First Day in Italy

After  only a few hours sleep the first day in Italy is always exhausting and the best way to combat being tired is sun and food. It's a beautiful sunny day in Florence, 75F, and food is around every corner. 

We started our day with lunch in a little trattoria called del Barone on Via Borgo S. Lorenzo close to the Duomo. We had some great sandwiches that were inspiring and mouthwatering. First off they were some of the best crusty rolls that I've ever had, not like the soft rolls we eat in the US. The crust was crispy and inside soft. I had a sandwich with fried fennel sausage that they made right at the restaurant and were savory like a good sweet Italian sausage should be. The other sandwich we enjoyed was layered with pecorino cheese, grilled eggplant and tuscan ham (you can't get this in the US). It was a lunch made for a king.

After walking around for a few hours it was time for a snack and I could not resist buying some pastries at a cafe. One of my favorite Italian pastries growing up is Sfogliatelle which are shell-shaped filled pastries filled with Italian Cheese and candied fruit. What should my eyes behold but a Sfogliatelle filled with Nutella chocolate hazelnut cream. Think of a hundred layers of thin crust that crackle and melt in your mouth while oozing out a creamy chocolate center. They were pure decadence.