After a night in Rome to settle in to our travels, we took a quick train ride to Florence where we celebrated our one year anniversary. Unlike the last time I was here in 2005 when it rained all day, the weather was much more pleasant. We easily found our place and was able to check in early at Hotel Scoti (one of our best accommodation, placed in a 16th century building). Afterward we did a walking tour, with the help a Rick Steves podcast, around the Duoma, Palazzo Vecchio, Church Orsanmichele, and Ponte Vecchio. After a brief siesta, we had a nice dinner at Trattoria Marione, and had some amazing dishes: bresaola salad, breaded lamb, and penne with ragu. A night time stroll in the quiet city was a great way to end the evening.
On Wednesday, we took in the Uffizi Gallery to see art by several Renaissance painters including da Vinci, Bottecelli, Raphael, and Michaelangelo. Before setting off to Cinque Terre, we had lunch at the Mercado Centrale and enjoyed rabbit nuggets, salad, and deep fried pasta.
