Lost in Florence

We left Venice Sunday morning and arrived in Florence just before noon. The entire time we walked from the train station to our hotel, Justin kept saying, "I miss Venice!" But we would soon fall in love with Florence too. We checked into our hotel and figured out what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Getting on the elevator was an experience. Just look at how small it is!



Our hotel was near the Arno River - which is surprisingly low. We walked along the river looking for a place to eat and came across an outdoor bistro serving pizza and entirely too expensive but quite refreshing fruit bowl. We continued our walk to center city with some incredible views of the Ponte Vecchio (the only original bridge left standing).



We weaved in and out of the streets of the old city, getting lost in the ancient buildings and cobblestone streets. Being we are in a rather spectacular fashion district, Justin gave me his best model pose in front of the Faragammo store. And then gave me the best compliment of all - he told me I looked like I was Milanese! :)



At 4pm we headed to the Accademia, home to Michaelangelo's David. We had reservations but were surprised when there was not even a line of people waiting outside to get in. If you blink, you'll miss the museum. It's a unassuming building on an unsuspecting street.



I couldn't help myself. I had to break the rules and capture some shots of David.



For dinner, we headed to a restaurant highly recommended by Jordan and Paige... Trattoria Za-Za. The only thing is, Justin took me on a detour of the Florence ghetto to get there. We were both a little nervous - did the Codes really eat here?!? Little did we know, it was right down the street from the Duomo. We sat outside on a lighted terrace where the atmosphere was bustling and enjoyed some fabulous traditional Tuscan cuisine. I've been trying to upload a video of Justin making his best Giada DeLaurentis impersonation, but it's been almost an hour and it's still not done. I guess I'll just have to do it when I get home.



Cheers to a great first day exploring the streets of Florence!