Florence Part 1 - Into Tuscany

After the bustle, and stifling heat of Rome, we were both looking forward to moving north to Florence. In particular I was excited about the train journey though the heart of Italy. I was particularly pleased to see that we were travelling on this high speed train, which is similar to that which goes through the Channel Tunnel and reaches speeds of 200mph on the French side. 90 minutes later, and after seeing some beautiful Tuscan countryside fly by in a green blur, we arrived at Florence and one of the ugliest railway stations I've ever seen (no surprise then that it's soon to be replaced by one designed by Norman Foster).

On our first night, co-incidentally my 40th birthday, we had a chance for a look round and then dined magnificently overlooking the Ponte Vecchio. I had one of the greatest meals of my life, which consisted of a veal and porcini mushroom dish so astonishing I'm sure I can still taste it now. My wife had chicken in a truffle sauce which was equally wonderful. In fact, every meal we ate in Florence was superb. In following nights we tried spaghetti with seafood, pasta with wild boar ragu and a wonderful mushroom risotto. If I'm honest we didn't eat that well in Rome, perhaps due to an unfamiliarity with how best to choose a restaurant there, but we more than made up for it in Tuscany.

The pace and temperature were lower in Florence. While there are still great art museums there, the whole relaxed atmosphere of the city and its relatively small size make it a great place for a stroll. The Ponte Vecchio (below) is particularly pretty, and is lined with high quality jewellers.

The famous cathedral is 'Il Duomo', and we had a view of it from our bedroom window (second photo from top). Inside, there are various gardens and apartments, and an unexpected but very interesting leather goods factory.

But best of all, Florence is a relaxed, cool and appallingly pretty place. The antique streets are stuffed with great clothes shops and wonderful places to eat. The night life is bright and arty. And you can see Michelangelo's 'David' and a host of Boticelli and Da Vinci masterpieces in the museums. But there was more to come, as I shall tell you in the next post.