Gardens & Palazzos

Boboli Gardens, incredible! The Central Park of Florence. Today was the first rainy day we have had so far in Italy and it got pretty cold! We spent most of the day wandering around Boboli Gardens to Palazzo Pitti (the larger of the two Medici palaces in Florence) and Forte Di Belvedere (most importantly known as the site of Kim and Kanye's summer nuptuals!)  

We explored the costume gallery at Palazzo Pitti that displayed preserved clothing from the 16th century to today! Everything from actual clothes that Cosimo Medici wore to some of the original pieces made by Chanel, Yves St. Laurent, Versace and Roberto Cavalli. After getting my fashion history fix we made our way to the Academia to see Michelangelo's David. I knew it would be big but it's ENORMOUS! So impressive, that Michelangelo! 

By the late afternoon we just wandered around in the rain, going in to some art supply shops and little local ceramic shops. I found a local watercolor studio owned by a young Japanese girl who paints the most incredible water colors! I loved her Pinocchio! 

We later toured the Palazzo Vecchio (the smaller of the Medici palaces in the historic center of Florence). It was like walking into the Renaissance! 

The city is really starting to feel like Christmas! So festive and so pretty! Christmas lights line every street and the new Christmas markets went up today! This city is surreal. It feels like we are on the set of the Nutcracker! loving it so much!

We must have walked 20 miles today....So happy to be back in our cozy, warm villa in the hills! Tomorrow is Siena, Pienza and Montepulciano before we leave for Rome on Friday. Most of our pictures from today are on Vin's camera so I will have to upload those later! Miss and Love you all! Love, L & V 

Il Paretaio & More of Florence!

Another amazing day in Italia!  Breakfast at Castello Del Nero where incredible views and tons of organic fresh fruit, coffees, teas and EVEN scrambled egg whites made for two very happy Americans in Italy! Afterwards we spent the morning taking English riding lessons on Dutch thoroughbreds at Il Paretaio. It was stunning and I loved every minute with the horses. We made friends with the stable puppy, Dino who welcomed us and guided us around the property. Dino was best friends with all of the horses there. When one of the horses saw Dino she would tap her front hoof and Dino would come running over to her and she leaned her head down to him affectionately (SO CUTE!) The stables are owned and run by an Italian woman and her husband who have owned the property for 27 years. It is beautiful! All of the instructors are young girls from England who live in Tuscany now and care for the horses at the stables at Il Paretaio. We loved spending the morning with the horses and the jaw dropping views of San Gimignano. 

After riding we drove back into Florence where we spent the rest of the day exploring more. We started at Piazzale Michelangelo where you can get the best views of Florence from the hilltops. This city is breathtaking! It is a truly special place, we love it more everyday! After the sunset we saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Macchiaveli and Dante at St. Croce Cathedral, followed by a quest to find the local organic market--yes, we are having severe Whole Foods withdrawal! Wandering through the streets on a Tuesday night was very different then on the weekend. So peaceful. We found the cutest little "enoteca" for dinner called Coquinarius, near the Florence cathedral. We're obsessed! Amazing ambience, people and food! After dinner we tried the gelato at Grom just down the street. Vin's favorite gelato combination is the Venezuelan Chocolate + Coffee flavor we added the pistachio for me! 💜 Another long day, off to sleep! Ciao! Xoxo!

Tartufo & Volterra

Long day today! Truffle walk in the forest with Francesca and her pup Choco who found 5 Tartufo Bianchi (white truffle). It was a beautiful day! They cooked us a huge meal with lots of truffle. Vince is a little burnt out on truffle after today! Afterwards we drove through an amazing area with stunning views until we reached the hilltop town of Volterra which made us feel like we were walking into Medieval  times. Very unique, very pretty! So tired after long day so we are off to bed to refresh for horseback riding tomorrow at Il Paretaio! Ciao! Xoxo!