Florence Like a Medici

When Cindy said she had rented a villa in Florence, I’m not sure what I imagined. I did not imagine an actual palace that overlooked the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. Even as our driver dropped us at the massive doors, I expected the inside would be nice enough, but I was wrong. I have a friend who says she never wants to stay somewhere that isn’t as nice as her own home. Let’s say this would qualify. The villa, which is an apartment, is huge. Four en-suite bedrooms, state of the art kitchen, living room, dining room, office, laundry room, and two foyers. It may have been built in the 14th century, but it is 21st century in every possible way. Then there is the balcony (outdoor terrace) that runs the entire length of the villa and looks over the street directly in front of the Pitti Palace. The villa was restored in 2018. During that extensive restoration, they discovered 16th to 18th century frescoes on the walls and ceilings. So, not only are we staying in a spectacularly designed and appointed luxury villa, we are surrounded by priceless art on all sides and above.

After we settled in, we sat on the balcony, had a glass of wine, and watched the world go by. We could see people staring at us with villa envy. It was entirely appropriate. 

We wandered out to explore and stumbled into a boutique a few hundred yards from our front door. I found myself wearing a fur trimmed cashmere cape that only cost 2800 euros. Suddenly people were beginning to negotiate and offer to wrap it up. I managed to get out of there without buying the cape or having a panic attack. I like cashmere and fur as much as the next girl, ok maybe more than the next girl, but I wear a lot more fishing pants than I do fur trimmed capes these days.

We had a leisurely dinner that started with bruschetta which is my favorite. Afterwards we walked across the Ponte Vecchio and into the Piazza della Signoria. It was almost midnight and the crowd continued to grow. There were street musicians, lighted drones, gelato vendors and beautiful sites no matter where we looked. The moonlight only made it better.

We finally made it home around midnight in time to follow texted commentary about the South Carolina vs Tennessee game. I realized I can never come home in case my being in Florence had some juju impact on the win.

On Sunday we WALKED ACROSS THE STREET to the Pitti Palace. Judy and I started in the “Modern Gallery” which features art from the 1700s to now. All of it was breathtaking, but my favorite was three paintings by Camille Pissarro. I wasn’t sure why she, of all the Impressionists, was featured until I realized for the first time it is because she was Italian.

We then went to the classical galleries which were the living quarters of the Medicis and later the Bonapartes. The rooms themselves are priceless works of art with painted and carved ceilings dating from the Fifteenth Century. I need to do my history research to better understand Bonaparte’s sojourn in Florence because he cut a very wide swath while he was there. My favorite piece was a bronze table with the top inlaid with semi-precious stones.

The Pitti Palace could be a multi-day excursion but we were hungry so we called it a day and found an amazing tapas restaurant. Yep, we ate Spanish food in Florence. It was amazing and I’m not sorry.

We caught our second wind and tackled the Boboli Garden. Think Biltmore only centuries older and all up hill. Dana was our plant identifier. Everything is on a grand scale with hidden paths weaving through the woods and ancient statues dotted throughout. Two hours weren’t enough to scratch the surface but it was enough to wear us out. We headed home by way of a street fair/flea market. Cheap scarves were purchased.

The great thing about having six women on this trip is we can break off into smaller groups. Beth and I walked to a highly recommended trattoria about a block and three alleys away while the rest stayed in and nibbled on wine and cheese. We split an Osso Bucco and a half bottle of wine. It was a treat.

Unlike the late night before, I fell into bed completely exhausted by 9:30. It was a great tired caused by too much fun, food and friends.