Firenze...Italian for Florence

So after saying goodbye to the boys in Ravenna, I caught my train to Florence. I got in about 7 and due to some direction miscalculation, spent the next hour walking around the city trying to find the hotel....with my 40 pound backpack in flip flops. BUT I did get to see some of the sights and they were breathtaking. Once I finally made it to the hotel, I dropped my bags off and headed to get some food and then called it an early night.

Tuesday I got up and set out to see what all Florence had to offer. I decided to not use the map at first because you just manage to see so much more exploring the streets and alleys. I saw the Old Bridge, the Old Palace, the Synagogue, and the Cathedral. These places just sound same oh same and they are in a way on the outside, but coming up on the Cathedral, I literally lost my breath. It is just amazing and so big! Walking through the heat and humidity that Florence had to offer, I was exhausted by th end of the day. I was also to the point where I was tired of pizza and pastas so I set out to find a restaurant that served meat and veggies, I know, crazy right?! I did come cross a place and went all out with a steak and potatoes, shrimp skewers, mushrooms and broccoli. One of the best meals in a while and what I needed to break the monotony of food in Italy.

Today was another packed day, but I headed out to Pisa to get it started. Pisa is a very small little town and only an hour train ride away so easy to get to from here. It is such a quiet place compared to Venice and Florence with visitors so it was a nice break. I didn't need a map as the Leaning Tower is pretty much all there is to see so I made my way that direction. I was actually a little disappointed when I saw it as it was a lot smaller than I expected. Took the tourists picture I needed though and walked through the streets and back to the train station. When I got back to Florence, I made my way to the class I was taking...the pizza and gelato cooking class. Whoaaa, I know, I know. You are probably dropped jaw thinking about me in a cooking class. But it was actually a lot of fun!!

The class was about 15 people and we learned everything about pizzas starting with how to make dough from scratch. I'm talking mix the yeast and water and all that jazz. I was so shocked! As the dough was rising, we started the gelato mix which is quite simple and comparable to making ice cream, sorta. Once that was mixing, we went back to our pizzas to add the toppings and then baked them before devouring. It was so much fun to see the whole process and know you kneaded the bread and did it all. Made me feel like a real girl...NOT that I would do that all the time, just nice to know I can do it. After stuffing faces with pizza, we had our gelato and talk about heaven!! All in all the day was just a great day. It was nice to do the touristy thing for a bit, but also to have an excursion type deal and not be walking around like a mad woman looking at place after place.

Back in the hotel now and debating which wine tour I'm gonna do tomorrow before Rome on Friday. Getting a little bittersweet as the time to go home is quickly approaching. I've definitely seen a lot and also learned a lot....about myself as well. Excited for the next few days and what there is ahead!!