Dad's Visit to Firenze!

My dad came to Florence on Thursday to spend a long weekend in Italy.  The trip was in no way relaxing for him, but we had a great time conquering as much of Italy possible in four days.

I met my dad at his hotel on Thursday morning which happened to be right on the Ponte Vecchio.  He had a perfect view of Florence.  I walked him through the center of Florence to my apartment and Piazza Santa Croce to show him where I live.  I then took him to Primi Piatti Panini for lunch which is a meat and pasta shop run by a Florentine couple.  He got to try his first Italian panini and pasta.  I forgot that he had not slept so we then went to my favorite café, Café Michaelangelo to get a double espresso.  After the coffee we walked over to the Duomo ready to climb the 460 steps.  Tiff and I climbed the bell tower next to the Duomo to avoid the lines so this was my first time climbing the actual Duomo.  Once at the top I was able to point out my apartment, his hotel and other landmarks to show how small Florence actually is. After the Duomo I took my dad to the central market, which was already closing but he still got to see all the hanging meats and cheeses.  After the market we toured Piti Palace (where the Medici family lived) and then hiked up the Boboli gardens.  Dad was lucky because I would usually never climb the Duomo and then walk up to Boboli in one day. After the gardens we went to the Ferragamo museum which is under the massive Ferragamo store in Florence.  Dad then went for a run around Florence, while I passed out at my apartment until dinner.  I made reservations for the highly recommended Il Latini for my dad, tiff and I. There was no menu and they brought  out numerous courses of meats, pastas, and breads.  Florence is famous for the Florentine bistec, and Il latini is supposed to be the place to try it at.  We split a massive steak among the three of us and it was really good. The dinner was definitely Italian because it was about three hours long, and we came close to running out of things to talk about.  After dinner they brought out different wines and liquors.  They actually brought out my favorite wine that I tried in wine class which is a muffato dessert wine.  It tastes like a donut, and any wine that tastes like a donut is good.

Friday morning Tiff and I woke up early to meet my dad to take the train to Venice.  We got to Venice around 10:30 and found out that the ferry workers were on strike for the day.  We decided to walk through Venice since we had no ferry option.  We went through almost all of the 6 sections of Venice, and Tiff and I got to see a huge part that we never saw on Carnevale.  We bought a lot of glass blown jewelry and we bought something in the same jewelry store that Tiff and I got stuck in on Carnevale. We definitely conquered all of Venice in one day.

On Saturday we did a speed tour of the Uffizi gallery to make it to our reservation at the Accademia (David museum) in time.  I had yet to see the statue of David and thought it was a lot cooler than what I expected.  He was much bigger in person and it was interesting to read about his facial expressions and stance.  After our morning art excursions we went and got a cappuccino at a really nice café called Gilli in my favorite piazza, Piazza della Repubblica.  I then took my dad down via Corso which is my favorite shopping street in Florence. I then took him on the other side of the bridge before the Ponte Vecchio to see all the Tuscan houses and apartments.  We shopped around the Ponte Vecchio and I got new boots for my birthday that I needed very badly after destroying mine in Florence. After shopping, I took my dad to Vivoli which is the best gelato in Florence. We then went to San Loreno market, the main leather market in Florence and dad had a belt shopping spree. Me and Tiff met up with my dad at his hotel later to take him to dinner at a recommended restaurant in Piazza de Santo Spirito.  We went to Borgo Antico and had a fabulous Tuscan meal. We walked around in my piazza afterwards and when I was trying to give him directions back to his hotel he told me a quicker way to get there. Glad to know that he already had a better sense of direction than me in his 2 days here.

We woke up early again on Sunday to take the train to Rome.  We joined a tour group that started out at the Coliseum, then went to Palatine hill (where Romulus killed Remus), then went to Capitoline hill, and then ended at the Roman Forum.  I still enjoyed the Coliseum the most, and our tour guide shared more information about the gladiators and the Coliseum’s structure. After our tour we walked to the Pantheon in a torrential downpour, and from there went to the Trevi Fountain. After that we walked to the Spanish Steps and I realized that the “steps” Tiff and I took pictures on last weekend weren’t the actual Spanish steps, just some random stairs. We then took a taxi to the Vatican and went into St. Peter’s Basilica.  Mass was being held which was cool to see.

It was really fun to tour Italy with my dad; he is definitely a great travel buddy. It was sad to say goodbye this morning, but I only have 3 more midterms this week and then I am off to Dublin, Barcelona, and Madrid for spring break!

Fresh off the plane! On the roof deck of his hotel overlooking the Arno River

On the Ponte Vecchio

Again

In Piazza della Repubblica

In front of the Duomo

In front of the Basilica di Santa Croce in the piazza by my house

espresso at Cafe Michaelangelo

Top of the Duomo from the inside

View of the church while climbing up the Duomo

Top of the Duomo!

The Arno Side

Fiesole in the background 

Ponte Vecchio

Ferragamo Store

Shoes in the museum

Top of the Boboli gardens

A lookout point at Florence form the gardens

Venezia!

Bridge over looking the main canal

At the top of San Marco's Tower

View of Venice from the tower

again

View from his hotel

The special walkway for the emperors into the Coliseum

It was raining..

The practice field for the Circus Maximus

View of the Forum from Capitoline Hill

In the Roman Forum

Dad in front of the Pantheon

in front of the Trevi Fountain

Throwing in a coin

the real Spanish Steps

View from the top

St Peter's Square

Inside St Peter's Basilica

St Peter's Tomb

Mass Being Held

Michealangelo's Pieta sculpture inside St. Peters

Dinner at Paoli

                                                         Last dinner in Florence :(