Florence in October

Two of the major highlights were clearly Michelangelo's David at the Galleria dell'Accademia and the view of Florence from the Piazzale Michelangelo. We also had a great time at the Mercato Centrale, where you can pick up a great lunch at a bargain price and enjoy the people watching and shopping to boot.

Another obvious highlight is the food. The restaurants we enjoyed most were those that were more or less off the tourist-beaten path. Two standout dining experiences were at Ostaria del Boia and il Latini (yes, a lot of tourists frequent it; go there anyway).

One of the great moments of our trip was when we were in Oltrarno, trudging back towards the city center in fading daylight after a long day of walking. We walked past a tiny little bar and our ears perked up at the sound of Stan Getz playing on the sound system. We were instantly drawn in, plopped ourselves down and enjoyed a round of beers as we chatted with the bartender.

Quick Tips:

My girlfriend thought I was crazy for spending endless hours on the web researching our trip. But I cut and pasted snippets of dining and other recommendations from IgoUgo tour guides and other web resources, compiling them into a document I printed off and threw into my bag along with a couple of tour books we brought with us.

Bottom line? We were rarely led astray. Most of the recommendations we tried were outstanding; we would never have gone to Ostaria del Boia or il Latini, two of the culinary highlights of our entire trip, if we hadn't done this. I would highly recommend this approach to anyone.

If you like to avoid crowds, try to plan your trip so you are in Florence during the week. We noticed a substantial pickup in crowds on the streets and in the Piazzas on the weekend.

Please check out my journals on Milan and Bellagio to read about our other two stops in Italy.

Best Way To Get Around:

If you set up your base camp in the city center you'll be able to walk almost anywhere you need to go. All of the major museums and sights are within walking range as long as you have a comfortable pair of shoes.

After three days of traversing back and forth to all points in the city center, we rented a scooter on our fourth day, and it was simply a blast. Besides being loads of fun, a scooter will allow you to rest your weary dogs and venture out to a couple of spots that are a bit more of a challenge to reach by foot, such as the Piazzale Michelangelo. We also found that we didn't shop much on the day we had the scooter, since we weren't walking past all of those store windows!

Soggiorno Pezzati (email 055291660@iol.it) is a tiny 6-room hotel located on a quiet street (by Florence standards) within easy walking distance of the train station. It is also very close to the Mercato Centrale. Pick up Via Nazionale at the train station and head northeast to Via Guelfa. Turn right and go one block to Via San Zanobi.

The entrance is nondescript to say the least. We couldn't figure out what to do for a minute, but then realized that the doorbell was located in the center of the gold Soggiorno Pezzati plaque adjacent to the door. After you ring the bell they'll let you in and instruct you to head to the 2nd floor.

Our room (#1) was clean, comfortable, and since it was located well away from the street, very quiet. No sound of scooters buzzing by at all hours of the night here, a huge bonus in Florence. Yes, the bathroom and shower are a little funky since the bathroom is the shower stall, but at about $50 per night, shortcomings like these are easy to overlook. Our room also had a mini-refrigerator, which is great if you want to buy fresh fruit or other snacks at the Mercato Centrale and bring them back to your room.

Make no mistake, this is not the Ritz-Carlton. But if you are in Florence on a budget, this is a great place to stay and still be near to the city center for a very reasonable price. Highly recommended from a "bang for the buck" perspective.

Our double room in October 2001 was ITL105,000 per night (about $50). Be prepared to pay in cash.

Caffe Giubbe Rosse (giubbe.rosse@tin.it) is a historic old restaurant located in the Piazza della Repubblica.

The first thing you'll notice as you walk inside is that the walls are covered with artwork. Paintings of many different styles can be seen, including one piece by a well-known artist named Giampaolo Talani. We were also told by a local art gallery owner that Bruno Paoli, another Florentine artist of some renown who is now in his late eighties, often visits this caffe and uses it as a source for his subjects. Apparently Paoli will find a figure or scene to his liking here, make a quick sketch, and then return to his studio to paint it.

