Friday, February 11, 2011

Hotels #13,14,15,16, 17 and the Uffizi and Vasari Corridor

February 11, 2011
Well this morning was a great morning - the bed was super comfortable, I awoke to the sounds of the bells bonging all over the city and watched the morning rowers out on the river AND I was shipping home all of the hotel brochures I have received. I figure it cost me about 20 Euros per kg to send them home - but it's better than breaking the suitcase :)
early morning on the Arno

under the Ponte Vecchio - view from my terrace


Breakfast at the Hotel Lungarno is held in their restaurant off of the lobby and was a typical continental and American style breakfast - scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, Italian meats, cheeses, croissants, toast, yogurt etc. After breakfast, I returned to the room to pack up and brought my luggage downstairs to stow it while I waited for Paola. I had some time to kill , so I went off to the Hotel Lungarno's suggested shipping company, called remarkably, "Shipping Company" across the street from the hotel. Shipping Company also doubles as a pet supply store. After dropping the heavy bag, I decided to walk around the Oltrarno and see what artisans I could see at work - this area is known for the artists whose studios are located here - there are frame makers, antiques dealers, lampshade makers, table makers etc. - Piazza Santo Spirito - one of the most beloved piazzas in Florence was abuzz with restoration works and a market for vegetables, organic honey, salumi, housewares, clothing, hardware - a typical Italian market day.
a beautiful palazzo on the Oltrarno

the details

love this palazzo
I returned to the hotel to meet Paola and have a caffe. We saw the Hotel Lungarno which is a very elegant and sophisticated comfortable hotel. I have always wanted to stay here because I knew it  had to be good. And, I was right. The staff would all call me by name when I would ask a question or passed them in the halls. The rooms either look out on to the street or out to the river. Obviously, the river view rooms are more expensive and they are worth it! The street view rooms are nice as well, but I mean really - if you are going to stay on the Arno, you might as well have a view, right?
We saw a couple of room categories and then collected my belongings and crossed the Ponte Vecchio to the other side of the river to see the Lungarno Suites, Hotel Gallery Art and the Continentale. All of these hotels, (along with the Hotel Lungarno) are owned by the Ferragamo family - yes, Salvatore Ferragamo. They are all designed by the same interior designer and the style is refined, sophisticated comfort in all of them. The Lungarno Suites has rooms looking out to the river or a street view, and they have kitchenettes allowing you a "home away from home." Hotel Gallery Art is right across the street from the Suites and Continentale (a veritable neighborhood of Ferragamo hotels) and there is an art exhibition always being held in the lobby of the hotel. The Continentale was closed for the month, but it's decor is a bit different than the others as it has a "Dolce Vita" feel. If you stay here and love the decor, they have a store selling everything you see in the hotels - trouble as I wanted to redo my house.
After saying good by and thank you Paola (who has my dream life - married to a Florentine and working and living in Florence - she's originally from Toronto) I walked up the street one block to my next home for the night - an old favorite of mine, The Antico Via de Tornabuoni.
my bath at Antica Via de Tornabuoni

entering  my room

ta da!

Eccolo!
This hotel has undergone some changes since I was here last. There used to be one torre (tower) with rooms overlooking the rooftops and the Duomo. Now, there are two areas of the hotel and one part looks over river while the other has rooftop and Duomo views - The location of the hotel cannot be beat - right on the Tornabuoni - shopping street and close to everything within the historic center. The sales manager, a very pregnant Maria Rita was there to show me around and I was thrilled to know my room was in the new part overlooking the Ferragamo Palazzo. The decor is comfortable and elegant. I have two twin canopy beds made into a king bed, a huge HDTV with SKY TV (still trying to get the hang of that - what channels are in English and which aren't), very high ceilings and a large bathroom of marble. Once I dropped my things in the room, Maria Rita and I toured some of the different room types and I learned that my clients who arrive on Monday for their first ever trip to Italy (to visit their daughter who is here for the semester studying) have been upgraded 3 room categories! They will be absolutely thrilled with their huge room overlooking the Arno River - I can't wait to hear all about their trip when they return to Chicago.
After a caffe with Maria Rita, I headed off to my tour of the Uffizi and the Vasari Corridor. This is a 3 hour tour and MUST be done - even if you do not care for museums, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity as they are constantly closing it for renovations and who knows if they will open it again. It's also fun to learn about the lives of the artists behind the paintings. As an art history major in college I have always loved going to the Uffizi and seeing all of the Giotto's, Massaccio's, Raphael's, Botticelli's, da Vinci's, Michelangelo's etc in person. Nothing beats it.
The Vasari Corridor tour ended up across the river at the Boboli Gardens of the Palazzo Pitti where we said our arrivederci's and I went for a long walk up the River towards the Piazzale Michelangelo (city overlook) and then back into the city to have some pizza (pizza prosciutto- which I asked them to do "crispy" and it was perfect - super thin crust and the right tomato sauce to cheese ratio) and then I finally got my gelato - a straciatella cone - again, creature of habit (I always have this) - perhaps in Castellina in Chianti I will have something more adventurous at the famous gelateria there.
View from my room looking at the Ferragamo Palazzo
and the Duomo in the distance
Buona notte ragazzi!

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