[2014 Italy] Iron leg itinerary - duomo dome, Boboli Garden & freezing sunset

I decided to start the day at a different breakfast spot, you know, for variety. This was some tiny storefront right by the duomo, across the street from Eataly. I walked in because I saw the cornettos in the display case. Cornettos are Italian croissants filled with custard cream, two of my favorite things, so it was a no-brainer. Also got a latte to go with it. Remember to order "caffe latte" in Italy, if you just ordered latte, you'd get milk only!

In hindsight I should have known to avoid tiny storefronts. The cornetto was dried out and the latte was weak. Lesson learned.

I'd planned to spend this morning visiting the other parts of the duomo complex included in the admission ticket. Unfortunately, plenty of other people had the same idea, so I stood in line for an hour waiting to climb the dome. But with a beautiful violinist serenading me the whole time, it wasn't too unbearable.

[2014 Italy] A date between the market-o-holic and the Renaissance man

 For the past couple of days, I've been curious about the group of white tents on Piazza Repubblica. When I finally walked up close, I realize it was a cup tasting event for espresso! Well of course I gotta try it, especially since it's FREE! Fast forward to the next morning, I'm dragging myself reluctantly out of bed with two big dark circles under my eyes. I'd forgotten about my "no coffee after 2pm" rule...

 Since I acted like a tourist yesterday and had breakfast in the hotel, I decided to do things as the locals do today: have breakfast at the bar. The first place I saw after I left the hotel was Cafe Gilli, a palatial-looking cafe with endless display cases of mouth-watering pastries. This looks like a good choice, I said to myself. Indeed it was. I ordered a cappuccino and croissant, the coffee was rich and creamy and the croissant passed my standards. Best thing of all? It only costs 2.5 euros! You can't even get a coffee at Starbucks for that price! No wonder I don't see any here in Italy.

[2014 Italy] Uffizi gallery, Duomo & strolling in Firenze

I woke up in sunshine (the curtain were just for show, they wouldn't close all the way) and the sound of church bells an hour before my alarm. Despite that, I felt rested, probably because this hotel was super quiet. This being my first day, I decided to take it easy and have breakfast in the hotel. It was pretty standard fare: croissants, cold cuts, cheese, yogurt and of course espresso drinks and drip coffee. I wasn't sure if it was included, but I didn't get charged when I checked out, so I guess it was.

This morning is devoted to the Uffizi gallery. Although I'd remembered to jot down my reservation number, I forgot what time it was for (duh!), so I decided to head over right after breakfast.

This pic was taken at the Uffizi courtyard after dark. It's so much quieter and enjoyable at that hour.