Florence | Villa Cora | food | Westin Excelsior Hotel

FRIDAY
LODGING "Grand Hotel Villa Cora is just on the outskirts of the city. It's a beautiful old villa with large grounds and gardens. It's just up from the Piazzale Michelangelo and the Boboli Gardens and Forte di Belvedere. In 20 minutes, you can be in the center of the city. I found that very pleasant and took many pleasant walks. It's very crowded with tourists in Florence, like most Italian cities today. But Villa Cora is a small, quiet hotel. The Hotel Lungarno is a charming, smaller hotel with good food, service, and vicinity to all our locations. It's right on the river Arno overlooking Florence and the famous Ponte Vecchio. They also have apartments adjacent to rent. The Westin Excelsior Hotel is a beautiful hotel, also further down the Arno, recently redone."

DINNER "I went to one trattoria called Quattro Leoni, The Four Lions. It was just a trattoria, and I ate the same thing every night: a bit of fish and tomatoes and onions, and that's about it. I don't vary my diet. I sat at the same table every night and had my meal and went home. I like it because it was available, you can always get a table there and it was good food."

NIGHTLIFE "The nightlife in Florence is actually surprisingly active. All the locals enjoy a stroll after dinner - they eat quite late - and congregate in the many piazzas, particularly the Piazza della Repubblica. As it was originally an ancient Roman forum, then became the central market until the end of the 19th century, it has always been a magnet for people. Many a cafe is open, with tables and chairs practically filling the huge piazza. Music is always present and one can sense everyone took this special time to enjoy his or her life a bit more."

SATURDAY