A Walk in Florence and Lunch at Cantinetta Antinori

After breakfast and a tour of the gorgeous Four Seasons Hotel Firenze, Mr Silver and I headed out on to the streets of Florence. I’ve only been to Florence once before, when Mr S and I visited two years ago for a mini moon straight after our wedding, but I’m absolutely in love with the city.
As we took the short walk from our hotel we saw the curved roof on the Duomo looming beyond. You probably don’t need me to tell you that the Duomo is the most iconic landmark in the city of Florence and I got a real thrill from seeing it just as I do when I first see the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
The main cathedral in Florence is called Santa Maria del Fiore but it’s often referred to as simply the Duomo, the Italian word for Cathedral or Catholic church.
The iconic dome that characterises the building was ultimately designed and constructed in the early 15th Century by Renaissance architect Brunelleschi and is truly an incredible feat of engineering.

The beautiful facade of the church wasn’t finished until years later and the neo-Gothic frontage wasn’t actually in place until 1887.
Isn’t it utterly spectacular?

Our excellent hotel concierge had recommended Cantinetta Antinori, a restaurant near the Piazza del Duomo, for our lunch.
The waiter placed a basket of dangerously good bread on our table…
And we toasted the beautiful city and my friend’s impending wedding with a crisp glass of prosecco.
We shared a delicious platter of Italian meats and a light artichoke salad before moving on to a pasta course.
‘Conservatively’ we’d decided to share a portion of pasta with beef ragu…so this was half a portion. It was huge but so tasty and I ate it very aware of the fact I was wearing a white top…

Knowing I would never be able to eat the traditional Italian four course lunch, I ordered a tomato and mozzarella salad to enjoy while Mr S ate the full on entrecote of beef with roast potatoes. It was cooked so perfectly with melt-in-the-mouth slices of meat.
Annoyingly the weather looks a little drab in the photos but actually it was utterly gorgeous. The air was warm and it was a very pleasant temperature to walk through the city. Mr S and I explored the shops, finding little places, cafes and boutiques that we’d discovered on our trip last time. It bought back such happy memories!

After the purchase of a dress for me and a few tops for Mr S we headed towards the bridge as we had our friends’ pre-wedding drinks to get to.
Crossing the bridge gave us another chance to admire an icon of Florence. Spanning the Arno river at its narrowest point, the Ponte Vecchio is the oldest and most famous bridge in Florence.

From here we headed to the Piazza Santo Spirito, a buzzy and lively square full of bars and restaurants and people enjoying aperitivo.
The bride-to-be was super happy and excited and not all nervous for the next day.
But who wouldn’t be happy in a beautiful city, surrounded by your best friends…