The Sarcastic Blonde

fashion, food, fitness + a dose of sarcastic gossip

Lifestyle

:: vacation recap ::

I spent the last several days in Naples, Florida with friends celebrating our birthdays.
It was some of the best days I’ve had in a long time, and a perfect de-stressor for all of the craziness that has been going on lately.  
Having a trip where everyone, guys and girls alike, is all so close and happily spends that much one on one time together so perfectly makes me giddy.  There were moments I was laughing so hard I could barely breath ; you know vacations like that are good for your soul.
We had a boat day, lots of beach and pool days, golf (I just drove the cart… and chased crows attacking the carts), and some seriously amazing meals. 
Some pictures below : 
  
our 6 AM boarding time at the airport already had me laughing uncontrollably with the drunk older men on our flight.  of course we were second to last row on the plane with all 5 of them behind us, and they stood and drank and acted as bathroom attendants the whole flight.  the flight attendants somehow thought the whole thing was hilarious too and didn’t have a care in the world. 
somehow I slept through the rowdiness for about an hour….. we woke up at 4:30 and stayed up the night before too late…. my friend was there to capture it all 🙂 

 dinner @ Hobnob 
 brunch at Jane’s on 3rd after golf.  Such a cute spot. 

 our meal at Barbatella’s was one of our favorites 
 all day boat day with beautiful houses to look at 


TAKE ME BACK.
and to this house specifically please! 


by  
Italy, Lifestyle

:: Italy Travel Diaries : Positano Part II ::

I’m back with The Italy Travel Diaries,
today with Part II from our time in Positano! 
  
to read more about our arrival to Positano, where we stayed, and our first two days, see Positano Part I 

Day 3:
Our hotel arranged a full boat day around the islands to Capri and back.
It was probably 6 hours in total and something I knew we wanted to do.
The boat was beautiful, and we lucked out with only 4 other people on the boat.
No one within even 20 years of age of us, but that was kind of nice because they all sat in the back and we were able to have the whole front of the boat to ourselves – it felt like a private boat day without the full price of it!
Also, I can’t remember the exact cost of this but it was something very reasonable for what we got – full day on a beautiful boat, drinks, snacks, scenery – and I think it was all for around $60-$80 per person.


On Capri, we rented a scooter to go all the way to top to the little chair lifts.
This was a fun activity and Kip of course loved it.
And we only got screamed at by a cop in Italian once – which for Kip – is a HUGE success.
I had no idea the chairlifts were INDIVIDUAL and it kind of scared the crap out of me.
They also have practically nothing holding you in the chair.
Lovely.

 my hair just looked amazing all day. 

There isn’t much to do at the top but take in the views – but they were beautiful!


Then we went down to find lunch and walk around before heading back to the boat for the trip back.
Capri overall didn’t amaze us – it was crowded.  The dock there is much larger than in Positano or Amalfi or Ravello or Praiano, so HUGE boats just unload people.
We really loved the day on the boat, but Capri was just so so.  If we ever get to return – we would do a boat day again, but to one of the other smaller islands.

On the way back, the boat takes you to the grotto’s – we went around the blue grotto but didn’t go in – there is aline and the boat has to drop you off and get you on the other side.
Instead we went to the green grotto, and then went to other little caves to swim around.
The caves were gorgeous.  And just the scenery all day in general of course.

it was such a perfect afternoon in the water and in the caves
(and I learned that Kip has a fear of caves….. he refused to swim in because the water could rise and kill us ….. how ’bout that? so I swam all the way in and it was amazing) 

That night we changed, went to back to Brezza for cocktails, and then walked over to where Chez Black and Tres Sorrel and decided to eat at Tres Sorrel/Three Sisters because I had heard good things.
We loved our meal! And as always, right on the water and in the perfect spot for people watching.

The soccer games were all on, and of course everyone there was all about it, so we wandered to another little outdoor bar spot to watch the games with everyone before ending the night back on our balcony.


The last day was spent back on the beach.
This time we had lunch at the little restaurant right on the beach which was so cheap and we literally had a HUGE pitcher of wine for $5.  We couldn’t even finish it before we went back to our spots at our chairs, which is really saying something.
One thing we didn’t do that I really wish we had was take the little boat with the red fish over to Da Adolfo.  We were lazy and stayed where we were…. I couldn’t convince Kipper to move beach locales again 🙂  But everyone highly recommends that and then eating lunch over there.

The final night we ate at Buca di Bacco and it was so, so yummy.
They also have a more casual restaurant downstairs with a bar – good for apertivo.
There were so many restaurants I wanted to try and just not enough time.

