Italy Cont'd--Day 5

Monday we left Rome to travel to Florence by train. We checked out after breakfast and ordered taxi’s to the train station. You know, we were warned of wayward cabbies, but we never had a problem! The Rome Termini is a crazy experience. Keep your hands on your bags! There are so many people jumping on and off trains that something could disappear before you knew it! We found our track and our train without a problem. Our train was relatively empty so we had plenty of room for our luggage and the wheelchair. That was nice. It was a smooth and lovely 2 hour train ride. The train system in Europe is so efficient! Unfortunately, it was pouring when we arrived in Florence. We had planned to walk to the hotel (which was literally two blocks away), but with four suitcases and a wheelchair, there was NO way that was going to happen. A two block cab ride was 6e ($12)! However, we stayed dry and we found our B&B. We were very happy with our rooms at Alloro. Christian was very nice and the rooms were great. Lots of space, nice bathroom, lovely frescos on the ceiling, and quiet location. We had tons of restuarants right next door!

We rested about 20 min and headed out in the rain to the Duomo. Yet again, another example of amazing art in Italy. It was very beautiful and impressive! And it provided a refuge in the rain. By the time we saw the church, the rain had subsided and we were hungry. We picked a nearby café and had a wonderful meal.

The food is very different in Florence. For example, a pizza in Rome is super thin, always crispy, and has a sweeter sauce with a little cheese. The pizza in Florence has a thicker crust (and the bread had more of a yeasty taste instead of flour taste), a bland sauce, and more cheese. Even the wine was different. Most of the time in Rome, you are served a bottle of dry white wine. In Florence, we were almost always served a pitcher of sweet sparkling wine. One thing that Florence had that Rome did not---truffles! I had truffled pasta and meat for four days straight!