A full day in beautiful Florence / Firenze included the perfect lunch in Piazza Santo Spirito, and then an energetic walk straight uphill to Piazzale Michelangelo to combat the amazing gnocchi, compliments of Osteria Santo Spirito.

The view from the Piazzale did not disappoint, yet times have changed and that meant there was no more shade to beat the heat. After multiple bottles of water, we descended to the Arno River and enjoyed a lazy stroll while taking in the view.

The evening culminated in the aforementioned Bisteca Fiorentina, an Aperol Spritz (or two) in Oltrarno, and pure joy in meeting up with old friends in this magical city.

Our first night in Firenze was anything but mellow and relaxing. Instead, it involved a faulty jacuzzi and a cast of characters to fix it. Luckily, it all worked out in the end, and we had a new friend in Francesca and her colleagues, who treated us to a lovely lunch that turned out to be one of the best meals of the trip!

Firenze was quite warm for the second week of October, and we shared the city with a copious amount of other tourists. Yet, the capital of Toscana still warrants attention with it's architecture and history, so we made the most of it and walked and walked and walked, as one does so easily in bel'italia. 

We were so lucky to spend a few days at a quintessential Tuscan farmhouse, but this one comes with a whole lot of dog love! 8 dachshunds and 1 yellow lab who luckily never left our side. Everything we ate and drank came from their property which is the definition of Zero KM.

Besides the full of flavor meals and the hearty and delicious wine, we were so happy to meet the other guests and get to know the friendly and generous staff. Staying in a small farmhouse like this is the best way to immerse yourself into the traditional Italian way of country life, which is simply to work hard, plant and harvest your own food and wine, and share it with others. Throw in 9 dogs, and it was pure heaven!

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We are back in the fabulous little city of Pisa and we genuinely want to convince you that you should spend hours in the Duomo and the Camposanto. There are many buildings and interiors that I hold dear, but the Camposanto is one of my absolute favorites! 

You will walk among centuries of history and be in awe of the design and attention that went into the celebration of paying homage to the dead – but not in a creepy way! It's beautiful and worthy of your visit.  

Pisa is a design lovers mecca.

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com

In this podcast, Tommaso informs our listeners about the delay in releasing a full episode of Kimberly's Italy due to an infrastructure problem with our hosting provider. This problem has affected not only podcasts but also banks, causing delays in deposits and ACH payments. Tommaso acknowledges the inconvenience and assures listeners that we will release a new episode next week.

The famous tower that leans is why most people visit Pisa, however there is so much more to explore in this small and multi-hued city. The color palette is muted yet beautiful, and the architecture is a cohesive mix of Renaissance, Romanesque and Gothic. It's a walkable city that truly loves it's aperitivo hour!

Don't do the day tripper concept that so many do. Stay the night in order to see and experience everything Pisa has to offer, including the Leaning Tower...and then spend a second night since the crowds are long gone!

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com

We are so happy we chose Torino for our first stop on our 3-week road trip in Italy.  It is not on the greatest hitÕs list, which right there, says enough!  It is a working, living city that accepts tourists, but on it's terms. You almost feel like you belong even as a tourist if you appreciate and respect their history, which we did in spades.

Amazing architecture, appreciation of history in regards to literature and the arts, and obviously all things food and wine related.

Take a listen, and make Torino a destination you should definitely put on your list.

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com

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We are so happy we chose Torino for our first stop on our 3-week road trip in Italy. It is not on the greatest hitÕs list, which right there, says enough! It is a working, living city that accepts tourists, but on it's terms. You almost feel like you belong even as a tourist if you appreciate and respect their history, which we did in spades.

Amazing architecture, appreciation of history in regards to literature and the arts, and obviously all things food and wine related.

Take a listen, and make Torino a destination you should definitely put on your list.

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com

Our Italian road trip is in 4th gear!  We hit the autostrada to get to Firenze in time to meet friends who flew in for a 3 day extravaganza with yet more friends.  We attended a private art opening at Palazzo Vecchio, which was followed by the quintessential Tuscan dinner….one long table with about 30 people on each side, candles, endless bottles of wine, delicious pasta, platters of Tuscan cured meats, and many, many languages.

We all felt so lucky to be seated at that table.  Yet, it was time to depart Firenze and head south, on more back roads in order to see the stunning Val d’Orcia landscape.  It’s been a long and fabulous road trip, with more to come.

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com

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Our Italian road trip is in 4th gear! We hit the autostrada to get to Firenze in time to meet friends who flew in for a 3 day extravaganza with yet more friends. We attended a private art opening at Palazzo Vecchio, which was followed by the quintessential Tuscan dinner….one long table with about 30 people on each side, candles, endless bottles of wine, delicious pasta, platters of Tuscan cured meats, and many, many languages.

We all felt so lucky to be seated at that table. Yet, it was time to depart Firenze and head south, on more back roads in order to see the stunning Val d’Orcia landscape. It’s been a long and fabulous road trip, with more to come.

https://www.kimberlysitaly.com