Florence is for Lovers
Florence, Italy
Valentines Day, 2014
Interested in a Music and Markets Tour? We’d love to hear from you! We’re looking ahead to Spring – May in Venice, Barcelona, or Prague, and our newest – Aix en Provence for the Easter Festival.
Our choice for Valentine’s Day? One of our favorite, if not THE favorite, cities in the world, Florence. A relaxing train ride from Padova, and we walk to the Hotel Tornabuoni Beaci, where we drop our bags and quickly head out to enjoy the city on this glorious spring-like day. We cross the river to the Oltrarno to wander familiar lanes, and since it’s so lovely, decide we don’t want to waste a minute inside, but will find a market lunch to enjoy with this great view – elegant Santo Spirito.
A porchetta vendor slices a few hearty pieces of herbed and roasted pork and layers it on a fresh-baked bun – a perfect Valentines lunch-with-a-view!
And what Valentine’s Day could pass without chocolate? On the long piazza fronting Santa Maria Novella, chocolate vendors have come from all over Italy, filling long white tents with their wares for a Festival di Cioccolato, and offer decadent samplings of white, dark and milk chocolate in every imagineable form. We nibble as we stroll the sun- splashed streets from one piazza to another (Santa Croce, below).
While yet another snow-storm approaches our Virginia home, we revel in the balmy day, and enjoy every minute outside, relaxing on the Tornabuoni Beaci’s inviting rooftop terrace.
The views from our windows are wonderful as well, but, knowing we’ll soon be trapped inside by the fire,watching that snow fall after our return home Sunday, we bring our books and laptops outside and grab as much of the unexpected warmth as we can.
Up at the top of the terrace, we await the sunset,
and sipping a Spritz, stay outside til the last streaks fade from the sky.
Our lover’s holiday in Florence finishes with a candlelight dinner,
beginning with a flute of sparkling Prosecco under the twinkly lights of La Giostra. What a treat to celebrate this February holiday with welcome warmth and sunshine!
The best way to describe us (Kirk and Anne Woodyard) is that we're interested in the stories that make the places we visit come alive.
We've visited Europe more times than we can count, learned some entertaining stories there, and met some warm and helpful people who also enjoy the wonders of music and life in Europe. Between our music-related travels, we split our time between our homes near Washington DC and in the the south of France. We look forward to sharing these stories and friends and experiences with you.