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We only had one thing scheduled with the group today so that meant plenty of free time for our own discoveries. I was able to sleep in a little before meeting up with Barbie, Andie, Kaysie, and Kelsey to tackle the leather market. The girls were looking for bags and wallets and I was on the hunt for a pair of sandals. We spent the rest of the morning wandering through the different stalls and shops and tracking down the best deals in the city. Shopping helped us work up an appetite so we stopped for lunch. I had a wild boar ragu that was absolutely delicious!
On our way to meet up with the group, Kelsey and I went back to the wine shop we passed the day before on our walking tour. They offered tastings and had a great selection of wines to choose from. The sommelier was friendly and knowledgeable and was able to provide recommendations on the tasting. It was expensive to ship the wine home, but to me it was worth every penny to get to savor a taste of Italy back home with family and friends.
The group had an afternoon tour at the Uffizi Gallery. Second to the Louvre, this was the gallery I was looking forward to the most on this trip. We saw everything from Giotto to Botticelli to Da Vinci and Michelangelo. It was a surreal experience to see all of these famous influential works in person. The pictures simply do not do them justice.
Our guide Cynthia brought everything to life and had so much information to share with us. I was consistently impressed with the quality of local guides we had throughout this trip.
After our Uffizi tour we were free again for the rest of the evening. I went back to the hotel to rest for a little bit before joining tourmates Charlotte, Malia, Barbie, Andie, and Kaysie for dinner. We ended up at a restaurant called Simbiosi at the recommendation of our front desk clerk. The concept is simple; organic ingredients and fresh pasta. While I enjoyed all the pasta I ate in Italy, this one really stood out!
On our way back from dinner, we stopped for gelato. I had the Persian flavor, which was rosewater and pistachio. Yum!
It was time to rest up, the Eternal City was waiting for us tomorrow!
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