The $4M Inspirato Pass museum house in downtown Florence, Italy
In the latest episode of our 2022 Florence, Italy travel vlog, we're taking you on a full walking tour of Central Market (Mercato Centrale) Ponte Vecchio bridge, Uffizi Gallery, Sant'Ambrogio Market, and of course, our multi-million-dollar museum-worthy house in the heart of the city.
And since we're always good for an authentic food tour experience, we're buying all the ingredients to cook an incredible Florentine meal in the commercial-quality kitchen of this massive villa.
Contents
0:00 Introduction
0:22 Arriving in Florence
0:38 Central Market (Mercato Centrale)
2:06 Florence Walking Tour
2:24 Il Duomo
2:59 Uffizi Gallery
3:42 Ponte Vecchio
4:02 Iginio Massari
4:40 Sant'Ambrogio Market
5:41 Biscotti
6:14 Inspirato Pass Home Tour (Lusso Moderno)
11:23 Making Pici Carbonara at Home
12:49 Lorenzo Villoresi
14:22 Mozzafiato
Full Transcript
Phil:
Forbes has ranked it the most beautiful city in the world, but to truly comprehend the appeal of Florence, or Firenze, you'll need to live like a local. And that means shunning hotels in favor of a museum-worthy house in the center of town, or Centro Città to locals, and then visiting the local markets in search of the perfect ingredients to make an authentic Florentine meal, Pasto Fiorentina.
Erin:
So excited to be back in Florence. We were here three months ago for only one day, and we knew we had to come back and spend a full week in Florence. But we are starving, so we are going to hit the town and find some delicious Italian food.
Mercato Centrale, Florence, Italy
Erin:
Since we are so hungry, we are going where all the food is, the Central Market. They call it Mercato Centrale, and I'm butchering how to pronounce it. So we're going to find lots of food and pick our favorites and our first meal in Florence with-
Amanda:
Hi!
Erin:
... our bestie. Amanda is traveling with us and she is our best friend.
Amanda:
Yay.
Erin:
So we're going to have a little adventure.
Erin:
You're going to find a ton of vendors here so take your pick. We saw some soup dumplings and, of course, tons of pasta and cheese and bread and wine, which we're going to get a bottle of.
Colt:
It has a bitter aftertaste.
Erin:
So I ended up choosing truffle tapas, which is bread with a truffle spread on top, like huge truffles. And then this is cheese with sun dried tomato, and then little shaved truffle on top. We also got a little charcuterie plate with some cheese and prosciutto, salami, and, of course, bread and olive oil.
Phil:
Cheers.
Erin:
Cheers, love.
Erin:
You're not going to believe this, but we have been sitting here eating this food and drinking this wine for about two hours now. It's time to get out of here.
Phil:
Widely considered the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence is a city that's easy to love. And no one feels that bond more than its natives. Over half a millennium spent at the forefront of world culture will have that effect on the people who have lived through it. Everywhere you walk, you're confronted with familiar sites, even if you've never been here.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Il Duomo)
Phil:
The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, known as "Il Duomo" to locals, is quintessential Florence, with its storied history and its home and record books for having the largest brick dome ever built. Taking well in excess of a century to complete, the building's design and construction required the expertise of several of the period's most capable architects. One of them was Andrea del Verrocchio, a mentor to a very young Leonardo da Vinci. Tasked with placing a bronze ball and cross on the top of the dome, Verrocchio's enormous feat challenged the engineering and architecture of the time and helped propel Leonardo's interest in engineering, design, and machines.
Uffizi Gallery
Phil:
Just down the road from Il Duomo is one of the most important museums on Earth, the Uffizi Gallery. It's home to at least a dozen masterworks you probably already know, and around a hundred thousand that you probably don't. It was completed in 1581 at the urging of the Medici family with the donation of their private art collections to the city of Florence.
Phil:
Come for a few hours, but good luck pulling yourself away before the 6:30 PM closing time, even if you do show up first thing in the morning. Since you can get within inches of many of these masterworks, you'll feel as though you're standing next to the master themselves: Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rembrandt, and enough others to make you want to cancel your flight back home so that you can live within this energy indefinitely.
