This entry took me forever to write, because frankly I'm reluctant to bid adieu to Florence. I'm all settled into my luxury hotel room, and the thought of leaving was unbearable. Not to mention Milan means work, no more vacation! Oh well, since these are my last few hours with Florence, I better make the most of it!
After dropping off my luggage with the front desk, I set out towards the train station, an area I've not explored. Also on the agenda was to find some leather goods for mom & dad. Unfortunately, it's Sunday, so many of the smaller shops were closed. Even the church doesn't open until noon. I guess Italians like to sleep in too?
This painting was hanging next to the elevator of the hotel. Kinda liked this vintage view of the Arno river.
This is the Santa Maria Novella church by the train station. Since it's not open yet, I can only take pictures of the outside...
Look familiar? The same design was in Sienna's big church.
Since the church was closed, I might as well go check out the cosmetic store that bears the same name. The
Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella has been in business for over 400 years, and many of its star products continue to use the same old recipe. Even the store itself is located in a historical mansion. And since every blog entry about travels in Florence mentioned this place, I figured it's worth checking out. Actually I spent a good deal amount of time walking around a small square on the other side of the church, because that's where the Google maps location is. Unfortunately Google isn't as infallible as I'd thought. Turns out the store is on the other side of the church, in a small alley. The entrance was so unremarkable I walked past it the first time, but inside it was pretty spectacular.
There were 5 rooms total, each had 1 or 2 counters with demo products. The salesladies were friendly and ready to help. There are also price cards of all the items in each room, so you can grab one to refer to as you walk through the shop. Two of their best known products are the rosewater toner and various perfumes. As much as I loved the perfumes, I had quite a case of sticker shock here, especially in comparison to l'Herbolario. I spent a good amount of time walking around, but eventually decided I have better use for 90 euros than perfume. Eataly in Chicago actually carries a few of their products too, but I have no idea what the upcharge is.
By the time I left SMN, it was around lunch time. Since I read that "the best gelato in Florence" is near the Arno River, I walked all the way across town. Thankfully, there's a restaurant right next to it, because I was ready to pass out by the time I arrived. Surprisingly, this turned out to be one of my best dining experiences in Italy. The gnocchi were pillowy soft and coupled with a rich & sweet tomato sauce. I also got an order of grilled veggies to go with it.
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the best gelato in Florence. Having had gelato everyday since I arrived, I think I have the authority to announce Carapina as the best. The hazelnut was excellent as usual (tough to screw that one up, especially given how much I love it), but the true star here is the pineapple flavor: silky, refreshingly tart with small pieces of fruit. Yum!
After lunch, it was time to say goodbye. I dragged my luggage to the train station, and when I saw the tracks, it reminded me of the tiny train station in Chiayi, Taiwan, where I grew up.
Since I procrastinated for too long, I missed out on the super-cheap trenitalia tickets, and ended up getting business class instead. Not sure how economy class is but these seats sure are comfortable! For future reference, there are luggage racks above head and some space under the seats. Bigger luggages can go to the space between cars. I supposed mine would've fit overhead but it was too heavy for me to lift up, so I had to resort to the between-car storage. And since I'd read horror stories about how people's luggages got stolen, I was nervous the whole time. Thankfully nothing happened.
The train ride itself was pretty uneventful. I thought I'd get to see some pretty Italian countryside views but there were sound barrier walls pretty much along the tracks so I ended up dozing off. One thing puzzled me: I didn't see the operator until 10 minutes before Milan, the final stop. So if he didn't get around to everybody on the train, do we stay on until he's done? Or are Italians so trust-worthy that nobody would go for a free-ride? Hmm...
Milan, as you can see, is quite different. I was pretty awestruck by the train station alone.
These are the tracks at the Milan station, taken on the day I left. When I arrived, it was so crowded I could barely drag my luggage along without crushing other peoples' feet! And just to give you an idea of how big it was, it took me 20 minutes to get from the tracks to the taxi stand, and I didn't get lost!
My hotel was on the other end of town, so I got a good look of the city on the taxi. The area the hotel is in looks like a fancy residential neighborhood, with expensive looking buildings and intricate carvings. Unfortunately the hotel room was about 1/3 the size of my Florence hotel room, so I didn't even feel like taking pictures. My biggest complaint was the trolley that passed right under my window every 20 minutes...urgh!
After settling in, I was too lazy to look for restaurant options, so I asked the front desk for recommendation. On my way to the restaurant, walking through this beautiful neighborhood, I couldn't help but compare the two Italian cities I've been so far: Milan is like a chic big sister, beautiful powersuit with perfectly coiffed hair and fancy velvet gloves. Florence is like the country girl next door. And of course there's no question which one I like better :)
My recommended dinner choice was
L'Uccellina, merely 3 blocks away from the hotel. As soon as I walked in, I noticed it's actually a Tuscan restaurant. Funny I just came from there and this is my first dinner in Northern Italy. After looking through the menu, I decided on pizza, thinking: Italian pizzas are thin-crust and perfectly sized for 1 person....yeah right! This one was bigger than my head! It was very good though, the crust wasn't quite as thin as Neapolitan but still has good chewiness and taste. I only got about half way through (blame the focaccia in the bread basket, I have no power against them). While waiting for the check, I realized there's a pizza counter right next to my seat and they actually make pizza to order. Well no wonder it tasted that good!
After dinner, it was a straight shot back to the hotel. Tomorrow is the first day of the conference, so I've quite a bit of abstracts to read through. Time to get back to work!
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