After a long day of touring and eating, we set off for our next destination: Florence. We arrived at the Plaza Hotel Lucchesi, checked in, and settled into our room, where we found a complimentary fruit platter.
I sampled a few grapes, and then we ventured out onto our balcony. Our balcony overlooked the Arno River, and we found the view just stunning. It inspired us to head out and check out Florence.
We tried to get into the Uffizi just before closing but couldn't find the entrance (I think the doors had already been shut and the signs taken down), so we changed the plan and decided we would try to get in first thing the next morning. Instead, we wandered around and walked across Ponte Vecchio (old bridge), which is lined with jewelry shops.
We passed the time just taking in the sights and streets in the city, and when it got late enough, we found our way to Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. One of my friends highly recommended this restaurant, so we emailed the concierge at our hotel a few days before and asked him to make a reservation for us. The little restaurant was hopping, so the reservation was a good idea.
Cinghiale bianco means white boar, and there was plenty of boar decor around the restaurant, including on the wine pitchers. We obviously had to order wine and ended up sharing the house white.
We whet our appetites with a platter of thinly sliced prosciutto and tender artichokes.
Then Jeff got pappardelle with wild boar ragu -- it was amazing. Pappardelle is one of my favorite pasta shapes; I love those wide, flat noodles.
I thought about getting something with white truffles because I could smell them all around me, but then I noticed the maccheroni alla chitarra and changed my mind (and figured I'd get truffles elsewhere). I'd always wanted to try this shape of pasta, which is created by pressing the sheets of pasta through a set of strings (like guitar strings). The pasta was simply accompanied by tomatoes, basil, and cheese, and I loved every bite.
For dessert we shared lemon sorbetto. It was so light and so creamy. Best lemon sorbetto of the whole trip... best lemon sorbetto ever.
We walked off our dinner by way of the Duomo, which we planned to go back and see the next day.
