Florence, Siena & Pisa
Another weekend, another trip! This weekend we took advantage of the fact that the kids were off Thursday and Friday (don't ask me which weird Swiss holiday it was) and drove about 6 hours from Geneva to Florence. It took longer than planned because Mt. Blanc Tunnel is always hit or miss and on the way out it was definitely a miss (although the sight was a NOT MISS!). Thankfully on the way back it was a hit.
Once we were in Italy stopped for lunch at Recco based on a "reco" (pun intended) from Jose's friend from work. We had yummy focaccia with their specialty cheese and then enjoyed seeing the ocean for the first time in a while!
We stayed in a great apartment right next to Il Duomo (and lots of shopping!). The day we left we actually found a place with "american breakfast" but it was closed that early so we ventured all the way to the top of Il Duomo. The kids made us very proud by climbing up the stairs (though not without some complaints!) and the view from the top of Il Duomo was spectacular. It also made us appreciate what a great location our hotel was at (it's smack in the middle of this picture). We loved that Florence is small enough that you can walk everywhere.
After Florence we drove to Siena but first stopped at San Gimignano for the most amazing "fagioli" I've add in a looong time. I've been dreaming of this since 2005 when I was pregnant with Gabi and in Milan for work and tried these for the first time. My sister (who was visiting) and I both fell in love with these!
In Siena we walked around and ate pizza slices from the street. We also loved that Siena was so small you could see everything but it also meant we were ready to leave after one night instead of staying two nights. This is the view of the bed and breakfast we were staying at. Loved the cat on the roof!
The next morning we drove to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and then made the loong journey back. Thankfully Mt. Blanc Tunnel was much better on the return but overall not being in our own car with the DVD player made things a little less interesting for the kids. They were still troopers, though, as they usually are! Couldn't be more prouder of the fact they went all the way up Il Duomo.
Italy was as wonderful as it was for me the previous times I've visited Rome, Venice and Milan. I would just love to live in Italy for 6 months doing nothing! Next up on the travel agenda: GREECE beach vacation. :)
Once we were in Italy stopped for lunch at Recco based on a "reco" (pun intended) from Jose's friend from work. We had yummy focaccia with their specialty cheese and then enjoyed seeing the ocean for the first time in a while!
We stayed in a great apartment right next to Il Duomo (and lots of shopping!). The day we left we actually found a place with "american breakfast" but it was closed that early so we ventured all the way to the top of Il Duomo. The kids made us very proud by climbing up the stairs (though not without some complaints!) and the view from the top of Il Duomo was spectacular. It also made us appreciate what a great location our hotel was at (it's smack in the middle of this picture). We loved that Florence is small enough that you can walk everywhere.
After Florence we drove to Siena but first stopped at San Gimignano for the most amazing "fagioli" I've add in a looong time. I've been dreaming of this since 2005 when I was pregnant with Gabi and in Milan for work and tried these for the first time. My sister (who was visiting) and I both fell in love with these!
In Siena we walked around and ate pizza slices from the street. We also loved that Siena was so small you could see everything but it also meant we were ready to leave after one night instead of staying two nights. This is the view of the bed and breakfast we were staying at. Loved the cat on the roof!
The next morning we drove to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower and then made the loong journey back. Thankfully Mt. Blanc Tunnel was much better on the return but overall not being in our own car with the DVD player made things a little less interesting for the kids. They were still troopers, though, as they usually are! Couldn't be more prouder of the fact they went all the way up Il Duomo.
Italy was as wonderful as it was for me the previous times I've visited Rome, Venice and Milan. I would just love to live in Italy for 6 months doing nothing! Next up on the travel agenda: GREECE beach vacation. :)
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