This fall I took a great trip to Rome, Florence, and Venice. This is part 3 covering Florence. Future posts include more highlights of Florence and Venice.
On the way to Florence, we stopped for lunch at the Castel Vicchiomaggio winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. High on the top of a hill, the views were amazing, and the wine was to die for! Eventually, we all made it back onto the bus and continued on to Florence. We stayed at the Hotel Cavour, which was a modern hotel within easy walking distance of all the attractions.
The view from the winery
The view from the winery
Our first tour in Florence was the Accademia, home to Michelangelo’s sculpture, The Statue of the David (1504). The Accademia has a lot of historical pieces and is a bit low key, until you turn the corner and at the far end of the room, with dramatic lighting and a raised ceiling, is the Statue of the David.
The Statue of the David
The Statue of the David
The Statue of the David
The word magnificent doesn’t do it justice. Carved from one piece of white marble, Michelangelo was the third sculptor to work on the piece. It was originally commissioned by the Opera del Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence (the Duomo) to be part of a group of sculptures that was to decorate the building 40 feet in the air. This explains why the statue is 14 feet tall and certain features are outsized to support the structure and be seen from a distance.
Declaring the work too perfect to be high up on the Cathedral, it was on display outdoors in the Piazza della Signora until 1873, when it was moved to the Accademia. The exhibit also has some interesting unfinished pieces by Michelangelo, which give a perspective on how the artist approached his work.
The next day we toured the Baptistery, Duomo Cathedral, Duomo Museum, and the Workshop. The Duomo (also known as the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore) was built in the 13th and 14th century adjacent to the smaller church called the Baptistery. The famous dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi was added in the 15th century. The interior, especially the artwork in the dome is beautiful. It seemed wherever you went in Florence, you had a glimpse of the Duomo.
The Baptistry
Ceiling in the Baptistry
The Duomo
Ceiling in the Duomo Dome
Ceiling in the Duomo Dome
Glimpses of the Duomo are everywhere.
The Duomo Museum has a wonderful collection of art including works of Michelangelo, Luca della Robbia, and Donatello. It is definitely worth a visit. My favorite part of the museum was the workshop where the beautiful marble columns and other marble components of the Duomo are repaired. A man whose father and grandfather worked in the workshop before him showed us the tools and the process of repairing a marble column. They still use the same tools their forefathers used (with the addition of a couple of modern power tools), but also the same tools the sculptors used when creating their masterpieces.
Florence is not just about art. The food is incredible. For me the most exciting food discoveries were the GROM gelato place and the Starbene Gold Bakery. Both were 100% gluten free, which is magic to the ears of someone with celiac disease, who can’t have a speck of gluten or risk sickness. Let’s just say the woman who ran the bakery and I become fast friends.
Starbene Gold
Florence is known for its leather shops and they are everywhere, both in shops and street vendors. Some are good quality and others are not as good. Our tour guide told us about the leather school (Scuola del Cuoio) that is located on the grounds of the Franciscan Monastery of Santa Croce. After World War II, one of the friars decided to start the school to pass on leather skills to orphaned children so they would have a way to support themselves. Today the students are underprivileged residents of Florence. If you are looking for leather goods, this is the place to go. Not only can you watch the goods being made, but the craftsmanship is beautiful. Here are some pictures from the cases along with a picture of the small wallet I purchased.
See Part 4 for more on Florence and Part 5 for Venice.
A simple google search on ‘how to eat gluten free in Italy’ yielded a number of helpful sources. One that I have used before is 
My internet search also showed that Italians in general are quite knowledgeable about Celiac disease and many restaurants have undergone training in proper accommodation. For example, in Italy, many restaurants had gluten free pasta that they cooked in individual portions in water separate from the regular pasta. I soon discovered the 
Regardless of your food allergy, it is important to determine what might be your ‘go to’ meals if you have difficulty finding meals on the menu that accommodate your needs to your satisfaction. For me, grilled chicken on a salad without dressing, a fruit and cheese plate, or plain meat and vegetables are usually reasonable alternatives. Many places I’ve traveled also have a dedicated gluten free/allergy free bakery, where sometimes you can find savory items in addition to sweets.
