Thursday after my classes, Alexa and I went on a walk while my parents were getting settled. We had heard about a park but had yet to see it and since the weather was gorgeous, we figured why not. All we knew was that it was 4 bridges past the Ponte Vecchio, much farther down than we had ever gone. As we walked, farther from the city center that we knew to be our home, we found an adorable residential area...and the US consulate (hopefully we won’t end up there!) We eventually found the park pretty much at the end of Florence but it was completely worth the long walk. It was gorgeous. Literally rows of trees with little walk ways and gardens with benches to sit. We weren’t sure how far down it went so we just kept walking until we realized that it was pretty much never ending. There was even a tram that went through it, something that is not seen in Florence considering how small it is.
After our stroll we crossed over the bridge and headed back towards how, but this time on the other side of the Arno so we could see what was happening– not too much. Very residential with a few shops here and there. Alexa also introduced me to a new supermarket that is SO much nicer than Billa. By the time I got home, 2 hours had flown by..not to mention my feet were killing me. I quickly hopped in the shower and when I got out my parents were waiting for me! There are no words to express how happy I was to see them. While I’ve been having an amazing time in Florence, I’ve missed them a lot.
It was so great to see them and show them around my apartment (as well as get some of the things they had brought me from home). I showed them around Florence a bit and then we went for an early dinner at Aqua Al 2–one of my favorites, and theirs too! After our delicious meal we decided that it would be best I stay at the hotel with them for the weekend since it is located past the train station aka a bit on the outskirts (near the park!) Considering that we were doing day trips all weekend it just made more sense. So I packed my bags and we cab-ed it to the hotel (where I took another shower just because it was huge and the water pressure was phenomenal. We had a big day in Chianti ahead of us so it was an early night for the Golds.
Friday morning we went to pick up the rental car before heading off to Chianti. Yes, my parents rented a car since they planned on doing a few day trips throughout Tuscany. My dad rolled up to the hotel in a white, stick shift convertible and I knew right then and there it was going to be an interesting weekend. It took us a while to get the GPS set up and figure out how to get out of Florence, but soon enough we were well on our way. It was very unlike my parents not to have an exact plan of what we were going to do but they wanted to just roll with things and see where they took us. We drove through Chianti looking at the amazing views (that almost all Tuscan towns have) and stopping in different towns my parents had read up on. We saw Panzani (where we did a wine tasting), Radda (where my dad left his credit card after lunch so we had to go back), Gaiole (home to a monastery that was used from 1000-1810!) , Castello di Brolio (a castle built in 1007 and is still occupied by descendants of the family. Amazing views of Chianti AND a free wine tasting at the end), Panzoni (where we did another wine tasting) and Grieve (where we had a delicious dinner at Ristorante Il Portico).
After dinner we were pretty tired from our wine filled day and wanted to make it back before it was too late/easy to get lost. Originally we were going to get gelato in Florence but that idea was knocked down instantly considering how tired we were (aka VERY tired since nothing comes between my family and food). It was another early night for us since CINQUE TERRE was the game plan for Saturday.
I didn’t know what Cinque Terre was until I came to Florence and read about it in my guides. It’s these 5 small villages (hence the name) that are all along the water and have paths to hike. All my guides raved about the amazing views and how great the trip was. However, it’s not something you need more than a day to do and since this was my last full weekend in Florence (weird!!!) I was quickly able to convince my parents it would be a good day trip. We woke up early Saturday morning and headed to Cinque Terre. Driving through the mountains with the top down and sun shining, I couldn’t help but think to myself, how is this real life?! The views were unreal and I know I saw that in every post but every time I turn around I see a sight that’s more breathtaking!
We got to cinque terre, parked the car and began the hike. However, this past fall, 3 of the 5 villages suffered from a terrible mudslide, leaving the towns in completely devastation. We were only able to hike 1 of the villages and then took the train to the other 4 and walked around each of them. The views were spectacular but you could clearly see the damage that was done and how hard the residents were working to restore what had been lost.
Walking around the Villages didn’t take that long so we decided to head back to Florence and do dinner there so my dad wouldn’t have to drive back in the dark.
Walking around the Villages didn’t take that long so we decided to head back to Florence and do dinner there so my dad wouldn’t have to drive back in the dark.
Dinner was at Trattoria 4 Leoni which was sooo good. They have this amazing pear ravioli that I got although we were all sharing our dishes. We ended up not getting back to our hotel until about 12:30 (which is pretty late for my parents) and were exhausted from the long day.
Sunday was the last of our day trips and luckily we were staying in Tuscany. Every month Arezzo has a huge antique fair in it’s main Piazza with hundreds of vendors. And it just so happened to be taking place when my parents were here (some call it coincidence, I call it fate). Needless to say my parents were LOVING it so we spent the morning walking around and drove to Cortona where we had the most amazing lunch at Osteria Del Teatro. Its located on a little side street near the theater in Cortona and used to be a mansion. The decor was gorgeous, wine was delicious, food scrumptious, and overall a wonderful meal. There isn’t much to do in Cortona so we spent an hour or so wandering the streets (aka shopping) and then headed to my favorite place ever ‘The Mall.’
The Mall is an outlet complex in the hills of Tuscany; outlet shopping and gorgeous views, doesn’t get much better than that. I had been waiting to go here with my parents since I got to Florence and had to use A LOT of self control once we got there. While I was a little disappointed with the bag selection at Gucci (I had head they had a ton but that wasn’t the case by the time we got there), I obviously managed to do a bit of damage. A pair of gorgeous wedges and jacket later (not sorry about it) we were heading home (although my parents went back later in the week and cleaned up too). The shopping gene runs in my family.
The Mall is an outlet complex in the hills of Tuscany; outlet shopping and gorgeous views, doesn’t get much better than that. I had been waiting to go here with my parents since I got to Florence and had to use A LOT of self control once we got there. While I was a little disappointed with the bag selection at Gucci (I had head they had a ton but that wasn’t the case by the time we got there), I obviously managed to do a bit of damage. A pair of gorgeous wedges and jacket later (not sorry about it) we were heading home (although my parents went back later in the week and cleaned up too). The shopping gene runs in my family.
It was a great weekend with my parents traveling Italy but I really couldn’t wait to take them around MY current home, Florence!
No comments:
Post a Comment