This is one of the only places in Florence where we saw what could be termed "American cuisine" on a menu. And you'd better be pretty desperate for a burger to buy one here at prices that border on extortion. Overall, the menu looked quite expensive. We were also curious to find that a coke (ITL9,000, about $4.50) cost more than a glass of the house wine (ITL8,000). We can't speak for the quality of the food as a whole at Caffe Giubbe Rosse, since we stopped by for a late night drink and desserts. Our desserts, though, were outstanding.

Nevertheless, Caffe Giubbe Rosse is a pretty cool place. We'd recommend stopping by for a cappucino, glass of wine, or dessert. The artwork inside and the outdoor dining area overlooking Piazza della Repubblica make this caffe worthy of a visit. We saw gas heaters strategically located amidst the tables outside, indicating that outdoor dining can be enjoyed in relative comfort year round.

Ostaria del Boia turned out to be one of the highlights of our entire trip to Italy. Great food, wine, and a very cool atmosphere proved to be a pretty tough combination to beat for this cozy little enoteca (wine bar).

After we were seated, the first thing we noticed were arched brick ceilings and the very cool paintings displayed on the walls. Add to that a little Aretha Franklin coming over the sound system and you've got a pretty good vibe happening.

Since we had eaten a rather substantial lunch the day of our visit to Ostaria del Boia, we opted to order a few appetizers instead of a full meal, and we were not disappointed. Everything was wonderful, especially the arugula, pine nut, and brie salad and the plate of assorted cold cuts. Throw in a great bottle of barollo wine and we were set. We also shared a slice of cheesecake with fresh fruit for dessert, which was superb. The service was very good, and the fact that most of the staff spoke relatively little English led us to believe that this establishment has mostly a local following.

Ostaria del Boia offers Tuscan specialties including fresh pasta, meat and salads. They also do a very reasonable fixed-price menu at lunch. I'm sure when we visit Florence again we'll return to this restaurant.

Our 1-10 ratings:
Ken: Food - 9 Service - 8 Atmosphere - 10
Chris: Food - 9 Service - 8 Atmosphere - 10.

If you go to Florence, il Latini deserves to be near the top of your restaurant list. The Tuscan food is outstanding, and the friendly atmosphere they create here will give you a dining experience to smile about long after you've left.

It's clear that this restaurant has developed quite a following. If you arrive between 8 and 9pm expect to wait outside, but don't be completely dismayed; the line moves rather quickly. They seat guests family style, so if you are a party of two you can expect to share a table with at least one other couple, but that only adds to the fun. On our first visit we sat next to two American college students; on the second night we shared a table with a local couple, and the company each night was very enjoyable.

The fixed price bottomless house wine is probably a good value if you want to drink a lot, but we asked for a wine list on our second visit and got a good bottle of Chianti at a very reasonable price.

On our first visit, we ordered all the courses, beginning with a generous plate of proscuitto. By the time it came to order the main course, we were already too full. So for our next visit we fasted most of the day in anticipation of the house special, bisteca. This is an enormous Tuscan steak, and if you like steak, this is as good as it gets. It was simply the best I've ever had. We politely declined all attempts at appetizers and ordered just the bisteca and gli spinaci, knowing full well that we couldn't handle any more than that.

The owner is so nice here, bringing you little dessert treats and a shot of amaretto to dip them in (on the house), even though you're too full and say, "No, grazie." My girlfriend and I will fondly remember dining at il Latini for years to come, and when we return to Florence I'm certain that we'll go there again.

Our 1-10 ratings:
Ken: Food - 9 Service - 9 Atmosphere - 8
Chris: Food - 9 Service - 8 Atmosphere - 9.

Renting a scooter is great way to get up in the hills outside of the city center and enjoy some of the other destinations that are a bit ambitious if you are walking, such as the Piazzale Michelangelo. The winding roads are a blast to ride on.

I would not recommend renting a scooter if you are not a capable rider. I have a motorcycle license, but it had been several years since I'd ridden. With a passenger behind me and an unfamiliar machine, it was all the challenge I needed while still being able to enjoy the experience. The car and bus traffic along with other scooters buzzing by you keeps your head on a swivel. A 125cc allows you to carry a passenger, so my girlfriend was able to ride with me. She said she wouldn't have felt comfortable riding one herself; I can't say that I blamed her.

