We woke up to the sound of the clock tower at 7am. But fell
back to sleep- good morning jet lag! After we finally got up, we got ready and
had a quick breakfast at the hotel.
We headed out to our first stop which was the Mercato di San
Lorenzo. Just outside the Mercato were rows of street vendors selling souvenirs and leather goods. We looked briefly but didn’t buy anything, the vendors were noisy but not too pushy. Inside the Mercato,
there was a lot of different food stands – with SO many choices! We circled the Mercato once, and visited a small shop that sold vinegars, oils and wines. We ventured back
outside for a short time until lunch and visited a cute shop with adorable
trinkets!
We returned to the Mercato
for lunch. We sat at a counter and they had toasted bread with various
toppings to choose from. I had bread with artichoke hearts and a pickled mayo spread as well
as a salami and ragu. Steve had one with argula and tomatoes and a grilled
zucchini. He had red wine and I had white.
We left the Mercato, stopped at the hotel and began our walk
to Boboli Gardens. Boboli Gardens was established by the Medici Family. It is 111 acres of gardens and sculptures. We crossed the Arno River via the Ponte Vecchio, and then climbed a giant hill up the
gardens. They were so expansive and beautiful! The weather was perfect so it was the perfect day to spend in the gardens.
When we left, we went on to visit the Piazza Michaelangelo
for a great view of Florence, thanks to Meredith for the recommendation! It was another giant hill to climb, but it was well worth it.
We climbed back down the hill and got our daily gelato – I had
cheesecake/cherry mix and Steve had chocolate santa trinita. We then walked to
Gusta Pizza and ordered a margareta pizza. After dinner we walked back to our hotel for a drink on the
patio. Jet lag was setting in and had walked so much!
Things I forgot: We had after dinner coffee (Steve) who
drank it like a true Italian! And I had a cappacino which was delicious! We
also found a church we could walk into- believe it was called the Church of St.
Michael.
Hillary’s favorite thing: the view of Florence and my lunch at the Mercato
Steve’s favorite thing: the garden and the view from the
Piazza
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