Day 21 Orvieto then Florence and ALOT of gelato!

We had a nice little breakfast in our hotel this morning before setting out to enjoy the town of Orvieto for a few hours before setting off on our train to Florence. The Duomo in Orvieto is truly awesome!  See the pictures. The striped stone is striking and the art is really spectacular!  The San Brizio Chapel with frescoes by Luca Signorelli are almost as good as it gets. Michelangelo studied these frescoes a lot before painting the Sistine Chapel and you can tell. The twisting bodies and the musculature were obviously a model for him. The frescoes really tell a story!  We stood there and stared for quite a while just to take it all in!  After that we went to the Museum of the Duomo next door and saw some nice things that used to be in the Duomo but are now there for tourists to appreciate better. After that we walked around and saw some spectacular scenery from atop the plateau that Orvieto sits on. That's a great city!  Very livable!  When we got done, we grabbed our suitcases and took the funicular down to the train station. We knew we were a little late for our train to Florence but if we rushed we could possibly make it, otherwise we would have to wait for 90 minutes. We decided not to rush, if it works out great, if not, we wait, no biggie. We got there later than the train was supposed to leave, but we lucked out and the train was still there!  LUCKY DAY!  So we bought tickets and hopped on, perfect timing!!  We got to Florence at a reasonable time, around 3:00, took a bus to the other side of the Arno river and made the short walk to our Florence apartment!  It's really cute!  It's laid out so economically!  It's not big, but it could definitely handle 4 people. Only issue would be the one bathroom is in the bedroom. But, it's just us 2, so it's perfect!!!  I haven't been to Florence in 10 years, but I still remembered right where I was going for our evening passagiata and even found the place that had my favorite gelato without a problem!  We got a gelato before dinner, walked for almost 90 minutes just window shopping, people watching and enjoying this amazing city!  We finished our walk at a restaurant about 10 minutes from our apartment off of Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno that I have been to each time I've been to Florence. It's an inexpensive place that is supposed to be like Italian home cooking!  It's not the best restaurant in the city by any means, but everything they make is VERY good!  It's a winner every time!  We started with our usual Bruschetta. But then, because we are in Tuscany now, we both had my favorite thing in Italy, Ribollita!  We make it at our store, and I learned how to make it because I love it so much I had to have it more regularly than just when I come here!  When we make it, come get it, because it's the best soup ever!  It was amazing, such comfort food!  It's very filling though, so we split one main dish. Our waiter recommended a filet mignon. He said it was like butter. He asked how we want it cooked and we said however you usually serve it. It came out very rare!  I would never get that in America, if a steak comes under dome at home, it's chewy and rubbery. But the meat is so good and fresh here, it was tender, juicy and fantastic!  We loved it!  Another thing I've learned about Italy, but Tuscany in general, they have the best roasted potatoes!!  I know what you're thinking, what can be so good about roasted potatoes that you'd waste time talking about them in a blog!  These potatoes were possibly the best I've ever had!  They are crispy, herbaceous, creamy and just perfect!  What a great meal!  And a half bottle of house red wine that was excellent for 4 euro!!  2 nice glasses each!  You can't beat that!  After dinner we went for a nice little walk and then headed to the grocery store for some water and apple juice for tomorrow, remember, those are two staples for traveling in Europe!  2 euro for a liter of apple juice AND 1.5 liters of bottled water!!  After that we were heading home and happened to pass a gelato shop that had the kind of gelato setup that I KNOW means it's homemade and special!  I won't just stop anywhere for gelato, there's a lot of crap here!  But this I knew was gonna be amazing. I wasn't disappointed!  I have a new favorite gelato shop now and it's about a block from our apartment!  THATS TROUBLE FOR ME!!  LOL. Now we are home doing laundry with full bellies and big smiles on our faces!  It's so great to be in Florence!!  One of the best food cities I've been to and a city that has way more sights than a city it's size should have!!  If you haven't been here, COME HERE!!  I'll help you plan it!!  Have a great day, we are gonna enjoy our food comas and then drift to sleep!!  😃. We love you all!!!!