ITALY
Milan
Sus buggered off to Italy with my two sisters in law (Sally and Karen) and my father in law (Rand) – the latter was paying. They spent a week in and around Lake Como before yours truly joined all in Milan. My niece (Sienna) and husband of niece (John) arrived in Milan the day after me. They live 20 minutes’ walk from us in West London.
This latest ditty only covers my 8 days in Italy. I landed in Milan a day before the whole posse got together and spent time doing the obvious – the magnificent Duomo and the beautiful arcades close by. I spent the next couple of hours wandering around the entre of Milan and thanks to Google Maps (what will we do when those idiots take us out of Europe) arrived back at the hotel on the same day. I have to confess being rather proud of myself – Sus, as you may recall, is quite possible part homing pigeon with an uncanny sense of direction.
Pride? Fall? I spent the rest of the evening in my room nursing a headache. Consolation came from the weather – magnificent thunder, lightning and ark building inducing rain. I love the rain finding it weirdly calming.
The following morning I was starving – my headache of the previous evening hadn’t encouraged foddering. The Italians aren’t big on fry ups and so had to settle for a sandwich. And a delicious jam tart seemingly sold widely in Italy.
Apart from loving rain I also love wandering around towns and cities – though not necessarily together. Both Sus and I are hugely interested in the environment and anything that stop Homo sapiens fucking it up. However, neither are big on the whole rambling thing. Ironic. This was how we met.
The hotel was located near the train station which, certainly in the daytime, is not as dangerous as some may have you believe. The area I chose to explore was very close to our hotel and where Italians lived, worked and played. And very agreeable it was too.
Then back to the hotel to meet assorted Tuttle (family name) inlaws. Including my favourite, my wife. Myself, Sus and Karen (middle sister) returned to the centre of Milan and spent a very pleasurable hour or so wandering aimlessly coming across some of the streets I’d visited the day before.
That evening Rand treated us all to a farewell dinner though not before I’d popped into a conveniently local craft beer bar – Pavé-Birra. Both Rand and Karen were heading back to the US the following morning. The five others, myself, Sus, Sally (older sister and mother of Sienna) and John were training it to Florence.
Milan surprised me. It’s not a Rome or Florence or, as we were to discover, a Siena but really is worth a long weekend in its own right. I was sorry to leave.
Florence
We bought all our train tickets either on the day or the day before travel. The only time this proved to be the wrong choice was the train from Milan to Florence. We bought it on the day, it was stupidly expensive.
The train journey was painless (as they all were) and we arrived in Florence early afternoon. We were late. Our pre-booked tickets for the Uffizi meant rushing to the hotel, dumping bags and then rushing to the gallery. More rushing, somewhat confusedly, materialised our tickets and finally we were in. Happy endings all round.
We spent the rest of the afternoon there, including a break for an excellent gelato. The problem is, I’m not sure why. Perhaps because we knew we wouldn’t be returning. There are three floors of predominately religious art dating back to medieval times. Neither Sus nor I are religious or fans of religious art, cherubs (Chuckie) in particular scare us. To be fair some of the earlier medieval paintings were genuinely spectacular and must have put the fear of God into your lowly peasant. Which was kind of the point.
Our small, unfussy hotel (mercifully with aircon) was located on Piazza Madonna Aldobrandini, a small square minutes away from all the good stuff. There were a couple of local, cheap and tasty restaurants in the piazza – we ate at one that evening and even a Brewdog two minutes away. Happy days. If you fancy a few days in Florence than this unpretentious square could make a splendid base.
All emerged reasonably early the following morning for a cycling tour of Florence. There was a running commentary from our guide (surprisingly, an English lady), bikes of course and the company of about 15 others. I’m not a huge fan of bike tours preferring to explore on foot but this proved to be an entertaining and informative couple of hours.
We freshened up at the hotel and returned to the fray – me one way, the other four another. I found the wonderfully named King Grizzly, another cheeky little craft beer bar. The fab four climbed the Bell Tower. And, apart from the excitement of laundry followed with beer and fussball at Brewdog, that was it for the day.
Michelangelo’s David was our first stop earlyish the following morning. The queue was already impressive as we smugly walked past to collect our pre-booked tickets. I strongly suggest you do the same, particularly if you visit in high season. Michelangelo’s David is genuinely magnificent and utterly worthy of all the hype. My only tiddly criticism is that Dave (to his friends) is a little lacking in the gentleman parts. I’m not saying this should have been down to his knee (that would be crass) but, considering he is 17 feet tall, another inch would be most welcome. I’m sure Dave would agree.
This Galleria dell’Accademia also houses yet more medieval Christian art, a stunningly beautiful tapestry and a small but fascinating music museum. There are some part finished (or just started) statues by Michelangelo giving visitors an insight into the great man’s methods. They reminded me of a Doctor Who episode.
I nearly didn’t go to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (or OPA). An inclusive ticket conundrum. However, buy the ticket I did and in I went. The OPA contains much of the original art from Florence Duomo and is a visually stunning place to spend a couple of hours. When visiting Florence you really must go and see Michelangelo’s David – it is Florence. The OPA should probably be your number two. For us at least, far more enjoyable than the Uffizi.
