Eating Our Way Through Italy

Buongiorno!  We landed in Milan at 11 p.m. and waited until morning to head to Florence.  The night went by somewhat quicker because we were able to chat with a friend we made from Slovenia.  So far making friends has been a theme during our trip to Italy.

Priority número uno after arriving in Florence was finding something to eat.  We headed to All’ Antico Vinaio, for some authentic Italian sandwiches.  Lyss got Italian ham with Pecorino cream.  The man at the counter said to me, “I bet you like everything, I will make you best sandwich in world”.  He is the expert after all so I gave him free reign to make the best sandwich and he didn’t disappoint.  As we were sitting in the plaza eating our lunch, we heard some people speaking English next to us.  Alyssa asked where they were from, and what do you know they were from Wisconsin visiting their daughter who goes to St. Norbert and is studying abroad in Italy.  Alyssa had predicted we would see a St. Norbert student in Italy and she was right!

mozzarela and spicy salami

Gusta Pizza for the second time

As one tourist put it “You eat your way through Italy.” Most of our time has been spent walking and taking in the sights until it is time to eat again.  Then the whole process repeats itself.  We walked through the flower gardens of Florence, visited a number of old churches, and saw many different versions of the David statue.  There were so many artistic sights to take in around us that Alyssa walked right across a man’s painting while she was looking up at a bell tower.  Mi dispiace...

 

We hiked to Michelangelo's viewpoint to get a better view of the city.
The dome of the church was the world's first dome.

We spent the night in a room we are renting in an Italian grad student’s house.  We chatted with the Israeli family across the hall that is also visiting Florence.  The next morning we walked through the market and shared a panini.  Then we took the bus to Chianti.  It was a great change of pace to spend time in a city that is 100% Italy.  Chianti is a small Italian village in Tuscany known for their wine.  We walked through fields of olive trees, visited a small stone hamlet in the hills, and saw the house of Amerigo Vespucci (who America is named after).  We returned to Florence ready for dinner, but first we helped an Austrian family find their way to one of the churches.  Then it was off to Gusta Pizza, our favorite restaurant here in Italy!  We ate delicious pizza and calzone two nights in a row for dinner.  We followed it up with Gelato on the bridge.  Tomorrow we are off to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa.  

In front of Amerigo Vespucci's house in Montefioralle.
The moth symbol above the door was the symbol of his family.

Ciao for now!