Venice/Florence Day 4: Goodbye Venice, Hello Florence!

On our last morning in Venice, we started the day with a walk to Café de Doge for one last cappuccino and crème-filled croissant. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the city.

After coffee, I was on a mission to find some accessories for my outfit (and what better souvenir than jewelry!) I ended up getting a cute necklace with matching earrings. We also picked up a print of Venice from a vendor stand. We’ve made it a tradition to collect a print from each city we visit to decorate our home.

Once our shopping was done, it was time to head back to the hotel and leave Venice in style—via a water taxi! I’m so glad we chose this over the public water bus. It was such a relief not to haul our luggage through the crowds and over the many bridges. Cruising along the canals, we got one last, beautiful look at Venice before being dropped off right at the train station.

This was our first time traveling on a high-speed train, so we were both excited and a little nervous. Luckily, I didn’t get motion sick, so that was a win! We arrived at the Firenze S. M. Novella station around 3:45 PM. It was drizzling, but since our hotel was only about 3/4 of a mile away, we decided to walk. Compared to Venice, it was a breeze without all those bridges—though I did miss the canals a bit!

After settling in, it was time to find food. With over 600 restaurants within 0.3 miles of our hotel, the options were overwhelming! After a bit of Googling and checking TripAdvisor, we decided on Osteria del Porcellino, a highly-rated spot just two minutes away.

A short walk later, we were seated outside. Jordan enjoyed a Merlot, while I sipped on whatever wine the owner brought me (they didn’t have Moscato). We started with gnocchi in a sausage gravy—exactly what we needed after a long travel day.

For our main course, we split the meatballs and chicken in a spicy harissa sauce. Everything was delicious! We finished off dinner with a chocolate cheesecake that was much lighter than what I’m used to, with a whipped texture instead of the dense cheesecake I typically expect. The owner even brought us out complimentary limoncello shots!

After dinner, we wandered around Florence, checking out a square near the Uffizi Gallery with some stunning architecture. We’ll be back tomorrow for a guided tour, so I’m excited to learn more about it. We’re also prepared for rainy days ahead, apparently it’s supposed to rain the entire time we’re here. Hopefully that’s not true!

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped for a nightcap at Bacca Matto—where they actually had Moscato! I’ll definitely be returning for that. Since we’d already had cheesecake, we skipped the gelato…but don’t worry, I’ll make up for it tomorrow!