Once again I am reminded how lucky I am to work for such an amazing company who allows us to extend our work trip to see some of this beautiful world. This year we had our annual Sales Kick Off in Rome so I took advantage of this, having never been to Italy, to arrive a few days early. I flew from Seattle to Rome through Heathrow and then found the train to Roma Termini where I boarded a train to Florence. Side note on the trains…all of them seem to be delayed both on my arrival and departure from Florence. I arrived in Florence at about 9 pm exhausted, so I checked into Hotel Constantini, a small boutique hotel right in the heart of the square, unpacked and climbed into bed. I woke early to meet my With Locals guide Ivana to explore the city. We spent the morning with her showing me some of the statues in the square, the Piazza Santo Spirito, Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) before heading to climb the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo.
She had arranged a set time so we were able to skip the line. I was really glad that I have spent the last couple of years hiking as this was quite the climb. There is a place to turn back if you only want to climb a third of the way but of course, that was not our plan. We reached the top and what a view! I cannot recommend this enough if you are in Firenze and have the ability to climb up. You can also purchase a skip the line pass on your own.
After the Duomo we went to the Mercado Centrale where I purchased some truffles (so delish). I had also told Ivana about my mortar and pestle collection so she helped me find a small store where I could purchase one, handmade in Tuscany. We went to a custom jeweler, https://www.nerdiorafifirenze.it/ who does handmade gold and silver jewelry and I purchased the most beautiful ring and watched the jeweler as he worked on his next piece of art. If you are in Florence and want a truly personalized experience then I highly recommend spending the day with Ivana.
After walking about 20K steps I dropped off my purchases at my hotel and went to find something to eat. I decided to enjoy the heated outside patio at Le Scuderie in the Piazza del Duomo with a glass of wine and bruschetta.
As I was people watching, reading my book and scrolling through Facebook I found a few coworkers that had also made their way to this lovely city. I met up with them a few hours later and wandered around while they shopped and of course, we grabbed a gelato. They were tired after their flight so I said goodbye and decided to find a place to have some dinner. It was a chilly night but I wanted to enjoy being outdoors so I found a small restaurant, Giannino in San Lorenzo with heaters and blankets and settled in for a delish dinner of housemade pasta with butter and shaved truffles and a glass of wine. This might have been my favorite dinner of the trip…simple and yet delicious.
Sadly after one last glass of wine, my trip to Florence ended and it was time to get some sleep before catching the train to Rome.
I met up with my friend/co-worker Jen at Hotel dei Borgognoni which is a beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of the Centro Storico by both the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. We walked around for a few hours before deciding on a little place for dinner. La Scalinata did not disappoint, the food was very good but Amadeus, our host, made the choice a perfect one – thank you for the Limoncello!
In the morning we got up early to get to our tour of the Vatican. St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. We were lucky to be there in the offseason so the crowds were manageable but my neck hurt from look up so much. The ceilings are so incredibly beautiful. This is a must-do tour if you are visiting Rome but recommend a small group tour as some of the other groups had so many people that I cannot imagine how they could enjoy it.
After our tour, we hopped in a taxi to head to what I consider the highlight of my visit to Rome. We booked the Grandma’s Sauce Cooking Class through Airbnb Experiences. Andrea told us stories about his ancestry and their years of growing San Marzano tomatoes. We made a Neopolitan Sauce which we pair with gnocchi and a Classic Italian Sauce which we paired with homemade meatballs. We drank wine, chatted and relaxed in the sun on the beautiful rooftop deck while the sauce was cooking. If you are looking for a truly authentic way to enjoy Italian cooking then you must visit Andrea.
After a good night’s sleep, we were ready to walk to the Colosseum for our small group tour. I have to admit my knowledge of the life of a Gladiator was pretty limited so it was very interesting to hear how they lived. While they were slaves they were also very valuable to their owners. They lived in barracks with a tunnel to the Colosseum and their owners had to pay for their room and board. When fighting it was the decision of the crowds to determine life or death and more often they lived. If they lived to the end of their career they could be released by their owner with a decent amount of pay. Some men even volunteered to be a Gladiator. We were able to visit underneath what is left of the stage to where the animals and Gladiators were kept before the games started. We then were given access to climb to the top of the terraces that overlook both the stage of the Colosseum and the Forum. Once again I highly recommend booking these small group tours so you get a more personal experience. We had booked a skip the line entry but then added the tour at the booth where we picked up our tickets.
We ended our weekend with lots of shopping, gelato and tiramisu! The perfect ending to a fabulous trip.
Happy Travels!