So wonderful to be back here in Firenze (Florence)! And it is always so exciting to share that first evening meal with my travelers right in front of the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. It is a setting that really is impossible to describe.

We had a great flight with everything going like clockwork, as opposed to last year's trip where we practically landed in every major city in Europe trying to get to Florence due to our plane's mechanical problems and then missing our connecting flight. We arrived to a sunny and very warm Florence, met our drivers and made our way through the winding streets to our hotel, the wonderful Hotel Brunelleschi right in the middle of the city.

I love this hotel and the people who run it are fabulous. I cannot recommend a nicer and more convenient place to stay. This is probably my 8th or 9th stay here and they have totally renovated and upgraded the hotel - it is stunning. We all checked in, some of us caught a power nap after our 16 hour flight through the night, and others went for a quick stroll through the city to get our bearings and work off some of our arrival adrenaline! A quick bite - a delicious fresh seafood salad and a Peroni beer and Isabel and I made it back for a quick power nap before we met everyone for dinner.


We all met in the hotel bar for a welcome cocktail and then it was a short walk to our dining venue right there on the piazza del Duomo. Nothing can beat this setting for our first dinner - right there on the street in front of the Baptistery and the Duomo. What a way to experience your first dinner in Italy. The special as always, Bisteca all a Fiorentina - steak dinner Tuscan style. We are talking serious steak here. Add some local wines and we are off! I love when these steaks arrive at the table accompanied by roasted potatoes and thats it. It's heaven and the table comes alive.





After devouring half a cow between all 6 steaks consumed at our table, we were off on a walk through the town t night and a nightcap at Harry's Bar on the Arno. A little lemon cello and some dessert and it was a walk back to the hotel and some much needed rest!