Firenze......we're back

Sorry it has been 5 months. For those of you left, we just ran out of energy, places to go, went home for the holidays for 4 weeks (Marc) and 6 weeks (Therese) and with winter set in.....just sort of got in a funk and didn't get to the effort of doing this blog.

But we just got back from a near-perfect week in Florence, Italy and thought we would share that with you.

About a month or so ago, we were on a business trip together to northern Milano and stayed in our favorite spot, Lago Maggiore. While there we were in the process of planning our trip to Florence and were debating whether to splurge on a nice hotel or go on the cheap. Well two nights on a hard bed convinced us both that a week of the same would be torture, so we decided to stay at the Westin Excelsior and sleep in the famous "heavenly bed." (We have one at home in Phoenix!)

Beautiful old hotel, perfectly located on the river Arno and a great staff, great bar, and ambience. We were also debating whether to drive or take the train. Ultimately we decided on the train (I love them - takes all the hassle out of travel: no airports, security, thinking about where you are, the whole thing). The high speed train to Milano was just over 2 hours and the connection from Milano to Florence about 2 so we got there at a very reasonable time on Monday, found our way from the train station to the hotel (by way of just one of many beautiful churches in Florence) and a bonus - we found the Fiddler's Elbow Irish Pub on the way (somewhere to spend St. Patty's day!).

So we unloaded, freshened up and headed out into town. First we went to the Central Mercato (which was closed all week) and stopped by a cute Trattoria named Za Za (Megan, Kelly and Therese had been before). Then went to the Santa Maria Novella church (and museum) and back to the hotel for a before dinner cocktail. Our dinner reservations were made by a business associate at a beautiful Florentine restaurant named Giovanni's where we had the most exquisite Bisteca Fiorentina.....the best steak ever. Cooked on the rare side cut into 1/2 inch slices about 2 inches wide and a dash of olive oil and thyme. Had this last time I was here and it literally can be cut with a fork and melts in your mouth.

Florence is about a couple of things: Great food, good wine, great art and good-looking people. Fashion is a must here. Not to go into history but the Medici family united all of Tuscany and were so powerful and strong they basically did what they wanted even if it was agains the church. This family believed in flaunting what they had as a show of their power and influence. That colors the culture here even now. And for the record, they started the Rennaissance by commissioning the greatest works of art in modern history (the antiquities of Rome and Greece not to be forgotten).

Day 2: The Uffizi Museum. First of all one of the most important museums in Europe (the world for that matter). We had the most enthusiastic and knowledgable guides who really knew and loved her art. I learned more in 3 hours than I could have in semesters of studying. Don't know really how to describe what we saw. Works by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, Giotto, Botticelli. To think that the greatest artist in history all worked in one place (virtually) at the same time is really amazing.

After the Uffizi another fabulous lunch at the Frescobaldi restaurant (owned by a long-time vintner of Tuscan varietals). Had another great meal (there's a theme going here), met another nice couple on vacation and bought some new wines and olive oil. We had a bottle of wine, then some of a new late harvest wine that was perfect - not too sweet - with our creme brulee.

Then off to the hotel for a short break and across the Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) and across the Arno to the Pizzi plaza where Therese had us booked for a wine tasting. This was great fun. And I finally got some insights into the intricacies of the Italian varietals (or at least the Tuscans). I will give just a very basic primer. Tuscany is the home of several regional wines including the most famous of all, Chianti. Chianti, like all the other wines of the region are named for where they are grown, not the type of grape. And like most other Tuscan wines, the main grape is Sangiovese. Chianti gets a bad rap for it's "old school" image of a cheap table wine (it is a great inexpensive table wine by the way), but can also be very refined as is true of the other Tuscan regions: Montelcino, Montepulciano, Borghese among them. We tasted 9 different (you read this correctly) wines and I took notes on all of them. Had a great time with our host Eduardo and his brother Zeno. Eduardo went to culinary school in Florence and because he loved wines so much decided to open this wine shop. They serve great appetizers and are equally good company!