June 1st - 4th we spent on the French Riviera. Our apartment was in Cannes and overlooked the local port/marina, where there were yachts as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately it rained off and on most of our time there, but when the weather cleared up we spent as much time as possible outside by the water. We created our own pub crawl on our first day and explored all of the local shops. Our first French meal was at an amazing local creperie, but we ducked into several hidden restaurants on side streets and found that the less touristy places were the best.
Sadly, we did not run into any celebrities since we missed the Cannes Film Festival by a couple of weeks, but just being there was incredible and one of my favorite places thus far. We went on a day trip to Saint Tropez where the yachts are even larger and without a sweater tied around your neck you feel a little out of place. I preferred the more relaxed feel of Cannes where we could take a bottle of wine to the beach and watch the sunset peacefully.
On our way out of France and back to Italy, we passed through Nice and stopped in Monaco. After having lunch at a restaurant that overlooked the whole city, we visited the Monte Carlo Casino which makes even Vegas look a little lame.
As we got back into Italy we attempted a visit to Cinque Terre but decided to call it a day after seeing the first of the five cities and realizing they are not meant to be traveled to by car. Without any set plans for the evening, we drove to the nearest town and managed to get the only remaining hotel room available. Levanto, Italy is probably not a place you've ever heard of, but if you're looking for Italian culture you can definitely find it there! Although the town is even smaller than Cuero, we happened to be there during a festival so it was extremely lively. We walked around the center of town and explored the beach and all of the tents set up selling everything from street art to dried fruits. We had wine and amazing pizza as we listened to an Italian choir serenade as everyone enjoyed the festivities.
The next day we made our way Florence, making a short stop in Pisa where there really is not much other than the leaning tower. Unfortunately the same rain that has followed us everywhere on the trip so far found us again in Florence. It kept us inside for a few hours but we still managed to make it to dinner at Osteria del Gatto e la Volpe...a restaurant that was recommended to us and I would recommend to anyone else visiting Florence. I love Italian food and this place is literally the best.
During our short stay we still managed to visit the David replica, the Duomo, Santa Croce, Piazzale Michelangelo and Ponte Vecchio. Climbing the nearly 500 steps to the top of the Duomo was a little tough in this June heat, but well worth it for the view of the entire city. Another Florence favorite of mine was the love padlocks all over the Ponte Vecchio area which are put in place by lovers willing to lock their hearts together and throw away the key.
Oh and I almost forgot we ran into the Jersey Shore cast! The are currently filming their next season in Florence and while we were checking out the Duomo they walked right past us.
