[Sept. 2021] In Florence, Italy, we stayed at Hotel degli Orafi along the river Arno.
It seems to be a well-known hotel, and I just gave the name to the driver of the taxi which we got on from the station and that was enough.
It’s been 8 years since we came to Florence!
I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t come so long, as I felt familiar with the view from the taxi window.
Florence is the tourist city and it was already full of tourists now that the Covid regulations have been relaxed, and our taxi moved slowly almost at walking speeds.
However, in addition to Italian, I could only hear English, American, and German languages, and it can be said that there were no Asian tourists.
When we arrived at the hotel, it was still in the morning, but we were lucky to get into the room immediately.
We made a reservation by phone in advance for a room with a view on the river Arno.
Really, it was a wonderful view of the Ponte Vecchio right there.
That’s right, this hotel was apparently used as one of the locations of the 1985 film “A Room with a View”.
There was nothing surprising about the room, but when I opened the thing that was wrapped on the pillow, it was a T-shirt that we could use as our sleepwear.
This was a rare service.
In addition, this was actually my birthday trip, and I was surprised to receive a pink spumante gift from the hotel.
I didn’t expect it at all.
On the evening of our arrival, we had a cocktail at the rooftop bar, which should have a nice view.
The Bellini I drank was too light, but my husband’s Pina Colada, which I tasted a bit, was delicious.
The view wasn’t astonishing as it was already dark, but the illuminated Duomo was impressive.
The next morning, when I opened the window, the river Arno had turned into a mirror and the Ponte Vecchio’s reflection was nice and clear.
The view changes from moment to moment depending on the light and the state of the river, so you won’t get tired of seeing it.
The breakfast room of the hotel was a bit like a palace and looked great.
The building of this hotel has a history from the Middle Ages, and I don’t know if this was a medieval interior, but the atmosphere was perfect.
By the way, when we, who got used to the wild British life, entered the breakfast room without a face mask, we were turned away.
I liked their strict attitude to follow the rules.
As part of the measures against Covid, the breakfast was not the self-service, but we had to tell the person in charge what we wanted from the foods lined up at the counter.
There were a lot of hams and cheeses, so I asked for this and that.
Well, you can’t go on a diet when you come to Italy, can you.
