Tuscany 2024
Part 1: Florence
We began the trip with three nights in Florence, staying at the Hotel Regency. We arrived in the early evening in the pouring rain so we made good use of the huge bathtub and enjoyed dinner in the hotel’s restaurant which was fabulous.
After an early breakfast, we headed off for our early morning appointment to see David at the Accademia Museum. It was fantastic to be among the first people in to be able to view David in peace! The Accademia is a lovely small museum so you can easily see everything in a few hours.
After a coffee break we headed into the city centre for a browse of the shops. We were very impressed at the number and variety of art shops which kept us entertained for a few hours. We then headed for our lunch at Trattoria Sostanza. This is a tiny little restaurant tucked away on a backstreet on the edge of the city centre. It’s a simple set-up where customers share tables, food is cooked on a fire in the little kitchen and the food is to die for. We indulged in red wine, pasta with meat sauce and then their famous butter chicken.
The afternoon involved a wander along Ponto Vecchio to admire the jewellery shops and a few hours of relaxation (another chance to enjoy the huge bathtub!) before our trip to climb the Duomo in the early evening.
We set off to the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore at around 6pm. We then started to climb through the narrow passages up towards the dome. At the base of the dome there is an inner balcony which overlooks the cathedral. At this time the cathedral is closed so it was lovely to see it so peaceful. The balcony also allows you to see the beautifully painted internal vault up close. We then continued to climb over the dome itself before popping out on the external viewing balcony just as the sun was starting to set. The 360 view was really beautiful!
To end the day, we went for a pizza on a bustling little street followed by some drinks in the courtyard garden of our hotel.
Day 2 began with another delicious breakfast before walking over to the Uffizi gallery. This gallery is really big and unfortunately also very busy! Having enjoyed the Accademia in full yesterday, we decided to make our visit here brief, admiring the building more than the art!
Time for a more of a stroll before heading over to Boboli Gardens. These are the gardens of the Pitti Palace, which was home of the Medici family. The gardens offer a view over the city.
We exited the gardens at the far end and, as this was on the edge of the city, set off on a quest to find an authentic lunch. We stumbled across a lovely little place with a roof terrace at the back. This is where I had my “life-changing” carbonara. Oh it was so good!
The afternoon was time for a bit of shopping - a painting of Florence, a beautiful handbag and a trip to a photo booth!
Then it was time to head back to the hotel (one final bath!) to glam up for our dinner at il Palagio. A wonderful experience!
Part 2: Stigliano
The next day we drove the scenic route from Florence to Stigliano, where we spent the week with Emily’s parents at HPB Stigliano. This was a repeat of a trip we did 10 years ago!
We spent the days reading, swimming and taking a stroll in the local forests. We had a trip into Siena one day and also enjoyed a trip to the opera one evening. We didn’t do very well at taking photos this week and in fact have no evidence that the four of us were there together!
Overall a 10 days of relaxation, which extended the Summer.