Florence Day 1: San Miniato del Monte

Most people who visit Florence plan their days around visiting the world-class art museums.  But not people who travel with two young kids. We opted instead to explore the Oltrano district, walking along the river and then up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo.

As we ascended we caught glimpses of the Old City Wall:

About halfway up we came upon a Rose garden. Unfortunately it was just a bit too early in the season for the flowers but I'm sure in the late spring and summer the garden is spectacular:

Above the rose garden was a little terrace where we took a rest.  The kids were playing with the stones and making up games.  They were totally oblivious to the amazing backdrop.

Continuing on our way up the hill.  The kids were total troopers - look how steep it was.

When we made it to the top disappointment set in.  Piazzale Michaelangelo was nothing more than a single statue surrounded by a big parking area and there were lots of cars and tour buses.  I didn't even take a picture. We decided to stay on the path and walk up to the church.  It was a very plain structure but there were some lovely paintings inside.  

Once we were outside again, church bells started ringing a bit farther up the hill.  We decided to check it out, thinking we might be able to climb up the campanile.  What we stumbled upon was San Miniato del Monte. What a find. The marble church was beautiful both inside and out but it was the million dollar view from one of the highest points in the city that made it so amazing.

We ended up staying for quite a while just enjoying the area and taking in the view.  J & I took turns inside the church while the kids had fun playing outside.  

For lunch we ate at a food truck advertising Hot Dogs and Hamburgers.  Normally we would have tried to find something less "american", but there were limited lunch options on top of the hill and we knew that the kids wouldn't argue with hot dogs.  No joke, of meals on the trip, this made it into the top three.  The hot dogs were sliced in half and served on ciabatta bread, all grilled in a panini press.  I had a caprese panini that was out of this world.  The ingredients were so fresh, the right amount of olive oil & pepper and grilled bread.  Plus a surprise ingredient - jalapeno peppers - which were a really nice touch.  Checking out the other patrons, it was clear this was a place where the in-the-know locals ate.

After lunch we took a bus down the hill into the city center and walked towards the Duomo.  Of course, we had to stop for gelato along the way.

The Duomo up close was just as amazing as it was from a far.  The level of craftmanship and artistry is unbelievable.  By this point we were all a bit tired and grey clouds were threatening so we decided not to tour the Duomo but just head back to the apartment for a little nap before dinner. But first, another ride on the carousel.

 

For dinner that night we ate at Trattoria Casalinga.  Overall the meal was good however the menu was only in Italian which made it difficult to order.  The waiter was super friendly and basically said "what do you want", however that's not always the easiest question to answer.  I ended up ordering rabbit ravioli - not exactly sure what possessed me other than it's not something I would ever make at home.  But rather than it being a meat ravioli, it was actually a meat sauce, and I didn't love it. C ordered pesto, since she enjoyed mine when she tasted it the night before.  I think I ended up eating most of hers and J ate most of mine. 

Ambidextrous K loved his.  

We ended the night with a lovely torta della nonna that the four of us demolished.