Tuscany to Florence (95km)

On Thursday 12/7/16 we took a regional train for the short one hour journey from Livorno to Florence. As a result of the limited availability of affordable accommodation in Florence during summer we booked accommodation (a private room) at the Plus Florence hostel. The hostel was walking distance from the train station which was great as we once again avoided having to take a taxi, but at times we did struggle navigating the narrow footpaths with our luggage amongst the crowds.

We checked in and found that our room was modern and spacious although not as clean as we would like. The hostel itself was very busy but also reasonably quiet with good amenities. Most importantly it was walking distance to the tourist district of Florence including all of the main sights and attractions.

On our first night in Florence we went for dinner at Fuoco Matto (Crazy Fire), a fantastic restaurant right around the corner from the hostel. We each had a pasta and a great bottle of wine and it was one of our favourite meals in all of Italy.
We found a British doctor with a general practice in Florence and we were able to arrange an appointment for Matt with Dr Stephen Kerr on Wednesday afternoon. Dr Kerr's practice was located right in the middle of the tourist district of Florence so on Wednesday morning we set off to do some sightseeing on foot while slowly making our way to Matt's appointment. The first sight we encountered was the lavish Basilica di San Lorenzo located in the main piazza of Florence. This is one of the oldest churches in Florence and is a spectacular example of renaissance architecture and so the crowds of tourists who flock to see the basilica and climb it's bell tower make the piazza a pickpockets dream.
(Photos: enjoying our meal at Fuoco Matto; Basilica di San Lorenzo).

We continued on exploring the narrow cobblestone streets, looking in stores and sampling limoncello and salami until we came upon the Piazza della Signoria. On display in the Piazza are a host of notable renaissance and modern sculptures including the striking Fountain of Neptune.

We had just enough time for a wander along the Ponte Vecchio - Florence's oldest and most famous bridge spanning the Arno River and lined with historic buildings and high end jewellery stores - before heading to Matt's appointment with Dr Kerr.

(Photos: Fountain of Neptune and statues in the Piazza della Signoria; on the Ponte Vecchio).

Dr Kerr was thorough and helpful in his consultation with Matt and he advised that Matt would require a referral to a hematologist if his blood tests did not show that his platelet levels had returned to normal. We arranged for Matt to have his blood test the following morning. After a big day of walking around we were beat so we went back to the hostel to rest for a while before heading out for dinner. Gina had recommended that whilst in Florence we should treat ourselves to the local delicacy Bisteca Fiorentine (Steak Florentine). We decided to return to Fuoco Matto for our Steak Florentine as it is an expensive dish, and based on our experience the previous night we felt that they would definitely do it justice. We were not disappointed! The Steak Florentine was indeed expensive but it was worth every penny, not just for the size of the meal (which we shared between us and still could not entirely finish) but also for the quality of the meat and the side dishes (white berlotti beans and potatoes). Paired with a great bottle of Chianti it was definitely one of the best steaks we have ever eaten.
Matt set off early Thursday morning for his blood test at a local pathology clinic who then emailed his results to him by lunchtime. Happily we learned that Matt's platelet levels had finally returned to normal so no more doctors!

We pre-booked online tickets for the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell'Accademia on Thursday as these are two of the most popular galleries in all of Italy aside from the Vatican Museum and long waiting lines are common. We arrived at 9am and it only took us five minutes to redeem our online tickets and enter the gallery. The Uffizi Gallery is renowned as one of the best art galleries in the world as it showcases thousands of pieces of Renaissance artwork including famous works from artists such as Michelangelo, Botticeli, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. We spent several hours browsing through the gallery and still didn't see every single painting and sculpture, but our favourite pieces were: The Birth of Venus by Botticelli, Dukes of Urbino by Piero Della Francesca, Venus of Urbino by Titian, Medusa Head by Caravaggio.
Matt also really admired the ceilings of the gallery which are intricately painted with grotesque designs.
(Photos: Uffizi gallery ceiling; some of our favourites).

After a delicious pizza lunch we moved on to the Galleria dell'Accademia, the crowning glory of which is Michelangelo's David statue. Seeing the statue in real life was everything we had hoped it would be as it is a truly magnificent and beautiful piece of artwork which must have required enormous skill to construct. We also really enjoyed the exhibition of the Medici family musical instruments which was an interactive display and was interesting and informative.
By the end of the day we were experiencing museum overload so we went for aperitivo at La Prosciutteria, where we had some amazing wine along with a charcuterie board to die for. The Italians are really serious about their wines and their salami which they spend months seasoning and curing to perfection.
(Photos: statue of David at the Galleria dell'Accademia; Medici family instrument exhibit; enjoying aperitif at La Prosciutteria).

Aperitivo is supposed to just be an appetiser meal/drinks in preparation for dinner later in the evening, but we found ourselves full after stuffing ourselves with salami, cheeses and bread so there was no need for dinner after that. We did however make room for an ice cream at the Lindt cafe - hands down the best chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

Once again we had a relatively early night as we were pretty exhausted after sightseeing all day. Next morning we took our time packing our bags before checking out at 10am and making our way back to the train station for our train to Venice.

(Photos: around Florence).