Day 11 – Pisa and Florence, Italy
Stunning architecture, confounding physics, and quite possibly my favorite city in the entire world.
As we left the stunning coastline of Cinque Terre, we rendezvoused with our trust bus piloted by Paul and made our way to Pisa. This was an excellent stop to break up the travel to Florence, put eyes on a legendary piece of architecture, and grab a quick bite to eat. The Tower of Pisa is the main attraction but I urge you to explore the two other structures of Cathedral Square, as they are simply stunning. With another item knocked off our collective bucket lists, we boarded the bus and made our way to Florence. Sadly, this was our last stop with Paul and we all bid him farewell. It was an honor and a privilege to be your passenger sir, farewell!
Once we took the train into Florence and got settled into our hotel, we took a tour of markets and the beautiful city before meeting one of the most engaging and entertaining women our entire family has ever met…Caterina Balletti!
Caterina taught the children how to paint in her style, the parents had drinks and talked and my entire family absolutely fell in love with Caterina, her energy, passion, humor, I hope to some day meet her again! If you are in Florence, please pay her a visit and give her an instagram follow, I linked it in her name above. We wrapped this excellent day up with a street side dinner and a well earned night of rest.
Day 12 – The Final Full Day, David and goodbye to the greatest group ever 🙁
Florence has a very unique tradition, a physical and brutal sport that is played annually, pitting four neighborhoods against one another with parades before the tournament begins, this is called Calcio storico fiorentino. Think of it as a mix of football, rugby, and MMA, and it is marvelous. We were lucky enough to visit during these festivities and the background of cheers as we explored the city, the pageantry, it was electric.
We kicked off our final day with a tour through Florence, visiting the many unique areas and learning about the history of the city, from the Medici family to Florence’s most famous figure, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Dante Alighieri. Our tour ended at the Galleria dell’Accademia where we were able to see the statue David. I have always been fascinated with sculpture, something about carving marble into a physical form with the detail the greats did…it always has captivated me more than any painting has. I have to say, David is the most impressive creation of man that I have laid eyes upon. I was mesmerized, it absolutely exceeded any expectations and I encourage you to do what you must to see this in person. The achievement of men can be staggering at times, David will floor you.
After spending time at Galleria dell’Accademia we had until dinner time to explore the city as we pleased. We had an excellent lunch, as I had to try steak florentine (it did not disappoint) and set off to explore the city more. We rested a bit before dinner, prepared by our entire group, and sat down for our final meal. We all reminisced of our journey together, exchanged contact information, and said our goodbyes. The kids made plans at dinner to have one last hangout back at the hotel. It was a special group. We had to wake very early the next morning to catch a train to Rome and our flight back home. I was so drunk with love for Florence that I wondered to a bar by the hotel and had an extremely special night with amazing conversations, disregarding any hope for rest. Florence, till I see you again, you are special.
Four Takeaways from Rick Steves Family Europe
Our group was special.
Our group connected, the children as well as the adults. We were all on this journey together and there were no bad apples, it truly was a convergence of personalities that improved the experience for everyone. The kids were amazing, a testament to their parents and the children themselves. I really want to emphasize that, it made the experience even more enjoyable, laughing with others, getting to know them, sharing this amazing experience. If you get the opportunity for a tour like this, please get to know your group, it enriches the experience so much!
Rick Steves tours remove the stress.
The pacing is tremendous, you do not have to stress and worry over logistics, the tours ensure that you hit all of the must see items, but the knowledge of the guides also expose you to the unique things you likely would have missed. It removes the stress often associated with travel. It is packed, for sure, and being on time is a must for everyone involved, but it also gives you just the right amount of freedom to wander off and explore, which is something I really cherish while traveling.
You will want to go back, and make it happen!
There are so many other places I want to see of this vast world, and the places I’ve shared with you so far are all unique and wonderful in their own way. I want to return to each. So many times we reconvened with our group and someone mentioned a site or activity they did that I was completely unaware of. Now I have a list of things to do when I return! I plan to visit each of these places again and explore further. Life has its ebbs and flows but, for me, the goal is to continue exploring, the same place may offer something completely new!
Read the book, bring the book!
Yes, you do have your own guides, and we happened to have two absolutely amazing ones. They have a vast knowledge of the places you are visiting but it always helps to have the book available when they aren’t around, or when you don’t want to bother them. The book is updated constantly, it has amazing traveling tips, things that will improve your experience so much. Read it, bring it, it’s is your cheat code to maximizing your enjoyment.
Thank you for going on this journey with us.
Feel free to reach out.