Ponte Vecchio
Phil:
Before heading back to the local life, you'll want to take at least a short stroll through Ponte Vecchio, Italian for "old bridge," and for obvious reasons. Originally built in Roman times, it was rebuilt after a flood in 1345. During World War II, the Ponte Vecchio was the only Florentine span across the Arno River that was spared from destruction by the retreating German army.
Iginio Massari pasticceria in Florence
Phil:
All of this walking will work up your appetite, but since it's not dinnertime yet, there are sweeter ways to restore your energy. One of our very good friends just opened a new pastry cafe right here in the heart of Florence, and we've got to check it out. It's called Iginio Massari.
Phil:
Shops like this are called pasticcerias and they are uniquely Italian. Coffee, cakes, chocolates, and candies that shadow anything you'll find elsewhere, in an atmosphere that's part mid-century-
Phil:
Oh, wow.
Phil:
... part museum, and 100% Florentine. You can have an incredibly stylish rendezvous in the cafe or take a few treats to go.
Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio, Florence, Italy
Erin:
Let's get around and go to the market.
Erin:
There is a market only two blocks from the villa, so we are going to get some ingredients and we're going to make some dinner at home tonight because our best friend, Amanda, is a phenomenal cook. She's going to whip up something special. And of course, Italian. This market is called Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio.
Phil:
Somewhat smaller and less famous than its Central Market counterpart, what Sant'Ambrogio lacks in volume, it makes up for in authenticity. It's the place where all locals go to acquire the perfect ingredients to make the perfect meal at home. We'll shop elsewhere for the requisite bottles of wine, but with a large selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, pastries, meat, seafood, and cheese, it's the kind of place we can only dream of having in the States.
Erin:
Pici is my favorite ever since our last trip here. That's what we're going to have tonight.
Phil:
But no Italian dinner would be complete without dessert. And no dessert is more universally Italian than biscotti.
Erin:
We are here to get some cookies. These cookies are insane. We had a little sample yesterday while we were walking by and we've got to have some for tonight.
Phil:
This is all biscotti, but in the United States, we consider biscotti just the things that look like this that people have with their coffee. Here, it just means cookie. Just like in, I think, the U.K., they call them biscuits instead of cookies, Here, it's every kind of cookie. And we just know the one kind.
Inspirato Pass luxury home in Florence, Italy
Erin:
I'm going to show you around our villa in Florence for the week. This is Lusso Moderno, which means "luxury modern." It's exactly that.
Erin:
This is the entrance, and Brooklyn is having an art class right here in the entrance. She really loves art, so we try to get her art lessons when we travel as much as possible, and what better place than Florence.
Erin:
We go right into the movie room, and this is a projector screen here. These sofas and the two chairs there are so comfortable. So we'll just have like a glass of wine and sit and hang out and talk all night.
Erin:
Just a little hallway with powder room. And this is the main great room, and it feels like a modern art museum. And look at this table. These chairs are so comfy. Long, skinny table we're going to have dinner on tonight. We're going to be making dinner in the villa, so stay tuned for that.
Erin:
The home is owned by a successful architect, and you can really tell when you see things like the atrium in the middle of the great room and the winding staircase with these bars; it adds a really cool feature.
Erin:
This fireplace is really cool. We haven't had to use it yet because the weather's been pretty perfect. And then we have this elevator, which is not for people. It's just for sending your luggage up and down.
Erin:
Big elegant living room with multiple seating areas and so much cool art. I mean, I feel like I'm in a museum and I'm walking around and I'm looking at different exhibits with each room we go into. And gorgeous views of the garden. We love this garden because you forget that you're in Florence. You think that you're in your own little oasis.
Erin:
If you love to cook, you're going to love this kitchen because it is truly a professional's kitchen. And look, we have our favorite home chef.
Amanda:
Hi! I'm making us some grappa.
Phil:
Woohoo!
Erin:
Ooh, yummy.
Erin:
This is like a serious industrial kitchen for any chef. Eight burners and five deep fryers. And I don't know, like one, two, three ovens? Something like that? But you know, what is funny? Is it has a microwave. And I'm going to tell you why I'm surprised there's a microwave because almost every Italian has told us that Italians don't have microwaves. Except this house.
Erin:
All right.