:: leaving positano ::
on our final morning, we woke up and had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast and sit on our patio and do shopping before our ferry took us over to Sorrento at 12.
OR SO WE THOUGHT.
I hadn’t bought any Italian leather sandals yet because we were saving this for today….. and this guy that did hand paintings down by the docks – today was the day to buy it on our way out and stick it in our suitcases.
OR SO I THOUGHT.
so we go down after breakfast to get our ferry ticket and “no ferry today”.
it was slightly cloudy and that is all.
sooooo the one travel logistic that didn’t work out began.
he sent us all the way up to the gas stations to get a bus ticket.
we hike all the way up there – I am pouring sweating – and there is no area here at all to get a bus ticket.
someone there sends us to a little travel agency…… they send us somewhere else….. and then somewhere else….. and during all of this they share that no cars or anything else are available because everyone has snagged them since the ferry isn’t running.
SO we finally get our bus tickets and prepare to book it back to our hotel to grab our things and then book it all the way back to where we originally were.
I. Am. Pouring. Sweat.
Like….. drenched.  I do not glow, my scalp sweats so much you think I’ve showered.
SO we get back into the hotel lobby to get our key and there is a couple that is discovering what we just had.
The woman looks at me and hands me two kleenex on the stop and says “I think you need these….”
Embarrassed? Yes. Appreciative? YES.
So, we can’t just grab our bags and go – we both have to somehow try to shower really really quick and then go up 9,000 steps with our luggage to the main road to catch the local bus that will take us to the main road for the big bus.
By the time I get to the small road for the local bus, I once again look as though I’ve been swimming.
The local bus never arrives on time, because there is so much traffic on the little local road, and in order for us to have any chance of making the big bus, we need to walk (CLIMB. UPHILL.) up the street all the way to the top.
On the way there are other people clearly doing the same thing…. all of us scrambling.
We make it just a few minutes before the bus arrives and when we roll over to the side of the road to wait, our friends from the lobby are there.
She literally hands me her whole thing of kleenex and tells me to keep it.  There aren’t even close to enough Kleenex in there to help my current situation, but again, much appreciated.
So the bus arrives and it becomes like a madhouse to get on.  There was no way for a line to form so people are just on the side of the road and then start scrambling.
The bus guy doesn’t open the luggage doors below – he says “no time” – so everyone with their huge suitcase is trying to get on and sit on top of their luggage in the seats.  We made it on, so we didn’t care, but I sat with my legs on top of my luggage then crammed against the window and was on the verge of puking all the way there.  I don’t get car sick – but yikes.
And we were crammed next to the nicest people who we talked to the whole time over which was a nice distraction from the insane nausea.

ANYWAYS – lesson learned : the ferries REALLY don’t run randomly, and get your shoes and your art and all your little things BEFORE the morning you are leaving.
BUT, also a lesson that things will work out – you just will likely be sweating like a whore in church when they do.

AREN’T YOU SO GLAD YOU READ ALL OF THAT? 
that’s what I thought……. 

We took the bus to Sorrento, where we stayed for one night, before going on to Rome for our last 3 nights.
Sorrento and Rome recaps coming up next!
Spoiler Alert : Sorrento was nothing special, we just used it as an easy travel spot to get to Rome, but we were OBSESSED with our 5 Star hotel that we got for an insanely cheap rate on trip advisor and LOVED everything about it.
Grand Hotel La Favorita.

below, I’ve copy and pasted everything that I compiled from friends and the internet for tips and things to do, etc :

:: POSITANO / SORRENTO ::
Sights +
Activities
* Walk the town!
* Hire
a semi-private boat to take us on a day trip to Capri
*If you
can, go to One Fire Beach one day! They also arrange pick ups in Positano by
boat, but they have a gorgeous beach swim spot, full bar/restaurant service,
play fun music, and offer lounge chairs, towels, etc. I’m sure you could cab to
the top and walk down the ~200 steps too

* “Path of the Gods” hike –
incredible views! We took the bus to one of the highest points in Positano and
the two hour hike ends up in the neighboring town – Priano – we took the bus
back to Positano

Food
*La Sirenuse. 
Nicest hotel in town; go to their restaurant/bar for a cocktail and the
amazing view over the water.

*La
Strada in Priano was amazing. They had a lemon pasta that I was OBSESSED with.
I still salivate when I think of it. If you want to get out of Positano one
night, I’d suggest the patio here. Also, offers a great view of the sunset.