Tellingly the OPA had been recommended by our English bike tour guide. Ironically she also suggested the Duomo wasn’t worth the entrance fee. Presumably because the OPA had nicked all the good stuff.
We wandered back to the main square – the fab four ate gelato, I worked off their calories and climbed the Bell Tower. I’m not a fan of heights or spiral staircases that lead me to the same but the views were stupendous.
By the time I had reached safety (the pavement) the others had moseyed to the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. The palace was built back in the 15th century, the gardens started around the same time and further developed over the coming centuries. It’s a charming spot to take a break.
We rushed back to a bar near the hotel we knew was showing the women’s world cup final – US versus The Netherlands. The English ladies had been knocked out by those pesky Americans in the semis. The US deservedly lifted the world cup. I hid my resentment well.
We ate in the square at the same place we had the previous evening. When there are five hungry and mildly discordant voices it really wasn’t a difficult decision.
Our final Florence art fest was the following morning – Medici Chapels and Church of San Lorenzo built in the 14th century with one chapel/mausoleum added in the 15th century and another in the 16th century. The former was part designed by Michelangelo (remember Dave?), the latter is huge, incredibly grand and houses a number of very dead Medicis.
After buying and only part eating a huge and ridiculously cheap sandwich (from our little square obviously) we headed to the train station. Siena waited. As it had for several hundred years.
Florence is very much geared for tourists stealing a little bit of soul from the city. I heard more American accents (I was travelling with three) than I have outside the US. Or West London. However, Florence happens to be gorgeous modelling fabulous architecture and gorgeous art. It is amongst the most beautiful of the many beautiful European cities.
Siena
A train, bus from Siena station and a walk (which may have taken longer than the other two combined) brought us to our self-catering apartment. Then, en masse we explored Siena, before Sus and I disengaged ourselves. We shared a superb takeout pizza (Te Ke Voi) in the main square – and watched the world go by.
An hour’s bus ride the following morning took us to the beautiful Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano. The town dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries and original came adorned with 72 towers – 15 of which survive. San Gimignano has been called the Manhattan of the Middle Ages. Presumably not in the Middle ages.
On returning, and after a rather lovely stroll, Sus and I discovered (or Google maps did) Vineria Tirabusciò Siena. It’s cosy with a small but decent wine selection and simple food. A splendid place to drink, eat and unwind.
We met up back up with John, Sienna and Sally the following morning. Our last full day in Italy started with a food tour. Which I thought might be a bit naff. I was wrong. It was a fascinating couple of hours. Our final and best stop was La Vecchia Latteria. Now, I’ll happily admit to being a beer and wine snob but, not being a huge ice cream kind of chap, gelato is not an indulgence I often indulge. However, in my rather limited experience, this was the best gelato I’ve licked, sucked or slurped. Try it.
Sus and I wandered over to the Duomo – the other three had already been. You may well be suffering church burn out by the time you reach Siena but I strongly suggest you pay your dosh and have a gander. The Duomo di Siena was constructed in the 13th and 14th centuries and is utterly magnificent. The outside isn’t exactly shabby, the inside is spectacular. There are beautiful floors, scultures and paintings including by Michelangelo (geezer gets everywhere) and Donatello. The ticket price includes a museum, crypt, baptistery and a wonderful rooftop view over Siena and the beautiful Tuscany countryside. The latter came free with a long wait. The wait was worth the wait. If cultural meltdown has yet to occur the museum, crypt and baptistery are worth a few minutes of your time.
We nipped back to our apartment before a well earned glass (may have been two) of vino at our new bestest wine place. We ended up eating at the Osteria we’d visited on our food tour earlier that day. The food was simple, cheap and, undoubtedly for me, some of the best I’d eaten in Italy.
We met up with the other three the following morning, bussed it to the train station before training it to Pisa – we were flying home from Pisa that evening.
After walking to the famous leaning tower Sus and I again went our own way. In my late teens I Interrailed with Pisa one of many, many destinations (doing Europe in a month is tricky). Back then the site was infested with numerous stalls selling cheap crap and nasty souvenirs. Unfortunately these are still there but have been banished to beyond the main site. Within the site there’s also an impressive church and the remains of the city wall. I remember neither from my first visit though would be somewhat surprised to hear both had been built in the last 35 years.
For a 3 Euros ticket you can amble along the city wall which kind of goes nowhere exciting. We turned back after the halfway mark and spent a couple of hours exploring Pisa. A little to our surprise Pisa proved rather likable.
We met with the others, picked up our luggage from storage lockers (where we’d left it on arriving in Pisa) and headed to the airport. Home time.
Conclusions
If you’ve yet to visit any of the three cities than Florence should probably be your first choice. It might be rammed full of visitors and tourist traps but it’s a beautiful place. For me, David and the OPA will live long in the memory.
However, Siena runs it very close. It’s beautiful, more real and a little less busy. And that Duomo is mad. The five of us would probably say Siena was our favourite. And saying Sienna in Siena never gets old.
But please do not forget about Milan. It surprised me the most and makes a fantastic short city break.
Italy currently has numerous economic and political woes. Do not be deterred. We loved our time there.
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