DISCOVERING FLORENCE AND EATING OUR WAY THROUGH THE CITY!

Buongiorno amici and welcome to Florence. So we have got a jam-packed itinerary for this four-day trip here in Florence, so stay tuned as we discover this beautiful city. First off, the Uffizi Gallery. Welcome to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. This world-renowned museum is home to some of the most important works of art from the Italian Renaissance. The outside of the gallery features elegant arches and columns, a true testament to architecture from the Renaissance period. As we step inside, we're greeted by masterpieces from artists like Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo. The gallery's beautiful architecture and rich history make it a must-visit destination for art lovers. We spent our first morning in Florence enjoying its beautiful halls and discovering the stories behind these incredible pieces of art. All right, you guys, we just finished up at the Uffizi Gallery and it was absolutely stunning. If you ever come to Florence, that is an absolute must. So now our plan is to walk around and explore a little bit and then grab some lunch at All'Antico Banaio. Okay, you can't come to Florence without trying at least one sandwich. We're here at the most famous sandwich shop in Florence, if not in the entire world, and we are going to give it a try. It's called All'Antico Banaio. We'll let you know how it is. Okay, you guys, I got super overwhelmed in there, so I told Tanner just order for both of us. So tell us what you got. So we, this is the two sandwiches that the shop recommends. This one right here is the Paradiso. It's got like pistachio cream and cheese and ham and all sorts of goodness. This one right here is the Favalosa, and I can't really even tell what's in there. It's got ham and oils and cheeses, but these are the two sandwiches that they recommend. Okay, let's see what you think. That is so flavorful, the sauce. You've got cheese all over your face. This one with the pistachio cream is really good. Kind of hard to eat though. Okay, this is the Favalosa. The meat is like tender, melt in your mouth. The cheese is like so creamy and delicious. And then I don't know what that is, maybe eggplant or something. I don't know, but damn good, I can tell you that. We are now on our way to Vivoli, which is a affogato gelato shop. And we will see how the famous affogato is. And then we're going to go climb to the top of the Duomo to work off all these calories. What do you think? The best affogato I've ever had. Me too. The good news is Vivoli was amazing. Not only was the quality good of the gelato and espresso, but the ratio was on par. It was so good. Burning off the affogato. So these stairs were built just for the workers who were building the dome. Who would have thought they would be climbed by millions of people per year, hundreds of years later, by choice. It's good exercise. Yes, it is. Good hands. 400 stairs. We just finished up at the Academia Gallery, and we saw the David. It was truly stunning. Seen photos of it, and I imagined what I thought it would look like. And then you see it in person, and it is ginormous. Like, it was truly incredible. You could see his veins. You could see his tibia. Michelangelo did such a fantastic job. I liked looking at some of his earlier work, and then seeing how he progressed to ultimately the David. Also, if you plan on going to Uffizi Gallery or Academia Gallery, make sure you buy your tickets online beforehand. I overheard the guy at the entrance saying that it was a three-hour wait if you had to purchase tickets. We got in in maybe 10 minutes. All thanks to my love. She planned ahead. Yes, I did. Okay, I want to give you guys a super quick tour of our room. Check it out. So, you got this seating area and this big room to just hang out and chill, and then this is where the money's at. So, we've got a table and a TV, our bed, and literally one of the most gorgeous views of the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Can you believe that? So, we're staying at the Hotel Lungarno in Florence, and this is the, well, the Arno River View Suite. So, if you decide to stay here, totally recommend it. The view's spectacular. The location of the hotel is also great because it's walking distance from the Ponte Vecchio, and is that how you say it? Yeah. And pretty much everything else in Florence. That's the nice part about Florence is everything's close, but the location of this hotel specifically, super convenient. So far, we like it. Florence is such a beautiful city, and it has really good energy. Everybody is soaking it up. There's live music, people performing. This, oh my god, the sunset tonight that we got from our balcony was stunning. We're on the Ponte Vecchio Bridge right now, actually. Ponte Vecchio. It's our first full night in Florence. First full night. We're going to restaurant that we've had on our list for years now. We're so excited to try it. They are known for their Florentine steak, and their, which