*Le Tre
Sorelle or “The Three Sisters”, relatives still run it and although
it’s on the main beach strip, the food was AMAZING. We also got really wasted
on house wine – it was just SO delicious. My husband ordered the red snapper
with cherry tomatoes and potatoes and loved it. 


*Chez
Black, a bunch of hype and always packed. Maybe for a drink and some people
watching.


*Buca
di Bacco – get some pizza in their cafe downstairs. It’s really delicious!
Their gelato was also some of my favorite! 


*La
Zagara is an outdoor garden like restaurant/bar and some nights they have live
music! Try some of their desserts- specifically their canolis or anything lemon
because attached to La Zagara is a limoncello store/”factory” owned
by La Zagara’s owners wife; everything in there is either made/grown by them or
an artisan in town. We skipped this, but you can also go on the little tour of
what they call a “factory” (aka a small kitchen space in the
basement) where they make their limoncello.

*We
went to Le Sirene, a restaurant that picks you up by boat, which is SO fun. I
would skip Le Sirene and go to Alfonsos (Da Adolfo) for lunch (it’s right next
door)! They pick you up by boat in Positano and take you to their cove. 


*Casa e
Bottega – the cutest little breakfast/lunch spot that had smoothies, freshly
baked pastries, and wonderful woman to speak to. We sat at the counter and had
breakfast. It was less expensive than other options and really enjoyable!
*Da
Adolfo – We loved this! private beach/restaurant. They have their own boat that
picks you up on the dock and takes you to the other side of the island.  Red Fish Boat, takes about 5 minutes. The
seafood was amazing. 

*La
Tagliata – Restaurant sends a private bus where you go to the highest point on
the mountain. No menu – they serve you what is fresh and what they make and put
a bottle of wine on the table (or 2 or 3 ) depending on your
preference.  Cheapest meal we had the whole time we were in Italy.
Tips
Note that the
beaches are rock but you can rent a lawn chair for like 12 euro for the day but
be sure to get there really early. You can also rent a boat or kayak and go out
in the water on your own. 
Logistics
Consider the City Sightseeing Sorrento Bus to get from
Sorrento to Positano with a more enjoyable ride (10 Euro )
Capri Boat Trip for the Day
Take the Funiculare to
the top, eat at Aurora for lunch at the top




by  
International, Italy, Lifestyle, Travel

:: Italy Travel Diaries : Positano Part One ::

image
 
One of the best parts of our trip to Italy, if not THE best part, was our stay in Positano.
It is just as magical and beautiful as it looks in pictures. 
Everything abut it was perfection.
We did 4 nights in Positano and almost extended our trip to 5 once we were there….. and definitely could have done 6 🙂 We both loved it so much. 
 
We did this part of our trip a little bit different than most people, for a couple of reasons.
Most people that are making their way South through Italy would go to Rome from Florence and then end in Positano.  I changed it up for two reasons.  I wanted a break from all of the sight-seeing and go-go-go because I thought Rome would just be exhausting after all the big city things we had been doing.  I am really glad I made that decision because Rome WAS physically exhausting, but luckily we had relaxed for 5 days prior.  
Also, getting OUT of Positano can be tricky.  If there is “bad weather”, the ferries do not run. (and this happened to us when we were leaving…. and there was not a cloud in the sky….)  Also, the roads are super windy and tiny, and taking a car from Positano to the Naples airport would have meant getting up extremely early, getting a car to Naples, and also having a layover on the way back.
I forgot that was my third reason – I didn’t want to go to Naples as everyone says its the worst part to be and I wanted a direct flight straight home.
So, because of all of that, we took a little bit longer of a train ride and bypassed Rome to go straight to Positano.
Then afterwards we went back North to end our trip in Rome. 
 
I had planned a ton of the trip and almost all of it was very easy.
The one thing I could not decide on or figure out was the best way to get to Positano.
I was nervous about the ferries not running, but I didnt want to get packed onto a bus on the windy nauseating roads (which we had to do on the way out of Positano and was quite the experience, but more on that next post). 
We had originally decided to take the train to Sorrento, and then take a bus or a ferry or something when we got off.  (because I couldn’t figure out the schedule of any of them in advance).
I changed our route while we mid-train.  Our train to the Naples train station was ending in Salerno…. and I realized while we were on board that there were ferries from Salerno that would take us straight to Positano.  So I did the whole “pass your end location” again and we went a little bit past Positano but got to stay on the fast train to Salerno which saved a lot of time in the end. I used the internet on the train to change our ticket for a few Euros to Salerno, and from there we went to the little travel agency at the entrance of the station to buy 2 ferry tickets to Positano. 
It ended up being perfect.  We walked a few blocks to the water, sat and ate pizza at a place where no one spoke a drop of english and sat in the sun with some wine while we waited for our 2:00 ferry. 
these two giant pizzas and a half bottle of wine was something less than $10.  loved it. 
 
