Florence was beautiful

Sorry for my severe lack of catching up on blog posts - it isn't even like I've been extremely busy. I am more lazy than anything.

Florence was definitely beautiful. I cannot begin to describe how ridiculously excited I was to be able to travel via train from Rome to Florence. Not only are trains AWESOME, but I was able to see the beautiful Italian countryside passing outside my window. As we traveled, we were blessed with a warm, sunny day, a welcome break from the rain we had experienced in Rome.

The sun waited to greet us as we arrived at the train station in Florence, and emerged into a city very unlike Rome. Florence is maybe a quarter the size of Rome, and, though it is a city, it retains a quality of small town life that is impossible to find in a place like Rome. In Florence, everything was quieter, calmer, and much more relaxing.

Having lived in Berlin for the past two months, none of us were prepared to realized just how small Florence actually was. We decided we would not try to find the Duomo the first day, because it looked far away on the map. As we set out wandering, we turned the first corner from our hostel, and the incredible beauty of the Duomo stretched into the brilliant blue before us.

 Construction was begun on this massive structure in 1296, but because of money issues and the fact that no one knew how to complete such a large dome in a way that wouldn't collapse, the Duomo was not completed until 1436. The incompleteness of the dome became a source of political embarrassment for Florence, until finally the genius sculptor Fillipo Brunelleschi came up with a design.

Inside the Duomo, the 45 story high Dome is covered with paintings.

 One of the coolest things we did in Florence was to climb the 436 steps of the Duomo, all the way to the cuppola.

The stairs were very narrow. Not good for anyone claustrophobic.

We panted and wheezed our way up the steps, stopping to rest every now and then on a landing, or pin ourselves against the old, damp walls to allow another climber to descend past us. In the end, it was completely worth it.

I could have stayed up there for hours, basking in the warmth of the sun and enjoying the view. 

Florence is known for its high quality leather and extensive leather markets. Stalls selling leather bags, gloves, bracelets, jackets, journals, and almost anything you can imagine stretched for blocks, and shouts of "Ciao Bella" (hello beautiful) followed us throughout the market. 

Me with the scarf I bought in the leather market

If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I do not go anywhere without a notebook, pen, and book. I am a complete sucker for journals, and so I found that I could not resist the temptation to buy a leather journal. Undoubtedly, it is the single best thing I have purchased in Europe. I adore it and have been using it profusely since I bought it. And, the best part is that the paper inside is replaceable, so I can use this for years to come. 

LEATHER JOURNAL

 Of all the cities we visited in Europe, the food in Florence was the best. I tried pizza and pasta an gelato in all three cities, but the other two paled in comparison to everything we ate in Florence.

Pizza!

 I met up with Elizabeth Early, Emily Lloyd, and two other Grove City girls in Florence, and they introduced me to the wonders of a good Italian meal. We visited Trattoria Quatro Leoni, home of what is probably the best food I have ever eaten in my entire life.

In spending the evening with Emily, who has been in Florence for about a month now, I learned a very important lesson about how to really enjoy a meal. Italians do not view food as a vehicle of energy, but rather as a way to spend time with friends and cultivate relationships. In America, and even Germany, we scarf down our meals as fast as possible so that we can go on with our day. Italian meals typically last two to three hours, sometimes more. It is very important to mix the correct flavors together.

At Trattoria Quatro Leoni, we started with a nice glass of the house wine, and an appetizer of four different cheeses dipped in honey. I cannot even begin to describe how heavenly the taste was as the sweet and savory tastes of the cheese and honey melted in my mouth.

For the main course, I tried Quatro Leoni's specialty dish, pear ravioli. While such a combination sounds strange, I can declare that it was the best food I have ever eaten. I ate my pasta as slow as I possibly could, savoring every bite, before our waiter returned and we ordered raspberry cheesecake. The meal was expensive, but it was worth every penny. We were at dinner from 8 to 11PM, and people were still going as we left. While I enjoyed the food, it was the fellowship of that meal I will most remember.

Our last day in Florence, we climbed to Piazza Michaelangelo, a piazza high on a hill and surrounded by gardens that overlooked Florence.

Arno River

 It was difficult to believe that this view of Florence was more beautiful than the one from the Duomo.

View from the gardens below Piazza Michaelangelo

Florence from above

While I highly enjoyed the historical sights of Rome, there is something about basking in the quiet hospitality of a slow moving small city. I felt like I was able to relax more as we explored Florence, many times with no place we specifically needed to visit, and no time we had to be anywhere. Florence's beauty was astounding, but nothing could prepare me for the winding pathways of Venice.