I can't wait for, pear ravioli, I believe, and possibly their tiramisu. Sounds great to me. Okay, Erica's trying the pear ravioli. Yummy, huh? So fresh. It's pretty simple, but done really well, which is just what we like. I like how they have all these wine bottles displayed right on the wall behind us. Exactly what we came for, folks. So far, I mean, that looks like it's cooked perfectly. Oh, for sure. It's got a nice crispy crust on the outside. Medium. Oh, beautiful. That's cooked perfectly. How's the flavor? That was unbelievable. Okay, so this is the tiramisu. We got some decaf coffee. Nice. Very fluffy and airy. Smells delicious. It's different, but very good. I highly recommend getting some coffee with your tiramisu, except you double up on coffee. Another gorgeous morning here in Florence. Good morning, everyone. We are on our way to the Basilica... You should have said, buongiorno. Oh, yeah, buongiorno. We are on our way to the Basilica of Santa Croce. We are doing a walking tour of Florence today, and that's our starting point. If you're ever visiting a new city for the first time, we always recommend hiring a local tour guide to take you to all of the historical sites and maybe point out some things that only the locals know. And even if you go and look at some of these sites, like the Duomo or some of the cathedrals, they can give you more background knowledge or even just a different perspective on things. So we always like doing that. Yeah, totally. We'll let you know about our tour guide today. Yeah, it's just fun to meet people who live here locally, too. So we're looking forward to our tour. We'll let you know how it goes. Our walking tour with Andrea began at the beautiful Basilica of Santa Croce, one of the most significant churches in Florence. It is also the church where Michelangelo is buried. Our small group wandered through the beautiful city of Florence, discovering cool, lesser-known spots like this building where Michelangelo lived as a child and hidden wine windows. These wine windows were small openings in the walls of noble houses used during the Renaissance to sell wine directly to customers. Next, we made our way to Andreas' favorite spot to get Lampredotto, a famous Florentine street food made from the fourth stomach of a cow. It's sweet, but I love Lampredotto. You have to try one Lampredotto. There are so many. This is good. It's all over the city center. This is the real Florentine food, medieval food. Panino con Lampredotto. Continuing our walking tour, we stopped at the Piazza della Signoria to admire the striking bronze statue of Perseus. Next, we passed through the outside of the Uffizi Gallery and paused to admire the statue of Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer after whom America was named. Our journey then took us to the iconic Ponte Vecchio Bridge, where we learned about the bridge's history. Originally, it was lined with butcher shops, but when the Medici family moved nearby, they were repulsed by the smell as the butchers threw scraps into the Arno River. In 1593, the Medici's kicked the butchers off the Ponte Vecchio and decreed that only jewelers could occupy the bridge, a rule that remains to this day. Finally, after crossing the Arno River, we walked through a small church, admired the beautiful art inside, and then stopped for a coffee at a quaint local coffee shop, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the authentic Italian atmosphere. Okay, we got some coffee, a little coffee break. So this is an espresso macchiato. Espresso macchiato. You're not supposed to have cappuccinos after 11 a.m. But you can order an espresso macchiato, which is an espresso with a tiny bit of milk. Because milk is bad for the digestion. Fair enough. But there is even a game I tell you in advance. The game is cruel. What's the game? You have to take a coin, you have to touch the nose of the boar, coin inside the mouth of the boar, then you have to rip the coin from the mouth. Ah, she's trying. Oh, no good. Below there is a grate. If the coin fall inside the grate, you come back in Florence. If the coin fall outside, last time in Florence. Usually I say to the people, skip the game and just come back. Don't worry, you come back again in Florence. Follow me, we back this way. After learning about the bronze pig, we stumbled upon this local artist skillfully recreating this piece of art by Raffaello with chalk on the cobblestone street. Our tour guide Andrea explained that these talented artists create temporary masterpieces that are meant to be admired for only a few days. Eventually the elements or passerbys will wash them away and the artist will begin a new project, turning the street into a constantly evolving canvas. Next, we made our way over to the Duomo. It's impossible not to be captivated by the color and the marble design of this beautiful cathedral. Andrea explained how each color holds deep symbolic meaning, a testament to the rich history and faith that built this iconic structure. The red marble