Travel Details Part 1

Home again after our fabulous trip to Rome to enjoy a honeymoon, babymoon, and friend’s wedding. Here are the details, in two parts:

In Rome, first night – A Casa De Penelope. A no frills hotel which was perfect for us as a place to shower and sleep. One of the negatives is that WiFi was only available in the hallway, or by the door. Otherwise, met our basic need.  The train station was a short walk away which was manageable with our luggage. We invested in a EuroPass before we left so we were able to purchase our ticket to Florence for 10€ each.

In Florence

http://www.welcome2tuscany.it/ This apartment was awesome, as was its location. The owners were easy to work with via email, and they were genuinely friendly with their welcome (plus, they left us some dry goods and wine to start our visit with). On a map, this looks far from the city center, but it was a nice walk. Plus, this part of town was quiet and there was a café on every corner that we were able to have our caffeine and croissant needs met. Additionally, there is an American Style café a few feet away to meet your bagel and coffee withdrawls.

Took the train to Venice from Florence. There’s a lot to see, and we should have taken the earlier train. Ah, well. A reason to return.

From Florence, we took a tour of the Tuscany area through WalkAbout. We went to Siena, San Gimignano AND Pisa with a wonderful farm fresh lunch at an organic Chianti winery & farm on this full-day guided coach trip from Florence. It was well worth the 80€ and a great way to spend the day.

Places we ate while in Florence:

Trattoria La Casalinga – Ate here one night where my menu translator came in handy. Busy night, but our server was very patient. Homestyle food that’s good, not great.

All'Antico Ristoro Di Cambi - We ended up here when everyone else turned us away on a Saturday night. They did tell us the table was reserved later, so we ate quickly. Had we known they were famous for the Steak Florentine, we would have ordered that. We went to a microbrewery nearby, but I don’t know where I left the info. L

Osteria dell’Agnolo – Had the best truffle risotto here after a morning of sightseeing and shopping at the central market. Eyeballed the pizzas the whole time.

Il Guscio – Florence foodie find, based on reviews. A little pricey, but delicious. If you’re feeling adventurous and hungry, worth the visit.