In many locations, people have access to local grocery stores and other sources of allergy safe foods if they have concern about restaurant meals. I discovered that in Italy, the local pharmacies stock gluten free food in addition to the grocery store, because Celiac Disease is a medical condition. In addition, many of the open air markets have fruit, vegetables, and other allergy safe food.
The first trip was to St. Andrews in New Brunswick. It was about a three hour easy drive up Route 1, crossing the border in St. Stephen (near Calais, ME), and back down the peninsula on the other side of the St. Croix River via Route 127 to St. Andrews. The primary attraction for the day in St. Andrews was the 
In addition to the Kingsbrae Garden, 
My favorite part of Campobello Island is the 
On the way back, be sure to stop in Lubec, ME (the easternmost point in the U.S.) to see the 
Several years ago, I spent a couple of weeks in Switzerland, staying with family. I asked where the locals eat when they were traveling around Switzerland, and the answer was – the grocery store. Two of the largest chains, Coop and Migros, had cafeterias in their stores that offered a wide variety of meals and individual items that were freshly made and relatively inexpensive.
No longer was the grocery store just for snacks and bottled water! If the hotel room has a refrigerator, you can pick up items for a couple of days at a time. Here are some suggestions:
Dinner – Many stores have store prepared hot items, salad bars, and pizza. You can also get items for a picnic such as roasted chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, bread, and cheese. Almost every area has beautiful parks or gardens available to enjoy your picnic. Some areas also offer free concerts or street performers (buskers) in the evening to entertain you while you eat. One of my favorite meals in Paris was meeting up with a group of people for a picnic of cheeses, sausages, bread, fruit, and wine in a local park on a beautiful evening.
With a backpack only weighing 12.5 lbs, navigating the airport and the long walk on my layover was a breeze. I opted to take the airport shuttle recommended by the hostel where I had reservations, but I was the fifth stop and an Uber for $5 more would have been better. However, I did get a good tour of the city.
out during WWII for the Pacific (including my father) started their journey and is now a national park. The hostel is up on a hill overlooking the bay, with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The San Francisco Bay Walking/Bike Trail goes right by the hostel and runs along the bay for miles. It was a 15-minute walk to Fisherman’s Wharf, 20 minutes to Pier 39, and 40 minutes to the Ferry Building. Walking the other way was the Marina area, where hundreds of people were out walking, running, and riding bikes right along the water and once a week they have a Food Truck (and Booth) event called Off the Grid.
Every morning while at Fort Mason I ate breakfast at a picnic table overlooking the bay and every evening watched the sun set over the bay. Although crowded, there are lots of things to do. I went to the Aquarium, some Maritime Museums, and the Exploratorium, which is an amazing place with hundreds of hands on activities for both children and adults. At Pier 39, which is a large commercial area, seals hang out on the docks. I spent hours walking by the bay and roaming around the area. I was amazed at the access people have to the bay.
There is a free swimming area and one evening I watched the large area triathlon group practice their swimming. For people who want to take a boat out onto the bay, there are options both large and small. It seemed like every corner had a bike rental place, and there was tons of public transportation. In the evenings, I hung around the common room, talking with other travelers (many international) or participating in activities such as a Tai Chi class. I decided to decline the Bar Crawl Tour led by one of the hostel employees.
For the fourth through seventh night, I hopped a bus to 
I decided to buy a two day hop on/hop off bus ticket, which offered unlimited rides on four different tours of the city in open air busses. On the first day, I took three of the tours (1-2 hours each), including one that went over the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito. The tour guides did a great job talking about the history of the area, the impact of the earthquakes, pointing out good places to eat and visit, and interesting stories.
and the Botanical Gardens. The Botanical Gardens was having an exhibit called Flower Pianos, where twelve pianos were placed around the gardens and people were encouraged to play them. It was beautiful to walk around the gardens and listen to a 
variety of piano music. A short walk away was Haight-Ashbury, which was fun to wander through. When I was done, I just hopped back on the bus, and went off to the next place to explore. For my remaining days, I headed back to the bay area, stopping to watch the street performers, reading in the gardens by the water, people watching, eating ice cream, going for long walks, etc.
