Daytona Ramblings

Road Trip 2012 - Florence, Italy

6th September 2012 I will travel to Florence, Italy, via train and Ferrari Daytona. I plan to write a daily(ish) blog as we go.

The full set of photos is in the "Out n About" page below.

Button Text
  • Home
  • 2015 Motoring Events
  • 2014 Motoring Events
  • Ferrari Owners Club Concours
  • Goodwood Breakfast Club
  • Tours & Out n About
    • Road Trip Florence - The Blog
  • 2013 Motoring Events
  • Spa Classic 2013
  • 2012 Motoring Events
    • Re-Trim & Re-Furb
  • Supercar Run 2007
  • Odds and Ends

The Hotel and Florence

9/10/2012

0 Comments

 
I first saw details of the Hotel Villa San Michele some years ago. At that time, when I checked the prices I had no
idea that hotels could actually cost so much, I genuinely thought the website must be broken, but it became something of an ambition to visit. So, on our final Daytona tour (I did say "final" three years ago) there seemed no better place to head for. 

The hotel is situated on a hill directly overlooking Florence with stunning views. It was a 15th century monastery
and it is claimed the front of the hotel was designed by Michelangelo; it certainly looks old enough in places and the rooms are austere enough for a monk, except for the wide screen TV, I suppose. But all in all it is a very lovely hotel.

Florence is simply stunning, I had seen pictures of the Duomo and the famous red brick dome but I did not realise the whole exterior was made of green and white marble. It is an amazing sight. We spent a couple of hours in the Uffizi packed with iconic works of art by Leonardo de Vinci, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Giotto, Donatello, etc. etc. And tomorrow we have an appointment to see David (the Michelangelo David). Today we have an appointment with Gucci, Ferragamo, Prada, etc. etc.    
 
Cleaned the car last evening, was really quite grubby but looked really good afterwards (has to look it’s best for our impending visit to Maranello) and the collapsible bucket was a real success.
 
There have been some nice cars in the car park and in particular a fabulous Bentley Continental Convertible (1 of 11). I have just been chatting to the owner; he has driven from England via Andorra to Monza for F1. After leaving here he is driving down to Rome, over to Capri and then back to England. What an amazing trip in an amazing car. As we left the hotel this morning someone had attached a note to his windscreen complimenting the car and offering to buy it, cost no object. Don’t know if the note writer knew it might be the best part of a million quid, give or take. But it is that sort of hotel!
 
Highlights of the past two days:
Yesterday - Toss-up between using my collapsible bucket and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. 
Today - Bentley Continental Convertible & Daytona side by side with a Florence backdrop.

 Lowlights of the past two days: Really struggling to find any......did have a cold cup of coffee in a street cafe today. That’s about it.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    KP's third and last trip in the Daytona to Italy. Would love to hear your thoughts or comments along the way.

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.