A ‘disaster’ averted in Florence
The next leg of the European holiday I was on with my children Gabbie and Paolo was a day trip to Florence, which began with a scare.
Though we were based in Rome, we planned day trips to Florence and Amalfi Coast separately, booking our train tickets weeks in advance so we could get them a bit cheaper. The train to Florence was scheduled to depart from Rome at 8:10 a.m., and we booked an Uber to arrive at the train station at least 30 minutes before departure.
As soon as our driver dropped us off, Paolo realized that he had left his cell phone in the car! We all panicked and there was no way for us to call the driver. My daughter Gabbie, who booked the ride, could only text the customer service of Uber which said it would reply within 24 hours for lost items.
I kept calling the number of Paolo hoping that the driver would hear the phone ringing, but we remembered that he was wearing airpods while driving. Nevertheless, I persisted and kept calling Paolo’s phone while praying at the same time.
Lo and behold, after 10 or more attempts, the driver finally answered and said he would drop off the phone in 10 minutes. We hurriedly went out of the train station to wait for him. When he came, he had new passengers already and he quickly passed me the phone. I was so grateful that I gave him a tip and thanked the passengers for accommodating this detour to their destination.
Had the driver been unable to return the phone, I’m sure our Florence trip would have been a disaster. Imagine a Gen Z’er like Paolo without a cellphone to take photos and videos, and stay connected? Not a pleasant thought I assure you. But all’s well that ends well. Luckily, we made the train ride and by 9:30 a.m. were in Florence, the capital city of the Tuscany region.
Taking the train is very convenient because the stations are within walking distance from many attractions. Florence is a very small city and most of the tourist attractions are in the city center. Our first stop was the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. As expected, there were hordes of tourists despite the warm (30 to 32 degrees) weather and it was nice to just stroll and enjoy the sights and look at the shops.
Close to noon, we started to walk towards Trattoria Zaza for their famous bistecca alla Fiorentina or Florentine steak. This steak is special because it comes from a thick cut of porterhouse steak and the Tuscans measure it in “fingers”, and a good bistecca alla fiorentina will be around three to four fingers thick and weighs close to a kilo! As I’ve said before, you can’t leave Florence without having had a Florentine steak! Good thing we got to the Trattoria by 12 noon.
Even before they opened, there was already a long line of customers waiting to get in. I ate here last year with my friends Keren Pascual and Leo Katigbak upon the recommendation of our driver Kevin Avelino, and it was so good, I promised myself I would come back with my kids so they could try it. When our Florentine steak arrived (one steak was good enough for the three of us), my kids devoured them.
Along with the steak, we ordered a caprese salad with succulent and juicy red tomatoes to go with the fresh mozzarella and sweet basil seasoned with salt and olive oil, prosciutto ham with sweet melon and a spaghetti with lots of garlic and olive oil for our carbohydrates, yum! If you are a steak lover who finds himself/herself in Florence, dining at the world-famous Trattoria Zaza is simply a must! Since my last visit, they extended the restaurant and gave it a major makeover, beautifying the interior and giving certain areas unique themes.
After lunch, we walked towards Ponte Vecchio and enjoyed window-shopping at the jewelry stores. Since Italian gold is world-famous, the Ponte Vecchio bridge is lined with gold stores that make the bridge literally sparkle in the sun! After a while, we took shade in a cafe and ordered nice, cold drinks to shelter us from the scorching heat before we headed back to the station to catch our train back to Rome.
From the scorching heat before, we walked towards the historic Pallazo della Mercanzia where the Gucci museum, shop, garden and osteria are all located. For my kids, entrance to the museum was five euros (student discount) while adults paid eight euros. If you are a fashion lover, then this definitely is a must place to visit. It charts the evolution of the iconic Italian fashion brand that celebrated its 90th anniversary last 2021. Gabbie and I enjoyed looking at hundreds of handbags beautifully displayed in mirrored cabinets and the mannequins wearing vintage haute couture gowns and outfits. After the tour, we visited the shop and admired their new collection before we started heading back to the train station.
Two days after our Florence day trip, we hired a Pinoy driver, Peter, to drive us to the Amalfi Coast. (Peter is the dad of Kevin, who drove for me, Keren and Leo last year.) Famous for its picturesque and stunning coastline, Amalfi is a beautiful coastal town 3.5 hours away from Rome by car. We got to Amalfi Coast just in time for lunch and Gabbie picked Marina Grande, a one-starred Michelin restaurant that overlooks the coast. For appetizers, we ordered the tuna tartare with an avocado puree and prosciutto ham with melon. For our main course, I had a seafood linguine (also called linguine gentile) that came with calamari, king prawns and langoustine (slim lobster). Gabbie had the risotto carnaroli, which had prawns and lemon, while Paolo had the Agnolotti, which is slow-cooked beef cheek and black truffles. We all agreed that the restaurant was deserving of its 1-star Michelin because everything we ordered was absolutely divine!
After lunch, we walked around the plaza to have a lemon sherbet, which was readily available because so many stalls had this oh-so-good and refreshing slush. The lemons in this region are humongous! For 10 euros, you get to choose a huge, fresh lemon and the shop owner will top it with a sweet and tangy sherbet that’s a perfect antidote for the hot Italian sun! All this time, the kids enjoyed the breathtaking views and took photos.
After soaking in the Amalfi vibe, we were ready to visit Positano, another seaside town. Upon arrival, we parked the car and the kids took even more photos. We then drove to Sorrento, another quaint town overlooking the Bay of Naples. According to Peter, Sorrento is also a famous shopping destination thanks to an abundance of shops around the city. We walked along the town plaza and bought souvenirs, mostly lemon-inspired items like bags, hand towels and soaps. By 5:30 p.m., we were ready to call it a day and we headed back to Rome, where we had to pack and be ready for our 12:25 p.m. flight to Paris the next day.
To be continued.
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