Fiesole is a small town just 5 miles outside of Florence, located in the hills above the city. Comprising a couple of churches, a central piazza, and an archaeological area (along with a couple of more commercial streets), it makes a perfect half-day trip outside the city. Despite the dreary weather and overcast skies, this was the type of day I was picturing in my mind. Less busy, plenty of opportunities for walking off the beaten path, and views of the rolling hills of Tuscany.
If nothing else, Italy has been good for my sleep. After another 9 hours last night, I enjoyed breakfast on the balcony before taking the tram and then a bus up to Fiesole. City streets soon gave way to rolling hills and Renaissance villas as the bus left Florence behind and climbed up the winding road to Fiesole.
Although I got a rather late start (for me) today, the town was mostly empty when I arrived. I randomly chose a road leading uphill from Piazza Mino and wandered aimlessly for over an hour. The narrow lanes and roads were lined with gorgeous villas and wisteria was in full bloom everywhere. The scent was intoxicating. Around every bend in the road was another view of the surrounding hills. I just kept turning down roads and alleys to see where they would lead.
Eventually I made my way back to the center of town and stopped for a hot chocolate (more like a rich chocolate soup) on a terrace overlooking the archaeological area. I then spent time wandering around the Roman ruins, including a Roman amphitheater dating from the first century BC. There were a few breaks of sun to be had initially, then the winds picked up and soon you could see the approaching rain in the distance.
As I felt the first raindrops, I hightailed it out of the archaeological site and into the refuge of the nearby church, the Cathedral of San Romolo. I had just made it inside when the heavens opened. I waited it out until the worst of the rain ended, then continued on (uphill) to the Convent of St. Francis. The convent was built in 1399 and you can visit not only the church, but the monk cells upstairs.
I headed back into town and took the bus back to Florence after my visit to the convent. I thought I might visit a museum or two, but one was closed and I somehow missed the other one. Instead, I had a small cup of gelato at Grom (some kind of chocolate chip and crushed cookies) and then got in line to go inside the Duomo. The Duomo complex has several different areas you can visit – a museum, dome climb, crypt, baptistry, etc.- but I was only interested in the church itself. I waited in line for about 30 minutes to get inside. The church is massive, but if that’s all you’re seeing, you have a very limited area to walk around. I was most impressed with the painting on the ceiling of the massive dome. If you’ve never been to Italy, a good rule of thumb is to “look up”.
Since I hadn’t eaten for hours, I made my way across the Arno to Gustapizza’s sister restaurant, Gustaosteria where I enjoyed a Hugo Spritz, pici pasta cacio e pepe, and tiramisu (of course!) while sitting outside in front of the Basilica di Santo Spirito. The sun had come out by then and I enjoyed watching the light on the nearby buildings as I ate and drank. I savored the walk back to my hotel and am calling it an early night so I can be up to enjoy another Tuscan adventure tomorrow!
Traveling with Laura 