First Day In Florence

We left early the next morning from Venice to visit Florence. On our way, we stopped on the outskirts of Modena at a farmhouse called Leonardi Acetaia that has produced balsamic vinegar since the early 19th century. They have 100-year-old vinegar stored in barrels, and we were given the opportunity to try this creamy yet delicious balsamic vinegar. It is definately the best I have ever had. 

After arriving in Florence, we stopped at our hotel, the Mediterraneo, and off we went to a leather shop called Misuri. We watched a jewelry and leather demonstration before we began shopping. The shop had everything from handbags to coats to jewelry, all beautiful pieces. Since my birthday was coming up, Zach let me pick out a purse! I was excited, and I picked the purse they had a demonstration on. It was a handbag that was made for Grace Kelly when she was on location for To Catch a Thief. Misuri also engraved my initials on the inside for free. I was one happy gal! 

We then enjoyed some free time before dinner that evening, so we walked around Florence. We found another leather shop where Zach tried on some leather jackets. He bought a nice, tan-colored jacket. It looked pretty good on him too!

We finally met up with Ciro, and ate at a lovely restaurant called the Finisterrae. It was right across from the Basilica di Santa Croce in the piazza. We had a margarita pizza there for lunch, and we also had gelato, which was possibly the best-tasting gelato out of the whole trip! For dinner, we had a five-course meal...and by the third course, I was incredibly stuffed. But I carried on! I wasn't going to let all this lovely food go to waste. 

Ciro wanted to show us how the city looked at night before we saw it during the daytime, so our little group walked around Florence, and he showed us certain sites we would be seeing the next day. He showed us the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Piazza della Signoria which had many statues on display including the Fountain of Neptune. After a long walk back to our hotel, we were exhausted. I couldn't help but fall asleep with a smile on my face knowing there was still so much more to see!