David, Ancient Egyptians and Za Za!

 It has taken nearly two weeks, but my body clock has switched off, and I am enjoying a sleep-in! This morning, however, we were up early as we had pre-booked tickets to see David at Accademia museum. Yes, we have seen David before. In fact, three times, but when in Florence....well, he's incredible and literally takes your breath away every time you see him. 

 

We took our time strolling through the museum though, as there are other interesting things to see here, like a collection of ancient musical instruments and half-finished sculptures by Michaelangelo.

 

After we spent time in David's company, we left, promising to visit again someday and stopped for a snack before heading to the National Museum of Florence. This place has mixed reviews online, and I can now understand why. The Italian collection of Etruscan items were interesting at times but got a bit boring after a while. But, their collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts is amazing. In my opinion, even better than the British Museum. Ancient Egypt is one of my favourite periods of history to teach, so I was in my element among the mummies and coffins! 

 

We found a small restaurant not far from the museum that served typical Tuscan dishes, so we stopped there for some pasta. This was probably the first meal in Florence this week that we wouldn't rave about. After 10 years, we decided it was time for Shannon's suitcase to retire, so we purchased him a new one this afternoon and then went about the chore of packing, as tomorrow, we leave for Lucca. For dinner, we decided to head to Za Za Tratoria, a much-anticipated restaurant that we had heard about from some Australians we met in an Irish pub. Must be good right? I had also read about it online. While most Italian restaurants open at 7:30, this place is open from 11am until 11pm. We didn't make a reservation, so we thought we'd try our luck by showing up earlyish for dinner. We arrived to be placed in a queue, but it was moving quickly. We waited only around 10 minutes. It reminded me of my clubbing days, waiting to get into Lamby's, haha. The restaurant is huge; it takes up half a block and has outdoor dining. We were concerned a place that big couldn't deliver quality. But we were very pleasantly surprised. The food was incredible. It was so good, we forgot to take a single photo, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Tonight is our final night in this beautiful city. Some final snaps and an early night before our early train to Lucca in the morning. Farewell Florence, until next time.

Come stroll with me

After a late night enjoying the city's new year's eve festivities, we had a slow morning and left our apartment around 11 to find a beautiful blue sky - surely a good omen for the new year! 

Being New Year's day, most things were closed this morning, including the all-important coffee bars. We ventured across the Ponte Vecchio in search of a good coffee to start the day. I spotted people sitting at tables in a sunny spot, so we headed there. Ordering the coffee was easy enough, though when we took our coffee outside, the group of old men hanging around started speaking to us in Italian. We eventually worked out they were trying to tell us they were closing, but we could sit over there and climb over the wall when we were done. The coffee was terrible. But we made the most of the sunny spot while planning the rest of our day.

This side of the bridge was far more residential, and after the crowds of the last couple of days, it was a welcome change to walk far quieter streets.

We eventually came across a lovely little square where there were a few cafes and restaurants open. We had worked up an appetite, so we chose a little pasta bar for lunch. We shared a Margherita pizza and then had a pasta dish each. It was all delicious.

  

Our stroll continued past the Pitti Palace and back across the Ponte Vecchio. No window shopping for me today, as all the jewellery shops that line the bridge was closed. The post new years eve crowds were still filling the streets, so we were glad to escape to a cathedral that was hosting an art exhibition - 'Inside Banksy: Unauthorized Exhibition'. I had prior knowledge of Banksy, but not much. He is a British street artist famous for his political works. Inside the exhibition, digital images of his works were projected onto the cathedral's walls. It was interesting but not particularly value for money. Perhaps if you had a greater knowledge of the artist, you might have more appreciation for it. A nice way to spend a little time, however.

    

Our strolling continued, leading us to the beautiful Piazza Santa Croce. We took some time to 'people watch' until it got too chilly, and we found comfort in another Irish pub.

 

Time for a rest back at our accommodation, and then we headed back out in search of dinner. We always find the best restaurants when we wander off the main streets. It was early for Italian dinner standards (around 7pm), but many places were open. We find a lovely place back over the bridge directly across from the Pitti Palace. Another delicious meal was had, and I had most definitely left room for gelati! Another fabulous Italian day.

 

Come dine with me

This morning we bid a fond farewell to Stefano, Rosalinda and Virginia as we departed La Maesta for Florence. Our farewell will only be short, as the family will visit us for lunch while we are in Florence for five days. The transiting days between cities/towns are frustrating. Generally, there's something that doesn't go quite to plan, or you get stuck in a queue or delayed etc. Today, our train from Arezzo to Florence was full. Instead of cramming into a packed carriage, we opted to stay out in the portico area with our suitcases. There was a little seat pulled out from the wall that I sat on the entire 55-minute trip, and Shannon stood most of the way. Shannon navigated us to our apartment, which is lovely, and then headed out for a stroll around the city. 

Florence is busy. This will be a combination of New Year's Eve weekend and people's ability to get back out and travel again, even in Winter. Florence is as beautiful as I remembered it. Like towns in Tuscany, Christmas decorations and lights adorn streets and doorways. 

 

Being a larger city, we were suddenly surrounded by a mix of languages. After a week of being surrounded by Italian, it seemed strange to hear conversations around us in English. We enjoyed a toasted panini for lunch and stopped in at our favourite little Irish pub in the main piazza for a drink.

Back to the apartment to do some laundry (our apartment has a washer and dryer) and to relax for the afternoon, as tonight, we had a special dinner to look forward to.

In early November, we booked dinner for tonight at Ora D'aria, a Michelin-star restaurant in the heart of the city. This meal was possible due to the generosity and kindness of my Geelong High colleagues and friends who gifted me dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant for my 40th birthday. We booked well in advance after finding this particular place to be sure to get a table during the holiday period. I know my description of this meal can't do it justice, but I will try. Ora d'aria has three set menus to choose from - past, present and future. Past is a traditional Tuscan menu and contains meat, the present menu was a vegetarian option, and the future was a seafood menu. Shannon and I both chose the past, paired with wine.

While I had read a little about the restaurant and chef, nothing could have prepared me for what we found inside. We were greeted by a lovely waitress who took my coat and led us inside. The dining room was small but elegant. The tables were draped in white linen to match the glossy white chairs that swivelled. The ceiling was painted gold and blue. On one side of the room was the kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling glass doors stood directly behind our table so we could view that master at work! The door was automatic, so we could smell all the delicious things each time it opened! We started our meal with an aperitivo which included snacks - olives and tasty treats. 

Much to our surprise, the head chef, Marco Stabile, greeted us at our table, poured a tasty broth into delicate teacups, and welcomed us to his restaurant. Marco then presented each dish to our table with the wait staff, which was a lovely and rare touch. It is clear that Marco is proud of his food and his restaurant. As he should be - the food was incredible.

We started with an artichoke puree with olive oil and truffle, closely followed by a little dish of poached egg, which sat on a bed of spinach, also paired with black truffle. Next, we had tiny tortellini filled with rabbit, a delicacy I had never experienced before.

The past dish that followed was my favourite of the night - chestnut pappardelle. Are you hungry yet? The fourth course was a beef speciality that had been smoked and boiled, and the meat fell apart. It was served with some roasted vegetables and the smoothest mashed potato I had ever seen. 

This incredible meal was topped off with a delightful baked cheesecake with a sauce that could make angels weep! I cheekily asked the waitress for a jug of it, and she laughed, adding that she pinches some every chance she can get. 

 

I must say this was one of those evenings that I will never, ever forget. I know that some people won't share the same passion for food and the joy that it brings and that's fine. But when we skipped out of that restaurant and strolled through the streets of Florence in the rain, there was magic in the air.