We arrived at Alinari at about 10am. Just as we walked in, the lady running the shop was giving her two intruigued Dobermans a shopping bag filled with scrap T-bones that she'd probably picked up from a local butcher. "Hmmm...better not do any damage to the scooter," I'm thinking to myself. After a brief conversation about what kind of scooter we wanted, her stern look made it perfectly clear that I'd better know what I was doing on one of her bikes. She seemed rather surly, befitting of someone who's feeding giant T-bones to her dogs at 10am on a Sunday morning. We filled out the paperwork, picked out our helmets, paid her, and were on our way.

We opted to rent a 125cc scooter for 5 hours, and it turned out to be a good choice for us. You can also rent by the hour, day, or weekend.

We made our way toward the Arno and rode the tree-lined, winding road to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The streets were still wet from a brief early morning shower, resulting in some extra caution on my part. I kept thinking about those Dobermans....

Then we rode to the Pitti Palace where we saw the Boboli Gardens, and then to the Brancacci Chapel. After a little more cruising around, our five hours was drawing to a close. We rode back across the river to Alinari, the bike thankfully intact.

Alinari (telephone +39 055-280-500) is located near the Mercato Centrale and is an easy walk from the train station. A 125cc scooter costs ITL50,000 (less than $25) for 5 hours, ITL80,000 per day, or ITL180,000 per weekend. Gas is not included; since we rented ours on a Sunday and we never came across an open petrol station, we were charged an addtional ITL5,000 (about $2.50), which we didn't mind at all. Helmets, which are required by law, are included in the rental. Alinari also rents bicycles and 400cc motorcycles. Be sure to bring your passport, drivers licence, and a credit card at the time of rental.

Mercato Centrale is a great place to people-watch and check out the offerings from all the vendors. You'll want to browse all the stands and see everything they have here, from meats, fish, cheese and bread to fresh flowers, olive oil and wine.

There are some bargains to be had here, but you would serve yourself well to check out all the purveyors of whatever item you're looking for, then go back to the one that offers the best deal. Our main shopping expedition involved olive oil and wine, and we found one vendor who offered substantially better deals than his competitors.

Mercato Centrale is also a great place to grab a quick lunch at a bargain price. One day we picked up a small sandwich, bread, and fresh fruit, enough to satisfy both of us for less than ITL10,000 ($5). We also came here to start off each day with our morning cappucinos, a raging bargain at ITL1,300 ($.65).

A word of advice: don't pick up any items, especially fresh produce, yourself. You can point out your seletions to the vendor, or allow the vendor to pick them for you. The photo of my girlfriend displaying one of the mushrooms for sale was snapped about a nano-second before she was scolded by the merchant.

The market is open from 7:00am - 2:00pm daily, closed Sundays.

In search of Bruno Paoli....

One of our favorite artists is a native of Firenze named Bruno Paoli. Now in his late eighties, Paoli was an art professor at the Art Institute of Porta Romana in Florence for more than 40 years and has had a long and distinguished career. We learned from another local art dealer that Poggiala e Forconi Galleria D'Arte represents Paoli in Florence.

When we entered the gallery and inquired about Paoli, we were greeted by an elderly gentleman who ran the gallery and was at that very minute looking at one of Paoli's exhibition catalogs. We were shocked when he told us he was five years older than Paoli. "Yes, I am ninety-one years old," he smiled. "Bruno Paoli is only eighty-six!" We were grinning from ear to ear.

Due to our limited command of the Italian language and his limited English, our conversation consisted of a comical montage of partial sentences, the flipping through of an Italian phrasebook, and much gesturing, but we ended up having a wonderful visit with this man. He said that his gallery hosted an exhibition of Paoli's ten years ago. He also spoke of his love for art. "Art keeps me young," he told us. Food for thought....

We were told that Paoli, who usually paints women or caffe scenes, often visits one of the caffes in the Piazza della Repubblica and, once he finds a figure or scene to his liking, will make a quick sketch of it, then return to his studio to paint it.

He happily showed us a half dozen of Paoli's paintings that he had, none of which were on display, but he brought them out to us from a storage area. I'm sure he had several more, but we didn't want to impose upon him further.

Poggiala e Forconi Galleria D'Arte (tel: +39 055/287748, email: poggialieforconi@tiscalinet.it) represents many artists from Italy and elsewhere in Europe, and is open daily from 9:30-1:00 and 3:00-7:30 (closed Sunday).

