First order of business - let me apologize for taking so long to post a blog. Not only have I been swamped with school work since I got back, writing about Italy has been an intimidating task with 10 days worth of food, scenery and ancient buildings to re-cap.

A couple weeks ago I went to Italy for 10 days over my fall break, first stopping in Florence for four days. Florence was by far my favorite area in Italy. It's a beautiful city with a hometown feel. And it was definitely the easiest place to get around- we walked everywhere. Florence is small enough that you can walk from one end to the other in about 45 minutes (I think but don't hold me to that). By the end of the first day my feet were exhausted but walking became almost necessary considering I was basically eating all day every day. My posts about Italy are going to be mostly about food because, well, that was probably the highlight of my trip.
But before I ramble on about all the amazing pasta and wine I had, let me try to describe Florence. Luckily I have pictures because words just can't do it justice. Seriously.

My first two days in Florence were spent wandering around the city finding ancient buildings and sculptures. The first building we came across was the Duomo (the Dome). Pretty much the center of Florence and located in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, the Duomo is a huge, beautifully crafted cathedral. I believe it's also known as the church of Santa Maria del Fiore. I never went inside and took a tour so all I really know about it is that it's really old and has some crazy intense detailing on the outside including pink, green and gold finishing. I can only imagine what the inside looks like.

As we continued to walk through Florence I noticed that almost every building is some kind of faded yellow or cream color with green shutters and terracotta rooftops. There's also gelato being sold in every other store...the accessibility of gelato might have contributed to me eating it at least once a day, two to three times on a good day. See? I can't get away from talking about food. Anyhow, not knowing much about Florence besides the fact that it's in Italy and part of Tuscany, we stumbled upon a piazza with tons of sculptures and, surprise surprise, another old building. You really can't escape history in Europe- I just wish I knew more about what I saw. There's always Google, right? Anyways, I digress- back to the piazza. I believe it was called Piazza della Signoria, but again, I'm not positive. There were sculptures dating from the 13th century. Most of them were naked men or reenactments of biblical events- Italy doesn't like to let you forget they are a predominantly Catholic country. One of main attractions of this piazza is, of course, the really old building. We were able to get in for free, which was a rare occurrence as most buildings charge for entrance. Inside, the walls were covered from floor to ceiling with paintings and detailed carvings in white and gold.

Next to the Piazza della Signoria we found the Palazzo Vecchio where a huge brick palace sits, complete with a clock tower. As we walked past the Palazzo Vecchio we came upon a river (don't ask me what it's called). The river is part of Ponte Vecchio where the Old Bridge sits. This was one of the most gorgeous parts of Florence. The Old Bridge and the river are situated between rows of buildings and houses. From the Old Bridge you get a great view of the terracotta rooftops and the river. The Old Bridge also offers endless jewelry shops that would suck my bank account dry if I bought just one necklace.

After spending a good hour by the river and Old Bridge we walked up along the river trying to find a viewing point someone had told us about. We had been told that the walk up to this point was going to be a little steep but totally worth it. This person did not inform us that the walk up was going to be like walking up Mt. Everest. Not only was it steep, it went on for, EVER! But the sweat and foot blisters (too much information?) was completely worth it because by the time we got to the top we could see all of Florence.

The internet is a wonderful thing and I now know that the point we hiked to is called Piazzale Michelangelo. Piazzale Michelangelo is a large open area on top of a hill (that feels like a mountain when you're walking up). From there you can see everything- the Duomo, the Old Bridge, Palazzo Vecchio, and almost every rooftop in Florence. The best part about the Piazzale Michelangelo was we arrived at dusk just as the sun was about to set. The clouds that had blanketed the sky during the day started to break apart, letting the setting sun shine through and creating a cool sun-cloud pattern. Eventually turning a pale shade of pink, the sky contributed to the already great panoramic view of Florence. My pictures don't do it justice, but believe me when I say it was possibly the most beautiful part of Italy I saw over my 10 days.

OK- so we get that Florence is beautiful and everyone should visit if they ever get the chance. Now the food. It's been a good two weeks since I got back to London and I still can't stop thinking about the food I ate. I don't even know where to begin. As I mentioned before, gelato shops are not lacking in Italy, especially Florence. I was overwhelmed by the variety of flavors (pumpkin gelato? yes, please!) that I used that as an excuse to eat it multiple times a day. They were all good but my favorite ended up being Tiramisu, which doesn't come as a surprise because Tiramisu is one of my all time favorite desserts. Which leads me to Tiramisu in Italy. Wow. Tiramisu in Italy is nothing like what passes as Tiramisu in the states. In Italy it comes either in a bowl or on a plate, and not in the form of a slice of cake, as commonly presented in the states. Instead, it comes with the espresso soaked lady fingers on the bottom, which are then covered in a thick layer of custard like marscapone that literally just falls all over the plate. The best part? It's topped with fresh cocoa and usually handmade the day, if not right before, you order it. Oh. My. Goodness. Bring me back to Italy now. The best Tiramisu I had was the very first night in Florence, and I don't think I will ever forget it.

Moving on to the pasta. I knew Italy would have delicious pasta but my taste buds were not prepared for how amazing it was going to be. Most of the restaurants in Florence and the other places I went in Italy were mom and pop places, meaning a lot of the pasta and sauces are homemade. I think what made the pasta so good, besides the fact they were usually made by hand, is that they were usually served with just a couple ingredients and didn't include butter- I believe dousing your pasta in butter is an American thing.

One dish that sticks out is a pasta I had with pistachio pesto. Hands down the best pesto I have ever had. I'm not sure I can eat pesto again unless it's in Italy...canned pesto just won't cut it anymore now that my taste buds have experienced the wonderfulness that is pistachio pesto.

Another favorite meal I can remember is some kind of linguine-like pasta in a wild boar sauce. What does wild boar sauce taste like, you ask? Pretty freaking great. It was slightly gamey, but not overpowering, and had a kind of soft, tender texture to it. This dish was also all homemade.

I ate so much during my 10 days in Italy that I can't immediately remember every dish I had, but, I did take pictures of almost every meal, which is proving to be very helpful for this post. Looking back at my pictures I found an appetizer of layers of grilled eggplant, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella, drizzled with a bit of oil. That's another thing- I don't think I ever had tomatoes and mozzarella that weren't fresh. But back to the appetizer- three simple ingredients made up such a tasty dish. Italians dress almost all their dishes with oil. It sounds so basic and maybe even boring, but it's not. Olive oil seems to bring out the flavors in everything it's put on. Those Italians really know what they're doing when it comes to food. And wine, but more on that later.

Pizza is another dish Italians have down to an art. I had some great pizza in Florence. I always went for Margherita pizza- another simple dish that is somehow so much better in Italy. Perhaps the fresh ingredients have something to do with it. I usually had pizza as a midday snack, somewhere between lunch and gelato, because, just like gelato, pizza is sold everywhere. I told you I spent my whole time in Italy eating. I'm surprised I didn't come back 50 pounds heavier...thanks for the metabolism, mom.

One more note about food in Florence. Tuscan steak was on a majority of menus. I'm not a big steak eater but one of my friends ordered Tuscan steak the last night in Florence and it was, of course, some of the best steak I've ever had. I realize that statement probably holds a little less weight after I admitted to not eating steak that much, but I promise this was some damn good steak. Cooked perfectly, and by perfectly I mean rare, it wasn't tough and chewy and had so much flavor. Oh and it also had fresh grated Parmesan, so what's not to like? I don't know what it is but Italians really have their cooking down to an art.

That pretty much covers my first two days in Florence. You'll have to read the next two blogs to hear about the last two days in Florence, or rather Tuscany.