We had a 30 minute ferry ride and it was beautiful and we got to see all the little stops along the way like Amalfi and Praiano and it was like a free tour added right in.
The only obnoxious part was the group of University of Arizona study abroad kids ripping pulls from an Absolute bottle and hanging off the side of the boat (literally about to fall off) taking pictures in their crop tops absolutely WASTED.  It was horrifying.  I was mortified to be an American. 
but the rest was great 🙂 
 
When we arrived in Positano, there are all of these bag boys ( I believe in red shirts? ) asking where you are staying and you can pay them to bring your bag to your destination because, DUH, its like a million steps and who wants to lug their crap themselves.
Although I assured Kip I hadn’t heard from anyone that this wasn’t legit, in true Kipper fashion, he did not trust giving our bags to total strangers, sooooo his backpack went on my back and he grabbed the suitcases.  When the hotel manager saw us sweating carry our bags in to the lobby she definitely looked at us like we were crazy 🙂  And I looked at Kip like he was too, but we had our things and checked right in! 
I talked last time about our incredible hotel, Hotel Miramare.
I can’t recommend the hotel, Rosita, and our room (221) enough.  
See more on that here. 
Rosita gave us the low down on places to go and things to do, and we changed out of our slightly sweaty clothes and went down the stairs to Brezza for apertivo.  Brezza is right off the main little pier, next to Chez Black and Three Sisters & all of that.  It overlooks the water and everyone coming in off the beach.  It was one of our favorite spots for the whole trip, their free snacks that came with our apertivo were incredible and it was such a great casual happy hour.   Loved it. 
We went back to the hotel to shower and go for dinner, and we went up the stairs to a spot above our hotel for a delicious pasta meal (no clue what the restaurant was, I’m sorry! I didn’t write it down) before spending the rest of our first night on our balcony with wine. 
It was beautiful all lit up at night. 
It was the first of many simple days and perfect relaxing nights in Positano and we were already in love. 
 
Our first morning, we woke up and had a delicious breakfast at our hotel.

 

 

 
The breakfast room was so gorgeous, and it was one of our favorite breakfasts of the trip – they had tons of options (and lots of hot eggs and bacon or sausage, which Kip didnt have everywhere so he was super pleased). 
 We had been told to avoid the main beach where all the boats drop everyone off, and instead to walk across the (gorgeous) pathway to the left to Spiaggia Beach.
It was heaven. 
 
 and we may have been one of the first people there the first day…. oops.
I didnt sleep in on this trip – I wouldn’t have wanted to anyway, but I was always ready to go by 8 am after likely tossing and turning despite multiple glasses of wine to the face the day and night before. 
no complaints – more time to sit on the beach! 
you have to rent the chairs, and depending on how close you are to the water the more euros per chair they will charge you.
the ones right up front were 8-10 euro, and cheaper as it went back.
also, WHY are the lounge chairs in America not like these? They have this little shade cover you can pull up so that you can perfectly shade your face and it makes it so easy to read.
I loved those damn lounge chairs.  The blue and white stripes didn’t hurt either. 
 we read and swam and relaxed on the beach until lunch time. 
they also had a cliff jump that was fun to watch kip and everyone go off of, but no pictures because it was all the way around the side in the water so I had to swim around to watch. 
 
For lunch, we walked back up a tiny bit to Lo Guarracino (two fishes) which overlooked spiaggia beach.  
it was pricier for lunch, much pricier than the little places that were right on spiaggia beach (where we ate later, and were still delicious) but it was worth it for the view and a nice afternoon lunch break. 
and they turned my pizza into a heart.  it was so cute. 
 seriously this little walkway to and from spiaggia beach was one of my favorite parts 
 we showered up and relaxed on our deck before going to one of the restaurants all the way at the top of Positano.  
La Tagliata.
They send a car from the restaurant to your hotel to pick you up, and then will also take you back after dinner.  
It was gorgeous and super romantical and my pictures display absolutely none of it 🙂 
 
 the food was so, so good and the staff was so sweet. 
we had an insane risotto here that Kip talked about repeatedly. 
 
 
are these posts wordy enough for you?
did I confuse you enough with my directions for how we ass-backwards made it to Positano? 
Great! Then this post was successful! 
 
