Portugal, Paris, Sicily and Florence

[TheRealTMA]

Go for a walk past Santa Croce and eat at https://ristorantelagiostra.com/en/ristorante-la-giostra/

 

[ellen10]

Go for a walk past Santa Croce and eat at https://ristorantelagiostra.com/en/ristorante-la-giostra/

I tried to get a booking here, but the earliest time slot for the next few nights was 11pm!
Way too late for us to start eating. MrEllen10 would be very hangry by then!
We did eat in the Santa Croce area last night at Bisteccheria Santa Croce. Did not eat bistecca, but I had a delicious ricotta and pear pasta with saffron sauce, Mr had cinghaile ragu pasta and we had zucchini flowers for starters all delicious and accompanied by a lovely bottle of reserva wine from the Chianti region

 

[TheRealTMA]

I tried to get a booking here, but the earliest time slot for the next few nights was 11pm!
Way too late for us to start eating. MrEllen10 would be very hangry by then!
We did eat in the Santa Croce area last night at Bisteccheria Santa Croce. Did not eat bistecca, but I had a delicious ricotta and pear pasta with saffron sauce, Mr had cinghaile ragu pasta and we had zucchini flowers for starters all delicious and accompanied by a lovely bottle of reserva wine from the Chianti region
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Try a nice walk over the Ponte Vecchio to Oltrarno and Ristorante Firenze Cucina Tipica Toscana - All'Antico Ristoro Di' Cambi.
Fabulous walking back late evening on the Arno.

 

[ellen10]

Thanks for the recommendation @TheRealTMA
We walked over there yesterday, I will check it out.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Are you doing the Corridoio Vasariano?

Vasari Corridor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ellen10]

Are you doing the Corridoio Vasariano?

Vasari Corridor - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Well I will have to investigate it.
Looks interesting.

 

[ellen10]

We did a Tuscan wine tour with Walkabout tours. It was a very big day 11.5 hours bug very enjoyable. We were a group of 12, mostly Canadians and a few Americans and us.
Our guide was excellent very likeable and knowledgeable about the region and wines.

We have previously stayed in Montepulciano with a car and fell in love with the Tuscan towns and the wines. Our first stop was a small family owned winery. The owner gave us a very informative tour and information of their wine production. He does not use sulphides in his wine, so he says no headaches! We tasted reds only and Sangiovese grapes, all DOCG. This winery was in the hills of Montepulciano.
We stopped along the way for a few nice hillside views. The bus was a big four wheel drive, so could go along the rural roads.

Lunch was on the way to Montalcino in a gorgeous osterio in the hills. Various bruschettas to start with followed by two types of pastas. Several choices for dessert, I had panacotta, Mr had vin Santo and biscotti. And plenty of red wine.

We the had a 45min stop in Pienza (the town was commisioned by the Pope number 2, and is quite a nice affluent town with stunning views of the Tuscan countryside.

Our last stop was another small family winery in the hills of Montalcino. We had platters of delicious salamis, cheeses and breads with their own olive oil. All the reds we tried her were Brunellos. Very generous pours, we tried 5 different ones. But unfortunately due to not much space left in our bags we only bought one.

It was a beautiful day traversing the Tuscan countryside which brought back nice memories of our previous trip.
We thought the tour was well worth what we paid. We really enjoyed our day.

 

[ellen10]

 

[BriarFlyer]

Lovelovelove those Tuscan hillside views. Beautiful photos Ellen.

 

[ellen10]

In my pre trip research someone mentioned visiting the town of Fiesole 5km out of Florence on a scenic hillside. We walked up to our tram stop and bought our tickets in the machine, which takes a few minutes to negotiate the procedure. Our lady tram driver beside us was having a cigarette, so just as we extracted our tickets from the machine she gets back in her cabin, we go to board the tram and Mr Ellen10 gets stuck in the doors, much bipping and they reopen and immediately shut again leaving us stranded on the platform. Mr was very peeved at this ( I think the lack of his morning espresso hit contributed), so we had to wait 10 mins for the next tram.
We get off the tram and locate the bus stop for our trip up to Fiesole. This transport is all included in our 1.7e ticket which lasts for 90 minutes from validation.