Staying at the hostels cost me a rate (before hotel tax in the downtown location) of $47 – $65 per night. A light continental breakfast was included. The Fort Mason hostel had eight women in a room and the downtown room had four. I prefer the smaller rooms, but because you are primarily using the room to sleep, it really doesn’t matter that much. Both locations had great common rooms and good communal kitchens.
My advice if you want to try hosteling is to try it for 2 nights. That’s enough time to get a taste of what hosteling travel is like without the risk of ruining your entire vacation if it doesn’t work out. Hosteling isn’t for everyone, but I found that as a single female traveling alone, it provides me with great people to talk to and a sense of community I don’t get when staying by myself in a hotel. Considering the hostels in both locations were full, a lot of people seem to agree.
I treated myself to a Sea to Summit Clothesline that is a tiny, yet ingenious product. It’s essentially two strings threaded through a series of beads. After you affix the clothesline to something using the built-in hooks, you thread a small part of your garment between the two strings and slide the beads close together to hold the item. Use in the bathroom, on the hostel bunk bed, or balcony (or anywhere else) to hang up your quick dry clothes and travel towels. When you are done, the clothesline stuffs into its tiny pouch. Combined with Dr. Bonner’s soap, this is an easy way to reduce the amount of clothing and underwear you need to bring on your trip.
Lightweight polyester bags – Lightweight polyester or nylon bags like the one pictured take virtually no space but can be very useful. I use a medium sized one to use when picking up snacks or daily groceries for hostel meals. I use a larger one when staying in hostels. Before I go to bed, I put the clothes for the next day in the bag and when showering in the morning, I hang the bag on the door knob or door hook. There’s rarely a dry space for clothes in a hostel bathroom. Using the bag helps me keep everything dry and together so I don’t lose anything.
lightweight packing cube with a handle. On the airplane, I use it to keep my cellphone, charger, ear plugs, lip balm, tissues, eye mask, ear phones, mini-flashlight, pen, snack, e-reader, etc. either next to me in the seat, under the seat in front of me, or in the seat back pocket. It is all within easy reach, and I don’t have to worry about losing any of it. If I am staying in a hostel, I keep the items I want to have in my bunk in the same bag. If I need a tissue or ear plugs, I don’t have to get up and disturb anyone by unlocking my locker to get these items. Many hostel bunks have an outlet for charging electronics so it’s easy to read on the phone and charge at the same time. Just remember to turn off all the sound and vibration on your phone – whether it’s with you or in your locker before you go to sleep.
you are tight for space and want to ‘wear’ what is essentially the airplane bag mentioned above. I wear it under a jacket or hoodie to try not to advertise that I am circumventing the carry-on weight limit for budget airlines or highlight that I am a tourist when I’m at the destination. However, used thoughtfully, these and similar vests keep your items secure and allow you to go hands and bag free when you want to. If I am travelling in minimalist mode, I either have to commit to wearing the vest whenever I change locations or leave it home because there isn’t room for it in my minimalist bag. Another nice advantage is that I can use the vest instead of a money belt. When the vest is zipped, articles in their own zipped pockets on the inside of the vest are reasonably well protected from pickpockets, but the vest allows for easy access to them. It also becomes a light layer for cooler weather.
Small Backpack – If you are traveling light – i.e. U.S. traditional carryon – adding a small backpack (such as this one by PacSafe) or folding travel backpack (mine is by Neatpack) either in the bag or as your 
personal item gives you a place to put your jacket, cell phone, snack, and travel information while you sightsee. If you are traveling minimalist with only one bag, just empty out the bag and use it for your day pack. If everything you have is in a packing cube or stuff sack, your things will still stay organized.