And incase you missed previous Italy Posts:
 
Venice Recap
 
Siena Recap
 
Florence Recap
 
Positano Travel Information


by  
International, Italy, Lifestyle, Travel

:: Italy Travel Diaries : Positano ::

After Florence,
our next stop was Positano.
Positano was a complete and utter dream, and perhaps our favorite of the entire trip.
(I think it definitely was).
  
I want to give Positano posts the justice they deserve, and they aren’t ready yet, but I know that so many of you are currently planning trips so I at least wanted to share where we stayed.
Because we LOVED it. LOVED LOVED.
I had the highest of expectations and Hotel Miramare and the manager there, Rosita, far surpassed them.
Here are a few pictures of the hotel and a crappy video from my cell phone of our room 🙂 
 
from the port/main beach in Positano, the hotel is up on the left side, about 200 steps up.
it is the red building you see on the left.
I made super cute graphics that are better than our pictures from our boat day to highlight where it is 😀 
you are welcome. 
 
 

 

one of the most beautiful rooms from the hotel was the breakfast room.  
and the breakfast was delicious! 
 
 
we were lucky enough to be booked in one of the two new rooms in a separate entrance just to the right of the hotel entrance up a few steps.
{ according to my notes, we were in room 221! }
they are brand new, so spacious, and the most beautiful views and balcony.
The balcony was so big with two lounge chairs and also table and chairs if you wanted to eat out there. 
I could go on and on.
We spent so much time just sitting on the balcony, day or night. 
 
I figured out how to upload a youtube video of our room when it wouldn’t upload directly to the blog 🙂 I mean, I’m impressed with myself. 
It’s shaky and not the best, and doesn’t do the size or brightness or beauty of the room justice, 
but it gives you an idea.  

 
also, this instagram that I posted shows a good view of the balcony.
 
SO, I’ll share more about Positano (and then Rome)
but I wanted to let you know how much we loved our hotel 
Hotel Albergo Miramare Positano 
and would recommend it to anyone.  
 
We are DREAMING of when we can go back. 
I’m near tears (not really…. but really…. but no… seriously yes) just with this part of the post which is why writing the rest is taking forever…. I miss it so much! 


 

by  
International, Italy, Lifestyle, Travel

:: Italy Travel Diary : Florence ::

:: FLORENCE ::
  
huh? what’s that you say? 
the huge trip you talked about for forever leading up to it, and then only posted about half of it so far?
YES.
I’m back to continue The Italy Travel Diaries.
finalllllly. 
I have so many friends going to Italy this year that I knew I needed to get back on it and talk about Florence, Positano, and Rome. 
and next up is Positano the absolute favorite and I could cry I want to be there right now. 
 
after Venice and Siena, 
we took a train and arrived in Florence. 
 

we had originally planned on taking a cab from the train station to our hotel,

but we took screen shots on our phone and it was easy enough to find it.
for our hotel, we found it through the Rick Steves book.
After we unloaded our bags at the hotel, we immediately ventured out.
We rounded the corner from the hotel and the Duomo was just towering down the little road.
  It was about a three minute walk to the Duomo and we started out with Rick Steves audio tour because so many friends had recommended it.  It was a great walking tour to get acquainted with the city. 
 
We walked to one of the locations where we could get the Firenze Card which we had decided would be well worth the 72 Euro per person because the lines for everything in Florence are nuts.  Luckily friends and everything we read confirmed that this was the right thing to do. 
Definitely, definitely get this card! Otherwise, you will spend all of your time waiting in lines and not seeing anything of Florence. 
 
We went across the Ponte Vecchio, and looked at all of the pretty jewelry in the windows as we went, and settled on a spot for lunch outside of the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens.  
The Gardens were so gorgeous.  It was such a fun afternoon wandering around and not doing anything.  I was also reading Dan Brown’s Inferno so it was fun to be in the place I was reading so much about.  

 

 

 

 
 
…… my jumping shot was a complete and utter fail. and I’m very special. 
we stopped at a little place between our hotel and the Duomo for apertivo before showering for dinner.
We went to dinner at Il Porcospino, a restaurant our neighbor raved about from when she was studying abroad in Florence.  She e-mailed ahead and told Franco to be expecting us and it was such a wonderful dinner.  He just brought food out for us, no menus, and it was a perfect first night in Florence.
 
