Even though my parents were here, I still had to be a student. While I went to class, my parents did all the 'touristy' things around town like visit the Duomo and Santa Croce. After class, I met my parents for lunch at this random outdoor restaurant that had an accordion player outside. My mom and I were serious about getting salads for lunch to try to be healthy, but as soon as we started reading the menu, we ordered salads AND pasta. We just couldn't resist. We then walked around and I showed my parents some places they probably wouldn't go on their own, like the San Lorenzo market, where we bought a few gifts, walked the Ponte Vecchio, and hiked to the top of Piazzale Michelangelo for the best view of the city. It was a nice afternoon.
That night we had a big dinner with all my friends and my parents. We went to Acqua al Due, which is a famous restaurant in Florence that was recommended by a lot of people. It was a lot of fun and we had great food. We ordered a 'pasta sampler' which included five different pastas on the menu for everyone to share. It was so good. Then we all got a 'secondi piatti' which is usually a meat. We had heard that the blueberry steak was the best thing on the menu, so my mom ordered that and it was actually extremely good, even though I don't like blueberries at all. I ordered the balsamic steak which was unbelievable. Then we all headed out to one of our favorite bar called Kikuya, where we all had beers or dragoons, maybe one too many for my dad, but still a great time. We then ventured to the secret bakery, because my parents couldn't go the entire trip without a visit to this famous spot. It didn't disappoint. All in all it was a really fun night.
On Tuesday night, my parents and I went out to dinner at ZaZa, a great restaurant right by the San Lorenzo market. I had never been there so I didn't know what to expect, but it was great! We sat inside and the decor was really cool. There were a few rooms and each room was decorated differently.
The next day, Chelsea, my parents, and I went to the Chianti region of Tuscany and visited the vineyard of Principe Corsini. Our tour guide brought us around the vineyard and explained the process of making wine, olive oil, and grappa. The grounds of this vineyard could not have been prettier. The house was situated on a hill, and the garden overlooked the hills of the entire vineyard. It was so pretty.
We got to see the barrels with the aging wine and olive oil and the drying grapes. It was really cool, and at the end of the tour, we were able to try a few different types of wine, olive oil, and some prosciutto and salami. It felt like we were getting the star treatment. After we finished our vineyard tour, we went to the center of the Chianti region to a town called Greve. We had some cappuccinos and pastries and explored some of the stores. It was a really fun afternoon. That night we went out to Pizzaiuolo, which is a famous pizzeria in Florence that serves Naples-style pizza.
The next night, I had a soccer game. A bunch of students from my school got together and played some pick up soccer games for two hours. My parents came to watch, and I'm sure my dad was enjoying watching soccer when he was missing a big tournament of Samantha's at home. After the game that night, we ordered a bunch of pizzas and got a few bottles of wine and ate dinner as a big group at my apartment, including Will, Chelsea's boyfriend who was visiting for a few days. It was really fun to sit around and talk and we had a good time.
On Thursday, I took my parents to the same restaurant that Lino took me to when he came to visit for some Florentine steak. It was, as usual, delicious. We then met the rest of the group at a Scottish pub to watch the Yankee game. We then realized we locked ourselves out of our apartment, so I ended up staying with my parents that night and had a hearty breakfast before class, while everyone else in my apartment slept at the girls' apartment next store and waited for the landlord to come to open the door. It was an eventful evening to say the least. Next up: Venice!
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