Bob and Ann in Italy 2011

We got up real early in Campitello so that we would have time to get our rental car back to Florence before the Hertz office closed. It was Sunday, so all the rental car agencies shut their doors at 1:00. We were fortunate that the hotel opened the breakfast buffet at 6:00 for us. We ate a good meal.

Ann and I were on the road before 7:00. It seemed that we went downhill for over an hour through a narrow valley with mountains on each side. We eventually left the Dolomites behind and entered a vast agricultural plain. It was here where we entered the autostrada.

Our Fiat Panda can fly. I kept the speed at 140 kph most of the way. Even at that speed we were passed by lots of bigger cars. We made one pit stop on the way to Florence and still beat (GPS) Jack’s estimated arrival time by 45 minutes. Arriving in the city streets of Florence, we tried three gas stations to fill up the tank before we figured out how to use the self-service pumps. They didn’t like our credit card, so we finally used cash.

Jack got us to our hotel on a direct route through narrow city “streets” where we encountered hundreds of tourists walking along not paying attention to the traffic. To be fair, these streets are restricted to cars with permits (which we didn’t have) but are open to all traffic on Sunday. We didn’t know that until we got to the hotel and talked to Massimo, the main man at the front desk.

We unloaded our bags at Hotel Silla and then drove to the Hertz office. The car passed inspection with no extra charges. That made us happy so we celebrated by having lunch at Trattoria 13 Gobbi, a four-peat eatery that we discovered a few years ago. We shared some bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and anchovies. Ann had rigatoni pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. I had flat pasta with fresh mushrooms.

Ann, Jeff and Chloe in Piazza della Signoria - Cosimo Medici in the Background

Back at the hotel, we unpacked and relaxed. Jeff called and told us his logistics. His group was having a late dinner near Palazzo Vecchio. We decided to get some take out food at a super market. Then we met him and Chloe as they sat down for dinner after 8:00. After chatting for a bit, Ann and I walked to Perchè No! for gelato and went back to our hotel.