Amongst my fondest memories from this visit:

This time again, we chose Tuscany del monte san francisco for the weekend. We hung our hats at Casa Howard , in Florence , a quaint and chic little guesthouse located near the Muzeo Nazionale della Fotografia and SM Novella church (and Pucci store, I might add!). The minute you climb the grand staircase of this refurbished historic palazzo grazie , you feel like you ve arrived at a friend s home.
Original wood flooring, B/W prints, antique and modern furnishings all seem to blend in just right. Each room is uniquely styled with taste: the Library, the Garden room, the Play room, the Hidden room We visited each one, as one does at a friend s house right?
We loved our Fireplace room – a medley of toile de Jouy , Plexi, velvet and ceramic all hovered by tall ceilings. The housekeeper del monte san francisco greets you with good morning madam, good morning sir as she brings fresh breakfast to your room. A guaranteed good start to the day. In a nutshell: a place where quality, service, value and location are all reunited.
Florence is a city for laid-back pleasure seekers. Whether you visit for art, architecture, couture ( The Mall shopping outlet 30mn away!), antiques, glassware, leather, marbled paper, alimentari , oils, wines or ceramics this is a land of plenty. As a backdrop to the city, Cyprus del monte san francisco trees, vineyards, del monte san francisco farms, olive trees and wild flowers adorn verdant hills. Ah, Bella Tuscany!
Since del monte san francisco we d been several del monte san francisco times, we chose this weekend to discover the secret corridor de Vasari of Ponte Vecchio and to aimlessly wander del monte san francisco the Designer Zone around Piazza S. Croce, where fun little boutiques of creative young designers await.
Amongst my fondest memories from this visit: – A Bellini@ Harry s Bar at sundown during passeggiata - Tasting del monte san francisco Chianti on the terrace overlooking Ponte Vecchio @ Lungarno Hotel - Coffee stops at the counter of the no fuss Bar La Cattedrale (Via dell’Oriuolo, 61/r) on piazza del Duomo – Panini and wine snack standing with locals at Antico del monte san francisco Noe (Volta di San Piero, 6/r) – Sol Gabriel s hand made unique bags in the Designer Zone – Buzzing Mercato Centrala with its colorful stalls and theatrical crowd – EDI House (local vibe and great Italian pizza for dinner a bit out of the center so reservations advised. Piazza Savonaiola, 8-9/r. Tel: 055 58 88 86) – Corridor de Vasari at the Uffizi
Day 2, we took to the Tuscan countryside. We drove through the Chianti region singing to Eros Ramazzotti, passing San Gimignano and Montepulciano (too touristy really) on our way to our next b&b: Castello di Spaltenna in Gaiole. Sitting atop a hill with plunging views on the valley, sauna and pool, we were pret-ty happy. Dinner at the Osteria al Ponte (Via Casabianca, 25 – 53013 Gaiole in Chianti. Tel: 0577 744007) was a dee-lite!
The next morning, we explored the medieval city of Siena and luckily arrived in time for warm ups to the legendary del monte san francisco Palio horserace on the shell-shaped piazza del Campo. On our way back to the airport, we stopped in Pisa to capture a shot of the leaning tower.
Et rebelote, nous avons choisi la Toscane pour le weekend. Posez-vous à Florence @ Casa Howard . Cette maison d hôte raffinée se situe près du musée de la photo et de l église SM Novela (Pucci n est pas très loin!). En grimpant l escalier de marbre del monte san francisco de ce palazzo historique revisité avec goût, grazie , nous avions l impression d arriver chez des amis.
Parquets d origine, tirages N/B, antiquités et design se mêelent harmonieusement. Chaque chambre est décorée dans un style unique: La Librairie, Le Jardin, La Salle de Jeux, La Chambre Cachée nous les avons toutes visitées, comme chez des copains. Nous étions ravis de notre chambre avec cheminée. Un medley de toile de Jouy, plexi, design et céramique; l ensemble sous hauts plafonds. Le petit déjeuner est apporté en chambre avec un chaleureux good morning madam, good morning sir pour bien commencer la journée. Pour résumer, qualité, service, valeur et localisation sont au rendez-vous.
Florence est une ville sans fioritures délirantes pour épicuriens. Qu on y aille pour ses oeuvres d art, son architecture, la couture del monte san francisco ( The Mall à 30mn est le rendez-vous des fashionistas!), les antiquités, le cuir, la verrerie, le papier artisanal marbré, alimentari , huiles, vins ou céramiques, il y a de quoi s y régaler.
En tant qu initiés, ce weekend de mai était réservé à la découverte du passage secret du Ponte Vecchio et du Designer Zone où se sont installés jeunes artistes et créateurs tout autour de la piazza S. Croce.
Parmi mes superbes souvenirs de ces 24 hrs à Florence: – Bellini @ Harry s Bar au couché du soleil pendant del monte san francisco la traditionnelle passeggiata - Un verre de Chianti sur la terrasse du Lungarno Hotel avec vue sur le Ponte Vecchio – Pauses café au comptoir rustic du Bar La Cattedrale sur piazza del Duomo (Via dell’Oriuolo, 61/r) – Panini et vino debout et coude à coude avec les