After some hard work days and an exhausting getaway in Rome, we got… more hard work days! This time we worked on Thursday afternoon, with the reward of a day off the following Monday.
The plan for the weekend was already defined in advance and it would be a visit to the capital of Tuscany, Florence. The fact that we were going to encounter one of the biggest rainfalls of the year was unknown to us at the time of that decision. We also had no luck with the train on Friday, which ended up being more than an hour late. Closing the morning’s work without showering and bringing a homemade pesto lunchbox from Jordie and Jasmine ended up not being necessary.
Arriving in the city already at night, there was no time (nor patience) for anything other than going to our accommodation. This time, we chose a different solution: staying in a hostel. It’s been a few years since one of us went through this experience and it seemed like an excellent option. We paid €100 for two people for two nights in a four-person dormitory. It’s not an impressive price for a hostel, but the list of perks ended up compensating quite a bit: location close to the station, lockers to leave the luggage, events and workshops every day, and a bar with an excellent atmosphere. In addition, you’re entitled to discounts at the bar (including a welcome drink!) and a plate of pasta every day! It felt good to spend the end of the day at the hostel bar enjoying the offers and having a few drinks.
The next day, we finally indulged in the luxury of waking up without an alarm and getting ready without much rush. For lunch, we returned to our favorite panini spot (which we had already tried in Rome), L’Antico Vinaio. Truly, it’s impossible to leave here unsatisfied.
Given the rain forecast, our idea was to spend much of the day at one of the largest and best art museums in the world: the Uffizi Gallery. As it’s still considered low season, we paid only €18 for a ticket to this museum along with other attractions in the city like the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens (this ticket costs €36 during high season which starts right in March).
Like the Vatican Museums, you don’t have to be a great art enthusiast to be dazzled by a gallery like this. It’s filled with masterpieces by Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, among other Renaissance masters.
Even after spending a good few hours in the museum, the rain was still going. This wouldn’t have been a big problem if this intelligent couple had brought a mere umbrella for this winter adventure. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop us from visiting some of Florence’s most famous spots later in the day.
For dinner, we made a last-minute discovery of a restaurant with typical Tuscan food at affordable prices, including the famous Florentine steak (which we ended up not trying, but it looked excellent). We were already at Ostaria dei Centopoveri door at 7 pm and it was a good thing we did because it quickly became clear that the restaurant is one of the city’s favorites. This preference is totally justified by the quality of the dishes.
After a good night’s sleep (despite a clumsy roommate), we headed back to the city. The morning plans were sabotaged by an announcement of second-hand vintage clothing all for €1 in a Humana store. Let’s just say that on that day we ended up carrying much more than we expected (we even took home a 2kg National Geographic book).
I think you can guess where our lunch choice fell… another visit to L’Antico Vinaio. That means we ended up trying the three best-selling sandwiches (La Boss, La Paradiso, and La Beatrice), all of which are worth it. In the afternoon, we walked to the other side of the Po River for a quick visit to the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. We closed the day with a climb to Piazzale Michelangelo where we were treated to a beautiful panoramic view of Florence.
Back home, the idea was to take advantage of Monday’s day off to rest a bit. However, our traveling spirit led us to another trip in Umbria. Half an hour away by car, we had Orvieto, a small town known for its majestic cathedral. Before leaving Valle Libera, we asked Jordie for a restaurant recommendation for lunch and it couldn’t have been better! On a Monday when the village seemed asleep, we entered Mezza Luna where we found a small room full of locals having lunch. Here we ate, without any doubt, the best carbonara of our lives. Mamma mia 🤌
With our bellies full, we wandered the streets of Orvieto. In between, an apparently abandoned thrift shop caught our attention. It belonged to an enigmatic “Il Magico de Oz”. We couldn’t resist taking a photo of the storefront and then, a gentleman approached us and introduced himself as the owner of the store. The one, “Il Magico de Oz”! He opened the store next door for us, and suddenly, it felt like we were in Harry Potter world with toys that reacted to claps and other gestures. When we left, we had the feeling that we had had a joint hallucination, not knowing if it had been real.
We didn’t leave without confirming the beauty of the Orvieto Cathedral, which rivals the largest in Italy due to its immensely detailed and beautiful facade.
Despite the rain and the lateness of the hour, we wanted to finally visit Civita di Bagnoregio, an attraction that had been on our radar since we arrived in Italy. It’s a very old village, built on top of a rock that is exposed to strong erosion. For this reason, it’s known as The Dying City. The views are incredible both during the day and at night, both on the pedestrian bridge (which is the only possible access) and inside the village inhabited by only 16 people.
And thus, we concluded this extended weekend of ours.
Until next time!
Ricardo and Mar