The next morning we got up early to go to see The David.  The Academia was right behind our hotel so we got there in no time, and even though we went right at 9 (or whatever time it opened) there were lines already.  The Firenze Card was a lifesaver again, but still about a 15 minute wait.
I’m so glad we got in early because there was hardly anyone indoors and it made seeing the David much much better.   I couldn’t believe how big it was in person. 
Then we climbed The Duomo – oh my gosh – tight spaces getting up there.  Like, crazy tight.  It was nuts. 
worth it at the top though.
at this point in the trip Kip kept asking me when I would stop making us climb things.  (little did he know what was to come with the stairs in Positano…..) 
 
 
after The Duomo we did a ton of museums…. most of which we could have done without.  They were just so crowded and it was lots of wandering and none of the rest of the day was as a great as The Boboli Gardens or The David (to us).  It was all wonderful but it just gets to be the same religious art 9,000 times after a little bit. 
We did Uffizi and got super cheap pizza and wine after which was amazing.  So glad we stumbled upon the little place and not a clue what the name was but there was a cute couple our age in Ole Miss polos that seemed just as excited to find a quick cheap yummy bite. 
 
We went to the leather school (after getting seriously lost finding it) after lunch, but no one was working when we were there so it was a bust.  Their leather belts for Kip were a lot, so we passed, and luckily found two cute ones on the way to dinner that night for much cheaper for him to take home. 
We also stopped at the Galileo Museum because I am a science lover and what could be better I thought that Kip would enjoy it, but it was just weird.  Like, a lot of vagina (or allota fagina) and pregnancy things.
I was like “wheres the finger that Rick Steves said was here? Lets just look at that and get out of here”
 
 
we ended our last night there with Gelato after a dinner surrounded by locals at I Che Ce Ce Trattoria while we strolled past the Duomo one last time at night to our hotel. 
 
We loved Florence, but it did get exhausting.  I can completely see why it was so many peoples favorite places.  We saw so much in the two days we were there that it kind of started to become a blur, but it was an amazing highlight to the trip.  I can’t get over how these pictures do no justice to how beautiful the buildings are there. 
 
So, definitely do the Rick Steves Renaissance Walk – the app is so helpful for so many different things and we loved it for Florence to get acquainted.
We also loved the Boboli Gardens for wandering.  
 
Hotel Information : 
We stayed at Hotel Loggioto Dei Serviti.  (website)
It was about a 3 minute walk to the Duomo, and when you rounded the corner from the square out hotel was in, you could see it immediately towering overhead in the distance. I could not believe how beautiful, and how BIG, it was.  
I did like our hotel, but the square was definitely not a lively one and I’m sure there are better places you could stay.  But the room was massive and very old Italian.  The inside of the hotel was beautiful – the hallways and stairwells and everything.  And breakfast was great too 🙂  So overall we were happy with it.  

 

 

 
Below I am including the two pages from my nerd-alert word document that I combined from all of your recommendations along with my friends emails and things like that.  So this was what I had on hand before our trip and hopefully can help some of you with your trip plans! 
 
:: FLORENCE ::
 
Sights +
Activities
*Renaissance Walk : Rick Steves
Start at Duomo, can do self guided
walking tour, hit all the main sights – theres a free audio tour in the app
*The Accademia that houses the David
book a tour for the
accademia, massive lines
*Dumo : have euros to enter
* Giottos Tower : less crowded to climb than The Duomo and
with great views
*Scuola del Cuoio (here) which is a
leather school.  This was a definite highlight of our time in Florence.
You can stroll through the building and see true leather artisans at
work, learning the ins and outs of the trade.  The leather they work with
is the best of the best, and you really feel like you are in the presence of
artists.  There are photos on the wall of celebrities who have been there.
And, it’s completely free to enter, which is refreshing when you are on a
two week trip where everything, everything, costs money.
* Pizzale Michaelangelo
From there we made our way up the 26742 steps
(or maybe it just seemed that way) to Piazzale Michaelangelo (here).  There was a cathedral up at the very
top where we stopped to sit on a bench and just take the glorious view in.
If I had it to do again, you better believe I’d go armed with a book and
a bottle of red.
*Piazza
Santo Spirito for nighttime
from
Amy : One night we just happened upon the Piazza Santo Spirito when walking
around – definitely a local young person spot to drink outside and really fun
people watching!
*
Ponte Vecchio : the famous bridge, especially romantic at night
*
Galileo Science Museum : has 3 of his fingers! Telescopes , gadets, inventions
*Leather
Shopping + Visit The Leather SChool great leather, leather jackets. Rick Steves
has a few places in particular recommended, can get amazing jacket for 250-300.
*Uffitzi Museum
 
