After two days of no real sleep, we all slept heavy. But, we had a busy day planned. We got up rested and enjoyed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel – flavored croissants, fresh fruit, and egg casseroles – and their selection of juices and cappuccinos. Good sleep, and a solid meal made us ready for a new day.

First stop was a skip the line tour of the Medici Chapels. It is a beautiful museum which includes the tombs of some of the most powerful members of the Medici family. The stone work and sarcophagi are incredibly detailed stone and metalwork. The design dates back to the mid-sixteenth century and the floor was finally finished in 1962. The family who essentially bankrolled much of the Renaissance definitely left a lasting picture of their wealth.

To continue our exploration of the Medici, the next stop was the Medici Palace to see how they lived. In short, there was a striking resemblance to what we saw when touring the inside of Buckingham Palace. I’m not a huge history buff, but I’m pretty sure that the Medici predate even Queen Elizabeth, so there must be some handbook on interior decor for European leaders.

Large portions of the Palace were designed by Michelangelo. There were sculptures, a courtyard, and candleholders among his designs. Maybe when you have one of the worlds most talented artists on retainer, you can do things like that. We even got to watch a small group was restoring blue in the some of the frescoes.

Chloe had planned a surprise for us. So we followed her a few blocks to a bronze fountain of a pig. You rib a coin on his snout, then put it in his mouth, and if it falls in a certain spot, you get good luck for a year. It was fun to do and to watch, but alas none of us should be buying any lottery tickets.

After leaving behind our bad news boar, we walked toward the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. Rather than cross the bridge right away we took a few pictures and headed to a restaurant for lunch. If you’re sending a pattern about food running the show, you wouldn’t be wrong.

We stopped at a small restaurant La Buchetta that we’d heard about from a friend. It was little place slightly away from the touristy path. The menu was handwritten and in Italian. Some of the walls were decorated with wine corks and others had slices of trees logs that were signed by guests. It was a very cool spot. I enjoy a cheese ravioli with a meat ragu. But to me it looked like ravioli covered in meat. It was awesome.

To work off our nice light lunch, we walked up a significant hill to Piazzale Michelangelo. I’m sure there is a long story about it’s history, but I would forget that part just because of the stunning view of the city. Elevated just enough, it offers a perfect perspective of all of Florence and the surrounding hills. Totally worth the walk.

From the overlook our next stop was back to our hotel to grab our bags and head to the train station for a regional line down to where we were spending the next couple nights.

The train was easy, although quite busy, so we were glad we were able to board early and get space together. Because it’s a regional line, it’s no frills. No AC and no reserved seats.

We were on the train roughly 90 minutes to Camuccia-Cortona to meet our driver, Yuri. He tossed our suitcases and the eight of us into his Sprinter and out through the countryside.

Our next few days will be spent at Villa La Valliana. An amazing Villa we found in Tuscany where we will have people making food and bringing us wine tastings. Sounds pretty great and it is already off to an amazing start on our first night. The tour was awesome and the owner, Cecilia, really knows how to take care of things.

We already know that the short time we have planned here won’t be enough, but we will certainly make the most of it. The sunset was a dead giveaway for how truly special this place is.