Traveling with Laura

Today started with a sunrise walk around Florence, included a visit to a walled Tuscan hill town, and ended with a delicious dinner and sunset walk.

I woke up at 4:30 this morning (late for my normal schedule; early for my Italian schedule) and decided to get up and head out early for a walk before catching an 8AM train. I headed to the river, crossed over to Oltrarno, then zigzagged my way around Oltrarno, across the Ponte Vecchio, around the Duomo, and right into Bar Galli, a little café near Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The sweet older Italian woman (owner?) working at the counter drew me in. I enjoyed some type of pastry twist with chocolate and maybe coconut with a hot chocolate (too watery today). 

Then I was off to Certaldo Alto, about 30 miles southwest of Florence and on the train route to Siena. Certaldo came up on my searches for lesser visited Tuscan towns and seemed like a perfect destination for a half-day trip. The train ride from Florence takes about an hour and deposits you in Certaldo Basso (lower town). There is a funicular that whisks you to the upper town (Certaldo Alto), but I opted to put a little more wear and tear on my legs and climbed the hill on foot. The area where Certaldo Alto is located was known to exist as early as 1164AD and is now a small hilltop borgo. There is one main road with a couple of smaller roads, a church, a few shops, and a few restaurants. I did a walk through town and then decided I needed a little culture this week and bought a ticket to visit all three museums in town. 

First up was the Museum of Sacred Art, housed in a former Augustinian convent. I wandered through, took a few pictures, and was out the door in about 10 minutes. Next was the Praetorian Palace, where you can tour some of the rooms and climb the clock tower. The views over town from the tower were the highlight. Last up was the Boccaccio House, a former home of the poet Giovanni Boccaccio. There is another tower here to climb and the views are even more incredible than from the palace. I should point out that while this is probably a pretty quiet town on a normal day, there was a school group of about 100 middle school aged students visiting today. And they were loud. You could hear them pretty much all over town. So although the village was nice to see, it wasn’t maybe as relaxing as it might have been on a different day. I headed back to the train station and was able to get on a train to Empoli a few minutes later. I made a quick connection in Empoli and got back to Florence Santa Maria Novella station around 12:30PM. Perfect time for pizza.

There are a few recommended pizza restaurants in Florence and I decided to try Giotto Pizza for lunch. Intrigued by the idea of a unique pizza, I ordered the “Bronte”, with mozzarella, parmesan, mortadella, ricotta, pistachios, and lemon zest. While it certainly looked delicious, it didn’t hold a candle to Saturday night’s pizza at Gustapizza. But you know what would help me move past my mediocre pizza? Gelato. This time I headed to Oltrarno to the much-recommended Gelateria La Carraia. The custard cream was good, but the chocolate mousse flavor was so rich and decadent… a perfect afternoon treat!

I stopped at San Frediano in Cestello, a large but lesser visited church I had already stopped at twice on this trip. I lit a candle in a beautifully decorated side chapel and sat for a few minutes enjoying the quiet and admiring the paintings and ceiling frescoes. 

I spent a couple of hours back in my room editing pictures from the morning before heading out for one final dinner in Florence. I even dressed up in the only non-t-shirt-and-leggings outfit I brought with me so it would feel like a special occasion. I walked by Il Morellino last night and just a peek inside told me I wanted to eat there. A quick look at the menu online confirmed that decision. I was seated at a corner table and enjoyed a Hugo spritz (x2, because vacation), penne alla vodka, and tiramisu. It was all good. Not the best meal I’ve had in Italy, but certainly not bad. The penne pasta gave new meaning to the term “al dente”. Of the four (yes, four) tiramisus I’ve had here, the first one I had at a touristy sidewalk bar was actually the best. 

After dinner I walked down the street to Piazza Santa Trinita where there were a couple of musicians playing. I sat down on some steps and listened for a while until they packed up. Then it was onto Ponte Santa Trinita (my evening ritual), where crowds flock to watch the setting sun cast its glow on the buildings along the Arno River. Tonight, there was a musician playing a guitar and I sat on the side of the bridge just listening and savoring my last evening in Florence.