Fiesole is noted for its very expensive residential properties, as well as its centuries-old villas and their formal gardens. The city is generally considered to be the wealthiest and most affluent suburb of Florence and has amazing views looking down to the city of Florence.
It was originally an Etruscan town before being captured by the Romans and has the remains of a Roman theatre, a small museum contains remnants found in the excavations. In the small town square stands an equestrian statue which represents the meeting at Teano between Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vittorio Emanuele. Garibaldi was a republican but his army could not win, so he handed over his gains to Vittorio Emanuele who became King of Italy.

The visit to Fiesole was a nice reprieve from the the very busy Florence. I ate the best crispy porchetta roll from a little van, which was doing a roaring trade.
On the trip back we buy our 1.7e bus and tram ticket and board the bus back down to Florence. It is very important to validate your ticket in the little machine on the bus or tram. Whilst journeying back we hear the conversation of the Aussie couple behind us. She validated her ticket but he did not. We stop along the way and 3 bus inspectors board and proceed to check tickets. When they get to the couple behind, they ask him to move to the back of the bus. Long story short he gets fined 43 euros for not validating his ticket. But also another man is detained, who doesn't have a validated ticket. His is questioned at length, he had to produce his passport and as we disembarked the bus he was still being questioned.

 

[ellen10]

We decided to do the walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. We braved the crowds on the Ponte Vecchio and crossed the Arno river. Over here the number of tourists was much more pleasant. We walked up the streets gaining some height and nice views as we went along. It takes about 25 minutes to walk up some of it steep, but the views along the way are worthwhile. Once at the top it was quite windy, which was good as it cleared the view to enjoy.

There was a Japanese couple taking wedding photos at the top, with a photographer barking orders and them dominating probably the best viewpoint. I'm sure the poor bride was freezing in her dress.

The views over Florence were spectacular and we joined the many people sitting on the steep steps to soak in the atmosphere.
On our way down we stopped for a couple of drinks at a cafe. Him a beer and me a limoncello spritz.

 

[Flyfrequently]

We decided to do the walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo. We braved the crowds on the Ponte Vecchio and crossed the Arno river. Over here the number of tourists was much more pleasant. We walked up the streets gaining some height and nice views as we went along. It takes about 25 minutes to walk up some of it steep, but the views along the way are worthwhile. Once at the top it was quite windy, which was good as it cleared the view to enjoy.

There was a Japanese couple taking wedding photos at the top, with a photographer barking orders and them dominating probably the best viewpoint. I'm sure the poor bride was freezing in her dress.

The views over Florence were spectacular and we joined the many people sitting on the steep steps to soak in the atmosphere.
On our way down we stopped for a couple of drinks at a cafe. Him a beer and me a limoncello spritz.View attachment 474869View attachment 474870View attachment 474871View attachment 474872View attachment 474873View attachment 474874View attachment 474875View attachment 474876

We enjoyed Piazzale Michaelangelo so much, we went back especially to catch an amazing slide guitarist who has played around Florence for years.
Many clips on YouTube of Sergio Paterno at Piazzale Michaelangelo.
Bought his CD for €10 - brings back wonderful memories.
Am sure you have researched Bologna @ellen10 , hope you get a chance to do The Whispering Wall near Piazza Maggiore.

 

[ellen10]

One of the things that we have always enjoyed about Florence is the musical performances around the city. Sometimes a ticketed performance, but often street performers.

After a dinner in the Santa Croce area, we went for a wander along some of the side streets and heard some music coming from inside a small hall. We peered in the window and could see and hear some performers. A guy opened the door and said "welcome come in". The performance had just started he said we could come in for 10 euro each. Well Mr Ellen10 is a musician and he was thrilled to watch and enjoy an amazing acoustic performance of Baroque music for the next 1.5 hours. The ensemble was made up of a harpsichord, base lute, viola da gamba and a baroque flute. The music was haunting and beautiful, we found out that this ensemble has been playing together for over 25 years and has toured all over the world (but not to Australia). It was just one of those lovely unexpected experiences and Mr Ellen10 was buzzed.

On another evening, whilst wandering, we came across an opera performance by some tenors, promoting a future show. And on nice barmy evenings, music in the old streets in Florence, be it professional or amateur is a special treat and adds to the atmosphere of this medieval city.