5 Things to do in Florence

Today we're continuing on with our summer series of five things for summer travelers to do in different Italian cities. Right now: Florence!

1. Climb the Duomo. Most people visit the Duomo, but did you know that you can climb it too? We did this during a trip to Florence in 2011 and we felt like little mice scurrying up the building! Obviously the view from the top is amazing.

2. Buy leather. Florence has an amazing leather market (San Lorenzo) with bags, wallets, jackets....everything.

3. Eat steak. The home of Florentine steak (bistecca alla Fiorentina) has tons of good options but our favorite place is Trattoria Sostanza. The waiter will bring the steak out to show you before it gets cooked and everything there is so delicious.

4. See the David in person. Many people think it's okay to go up to the Piazzale Michelangelo to see the replica, but it's not! The real thing is at the Accademia Gallery and it's completely worth the entrance fee, the lines, etc. It will blow you away.

5. Drink delicious wine at aperitivo. Florence is the capital of Tuscany, arguably the most famous wine region in Italy. You can't go wrong.

Our Favorite Travel Memories

As I mentioned earlier, we're starting to plan a big trip for a few weeks in March and April (any ideas?!). We've already been lucky enough to have had some amazing travel experiences these past four years in Europe (and at home in the US!), so we compiled a few of our favorite moments:
 
From Ryan:

Florence. To me, Florence embodies everything Italian: it has culture, history, incredible food and great wine. Plus the city is so manageable - you can walk everywhere. I've only been once, for a few days, but it was my favorite trip we've taken in the past four years. When I walked into the Accademia and came face to face with The David, I was completely taken aback. Its size, the details, the beauty of it and the idea that a person could make that - the whole thing was incredible.

Moab/The Grand Canyon/Mesa Verde. This was an impromptu trip that we took in May of 2014. We were sitting at home in Colorado one day when I suggested that we go on a two-night camping and hiking trip in Moab (Sophie had never been). Sophie is more of a planner but to my surprise, she agreed to leave the next day. The hiking was great, the summer crowds weren't around yet and we were having so much fun that we decided to continue on to the Grand Canyon (where Sophie had also never been before). We did two nights there and and then went down to Mesa Verde for one more night before heading back to Steamboat. I loved showing my wife these amazing western landmarks that she had never seen and I loved taking her on a camping trip. Camping was a favorite activity of mine when I was young and it was fun to recreate that with her.

Lake Como. We went to Lake Como in January (!!) of 2012 for a weekend. It was one of those trips where sometimes you just need to get out of town and have a change of scenery. When we got there, it was completely empty and quiet and peaceful. We ate dinner in the same restaurant both nights (and had this amazing pasta dish with buckwheat noodles, sage, cabbage, potatoes and tons of butter), had coffee both mornings in the same cafe and stayed in the only hotel that was open. All we did was walk, play cards, nap and watch sunsets over the lake. It was perfect for re-charging and we got to see a side of Lake Como that only the true locals see.

From Sophie:

Siena. The first trip that we took together was to Siena in November of 2011. We figured out the train schedule (and got on the right train, which is half the battle), found the hotel easily and ate dinner in a tiny restaurant where we shared a table with two charming gay Frenchmen and ate an amazing pine nut cake for dessert. We arrived at night when it was already dark but when we woke up in the morning and opened the shutters, we were looking out over a sea of red tile roofs....not what you see in Cortina! It was so much fun to explore a new part of Italy together AND we learned that we're pretty good travel partners which is important for our lifestyle.

Prague. On our way to Prague, we made it to Innsbruck before we realized that our GPS didn't have maps of the Czech Republic and could only take us as far as Germany before we were on our own. The only thing we could do was buy a paper map and wing it. In a country that loves to put together as many consonants as possible, it's not a good idea to travel sans GPS! I don't know how this happened, but we drove around the city for a while before stumbling on our hotel by the side of the road. It was truly a travel miracle. And not only did we successfully find the hotel, we remained in good spirits which is half the battle. That was a time when I knew I had married the right person.

 Moab/The Grand Canyon/Mesa Verde. This impromptu camping trip was a huge learning experience for me. My previous self-imposed camping limit was two nights, max. When I ended up camping for five nights, voluntarily, I was really surprised. This trip really pushed my boundaries and I was happy to find that I LOVED it. I wasn't worried about my dirty hair (actually I brought dry shampoo with me, so I guess I cheated a little, but whatever) or lack of fresh vegetables and I felt healthy and strong from all the hiking. I proved to myself that I could do something that I thought I couldn't or didn't want to and I was really proud of myself (and Ryan was too).

We'd love to hear....what are your favorite travel memories?

Also coming up this week: how we travel, why we travel and favorite places to visit.

Venice + Florence

My parents are visiting now and when they arrived last Wednesday, we took a mini-trip to Venice and Florence. Here are a few pictures if you'd like to see:

We started in Venice and successfully navigated our way from the airport all the way in to the hotel which was a huge feat. I love to stay at Locanda la Corte in Venice because it's located in a quiet, less touristy area - but it's kind of tricky to find if you don't follow their specific instructions! They have a great courtyard where it's fun to eat breakfast in the spring and summer - it was too cold in January but it was still beautiful.

After a good night's sleep for the weary travelers, we went and saw the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in the morning. We took the vaporetto everywhere on this trip which is great because it gives you a completely different view of Venice.

Whenever I'm in Venice, all I eat is spaghetti con vongole (spaghetti with clams) - and this trip didn't disappoint. We tried two new restaurants - Osteria da Alberto and Osteria al Mascaron - and both spaghettis were to die for.

In the afternoon, we hopped on the train and headed to Florence. I love wandering around Florence because you're always stumbling on a beautiful square or church or fountain. Here's the Duomo, peeking out:

We had a busy morning in Florence, visiting the Uffizi Gallery, popping in to the Cathedral, walking over the Ponte Vecchio and wandering around Mercato Centrale, one of my favorite places of all time.

Then we hopped back on the train and headed up to Cortina for the weekend, just in time to see Ryan's game on Saturday night (a win!). Does anyone have any Venice or Florence tips? Restaurants, hotels, things to see? We're always popping down to Venice for an afternoon or night and we'd love to hear any suggestions!