Florence Part 2!

Don't mind me just filling in some gaps from 2015… better late than never!  Our trip to Florence in April with Nana was great, even though we only saw about half of the major attractions. We only had a day and a half which simply is not enough time, especially with kids in what I thought was a very child- UNfriendly city… so maybe I'll return one day with just my Benny Boy. But we got great pictures. The highlight in Florence for me was visiting the cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore… a huge gothic structure capped with a massive Renaissance dome.  It was by far the most beautiful exterior of a cathedral I've ever seen. 

The scooters were a LIFE SAVER on this trip.  Although irony of all ironies… I'm very strict about the girls wearing their helmets as they zip around our very uncrowded, relaxed post.  And then I forget to pack the helmets in a crazy, bustling city like Florence. #parentfail. 

It was a little bit of a racket waiting in lines to buy tickets and waiting again in line to enter the church, but as you can see, the kids had fun just being kids. 

Of course, once inside we just had to climb the duomo.  The art on the ceiling was amazing.  And the views from up top spectacular.  

Climbing back down the dome… can you see how curved the steps are?

Outside on the other side of the church

And at this point all we had time left to do was hit our favorite gelato place.  Now, personally, I would have opted for seeing the Basilica of Santa Croce where the likes of Michelangelo and Machiavelli are buried or the church of San Lorenzo where the Medici family is laid to rest in marble tombs sculpted by Michelangelo… but there was no stopping Ben on his mission of obtaining the best tasting gelato the world has to offer… and I can't really say I blame him.  My mom fittingly called gelato "translated ice cream."  So, to get to the famed gelato joint we had to basically trek it across Florence, which allowed us to see some pretty places along the way...

Nana taking a selfie on a beautiful shopping street

Crossing the Arno

And heaven:

My mom and I had to get back in time for our cooking class at the villa… (Ben was kind enough to watch the kids so we could indulge in this awesome experience).  The two sisters, Constance and Sienna, who live at the villa, taught the class and it was AMAZING.  

Sienna gathering fresh herbs from their garden… thyme I believe

We ate the eggs from these chickens every morning

We cooked in their kitchen in the main house.  Constance was awesome… so much fun…a proud mama of little Leonard. I loved her.  Her personality reminded me of my sister-in-law, Katie. We made chocolate cake, roasted lamb, roasted potatoes, asparagus risotto, stuffed mushrooms… everything was made with fresh FRESH ingredients.  They even pressed their own olive oil, which they did NOT skimp on. 

How to cut an artichoke

The kids came in later and had a very simple but delicious pasta dish before the adults got to indulge

They set a BEAUTIFUL table for us in their dining room (Ben got to join) and the three of us ate the most delicious meal I have literally ever partaken of, while the sisters and their parents entertained the kids in the other room.   The whole cooking process was about four hours… but so much fun… Really, an unforgettable day!