Trip Report: Florence, Italy

It’s been a little over a month since my last post, and I could blame that on being unusually busy, but I’m beginning to realize that being unusually busy is our new usual.

Amidst the busyness, though, Sona and I managed to sneak away for an 8-day getaway to Italy–sans Finn.

It was our first alone trip since he was born, and before I go into too much detail about all the ways in which it was absolutely wonderful, soul-satisfying, and marriage-restoring, let me just give you the short of it: IT IS NOT ONLY OKAY, BUT ALSO TOTALLY IMPORTANT, THAT PARENTS TAKE SOME TIME AWAY FROM THEIR KIDS.

We were very lucky that my mom and step-dad–Mimi and Pops–were willing to sacrifice a week of their own vacation time to come up to Chicago and take care of our little man. We really wanted him to stay in our home. First, because we thought he needed as much stability as possible in the very fragile state we’d assumed he’d be in without us (more on that, later) and, also, because driving to and from Tennessee would shave a couple of days off of our own vacay time.

Italy has been on our must-visit list for a LONG time. And we figured that if we had a chance to escape without any toddler, we might as well go somewhere that would be difficult with him. It’s not that doing Europe with Finn would be impossible (though, the thought does terrify me), it’s just that doing it the way we’d want to do it–wandering aimlessly for hours, drinking a lot of wine, lounging carelessly at a variety of sidewalk cafes–would be impossible with him. Having him would have totally changed the nature of the trip, and we wanted to remember what it was like to be wanderlust-y and carefree–without a baby.

Though, as the trip date approached, Sona and I were feeling so tired and depleted that we found ourselves secretly wishing that we’d just booked a lazy trip to the Caribbean–one in which we wouldn’t feel guilty sleeping on a beach chair all day.

And even though we did run from sun-up to sun-down each day, walking a total of 50+ miles while we were gone (according to our iPhones) and exploring every inch of both Florence and Venice, it was completely worth it. The trip gave us a small glimpse into our pre-baby lives. That was a time that we wouldn’t trade for now–because, of course, Finn is our sun and our moon–but it was nice to remember who we were to each other before we were moms. We felt more connected to each other than we have in a long time, and that was really because we had one luxury that we don’t have very often, anymore: uninterrupted and responsibility-free time.

As for Finn, he couldn’t have cared less about our absence. I mean, he cared so little that we were actually a little hurt. Couldn’t he have just pretended that he was devastated? Thrown just a few tantrums, thrashing his legs and screaming for “momma”?! Truth was, Mimi and Pops did such a good job giving him completely undivided attention that he was happy as a clam and hardly noticed that we were away.

That is to say, I think the week apart was good for all of us.

Now… Florence! We started in Florence and ended in Venice, which when we asked around, were the two Italian cities that folks seemed to have enjoyed the most. If we’d had a few more days, we would’ve crammed Rome into the itinerary, too, but we didn’t want to over-tax ourselves. (And we really wanted a lot of time for wine and gelato.)

In Florence, we rented an apartment, which is what we generally prefer, as it helps us live more like locals for a few days–and is usually nicer, roomier, and cheaper than a hotel. Our apartment was right around the corner fro Ponte Vecchio–the main attraction in Florence. That put us smack dab in the middle of the two sides of the city separated by the Arno river–one that is more touristy and one that is more geared towards the locals. We enjoyed exploring both.

Florence was a great city to wander and eat in–which are the two things we did the most. Walk. Sit. Drink. Eat. Repeat. That was how we spent those four glorious days. We did a good bit of noshing, rather than elaborate multi-course meals, and it proved to be the best way to experience–and taste–much of what the city had to offer.

We also ate gelato at least twice a day. So, there’s that.

It was in the mid-60s most of the time we were there. So, while it got a little chilly at night, I really enjoyed being able to explore all day without getting too hot. We lucked out with the weather, and it was sunny during our entire visit. That made wandering a lot more enjoyable.

Of course, we did many of the requisite Florence things: we went to see David at dell’Accademia, walked through the Uffizi galleries, rubbed the nose of the lucky boar, and explored the Boboli Gardens.

We also did an all-day private tour of the Tuscan countryside, which included stops in the medieval towns of Montalcino and Pienza, a wine tour and tasting, a visit to some Roman baths, and an awe-inspiring lunch at a local farm.

But really, the days we enjoyed most were the ones when we didn’t have anything on the docket–days when we just set out, grabbed a latte (or two), ate, and walked, and ate some more.

Those are the kinds of days we miss the most–and the kind that were the most restorative.

Next stop, Venice!

Our Florence Faves and Recommendations: