We had so much fun exploring San Croce that we decided to do another church the next day. We struck out in the opposite direction toward Santa Maria Novella.

Cantinetta Antorini

But first – we stopped for lunch at a restaurant recommended in the guidebooks for being in a palazzo and having good wine – sounded good to us! It turns out that the restaurant is owned by the Antorini family, which is famous for its wines – and they actually still live in the palazzo. We had a wonderful lunch with fabulous “house” wine.

Santa Maria Novella

Next up – Santa Maria Novella church. I didn’t take pictures inside San Croce because I was so absorbed in the moment, so I made up for it at Santa Maria Novella. As you can see, it is stunning. We have become art nerds since being here and follow the artists around almost like rock stars, viewing their works. So today we were super excited to see Donatello, Lippi, Brunelleschi (our fave), and Vasari – names we didn’t really know too much about this time last month.

The Cat & the Fox

And finally, we ended the day at a place that is absolutely perfect for us – il Gatto e la Volpe – The Cat and the Fox. My initials are CAT (and everyone at work calls me CAT).  Frank’s last name is Volpe, which means fox in Italian. So it was like the restaurant was created for us! It was a fun and lively place full of art students and even a monsignor sitting at the bar. It is on our list to go back.

Next up – we are taking a little road trip and heading south to Naples for a few days. Stay tuned . . . .