We found on our trip to Florence that many art dealers are very friendly and if you engage them in conversation, they will be very happy to talk with you about art, even if you are not a "potential buyer". We also met very nice people at Ken's Art Gallery, Via Lambertesca 15r/17r (near the Uffizi), tel: +39 055/239.65.87. You can check out their web site here.

The point of all this is that whether it's art or something else that interests you (or nothing at all, for that matter), striking up conversations with the local people can be among the most enjoyable experiences in your travels.

This small chapel in Oltrarno was one of the best churches we saw. The beautiful frescoes by Masolino, Massaccio, and Filippino Lippi found here, commissioned by the merchant Felice Brancacci around 1424 and completed in 1480, are situated such that they draw enough natural light to actually be enjoyed, which unfortunately can't be said for many of the other churches we visited. We are told that Leonardo and Michelangelo later visited this chapel to study Massaccio's work.

Masolino's Temptation of Adam and Eve, the haunting Expulsion of Adam and Eve by Massaccio, and The Life of St. Peter frescoes, in which St. Peter is distinguished from other figures by his orange cloak, add up to a "must see" in Florence. The frescoes are in remarkably good condition. You won't spend a huge amount time here, and if you are in Oltrarno it is well worth the visit. Not to be missed.

Admission to the chapel only is ITL6,000 (about $3) for adults. The rest of the church is roped off, but you can see most of it.

The Uffizi, constructed between 1560-1580, was originally built to house administrative offices (uffici) for Duke Cosimo I. Beginning in 1581, the Duke's heirs began using the space to display the Medici family's art collection.

Today the Uffizi is home to some of the greatest works of Renaissance art in the world. The paintings are displayed in chronological order in a horseshoe shaped progression of rooms that surround the main inner corridor, which houses dozens of Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures.

The chronological arrangement serves the visitor well. It's interesting to observe the progression of Florentine art: improvements in executing perspective, new pigments, the introduction of landscapes and gradual improvements in painting them, and so on.

While I love art, I can't say the Uffizi was my favorite art museum experience. I enjoyed seeing the two Botticellis (Birth of Venus and Primavera), but to be truthful, I eventually became a little bored with the relentless religious theme. It even turned into an inside joke with my girlfriend: "If I see one more painting called Madonna con Bambino I'm gonna throw up!" Besides the Botticellis, I enjoyed some of the later paintings in the collection (Peter Paul Rubens, Van Dyck, Caravaggio) and Rembrandt the most.

Unfortunately for us, the two pieces attributed to the young Leonardo da Vinci, The Annunciation (1472-1475) and the unfinished Adoration of the Magi (1481) are currently undergoing restoration and are not on display.

I'm glad I saw the Uffizi, and if you go to Florence you should definitely see it as well. But as for me personally, I'll take The Met or The MoMA in New York or the Art Institute of Chicago any time.

We were in Florence post September 11 and bought our tickets to the Uffizi and the Galleria dell'Accademia in advance over the web in anticipation of long lines, but they never materialized at either venue. We were given a confirmation number via email, and then presented it at the ticket window. A moderate service fee is charged, but the service worked very well. You can get advanced tickets to many of the museums in Florence here. The Uffizi is closed on Mondays.

Ken's Art Gallery (tel: +39 055.239.65.87 email: wmcbell@ats.it) is located on Via Lambertesca near the Uffizi. Don't let the name fool you, this gallery has been around for more than twenty years. They feature living contemporary artists and represent many excellent local and regional talents such as Giampaolo Talani, Luca Marietti, and Roberto Altmann.

On our visit they happened to be featuring a one man show of sculptures, paintings and drawings by Luigi Galigani. We saw a couple of bronze pieces that were just awesome (the tall skinny sculpture in the front window in the photo was a very cool bronze figure of a woman by an artist named Sandro Granucci). The lady that was was working at the gallery that day was very friendly, and we ended up chatting with her for about a half an hour. She even let us in the back room and showed us some of the pieces that they had in storage.

Ken's Art Gallery is open daily 10am-1pm and 4pm-8pm. They have a very nice web site here.