Italian Road Trip Part 3- Florence

I admit, I often complain about Justin's job and him being gone all the time (prior to this fellowship- now he is around allll the time!), but his excessive travel and hotel point obsession really played to our advantage in Florence. When we walked into our suite at the Westin Excelsior, we quickly realized that our room was amazing.

A huge private terrace that overlooked the Duomo and the Tuscan Hills was right at our doorstep. I mean, it was crazy. Tempted by the luxury of our room and the stunning view, we contemplated sight seeing via the zoom from our camera lens, but we peeled ourselves off our lounge chairs and headed on a tour of Florence.

On our amazing balcony

Since we both had been to Florence, we were able to sidestep the must do's (i.e. Michelangelo's David, the Uffizi Gallery, etc.) and go a little off the beaten path. We headed to the Boboli Garden on a gorgeous Fall day. Overlooking Florence, the garden itself is peaceful and a nice escape from the bustling city. We also re-visited the Duomo and did a short walking tour to the Ponte Vecchio bridge. The medieval bridge was used for trading and merchandise. Today it is still a shopping bridge with jewelry stores running across it.

Overlooking Florence from the Boboli Garden

Of course my favorite thing to do in Italy is eat! And we had some amazing meals in Florence. One place we stumbled upon after the Gardens was part grocery store, part lunch room. We knew it had to be delicious as there were only locals eating there and everything was very inexpensive, hence no tourist markups. I had grilled eggplant and Justin had the most amazing lasagna we'd ever had. I'm kicking myself because I did not write down the name (I remember the location if you are interested!).

Another great place was Trottoria Sostanza. A friend recommended this institution to us and the artichoke omelet did not disappoint. Trottoria Sostanza is a tiny, nondescript restaurant that requires reservations for its two dinner seatings at 7 and 9. The seating was German-style in that tables are shared with other parties, making it slightly awkward at first. Though we did not order it, our table mates had the the steak and it looked amazing. This was a fun Florence experience!

Ponte Vecchio at night

To top it all off, we visited Grom for some of the best gelatti I've ever had. Though Grom Gelato is a chain (they even have Malibu and New York locations) it really, really good, and I'm a tough critic. Their flavors are so rich, creamy and super fresh. And their waffle cones are doubled layered for extra deliciousness.

J and E in the hotel lobby

See all of our Florence pictures here.