Like so many others, lockdown got me itching for travel. And even though I managed to get in an incredible trip to Italy in late 2021, that trip only left me wanting to travel more.
So I headed back. On May 5, 2022, I set off for three weeks of Paris, Venice and Florence, including a week of goldsmithing.
This time around, my husband joined me for the first week or so, then headed back to run his business.
Paris
The first leg of the trip was five days in Paris in the St. Germain des Pres district.
We found a great little hotel right on the Seine with a kitchenette (Citadines St. Germain des Pres) which was a little tricky to find since our data wasn't working and we didn't think to bring a map. It's a super easy subway ride from the Charles de Gaulle airport (RER B for around 12 euro) and a 5-minute walk from the St. Michel station IF you know where you are going. We walked back and forth for about 45 minutes before grabbing a cab for a 2 minute ride to the door.
Pro tip: Paris addresses come in several flavors. In our case, we were looking for 53 terr Quai des Grand Augustins. We found 53 easily, which was NOT the hotel. No. 53 was next to 53B and just past that was 53 Terr. Also, wherever you land in Europe, bring an old-school paper map to guide you until you can be sure whatever data plan you have is working correctly. We learned the hard way there is no way to check before you arrive!
We spent four amazing nights in Paris, starting out with an aperitif at the Saint Severin church, a stunning Roman Catholic structure in the Latin Quarter. One of the oldest churches on the left bank, the current version dates back to around 1640s but the site has had churches on it for much, much longer.
It was my husband's first time in Paris, so we hit a few tourist sites like the Eiffel Tower. The most impressive tourist excursion, in my book, was the boat tour. I highly recommend it! Short of swimming the Seine, it's the only way I know to see all the bridges from below. And it was a great mini history lesson given in both French and English.
That said, I'm not the biggest fan of hitting touristy sites. My favorite thing to do in European cities, and in Paris especially, is to wander off the beaten path, which is what we spent most of our time doing, to find things like rows of lime green rental bicycles, great little cafes, and some of the nooks and crannies the locals visit.
We hit the stunning Luxembourg Gardens on a Sunday, and it seemed to be full of locals. The gardens were designed at the direction of Catherine de Medici and inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence. Created in 1612, the garden is huge. The day we were there included an operatic performance, a bit of sketching the Senate building, watching a bit of toy boat racing in the pond, viewing a few of the 106 statues in the gardens and a lot of walking. Next trip, I'll dedicate a full day and a cheese, bread and wine picnic to these gorgeously maintained gardens.
Venice
A short 2-hour flight (about $100/person) got us to Venice's Marco Polo Airport, on the mainland (so not really Venice, as I understand it). At the advice of our AirBnB host, we purchased Alilaguna tickets in advance (the water taxi from the airport into the city of Venice) and only had to enter the code to get a ticket to board the boat. About 75 minutes later, we were meeting our AirBnB host at a church and threading through Venice's narrow streets to our home for the next two nights. It took about two hours from landing (and collecting luggage) to the apartment.
We were pretty worried about finding the apartment once we left but finally trusted the advice that Venice is nearly impossible to get lost in, noted a few landmarks and photographed street signs and headed out. Piazza San Marcos was about 2 minutes away, stunning and crowded, but lovely. I happily overpaid for my Aperol Spritz, enjoying the house band and, of course, the incredible view.
Waking up the first morning, the lack of cars was really noticeable and pretty wonderful. It was a total joy to wander around, watching packages and mail delivered by boat and handcart and popping in little shops. One of those shops, the Ca Del Sol mask shop, I definitely plan to visit again. I asked permission to take photos and before I knew it, they had dressed me in full carnevale regalia. Of course, I came home with a mask and am still dreaming about the cloak I did not bring home.
Two nights was not nearly enough time to really enjoy Venice, though my husband felt like it was the perfect amount of time. Functionally, it left us with one full day and the evening we arrived to explore.
Florence
Another water taxi to the Venice train station, and a Frecciarossa train had us in Florence in about two hours. As throughout other areas of Europe, Italian trains are inexpensive, comfortable and a great way to travel. We sat with a woman who we found out worked for the Uffizzi. She was very generous with recommendations for shops, restaurants and other tidbits, even calling a friend for the name of a good leather shop.
I'd reserved a hotel on the Piazza della Repubblica, an ancient public square dating back to Roman time. It's more crowded and touristy than I generally prefer, but placed us near things to do and a taxi stand (one cannot flag a taxi in Florence - you must call or find them at a taxi stand) since my husband has some knee problems. The Hotel Pendini was really lovely - old, beautiful, well staffed and comfortable if a bit noisy.
2 a.m. the first night we were treated to a 4.x earthquake. This California girl thought she was fine with earthquakes. But when you are on the fourth floor of a very old brick building that may not be retrofitted.... Let's just say I have a new appreciation for people who get freaked out by California earthquakes.
The merry-go-round in the Piazza della Repubblica. The Hotel Pendini (labeled Pensione Pendini) is just to the right of the arch.
After surviving the tremor, we groggily wandered into the breakfast room where we met a retired US teacher who traveled to Florence nearly every year. It felt like an Agatha Christie novel without the murder. That sense was reinforced as we kept crossing her path both at the hotel and around the city.
My husband and I had two days together in Florence, exploring the Duomo, buying him an Italian leather jacket and getting him his Italy tattoo (see this post for details about my daughter's and my Italy tattoos).
He had to fly home for work, and I had one more day at Hotel Pendini where I discovered the best Aperol Spritz I've had to date. The bar (Colle Bereto) was full of the obnoxious style of monied Italian narcissists and if you read reviews there are a lot of complaints about poor service. I found it all amusing (and I had just been in France, home of the surly waiter, and my expectations were likely low). But the cocktails were well worth it all and the small amount of conversation I could overhear and translate was very entertaining.
Goldsmithing Workshop
This was round two for me of the Metalsmiths in Florence workshop, tackling a different project - Florentine Traforo Pendant. Once again, I moved over to the Palazzo Belfiore, which is a lovely 14th palazzo in the Oltrarno, where I was lucky to stay in the fresco room (a legit 14th century fresco adorns the living room walls)
I admit, I mostly just wanted to get into that studio again and work with 18k gold under Giovanni's watchful eye. I wasn't wild about the project. But if you give a thing a change, it often is surprisingly wonderful. I seem to have the chance to learn this over and over.
The Traforo technique, once given a chance, really was lovely. While I may never make another pendant like this, I can definitely see using the techniques I learned in this workshop over and over. Below you can see the first step - alloying 18k gold. Watch the blog for a post on the Traforo piece.
The week included a wine tasting trip to Tuscany. We were treated to a food and wine pairing in this gorgeous, blue cave within a winery property once owned by the Medici.
More Florence
At the recommendation of another workshop participant from October, following the workshop I moved to Palazzo San Niccolo in, you guessed it, the San Niccolo neighborhood. The gardens, shown below, along with the rooms and common areas were hidden away behind a typically European old stone wall with a wooden door. And now I will never look at those doors without wondering what lies beyond.
The Boboli Gardens were near the top of my list of "must visit" sites on this trip, especially after seeing the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris. The gardens share a location with the Pitti Palace, one of my favorite museums in Florence, though each has a separate entrance fee. The garden, like the one in Paris modeled after it, is a great way to take a break from the city and tourist crunch.
I got to spend three weeks in Europe on this trip - something I had wanted to do since high school - and this just skims the surface. There may very well be more posts about it coming as my wanderlust bubbles up!