has been to Siena always say “I love Siena!” Now I know why! It has been on my list so we planned to take the bus from Florence there for the day. Julie’s knee was bothering her a little and since we have lots of travel ahead of us it seemed wise for her to lay low for the day and for me to go alone. Catching the bus was easy and in a little over an hour I was pulling in through the huge walls and on my way to what many think it the best square in all of Italy! Since I haven’t seen them all I can only agree it is beautiful and huge. Siena sits on three hills so much of the old town is hilly. The main square Il Campo is actually bowl shaped, and people lay on it as if it were a beach. Siena hasn’t changed much since the 1300’s and they take pride in keeping everything authentic. 

Building with the tower is city hall. 

Directly across from city hall is the Fountain of Joy. Very special to the Sienese people as a symbol of the blessing of water. It’s a copy of the original which is now in a museum there designed by Jacobo Della Quercia. 

That’s a she-wolf. They are all over Siena as one of their symbols. 

I planned to do Rick Steve’s walking tour of Siena and had downloaded it in advance. His APP is free and the walking tours are always excellent. It started in Il Campo so I started it there and was off. Siena has lots of beautiful tiny streets that are easy to wander into. As I said it’s quite hilly so that makes the walk even prettier.

In the picture on the top left the round hooks are to tie up horses. Iron piece above them is for flags. They love to fly flags in Siena and each neighborhood (there are 17) have their own flags and symbol.

One of the main sites to see is the beautiful Duomo and the walking tour took me right there. It looks similar to the one here in Florence - made from the same beautiful marble.

The picture doesn’t do it justice. The beautiful mosaics at the top were so vivid!

Time for lunch! I used a recommendation from Rick Steve’s and once again he was spot on. La Taverna Di Cecco was on a small quiet street and I got to sit outside and enjoy a delicious lunch peacefully.

Middle pic is of a complimentary soup made from tomatoes. Caprese salad and chicken cacciatore. And a nice glass of wine! Yumm!

On the walking tour Rick pointed out the Church of San Domenico. It houses the head - the actual head of St Catherine! So I figured how often do you get to see that, so headed there after lunch. The actual head is inside a clay mask but you can see her real teeth. Weird! They really love relics in Italy! 

San Domenico

I browsed in a few of the shops and had to stop and get some of the famous ricciarelli cookies from Nannini. I had read about them and wanted to bring them back for Julie and I to try. They are like a chewy macaroon and almond cookie and they did not disappoint. Very cool old fashioned bakery and coffee shop. Lots of beautiful things to eat but I had to get the cookies. 

They also claim to have invented the biscotti! 

That was my day in Siena! If you are ever in the Florence area it’s definitley worth a day or even two! Next up Tuscan cooking! Thanks for coming along! 

Florence - Day 6

Florence is such a beautiful city - the home of the Renaissance so it is a must to see some of the great art created here. The Uffizi Gallery has the greatest collection of Italian art in the world - and prebooking your entry ticket is a must. We booked a tour through Art Viva so we just needed to show up at the scheduled time and place and get right in with our super knowledgeable guide Tatianna. 

The Uffizi was originally a political building but now an amazing museum.

The tour lasted over two hours and was jam packed with amazing art and tons of information. Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio and Bottticellis to name drop just a few!

Top left is a painting by Michelangelo and is one of the few if not the only painting of his in the world. The Sistine Chapel doesn’t count because it’s a fresco. Learned that on the tour!

Both Julie and I have been to Florence and seen the famous statue of David so this time we settled for the fake David out in the square. The real one is in the museum Academia here in Florence.

We also made it over to the Duomo, the famous marble cathedral in Florence. I was most excited about seeing The Gates of Paradise which are on the Baptistery of the Duomo. Reason why is because the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City has the other matching set! The originals are actually in the Duomo Museum and two copies were made. One is in Florence on the Baptistry and the other in KC. I get to see them all the time but it was special to see them there and see so many people crowding around them for pictures. Just come to KC people!

Italy has the most amazing doors!  

Since I hardly ate the day we traveled to Florence I had to make up for it. Stopped for a sandwich before the Uffizi tour and had so many great places to choose from.  

Focaccia bread with prosciutto, cheese and lettuce. These sandwiches are everywhere and I ate the whole thing! 

We went to an amazing restaurant for dinner! It was called La Giostra and everything about it was great. Julie ate there last time she was in Florence and although we didn’t have a reservation we were able to get a table since we got there when they opened at 7 PM. 

Complimentary prosecco when we sat down along with a tray of appetizers. We were craving some kind of fish and both ordered the Branzino with vegetables. It was perfectly cooked and delicious. After the appetizers we shared a Caprese salad with pecorino cheese. Will I ever be able to eat tomatoes in the states again after having these?

Bottom right was amazing tiramisu to share. 

A photo with the owner! Wearing more rings, bracelets and necklaces than I own! But super nice! And he gave us free shots of lemon cello too.

On our way back to our apartment a picture from the Ponte Vecchio bridge of the lights! 

Rome to Florence - Day 5

It was time to say goodbye to Rome for now and head to our next destination - Florence. Previously I have only spent not even a full day in Florence, so I am really looking forward to our time there and getting to see and do so much more. Florence is the home of the Renaissance and has some of the most amazing art in the world. So planning to definitely learn and see a lot! Also incredible food, wine and shopping!  

We got to the train station and managed to purchase tickets on the train called Italo. What a great ride and since it was an express train only took an hour and a half. 

We rented an Airbnb on the Oltrarno side of Florence which is across the river from the main tourist attractions, so quieter and much less congested. Florence is very walkable. You can walk anywhere in 30 or less minutes. We hopped on a bus from the train station and found our apartment and settled in before heading out to explore the neighborhood and get our first look at Florence. 

Huge church is the Duomo and the covered bridge is the Ponte Vecchio.  

We like to jump right in so walked up to the most famous viewpoint at Piazzale Michelangelo to get that picture - so beautiful! There is a beautiful church even higher than the Piazzale called San Miniato that has a nightly prayer service complete with a dozen priests participating in Gregorian chanting - so since our motto is “If not now when” of course we went to it. Really almost like a meditation. 

Not sure they allow pictures inside the crypt of the priests chanting so hopefully we won’t burn in hell for taking it!

Our first aperitivo in Florence! Picture set up with the sunset credit to Julie😊  On the Piazza before heading down for dinner.

We were starving because we hadn’t eaten all day! There were lots of cute little restaurants so we just randomly walked into one called Zeb. It looked like a wine bar with food but turns out it is actually this  destination restaurant that real foodie people flock to that is pretty much reservation only. Only seats about 20 people and you are all just facing each other at a bar. We saw 2 open seats and just sat down. It is run by a mother and her son Alberto. Alberto asked us if we had a reservation and we said no. He looked at us funny and then just asked us what kind of water we wanted - still or sparkling. You always pay for water in a restaurant in Italy and actually most of Europe, and you can buy either. So at that point we figured he was going to serve us, but we had no idea what we were getting into! It actually worked out fine and he kind of warmed up to us, at least as much as his personality allowed. He cut some delicious bread for us and Julie asked for olive oil to dip it in and he said no. No never with bread. We just laughed because there was no way we were getting olive oil. He brings over a chalkboard that has what they are making for the day on it and quickly runs through it. I had no idea what he was saying so I just pointed at something. We couldn’t wait to get home and look it up online and see what it was all about. It was the quietest restaurant I have ever been in. People were really into the food. 

Pesto pasta for me and Julie had a bolognese. For dessert an apple cream tart with raisins and pine nuts. All really delicious and great wine.

So that was our welcome to Florence day! I’m excited for our time here and happy to share it with all of you. Ciao! 

Rome - Day 3&4

So much to do here! We’re trying to make sure and take in not just the sights but the ambiance of this beautiful city. For one, people walk much slower than in the US. Pretty sure I am pegged as an American just because I’m always passing everyone. So many of the streets have cobblestones so it’s better to slow down than twist an ankle. Better yet stop and have a glass of wine and reflect on your next couple of hours! Which brings up a question I have been pondering. Since wine is almost the same price as water, is it better to just drink wine?  

So here are the main things we have done in the past two days. First The Pantheon. Two thousand years old and still in great shape. The dome is a marvel. Made from cement and not supported. The basilica of St Peter’s and the US Capital modeled after it. We did the Rick Steve’s audio tour. Worth it!

It was’t build as a church but is now considered to be one. That protects it and they do say mass inside. 

Walked by the Palazzo Doria Pamphilj and made a spur of the moment decision to take the tour. A palazzo is basically a mansion that wealthy people live in. They had an adorable cafe inside so we grabbed a bite before taking the tour. No pictures allowed inside but they had the most amazing art collection which included three Caravaggio paintings and he is one of my favorite artists! Really a great surprise!

Lemon and orange trees in the center entrance. We could smell them from the street and that’s what peaked our interest. 

A stop at the Victor Emmanuel Monument which is their tomb of the unknown soldier and such a huge impressive structure. 

The locals call it “the wedding cake.” 

I am obsessed with paper products and Italy is known for having the best. Much of the paper is handmade. I had to stop at the store I remembered from my first trip here that I loved.  

Still as great as I remembered. Just deciding what to buy! 

We found the Jewish Ghetto and stumbled across more ancient ruins. Pretty sure it was Trajan’s Column but at that point food was a bigger focus for us. Still awesome to stumble across. 

Still eating pasta everyday! 

You might be thinking....aren’t they going to the Vatican? Yes! We spent over 4 hours there on a wonderful tour and it was incredible. I had been there 12 years ago and couldn’t believe how little I remembered. This tour got us into The Sistine Chapel early before the thousands of people fill it so full you can’t even move. They don’t allow pictures but breathtaking is how I would describe it. Then we went through the museum which is so vast and then into St Peter’s which is enormous and spectacular.

How did we get a picture with no one else in it? Believe me there were thousands of people and in the summer twice as many. Really amazing and no way you can take it all in.

The pictures can’t begin to show you the size of everything. Those letters on the gold band are each 6 feet tall!

All the food here has been incredible. There are so many tiny cafes and trattorias that it would take you forever to try them all, but one in particular we couldn’t help but notice. It was very close to our apartment and the line would start forming early in the evening and extend around the corner of the building till late at night. So we decided we had to try it and planned to get there at 7:30 which is early in Italy. When we arrived there was a line but we were seated in about 10 minutes which was quicker than we expected. I think part of the following is that everyone is very friendly that works there.and the food was wonderful! 

Spaghetti and meatballs for me and pasta carbonara for Julie. We were so glad we tried it!

We ended the day at a tiramisu shop called Two Sizes because they only sell tiramisu in two sizes! The flavors available were original (coffee), caramel, pistachio, peanut butter and strawberry. We picked small peanut butter because in the states you can get the original - but probably not peanut butter. They have tiramisu shops in addition to gelato shops all over. Something I hope comes to the states soon! 

Yumm! 

So that’s what we’ve been up to! It was our last full day in Rome. Heading out tomorrow and I hope you come along! 

Ciao for now!