Travelling Simply

Travel recommendations, ideas and observations from two simple travellers

Tag: Tuscany

A pharmacy in Florence

18/02/2019 / / 0 Comments

Florence, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the epitome of elegance and charm. The city draws visitors from far and wide to appreciate Italian renaissance including stunning architecture, artistic masterpieces and culture.

Florence is entitled to more than one visit!

We had been to Florence before and were drawn back for a longer and closer look into the hidden nooks and crannies of this enchanting city.

Of course, we revisited old haunts, ambled across Ponte Vecchio, admired the Duomo, strolled around the Piazza della Signoria to admire the replica of Michelangelo’s statue of David and walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo to another replica of David cast in bronze overlooking the city. We savoured the amazing view and lost ourselves in the Botanical Garden and the streets winding our way back to the city.

  • Views of Florence
    View from winding paths of the Botanical Gardens in Florence
  • Statue of David
    The bronze cast of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, Statue of David in Piazzale Michelangelo

Included on our list for this visit was a place where fewer tourists visit.

Being a pharmacist in His past life, we often step inside pharmacies on our travels out of curiosity.

In Florence, He was particularly keen to visit a pharmacy we had read about, the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy.

Possibly one of the oldest pharmacies in the world, we felt we were stepping back in time and experiencing a taste of a modern day perfumery in one.  It’s easy to miss the entrance to the pharmacy which is a relatively inconspicuous doorway adjacent to the Basilica Santa Maria Novella.

The pharmacy has a long history explained at intervals through the building. The pharmacy dates back to 1221 after the Dominican monks from the Basilica gained a reputation for the medicines and balms they made from the herbs they grew onsite and used in their hospital.

Today, it is described as more of a museum than a pharmacy. Visitors like us wander in to admire the beautifully restored frescoes which adorn the walls and ceilings as much as the old jars and containers that line the walls and purchase the unique elixirs, perfumes and soaps which are now made in a much larger facility off-site.

  • Santa Maria Novella pharmacy
  • Santa Maria Novella pharmacy
  • Santa Maria Novella pharmacy
    Some of the beautiful rooms inside the pharmacy and perfumery

Whether you intend to purchase or not, it is worth a detour to smell the aromas and perfumes and enjoy the sculptures, paintings and frescoes inside this unique piece of living history before

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Take a leisurely drive through Chianti

Sienna, Tuscany

The day our car disappeared!

16/05/2018 / / 0 Comments

We wake to a sunny morning in Sienna and the decision is made, this is a perfect day to take a leisurely drive through Chianti and the Tuscan countryside.

It is still early, so we have plenty of time for our morning walk and a quiet breakfast before we hit the road. Our walking route takes us to the Fort which sits a little above the city. A walk along the ramparts gives another dimension to views over the city and we meander through the gardens along with other early morning exercisers.

  • sienna

We wander back down a pathway ending up in the main public car park which has now turned into the local market. There are stalls selling all manner of goods from, fresh vegetables and foods to clothing and household goods. We enjoy watching the locals make their purchases and tempted by the large rosy peaches and apricots, pick up some summer fruit for ourselves. The market is large and takes up the majority of the car park.

We stroll toward the city end of the car park to get back to our apartment. The walk will take us past our car. We parked our car here for the past few days. It has been convenient, the car park is free and close to our apartment.

That sinking feeling, when you reach the spot where you think you parked your car and it’s not there! What a way to end a pleasant morning walk.

We look at each other. Two heads are better than one. Yes, this was the spot, we are certain. There is a car parked next to where we thought we had parked our car and more cars are parked further along! We have parked in many public car parks during our travels through Europe and often for days at a time because once we arrive at our destination we usually take out our walking shoes to have a good look around.

Puzzled, we take a closer look at the signpost. We had moved our car to what we thought was a safer spot a day or two earlier and had neglected to observe that it was just inside the clear away for the markets which are held every Wednesday. Had we parked one spot over, all would have been fine!

