Stop 7: Italy
Part 1: Florence, Cinque Terre, and Siena (Dana only)
After a brisk but charming jaunt through the Cotswolds, I was off to thaw out in Italy while Jim golfed in Ireland with the lads. My mom, Linda, and sister, Alex, met me for a two-week “taste of Italy” tour. And wow, did we taste. The Tuscan sun blessed us with beautiful weather, and my guests of honor were game for everything as I constructed an airtight itinerary for our time in Florence, Cinque Terre, and Siena. My specialty “planning” acts of service were on full display.
Florence
The last time I went to Florence, I was a destitute study abroad student visiting my college girlfriends. Returning with a Linda-sponsored budget was quite the upgrade. While the city itself has not changed much, its popularity seems to have exploded. Even in April, technically shoulder season, I was amazed by how packed it was with tourists.
We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb in a more residential neighborhood where it was not guaranteed the waiters would speak English and Florentine locals went about their typical days. Gone were the slow, meandering days of Latin America. We were women on a mission to eat and see absolutely everything. While it’s impossible to narrow down all the amazing things to do in Florence, here were a few standouts, plus a couple things you could probably skip unless you are especially passionate about them.
Must do
EAT
Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco: Stanley Tucci’s favorite restaurant, and for good reason. We will be talking about the tiramisu for years to come.
Gelato: You can never have enough while strolling the streets of Florence. Gelateria dei Neri, Gelateria Della Passera, and Sbrino were our top contenders.
Strawberries from the local market: Proof that superior European soil quality really does make fruit taste better.
DRINK
BABAE: Influenced by TikTok on this one, and the influencers were correct. Something about getting a spritz from a wine window makes it taste better.
Il Santino: A chic tiny wine bar packed with locals.
ACTIVITY
Pastamania: Only $30 a person through Airbnb Experiences. You get to make three different types of pasta. Linda was the star student and fully embraced her Italian nonna roots.
Piazzale Michelangelo: Go first thing in the morning on a clear day.
MAYBE SKIP
Climbing the Duomo: 450 steep stairs in a tiny crawl space. Nurse Alex was fully prepared for one of the tourists to have a claustrophobia-induced panic attack.
The Uffizi Galleries: Hot take, but the place was absolutely packed with questionable ventilation and a noticeable lack of deodorant. It felt like being at a Vegas nightclub with The Birth of Venus hanging in the background.
Trattoria Zà Zà: After everything incredible we ate, this one was a bit of a letdown. Beautiful aesthetically, though.
All’Antico Vinaio: The bread was tough and I wanted the sandwich warm. If you really need one before leaving Italy, you can grab it at the airport on the way home.
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre is made up of five coastal towns only two hours away by train from Florence. Well, it should have been a two-hour train ride. Ours somehow turned into eight hours thanks to what felt like every delay imaginable happening consecutively (including a fire, timetables being wrong and lots of confusing Italian hand gestures). Alex and I were slowly losing our minds at the injustice of each compounding delay while our mother transformed into a zen Buddhist monk before our eyes. Nothing phased her. Perhaps during retirement I too will achieve this level of stoicism.
I still cannot comprehend how Jim and I made it through all of Latin America without major delays, only for the biggest transportation kerfuffle to happen on a simple Italian train ride.
We finally arrived in Monterosso, the northernmost of the five towns, famished and delusional. One crisp glass of Italian white wine and a seafood pasta later, all travel frustrations melted away while I practiced broken Italian to the delight of the waiters.
The next few days were spent bouncing between coastal towns and hiking between them. These hikes were not for the faint of heart. Other hikers were deeply impressed that my technically-elderly but fit-as-heck mother steamrolled past struggling tourists while powering up 700-plus feet of elevation. Young people actually stopped her on the trail to compliment her athleticism. Alex’s highlight was horseback riding through the stunning coastal hills and trying different varieties of Prosecco, the best of which was enjoyed during a sunset boat tour paired with a pesto-dipped potato chip. Honestly, that chip deserved its own Michelin star.
Must Do
Monterosso → Vernazza Hike: Start early and bring 10 euros per person for the three-mile hike. The ending viewpoint is the iconic Cinque Terre postcard shot.
Corniglia → Vernazza Hike: Another short but steep trek. Stop halfway for lemonade at the tiny farm shop overlooking the ocean.
Sunset Boat Cruise: The best way to see the towns is from the water, away from the crowds, with a glass of Prosecco in hand.
Siena
A gem of an Italian city, Siena boasts medieval architecture perched atop a Tuscan hill. Our food tour ended with classic regional dishes including wild boar ragù, ribollita bread soup, and panforte packed with fruit and nuts.
The Siena Duomo was immaculate and honestly made the one in Florence look understated. The jam-packed pace of the trip finally slowed enough for wandering hilly streets, sipping cappuccinos, and listening to my mother loudly exclaim “WOW” at various pieces of art. Neither Alex nor I seem to have inherited that gene.
The trip ended on a slightly dramatic note. While walking through a pedestrian-only area, I was hit from behind by a 90-year-old Italian nonna driving a car. Both I and the pizza box I was carrying went flying through the air, but somehow I walked away mostly unharmed. The nonna immediately kissed my face in relief when I popped back up, while a crowd of frantic Italians rushed to the scene. In a pure adrenaline-fueled response, I simply ran away from the entire situation.
Naturally, I celebrated surviving my brush with danger by getting an extra-large gelato that night. Despite the incident, Siena stood out as one of the highlights of the trip for all of us. The charming architecture, incredible pasta, and easy day trips to neighboring Tuscan towns made it the peak of our two-week Italy tour.
The Heintz girls’ Italy chapter had come to an end, but I was grateful to still have nine more weeks in Italy ahead of me this summer: more Tuscany, Sicily, Tropea, Ischia, and the Dolomites. I will, however, be keeping a closer eye on the nonnas behind the wheel.
Must Do
Siena Duomo: Significantly more impressive than the one in Florence. Cannot be missed.
Torrefazione Fiorella: Best cappuccino of the trip.
San Gimignano: A picturesque hilltop town and an easy bus day trip from Siena.
Quatro Bistrot: This eclectic restaurant felt like dining in someone’s impossibly chic kitchen. The salted crusty bread, inventive pasta, and pork ribs were mind-blowing.
Up next: Reuniting with Jim in Portugal!
Reliving the same trip I took in 1998! Loving your experiences and recommendations makes me want to visit again soon :). We’ll be in Portugal 5/27-6/1, hopefully you can share a post before then so we can take advantage of your insights ! Carry on :)