you see represents charity, the white marble stands for faith, and the green marble represents hope, reflecting the aspirations and future dreams of Florence at the time. Together, these colors create a harmonious blend that not only enhances the beauty of the but also tells a story of the values that shape this extraordinary city. All right everyone, we just finished our tour with Andrea. He was amazing and we just wanted to have you tell them where to find you. Ciao, I'm Andrea, your tour guide in Florence. Airbnb Experiences, a small group. We will enjoy the city. Grazie. He was awesome, you will love it. Book a tour with him. After a morning walking tour of the city of Florence, what a perfect time to get some pizza. We're at Gusta Pizza, which is a famous pizzeria here in Florence, and as you can see, it's quite the line out front, so it must mean it's pretty good. It's hot and fresh. Tell you what I think. It's hot as hell. Burned my mouth. Oh dang it. I got the Calabrese, which is basically a pepperoni pizza. We are at La Calaria to get some gelato. So I got two flavors. I got milk and cookie. And they're already melting on you. They're already melting. It's making a mess, but it is phenomenal. Like, to die for. What did you get? I got mango and mixed berry, and I would also agree, it is absolutely delicious gelato. Here for a pickup. Here for pickup please. Thank you very much. Thank you. Who dis? Who dis? Geez, that thing is gorgeous. Thank you. Absolutely gorgeous, just like my wife. My knees are sore from walking, because walking is what I do. But I'm just gonna keep on walking to explore this city with you. Going to dinner again. That's the fun part about traveling, really. You get to go to fun dinners every night. Try the cuisine. The local cuisine. We kind of, we did the walking tour this morning. Then we went and got pizza. Gusto pizza. Then we went and got, that was outstanding. Erica's, like, spilled all over the place, so I would recommend getting a cup. Mine spilled everywhere. Tanner dripped his bite onto the camera. Yeah, anyway, so we had gelato, and then we were tired. You'll find that when you're in Europe, or Florence, or wherever, you just want to take naps. Maybe from all the carbs, and the walking around. Well, Erica's, like, super human, so she doesn't count, but for us mere mortals, you might want to take a nap. Anywho, took a nap. Now we just got ready, freshened up a bit, and we're going out to dinner. We went to dinner at this restaurant called El Grande Nuti. The coolest part of this restaurant was watching them make the pasta by hand from the outdoor window. The ambiance of this restaurant was very casual, and quite touristy. We ordered a salad and two different pastas. The food was decent, but in our opinion, it didn't quite live up to the high ratings we saw on Google. Maybe we ordered the wrong thing, but overall, this restaurant wasn't bad, but we probably wouldn't recommend it, since there are so many other amazing restaurants to try in Florence. All right, you guys, earlier today, Tanner and I realized that we've been in Florence for a couple of days today, and we hadn't had gelato yet, so we had gelato earlier today. Now we're on for round two. So I got milk with honey and sesame as the one flavor, and pistachio for the other flavor, and it's actually a pretty good combo. Surprised myself, even. Gelato in Italy, though, I mean, it's pretty tough to beat. Okay, we're back, and the same artist is still at work from earlier today. Super cool. It's coming together really nicely. Good morning, everybody. We are up early this morning because we have a very fun day planned for today. We are going to do the most epic wine tasting out in the Tuscan countryside. We are going to make a separate video for our wine tasting, so I will link that up above, but keep watching this video to see some highlights from our wine tasting in the Tuscan countryside. Ciao! Our wine tasting adventure started at the renowned Ornelia Vineyard in Bulgari, near the coast of Tuscany. We toured their beautiful estate and tasted some of their most iconic wines, including their flagship Ornelia blend. Next, we had lunch at a local Osteria with a tasting menu featuring Sassicaia wine pairings. The food was delicious and perfectly complemented the wine, all enjoyed on a beautiful outdoor patio. Our final stop of the day was at the Tua Rita Winery. We toured their small, charming winery and had another tasting where we got to try their famous Red Agafi wine. 100 point wine, right? 