We are disappointed. It looks like our day in Chianti is not going to happen. But more importantly, where is our car? We have a lot more of this country to see.

Ennio, our host is our saviour. One phone call to him and he tells us how we should go about finding our car. So after breakfast, we set out to the Polizia Municipale station which is luckily in walking distance from where we are staying.

With a mix of our limited Italian and English, we tell the officer at the desk of our predicament. He kindly berates us for not taking notice of the signage, collects the €41 fine and tells us where our car has been towed. The tow yard is on the outskirts of the city so we taxi out to collect our car. The tow yard manager is ready to make a buck too so we pay up the €110 towage fee so we can get on our way.

  • Tuscan vineyards

We are already on the outskirts of the city, so set our trusty GPS and off we go. We have plenty of time to hit the road for a slow drive through Chianti. A magnificent day is spent in the Tuscan countryside among the olive groves and vineyards, stopping at intervals wineries for a little wine-tasting and to marvel at the views, take a leisurely lunch and still be back in Sienna in time for pre-dinner cocktails and join the excitement in the city. There’s a concert at the Duomo tonight – X Factor star Marco Mengone is performing.

  • Tuscan countryside

Read more about taking a drive in the Chianti region here.

Sienna, Tuscany, Italy

07/05/2018 / / 3 Comments

We left the hustle and bustle of Florence for the quieter Tuscan city of Sienna. What a pleasant surprise.

Sienna is not a large city in comparison to Florence. It has its own uniqueness, the Old Town is a warren of alleyways with the beautiful Duomo with Donatelli and Michaelangelo sculptures and amazing frescoes, the Fort and the sloping main square, Piazza del Campo (suggested to be one of the loveliest in Italy) the main drawcards.

sienna piazza

We appreciated making the decision to stay a few days in Sienna as it provided an opportunity to relax, slow our travelling pace and immerse ourselves in the Tuscan countryside.

We had pre-booked our apartment in the Old Town and were rewarded with a beautiful modern apartment. Set on the top floor of a historic 15th-century building, it is in the pedestrian-only zone providing easy walking access to all the sights and when the day tourists disappeared the alleyways were ours to explore and we had an excellent opportunity to enjoy the local restaurants at our leisure.

sienna views
Views from the top of the tower

Buying a ticket and climbing the 474 or so steps up the Terre del Mangia tower in Piazza del Campo for sweeping views over the city and surrounding countryside was well worth the effort. Although not quite as high up, our apartment, however, provided equally captivating views across the city and further into the Tuscan countryside from its balcony. The only thing was that being a historic building, the apartment could only be accessed by walking up the 90-odd steps.

sienna balcony
The view of the Duomo from our apartment balcony.

Enchanted by the views and solitude we took the opportunity on our first night to enjoy an evening on the balcony with a bottle Tuscan wine accompanied by a variety of cheese followed a light dinner purchased from a restaurant down the street. The apartment has a fully equipped kitchen for cooking meals, as we sometimes tire of eating out every night when travelling.

Ennio, our host was very helpful, settling us into the apartment, explaining the area, directing us to the closest shops and advising of things to do in Sienna. For those travelling by car, there is a free public car park about 200 metres from the apartment. Just remember that Wednesday is “Market Day” and cars must vacate the certain areas of the car park the night before to accommodate the stalls.

Our recommendations for dinner and dessert:

  1. We enjoyed a beautiful Tuscan meal at Antica Tratorria Papei. A young pharmacist we met while staying in Genoa recommended we dine at this little restaurant located in a smaller piazza (Piazza Mercato) nestled behind Piazza del Campo.
  2. Our Sienna host, Ennio recommended a humble establishment a little way up the street from our apartment called Osteria Il Vinaio. There is no menu, just dishes of the day. Good, wholesome food.
  3. Make sure you save a little space for dessert. For some traditional Siennese delicacies, step into Bar Paticcerie Nannini and indulge yourself.

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