 
Food
* I’ Che’ C’e’ C’e Trattoria We got advice from one of
Ryan’s wholesalers who grew up in Florence. It is a MUST! No tourists, except us of course.  Off the beaten
path, very cool. Once again our hotel called to make reservations. The balsamic
beef was amazing.  
* Il Porcospino – The
Porcupine – Glenn and Angelina’s favorite place
*
Cibreo  (it’s a country club like place that we had to join – I think it
was like 10 euro pp but it was worth it) was another restaurant recommendation
we got from Ryan’s Italian guy.  It is family style and they just bring
things out and they bring small dishes to your table. The wine is on tap. 
(from
online : Il Cibreo is THE restaurant that you have to go to in Florence; it
ranks as one of our favorites in all of Italy. We prefer the trattoria, over
the more formal ristorante and café across the street (the formal ristorante
& café are very good, but very expensive, and a little stuffy); in
any case, they all use the same kitchen, the only difference being that the
trattoria menu is more limited. Il Cibreo’s menu is based on traditional Tuscan
cooking, before the introduction of pasta. The menu sticks by classic dishes —
e.g., polenta, minestra di pane, pappa al pomodoro — but they are typically
done with concentrated flavors in a more sophisticated way than your typical
Italian restaurant. The secondi are also highly recommended, including their
collo di pollo ripieno (stuffed chicken neck), polpetti di vitella (veal
meatballs), and salsicce con i fagioli (sausage and beans) Note that the
Trattoria does not take reservations, so keep this in mind, because you will
likely have to wait for a bit to be seated.
* Aqua al Due – * this is where EVERYONE has recommended * You
MUST go here. There will be a wait but order their pasta sampler and blueberry
steak with a bottle of brunello wine, it will fill you up but it is amazing! 
Osteria vini e vecchi sapori – need reservations, amazing tiny hole in the wall!
Le colonnine – quattro formaggio pizza and the
Nutella calzone dessert
La Fagolio (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d1068024-Reviews-Del_Fagioli-Florence_Tuscany.html) and ordered the steak for two. Best meal of my life. I think
it’s cash only and I would highly recommend a reservation. It was
incredible. 
*
Il Pizzaiuolo – best pizza ever had, per cupcakes and cashmere
Il Cibreo Trattoria: Via dei Macci, 122R;
Ristorante: Via dei Macci 118r; Telephone 055 234 1100; closed Sundays and
Mondays.
*Perche No! in Florence (here)
voted one of top gelato
places in the world
*Il Latini – make a reservation, its about
$45 euro per person but is about 5 courses, includes wine and is delicious
* Westin Bar for great views
* Lunch: Trattoria Mario (you sit with
locals, close to Mercato Centrale)
I looked up on the map and this is an 8
minute walk from our hotel
*Procacci – Wine and Truffle Bar  
 
 
Tips
* We
walked to the Galleria dell’Accademia (where David is) and instead of waiting
in the crazy lines, we bought tickets for a particular time and went and
explored/had lunch and then came back and got right in at our designated time.
* We got the Firenze card which I highly recommend. Let’s
you jump the line and get into all of the museums.

* You MUST make reservations in advance (well in advance)
for the Uffizi Gallery especially (and Accademia)

And incase you missed previous Italy Posts:

Venice Recap

Siena Recap


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International, Italy, Lifestyle, Travel

:: Italy Travel Diary : Siena ::

:: SIENA/TUSCANY :: 



I’m back with more Italy info (finally!!!) 


After leaving Venice,  we headed to Tuscany with out first stop in Siena.  

we took the train to Florence, and switched to a Train to Siena.
I had a sandwich at the Florence train station that was so good I didn’t understand how something that delicious could come from a place like that. 

We spent two nights in Siena, with one day spent on a vineyard tour of Tuscany in the Chianti region.  

 
Siena was a great small city that could easily be done in one day/night, but since we were doing the wine tour I am glad we stayed for two.


:: WHERE WE STAYED :: 
Our friends had gone to Italy the year before and had recommended the Hotel Athena because of its gorgeous views.
It is located on the outskirt of the center of the city (but Siena is so small that by “outskirt” I mean it was a 5 minute walk if that to Il Campo (center square) and even less of a walk to the Duomo so still in the heart of it all). 
The views from the hotel were simply gorgeous.  Stunningly beautiful and so quiet and peaceful.
These are the views from their restaurant/bar rooftop area.  