100 point wine. I think you're gonna like it, Erica, because you like Merlot. I love it. You love it? Yeah, that's my favorite one we've had. Check out our full wine tasting video for more details about our amazing wine tasting tour. Alrighty, we made it back from our wine tour and now we're just waiting for a taxi to take us to dinner. We were going to walk, but it's like a 16-minute walk and it started raining, so we figured a taxi was the right move. I can't wait. I need some food after like 13 glasses of wine. We had so much wine and we're both feeling like we have a headache. We're both feeling like we just need some food to counteract all the wine. Yes. Although we had a fantastic lunch that we loved. Yes. It's dinner time and I need some pasta. Yes, pasta here we come. So we just got back from dinner at Vecchia Pitola and this place was about as local as it gets. I did not see one other American in there and I was chicken ----. There was no way I was gonna pull out our camera and vlog this restaurant because everyone was speaking Italian. The owner, the servers were like kissing people on the cheeks. It was clearly a very local place. Well not to mention we sat on a communal table next to all these local Italians. Yeah. We didn't want to be disrespectful. Yeah, but we did get a pasta that was delicioso. It was a vodka penne pasta and it was really good. So this place was delicious if you're looking for a place that does not attract tourists and it's more of a local vibe. And then after that we got some gelato which was also on that same street. Not one American in sight. So that was also delicious. Tanner really liked it. Well what about you? I loved it. Yeah, I got milk again because you know that's my flavor of the trip. And I have to share something funny. So on this trip Tanner got a new wallet and we were at these two local places. We don't speak Italian. We're American. We're trying to be like like not stand out. And Tanner goes to pay and he can't get his card out of his new wallet because it's so tight and fresh. So he's sitting there fumbling with it. I see him just panic fumbling and I'm like here I got it. I come into the rescue. I do like my new wallet but yeah it's like too tight. You want to show it? Let's see it. It's a really cool wallet. I will say so myself. Here it is. It's gorgeous. Let's see the inside where it's praline colored. Gorgeous. And you can't get the cards out. They're like stuck in there. So today was our last full day in Florence. We had a great day and now we are ready to go to bed. We are exhausted. So we'll see you in the morning. Ciao. One last breakfast with a view. We're gonna miss this morning breakfast view. Check it out. So gorgeous. Our hotel breakfast is really nice. They have a buffet and then you can order from the kitchen as well. So we got some omelets and some cappuccinos, yogurt parfait, and anything else we want. All right it's the last morning here in Florence. We've got a couple hours before we hop on a train to Lake Como. So we thought we'd squeeze a couple last things in. Go see a couple more museums and just walk around the city and soak it all up. We're gonna miss this place. I thought three full days in Florence would be plenty and I could have done another two days probably. So keep that in mind when you're planning your trip. Buona giornata. Buona giornata. Have a good day. But we're not done with this video. But still, buona giornata. We just learned that means have a good day. We've been in Italy for a week and we just learned that one. So we are at the Medici Palace. Just bought tickets to see the museum and right now we're standing in the beautiful garden where Michelangelo did his work. Is that right? I think it's where he started. It's where he started. Started to learn how to sculpt really. It's pretty interesting to see how you know the wealthiest family in Florence lived back in the renaissance period. Alrighty, if the last thing we have time for is one last affogato at our favorite place. This is our favorite, well I can't say it's our favorite gelato we got all trip, but the affogato was amazing. So we're getting one more before we have to head to Lake Como. Okay we're back for more. So yummy. That is to die for. That's just to die for literally. All right you guys, we are heading back to our hotel to get packed up to head to the train station. So we're going to go ahead and end the video here but we had such an amazing trip to Florence. Florence is such a stunning beautiful city with so much history and we hope that we can come back here soon because there are still many things that we would love to see. We hope that you enjoyed watching our video and maybe you got some good ideas for your next trip to Florence but we always appreciate your support and be sure to subscribe to our channel to see more videos in the future. Wait, like I said we're headed to Lake Como so we will see you there. Bye everybody. Bye, ciao ciao. Oh, say have a good day. Oh, I forgot. What is it? Dang it. Bueno giornata. Have a good day. All right, Tanner is packing up our wine that we purchased on our wine tasting tour yesterday. I got him this luggage for his birthday actually or no yeah for his birthday. Yeah, it's coming handy. It's a suitcase specifically made for traveling with wine. It's got a little foam cut out so you can securely store your wine in there and cinch it really tight so it's nice and secure and it gets home safely with you. Perfecto so we can have delicious Italian wine at home.