a NOLA girl in a Big world

This is what I love about Europe, plans can change quickly and you’re still set up to see some place great. Our original plan was to head to the Amalfi coast for the day, but within 24 hrs we changed our plans and traveled north to Florence and I’m glad we did. *but have no fear, I will be coming back to STRICTLY visit southern Italy*

Having our own car on the train to Florence was a nice way to start our travels. The country side heading into Florence was beautiful and the peace and quiet wasn’t bad either. I wish the States had a better rail way system. The folks in the northeast & northwest are spoiled having a stellar railway system to get them to cities in a timely manner.

Once in Florence we headed straight to the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore and were just BLOWN AWAY by the sheer size and beauty of this nearly 600 year old church. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I also think the proximity to the other buildings makes it look “more” massive than it actually might be.

Since this was an impromptu trip, we didn’t have any tours or plans lined up, but thankfully we stumbled across a walking tour and it ended up working out in our favor. Unfortunately, I can’t remember our tour guides name, but he was FABULOUS. Born and raised in Florence, he was a wealth of HILARIOUS knowledge. A quick 2 hour tour had us walking around the north and south side of Florence – stopping of course to get gelato. Florence fun fact: it’s the home of Michelangelo’s Original David. Fun fact #2: there are something like 4 replicas of David all over the city and we saw 2 of the replicas. We walked up 5 miles of hills to get to the most breathe taking views of the entire city. Well worth the trek.

We are a local joint and I realized that my limited food palate would make Florence a HORRIBLE place for me to live. We walked some more, ate more gelato and got back on our train to Rome.

We saved our final meal in Rome for a recommendation from a dear friend and it was SPECTACULAR. The best meal thus far in Rome. From start to finish we had impeccably cuisine, if you want food in Rome – Il Falchetto is a MUST. 

Between the food, faith, culture and of course the Trains – Rome has moved up the list of my favorite European cities. 

Until next time, Ciao Rome