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Florence, Italy: August 30, 2013
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Our last full day in Florence started off with a bang with hotel breakfast, accompanied by our usual visitors, the bees! Our agenda for the day would be to explore the Boboli Gardens and Palazzo Pitti.
Alyssa and I had pre-bought vouchers for the Boboli Gardens, and it took our group of 8 two separate taxi cabs to get there. When the driver dropped us off at a rather obscure entrance, the woman at the entrance told Alyssa and me to walk about 5 minutes to actually get redeem our vouchers. We left Berni, Jay, and Jacques behind at that entrance to go search for where we needed to be.
After asking several stores for directions, we arrived at the ticket booth for both the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Alyssa redeemed our vouchers and also bought tickets for Palazzo Pitti. On our way out, we ran into Mikey, Desiree, and Chloe, who had gone in a separate taxi. They purchased their tickets as well, and then we thought about going back to find the other three. This is exactly when a working cell phone would’ve come in handy! 😉 As luck would have it, Berni, Jay, and Jacques rounded the corner and we waited while they bought their tickets.
Our group decided to hit the Boboli gardens first, since it wasn’t yet the hottest time of the day. We entered the gardens through the Palazzo Pitti and were immediately confronted with a beautiful view of the top of the duomo and bell tower. We stopped frequently to take pictures and admire the immaculate beauty of the gardens as we slowly climbed upward. Every stopping point turned out to be an even better view of the city. 
It was starting to get very hot, so Mikey, Desiree, and Chloe took a rest in the shade as the rest of us trekked on and explored the different paths of the garden. It was endless! On a side note, I had done some research on the Boboli Gardens after the trip and realized we had only seen probably 1/4 of the grounds!
We were all in dire need of a snack and cold water, so we hit the cafe near the entrance of the palazzo before heading inside the actual palazzo. I ordered a rather sandwich and a kir royale and it hit the spot! We relaxed for a bit and then made our way to the entrance of the palazzo.
The art collections inside the palazzo were breathtaking! I couldn’t believe that we were standing and walking around in a building in which the Grand Duchy of Tuscany lived in te 1500’s. No pictures were allowed inside, so it’s hard to describe the endless amounts of art and rooms. After about an hour exploring the giant palace, we decided that were in need of some gelato, stat!
Luckily, we didn’t have to wander too far outside of the palace to find some gelato. It seemed extra crowded on the streets as we made our way to the San Lorenzo outdoor market in search of leather goods and souvenir. Our group split up, with the agreement that we would meet at the hotel, and Alyssa and I did some shopping for leather purses. She ended up buying three purses for herself and one for a friend. I also found a cute crossbody bag that I’d been in desperate need of. I knew that since we were headed to Rome, it’d be ideal to have a purse that actually zipped up due to the pickpockets. We also came across a Brandy Melville store, so of course we had to go in there! A few purchases later, and Alyssa and I were ready to head back to the hotel. We ended up running into the rest of our group, so we waited in the taxi stand line with them.
I had my hopes set on a nap, but once we got back to the hotel and passed by the pool, we noticed it was empty! We quickly changed and headed down to get some sun and relaxation. Upon our immediate arrival, a pool attendant handed us towels and a menu. Bottle of chilled, white wine…sure, why not? Eventually, Jay, Jacques, and Berni joined us, as well as Desiree and Chloe. While the kids splashed around and played in the pool, I sipped on wine, admired the stunning views, and soaked up the sun.
All too soon, it was time to head to our rooms to get ready for dinner. Based on a recommendation from a friend, Berni had made reservations for our last dinner in Florence at Il Latini restaurant. Alyssa and I quickly got ready, met up with everyone in the lobby, and ordered our taxi cabs. 
We got dropped off around the corner from the restaurant, and right when I saw it, I noticed a mob of people waiting to get in. Always a good sign! Luckily, since we had our reservations, we didn’t have to wait for a table. We sat down and the first thing I noticed was that we weren’t provided menus. The waiter simply asked us what we wanted: antipasti, wine, pasta, meat, dessert, and we said yes to all of it. I was so nervous about how much the bill would be and silently prayed that there was an ATM nearby. I passed on the pate, but ate almost every other item put in front of me. I was stuffed by the time our bill came!
The waiter brought us our bill, and at first glance, we all thought it said 97 euros. That seemed impossible!! Were our eyes deceiving us? Had we drank too much wine? What was going on?? We left the 97 euros on the table and proceeded to leave. But wait! The waiter brought us back, saying no, it was 270 euros! That’s still not a bad price, 30 euros each, but it took us about ten minutes to figure out how much everyone had originally put in and how much we all owed still. Recommendation: definitely don’t drink too much vino before doing math! 
Our final night with the rest of our group came to a close, as well as our time in Florence. I can’t wait to visit again one day! 
