Frequent Miler's latest team challenge, Million Mile Madness, is almost done! The last two weeks Greg, Nick, and Stephen competed to earn 1 Million SAS miles by flying 15 airlines. But who completed the challenge with the most Speed, Affordability, and Style?
I’m just back from a terrific culinary tour of Tuscany. Before and after the tour, we managed to sneak in a couple of very brief stays in Florence. This was our first visit and we loved it. We look forward to returning…
Narrow streets and falling tourists
The David
The Duomo
Uffizi Gallery
Dining
During our trip we also ate lunch at Trattoria Sostanza and Caffè Cibreo. Both were terrific.
Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
The Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella began as a pharmacy run by Dominican monks in 1221. Now it’s a museum quality cosmetic store designed to part you with your money. We somehow escaped for under 100 Euros, but don’t expect to be so lucky. It’s worth a stop just to see the store and read its history.
Lodging
Our tour began and ended at the Florence train station, so we picked hotels close by. Before our tour, I stayed at the quirky Casa Howard (practically next door to the Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, above). Afterwards, we took advantage of an amazing Upside deal (details here) to stay at the awesome Palazzo Castri 1874.
Buona Notte Florence
[…] I haven’t written about the culinary tour, but you can see my photos from Florence here: Florence! Fewer words, more photos […]
[…] fall also brought a good deal of travel as both Greg and I went to Europe (see Greg’s Florence! Fewer words, more photos and my post on The best Wyndham redemption I’ve ever made for snippets of our trips). We […]
That first glimpse of The David almost knocked me off my feet. I could have looked at him for hours. The Duomo also had me just standing in the street, staring, each time I walked by. Along with the Pantheon, these three sites most impressed me during our three weeks in Italy last month. For landscape vistas, we marveled at the beauty as we drove around the Chianti region of Tuscany, stopping at medieval walled cities, eating at local restaurants and appreciating local artisans. As you said, no photograph (or words) can capture the essence of Italy. Great post!
I’m a big sufferer of Stendhal Syndrome! I can’t go for more than 2 years without visiting Florence. Luckily, this hobby makes it possible. I’ll be taking the family to Florence and a road trip around Tuscany over Thanksgiving. I can’t wait! To me, it feels like I’m coming home. 🙂
We were fortunate enough to visit Florence twice – first for 3+ days in May 1993 and again for 6 days in November 2000 on an air/hotel package. Crowds were nothing like they are now. The November trip was magical because crowds were minimal, no skip the line type tickets were necessary and we were able to enjoy the city for an extended period of time, mingling with locals. We had time to see just about everything. Weather was mostly fine – we had a slight drizzle for an hour or 2 out of the entire time – and the exchange rate was fantastic. We still remember that trip as one of our favorites, even though it was one of our shortest trips. Florence is indeed a special place.
Florence is stunning. Ir is not a coincide the term “Stendhal syndrome” or Stendhalismo emerged after the writer’s visit to this city. Have you also visited Siena or Pisa Greg? Amazing Tuscan places too
Yep, we did very brief stops at Siena, Pisa, Lucca, San Gimignano, and more. I’m intending to do a follow up post about the wider Tuscany area.
This makes me excited for our trip to Italy next year!
Did not make it to Florence on our Italy trip last year, but loved the region in general, specifically Siena. Definitely will make it back (one day).
We also were just in Florence and loved it, despite the many crowds of tourists. (Currently doing an exchange in Tuscany with a woman who runs cooking classes from her home – it’s been wonderful!)
Korean Air for 25k miles from US to Hawaii
Which Korean air deal for 25 k miles?
Greg, in one of your posts, you mentioned the Korean Air deal for 25k miles. What other deals are there that are close to (or more amazing) than this one with miles? Thanks for the great tips.
I’m planning to create a new page where I’ll consolidate the best of the best deals. Stay tuned.