Galileo, Venus, and a Massive T-Bone: Our Last Day

Our last day in Italy was spent walking through the Uffizi ("offices") Gallery, tinkering with interactives at the Galileo Museum, and window shopping at the Mercado del Porcellino. Over the last two days, the Florentines have lit up the streets for the holidays. Bellisimo! We also stopped in the Santa Croce to view the famous crypts, and capped the evening with dinner at Antica Trattoria da Tito. Tito is famous for his ridiculously large and rare Florentine T-bone steaks. The tender homemade gnocchi was the best I've eaten. Honestly, the steak was cool but Chris grills a better one at home!

Thank you family, for a beautiful Italian holiday. I love you.

Rainy and cold again. But hey, we're in Florence!

The day started off rainy and cold in Firenze. We had a tasty breakfast at our B&B Residenza il Vilino about 5 minutes' walk from our first stop, La Accademia. We bought skip the line tickets for an 8:30 entrance online months ago, and managed to stay about five minutes ahead of the crowd. I was shocked at how packed it was considering we are here "off season." With the free Rick Steves audioguide playing once again in our ears, the three of us enjoyed Michelangelo's half-finished statues escaping out of their marble slabs on the way to the gorgeous David. Jackson was kind enough to mimic the pose, and the pic came out cute since they sport the same haircut. Chris attempted a look similar to the bronze Michelangelo self-sculpture, as well.

By 10:00, we had finished wandering around the museum and started a "Renaissance Walk" outside. But it was pouring. And cold. Jackson was not up for all of it. We gawked at Brunelleschi's Duomo, the baptistery and bronze doors, and Orsanmichele church. By the time we sat in Orsanmichele to warm up, Jackson had his eyes closed and I knew we had to cut the walk short. We walked through Piazza Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio rather quickly. By the time we got to the Uffizi Courtyard and looked at the various famous statues along the walls, we opted to take a last picture at Ponte Vecchio and turn back to the hotel. It was still only 12 noon and we made a quick stop at the Panini Toscana close by. The quality of the sandwich was to die for. Time for a rest.

After a couple of hours resting/napping, we all felt much better and ventured back out.  I had 3:00 timed tickets to climb the Duomo, something I always wanted to do. The winding staircases and claustrophobia-inducing spaces inside were well worth the views. Best of all? It finally stopped raining.

Wandering through Tuscany' s Hill Towns: Volterra and San Gimignano on the way to Florence

Happy Thanksgiving! No turkey this year, but lots of Italian goodness. Today we checked out of Agriturismo Marciano in Siena and spent one last day meandering through Tuscany. We won't soon forget arguing over the map (often, even with GPS), missing a turn (often), almost ripping off the rearview mirrors, and avoiding suicidal motorcyclists as they weaved in and out of traffic (at every light). We explored two gorgeous hill towns on our way to Florence. Volterra is a 2,000 year old Etruscan town--a true gem surrounded by an ancient wall and devoid of touristy shops. San Gimignano is a 13th century Tuscan hill town known for its stone towers, and is scenic but very touristy. We saw lots of sights and ate lots of authentic Italian food today...but no turkey. Jackson is starting to get the sniffles, so we're hoping his rest at San Gim in the car today will help.