We felt a little badly that we didn't take Zach along with us on our first trip to Italy, so we thought he ought to get to come with us on our second. This time we were exploring Tuscany and the rest of northern Italy.
We started out on the west coast in Pisa, where we had fun taking the obligatory pushing-the-leaning-tower pictures and Zach was thrilled to get a taste of all the pizza and gelato we'd been telling him about.
The next morning we travelled by train to Florence where there was even more gelato to sample. After a fun ride on the carousel, we toured Accademia (whose main attraction is Michelangelo's "David" sculpture) and the Uffizi (which houses tons of well known masterpieces). We also strolled by the famous Duomo, and of course did some shopping.
We took the advice of our hotel's concierge and had a traditional Florentine dining experience at a restaurant called Lantini. We feasted on prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, barley and tomato salad, chicken liver pate (not a family favorite), some ribollita (literally meaning "reboiled" soup---very yummy) and pappa al pomodoro (delicious tomato, bread, and basil soup), roasted chicken with potatoes and spinach, biscotti dipped in vin santo, and of course the local chianti. We were stuffed!
We devoted the next day to touring Siena, a beautiful small Tuscan town about an hour's drive south of Florence. Though the art museum's collection is impressive and its Duomo is gorgeous, the real appeal of the city is its medieval architecture. Thanks to the Plague (how often do you get to say that), the city was left decimated and looking a little frozen in time.
Then it was back to Florence for another fantastic dinner and more sightseeing (and another carousel ride) before our train ride the next morning to Venice.
Venice is amazing! From the moment we stepped out of the train station, we were blown away by the beauty of the city and its waterways. After Zach's naptime we made a beeline for the Piazza San Marco and the Basilica and were treated to an almost-closing-time free tour. Every inch of it appears to be covered in gold and the whole interior glows as you walk through. Such a beautiful place.
Afterward we jumped into a gondola for a sunset tour of the city. We enjoyed every minute of passing under bridges (Zach gave me smooches under each one) and winding our way through the narrow canals. Such a cliche touristy thing to do, but it was our favorite!
The next morning we set out for the Rialto Market, and then took the ferry to the island of Murano, famous for its glass. We toured a glassblowing studio and the glass museum before heading back to Venice for one last Italian dinner and gelato (this time Zach's favorite, pistachio, only because it is green of course).
We had a fantastic vacation, but it was certainly a whirlwind tour! We were glad to get back to rainy and cold Norway where we could cozy up and get some rest.
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