Italia

I kicked off my Italian adventure in the city of Florence! I had an insider’s guide to the city courtesy of Chartz (he studied abroad there) so I was poised to live like a local for a few days. I would also be enjoying a relaxing Airbnb environment which is always welcome to refresh a bit. My Airbnb host spoke no English, we communicated via Google translate, which at first was a bit challenging but eventually became part of the charm. Maurizio detailed what I should see in the city and is a great guy!

The first day I started out by walking across the city, over the river and up the hill to see all of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. It gave an excellent vantage point to get my bearings and provides a wonderful view!

I explored the city every day walking the streets and alleys seeing where my feet would take me, often times I ended up at the Duomo as it’s centrally located and gigantic!

One highlight and worth the price was visiting the Uffizi gallery. It was a great experience and one of the few museums I have ponied up for while on this trip. It was packed with tons of great art pieces and I spent several hours wandering the halls taking in masterpieces by some of the Italian greats.

After two days of luxury in the Airbnb I headed towards a hostel, sadly saying goodbye to my host.

The Friday night out in Florence turned into a memorable and fun filled time! I failed to get a seat at the restaurant Chartz said was the best in Florence on Thanksgiving (they were fully reserved a month in advance!) but I was able to secure a table for 1 on Friday so I went with that as my special dinner. It turned out to be great as I was fortunate enough to get a great table placement! I ended up sitting next to a few Bostonians who were extremely friendly and kind enough to include me in their dinner conversation since I was alone. It was Thanksgiving break for the Universities so relatives were visiting Alanna (who was studying abroad in Florence) We enjoyed our meals which lasted about 3 hours and everyone’s conclusion was that all the food was excellent!

As I was getting ready to leave the restaurant I was spotted by a friend and former Acalanes baseball teammate I hadn’t seen in years. Sean came over to confirm his hypothesis, a bit unsure but vaguely confident it was in fact me. It was, I ended up joining him and his girlfriend Kelsey. We had a great time catching up and we ended up shutting the place down. My solo dinner plans ended up lasting over 5 1/2+ hours at the restaurant….

After dinner at La Giostra (which was again excellente!) we grabbed a few drinks at one of Kelsey’s old favorite spots since she had studied abroad in Florence. Also and I don’t think I mentioned this but she is also a fellow Santa Clara grad!!

Post drinks we capitalized on the late night lack of crowds and had ourselves a photo shoot outside the Duomo.

It was a fun filled night and the most entertaining one in Florence! The next evening was much more tame. I found an excellent spot for some delicious and affordable pizza by the slice which helped offset the big dinner expense from the evening prior and then walked along the river near the most famous bridge.

Sunday morning I headed for the eternal city, Roma! It is one of my favorite cities in the world (how could it not be!) and I was looking forward to enjoying the vibe this ancient capital always emits.

I found a good place to stay that had a few other nice guests who I explored the city with a bit over the course of a couple days.

When in Rome drink from the fountains!

Made a pair of friends in the hostel who happened to be from the Bay Area.

Action shots ensuring we would return to Rome in the future by throwing coins in the Trevi fountain.

My final day in Rome included some more walking around and a return to Piazza Navona and a bit of lunch. I had found a great little deli around the corner from the plaza which became my go to spot for a mobile meal!

At night we met up with Taylor’s friend acquired in Florence who was from Rome. We went out to a local pizza spot then enjoyed the best gelato shop (Giolitti is the name), followed up eventually by a karaoke bar. I did not sing but there were plenty of other people there who were happy belting out lyrics!

I spent my last few hours walking around Rome at night, taking in my favorite sites and soaking up the atmosphere which is unique to this great city!

While outside the Coliseo I channeled my best Maximus voice from Gladiator and let out a Roma Victor!!!

Simple recap from Rome, it was a great time in a great city!

Food Recommendations:

Florence — Ristorante La Giostra (Fancy Meal), Bondi Focaccine (Pizza), Antico Noe (Sandwich)

Rome — Giolitti for gelato