OMG, so sorry for the delay in posting. My kids start school at the end of August so of course everything I have been begging them to do the whole summer they decide they want to do it all now and hang out with all of their friends. Even the baby has been having playdates!!!
Anyways, this was the day of our day trip and it was my very favorite day of our trip. I mentioned before how much I love the big cheesy tours with the big bus and hoards of people well I must admit Dan was right. Going on a private tour was amazing! We had originally booked a private tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast with the max people being 6, but this got cancelled the week before we were suppose to leave. I was really sad because I loved Pompeii last time we went and now they had new findings I wanted to see, but I also knew the risk of cancellation with the pandemic and not a lot of tourists so I could only be disappointed and not mad. I was also grateful they cancelled a week before and not the night before so we could look for something else. Dan right away went looking for a new tour and he found one to Florence and Pisa, we had been to Florence before but not Pisa so we booked it. We both swore not to get sad if it got cancelled since it was so last minute but I knew Dan was excited and I was cautious on getting excited.
The tour company had been in touch with Dan and confirmed we were still all good and the day before our tour guide called our hotel to confirm they were picking us up at 6:45am. Since this was the first private day trip we had taken where they picked us up at the hotel I thought that was really nice of them. This also alerted the hotel we wouldn’t be there for breakfast and since we had already paid for our hotel and breakfast was included they told us they would pack us a breakfast picnic! Wow! I never even knew that was a thing! I was so worried I was going to be hungry because breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and I love a good coffee but here they were going to provide us with a small meal and coffee! Ahhh! I was so excited the night before and even Dan said “finally, you are excited.” I didn’t want to be disappointed so I tried not to be excited but with them confirming and calling our hotel I was so relieved that I could look forward to the day trip.
They picked us up right on time and it ended up being only me and Dan!! AHHHH, I was so grateful right off the bat that they didn’t cancel and couldn’t believe no one else was joining us. Our tour guide Giovanni and our driver Roberto were AMAZING!! I cannot say enough nice things about them. Giovanni provided so much knowledge and tidbits and was just so much fun! Roberto was always punctual everywhere and I loved that with both of them they were always where they said they were going to be, I never had to look for them or worry I might be left behind. It was incredible to have them show us these cities.
Ok, so back to the beginning, they pick us up, they let us eat our breakfast in the car which was a croissant, some cookies, cheese and the hotel gave us a to go coffee, water bottles, and juice (loved this) and we had a 2 hour drive to our first stop which was a gas station that sold coffee and pastries. I really liked this stop and it reminded of our day trip to Pompeii which was very similar so I think all rest stops are gas stations with a coffee shop and pastries. Anyways, after this we had one more bathroom break before we got to Pisa which was really smart because once there the line to the bathroom was long.
We get to the Pisa area and our tour guide goes in to get tickets while we take some pictures and wait for him. A couple of minutes later he comes out and we go into the church there and look around and then he lets us take some pictures of the Pisa. He told us where to meet him and he let us walk around for 30 min and gift shop and take as many pictures to our hearts content. It is funny because I used to hate getting the cheesy souvenirs like the t-shirts and the ridiculous magnets and toys but my kids LOVE them! I can’t blame them because I can see their appeal with the bright colors and cute characters so I got the 2 youngest ones a Snoopy t-shirt with Snoopy holding up the Pisa (they have been wearing these shirts at least twice a week, they just love them so much for some reason lolol,) and my oldest a pin of the Pisa he can put on his baseball caps.
After we saw the Pisa, we met up Giovanni and Roberto and the drive to Florence began. It was really close and we parked and ate lunch at a yummy restaurant. After we had lunch we got to check out the famous leather market in Florence. I bought a couple of scarves for me and my mom and more pins for my oldest.
We then met up with a local guide and we set off to the Accademia Gallery. I was really excited to see the Michelangelo’s David again and couldn’t believe how empty it was inside! I was really excited since we were with tour guides it was super fast to get tickets and we got to skip the line outside.
It was as beautiful and magnificent as I remembered! After our tour guide explained some things about what was inside and told us the history and stories, him and Giovanni gave us about 20 min to freely roam inside and take more pictures. I really loved how much time they gave us to see places and loved that along with a private tour they also took some great pictures of us!
We then walked to Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore and took lots of pictures in front. Dan and I were lucky and went inside last time and walked up so it wasn’t a priority to go up again and enjoyed just see it from the outside and learning its history.
After that we walked to the Palazzo Vecchio and saw more beautiful sculptures and Dan was in heaven! He just loves sculptures so again after some talking and learning with the tour guides they let us walk around and take more pictures. To get inside this little gallery we had to get our temperature taken and masks were required. The line was short only 3 people in front of us and it was so nice to see everything up close.
Afterwards we got some gelato and said goodbye to our Florence tour guide and Giovanni walked us back to meet up with Roberto. After our busy morning it felt like heaven to sit in an AC car lolol.
We made one final stop to see the beautiful view of Florence one last time and then we got driven back to Rome. It was all so beautiful and a wonderful tour. I did not think I would like it just being me and Dan but with the times we are in now I really enjoyed myself.
Adventures of Janet 