Ponte Vecchio
You just can't be in Tuscany without a visit to Florence. We only spent a day in the city but it was worth it. It's an amazing city with art and history all around. We walked into the city on the Ponte Vecchio bridge. It is Florence's oldest bridge dating back to 1345. It is full of funny jewelry stores now but used to house all the butcher shops. We made our way to the famous Piazza della Signoris where it is filled with all kinds of ancient statues and sculptures. We had to elbow our way through the piazza just to get a couple of photo's. Never seen so many people in one place all with guide books and big cameras. It was a very crowded day.
We made our way around the corner to see the beautiful Il Duomo- Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiori. The construction of the Duomo was started in 1296!
By this time we are getting pretty hungry and Michael has his eye on a Napoli Pizzeria. He drags me across town to find a wood burning oven for an authentic experience. It does not disappoint! After filling up on one Napoli ( fresh mozz, capers, anchovies and basil) and one with porcini and ham we seem to have left room for a gelato. Wheww!!
The next day we head out for the hillside town of Cortona. Another beautiful village. Since it was a bit of a rainy day we popped into an Enoteca for a little tasting of the regions wines. We started with a Super Tuscan (Bordeaux blend), then a Merlot from DOC of Cortona, a Chianti Classico and finishing with a delicious Brunello di Montalcino. Bellisimo!
We will be heading back to France and looking forward to our daily baquette routine. The bread in Italy is lovely, however they do not use much salt. We did find a great multigrain boule that was our go to loaf with good flavor. Our friend Tim Taylor warned us of this Italian baking tradition and he is right!
Arrivederci Italia!
I loved your tour of Tuscany ... reminded me of my bike trip years ago that I'm ready to repeat after reading your posts!
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