 

 

I loved walking around and strolling Siena.
Cars cannot drive in many parts of the city, and so you basically stroll little walkways up and down little hills.  It was so quaint and picturesque.  
 
The first day we climbed the City Tower in Il Campo after checking in and dropping off our things.
Then we wandered around, and to reward ourselves for our hike up a million stairs, we had cocktails outside the Duomo. 
Then, why stop there, cocktails on our rooftop bar with the gorgeous views.
We saw a sign for a restaurant Va Vine not far from our hotel that said “come inside and see our views” so we ate on their back patio which was gorgeous and then when it got dark and the views disappeared was romantic with twinkle lights and candles.  This was one of the few places the whole trip where the waiters did not speak english, but it was easy enough to order and the food was spectacular.  
We had fried zucchini and calamari, pasta dishes, wonderful steak, and ended with tiramisu that was to die for. 
 
The next day we went to The Duomo right when it opened, and if you pay 2 Euro you can walk straight up to counter and get a skip-the-line pass.  We walked straight in, and we were the first handful of people to go in that day so it was nice and quiet. 
This was one of my favorite places that we saw in all of Italy.  
It rivals the Duomo in Florence with its beauty : STRIPES. 
We strolled Il Campo and grabbed a bite on the square before heading back to the hotel for our Chianti and Castles Tour. 

For the vineyard and castle tour, it was a group of 6 of us and we went to 2 vineyards and 2 castles.  
I do not drink red wine….. ummm ever.  Like, never.  But it was still fun 🙂  
There were older ladies that didnt drink red either and they would drink the tiniest sip and pour the rest in the bucket and I was like ARE YOU CRAZY? DRINK IT! YOU JUST SAW IT IN A BARREL! YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE GRAPES!
I mean….. sometimes I worry about people.  


So for those of you that love Chianti, FUN FACT: it is only a real Chianti if is has the *black rooster* on the label, otherwise it is an IMPOSTER. 
The second winery had a smokin’ hot George Clooney type Italian man leading the tasting and I really wanted to make Kip get a picture of him, but instead I silently stared at him while I pretended to just LOVE the different types of Chianti (every time the cheapest one tasted the best to me) and ate the 25 aged balsamic with cheese.  
The balsamic. was. the. best. thing. ever. 
 
Later that night we walked to a random little pizza place to eat and there happened to be a big race (about a half of a marathon) going on so we sat outside and ate as runners came and went.  There was a big cookout with tables set up too, but we couldn’t figure out how or if we were allowed to join in 🙂 All of the “roads” are stone and on hills – I seriously have NO idea how they were doing it.  We had cocktails and saw the final racers making their way down to the finish and it was fun to see the locals and the children cheering everyone on as they ate their ice cream.  It was very much an italian moment that we were so lucky to stumble upon.  
 
Let the pictures begin !
 
Right after dropping of our bags, we climbed the tower to get views of all of Siena and the Tuscan hillside
 so sweaty.
 
 
The unreal views from our hotel.  This was more beautiful than any views from towers!
 
 
 
 
Day two, we went to the Duomo.
It was so gorgeous.  The stripes took my breath away!
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 The back part of the Duomo that we walked past constantly on our walk to-and-from the hotel to the Campo had these gorgeous, gigantic doors that I loved.
 
 
 
 
First stop on the tour, one of the castles in the distance
 
 
 
At our first winery
 
 
 
 see the black rooster!?
 
 the second winery (with Italian George and the killer balsamic) had the most beautiful views!
 
 
Even if only for one day and night, I definitely recommend making a stop in Siena.  It was  such a wonderfully quaint Midieval town and different from anywhere else we went in Italy. 
 
Day One : 
Climbed the Tower
Lots of strolling, shopping, up and down the little roads 
Day Two : 
The Duomo
Chianti and Castles Tour : Two Vineyards and Two Castles 
Logistics:
Everything here was so simple and easy to manage.  
You will need to take a cab from the train station.  There is a little cab light straight out from the station but be prepared to wait for a cab, they come slowly one at a time.  It was a cheap ride, less than 10 Euro.
Food Recommendations
from friends that we never made it to: 

*
Osteria Baccon Del Prete  or  Osteria Cice
            reservation required for both – have the concierge call
*La Taverna di San Diuseppe

 

Our favorite meal of our entire trip
(and there were a LOT of meals!) was at La Taverna di San Giuseppe in Siena.
There was a savory chocolate pasta dish that I’m still thinking about 4 years
later. It’s in a beautiful cave like setting too.



And incase you missed previous Italy Posts:

Venice Recap

 


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