Amanda:
Are we ready?
Erin:
Grappo, grappa? Grappo?
Amanda:
Woo! Grappa.
Erin:
Grappa shots on the rooftop.
Erin:
Cute little patio here, which is actually right outside the master, and we're going to show you that in a little bit. But first the upper, upper roof because this isn't it.
Erin:
Here we are on the top of Florence. At least the rooftop of Florence.
Phil:
Okay. Alla salute!
Erin:
Alla salute!
Amanda:
Alla salute!
Erin:
Oh, I like that.
Phil:
It really warms you up. It's one of those.
Amanda:
Yes, it is.
Phil:
Okay.
Erin:
One more!
Phil:
Cin cin!
Erin:
Nothing better than traveling with people you love.
Phil:
Let's go see the rest of the house.
Erin:
Let's do the master bedroom now. It's just one floor down. I feel like the birds are having a party up there.
Erin:
And here we are. Shower and toilet right there, which is interesting because the rest of the bathroom is actually in the back of the bedroom. Bathtub, additional sink, and armoire. Gorgeous floor to ceiling windows with these curtains. It's a really neat setup. Really cool, really different. And I think it goes along with like the artist theme, the modern luxury that this place definitely has.
Erin:
Right next door is the biggest guest bedroom. And that's where Amanda's staying. It's like the white room, right?
Amanda:
Everything in white.
Erin:
And this is a really neat closet. It's behind the headboard, a hallway closet. You've got the built-in armoire, and then also built-in shelves, and drawers that leads you straight in the bathroom.
Erin:
There are two more bedrooms left on the ground floor, right around this corner. This is where Kolt and Brooklyn are staying. Gorgeous views of the garden and a really great bathroom here en suite.
Erin:
And Kolt's been staying right next door. He picked this room. He got pretty excited about it, I think because these tropical leaves here remind him of looking for lizards. But this does not have an en suite. There's a bathroom right outside the door. It does have a really cool closet. Huge walk-in closet.
Erin:
The last thing I'm going to point out is this really big laundry room. Multi-purpose room, tons of storage, and I love it in Inspirato homes when we can do our laundry there.
Cooking pasta carbonara in our Inspirato Pass home
Erin:
Now it's about time for dinner. We're going to put that industrial kitchen to use. Amanda's going to help us make a really yummy gourmet Italiano dinner.
Phil:
One of the benefits of staying in a Florentine home with a professional galley like this is that you can never have too many cooks in the kitchen.
Colt:
Salami, some salami with pepperoni on the edge, smoked buffalo cheese, and some olive oil and some chicken.
Phil:
Carbonara is a dish from Rome made with eggs, hard cheese, cured pork, and black pepper. The modern version with its current name arrived in the middle of the 20th century, though the exact origin of the recipe and the carbonara label are as elusive as some of the ingredients are in the States.
Colt:
Okay so this is going to be your base for carbornara.
Phil:
The cheese is usually Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Reggiano, or a combination of the two. Spaghetti's the most common pasta used in the U.S., but the inclusion of pici is purely Florentine. Normally, guanciale or pancetta are used for the meat, but larger dices of smoked bacon are common outside of Italy. Today, we're using guanciale.
Phil:
One of the many great things about Italian food and Italian cooking is the simplicity. Just a few high quality ingredients perfected over centuries, and a love for the flavors, as much as for the experience of preparing them, it's always been very much a family affair.
Erin:
So I think we have some food-coma, maybe some wine-coma too. We're going to hit the hay. We'll see tomorrow.
Phil:
It's not called wine-coma.
Erin:
No? What is it called? Drunk?
Phil:
Drunk.
Lorenzo Villoresi
Phil:
I don't care what you think you know about fragrance. If your name isn't Lorenzo Villoresi, you don't know much. Known as the godfather of fragrance, he's taken what's long been considered an art form, and broken it down into an absolute science. Scents from department store brands like Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford, and Yves Saint Laurent, may appear to be unique proprietary recipes, when in fact, they're nothing more than arbitrary formulations that could be replicated or synthesized in a matter of hours. Villoresi's fragrances, by contrast, are capable of describing a kind of independent universe. They can evoke places, images, memories, or even lead to a space of new emotional dimension.
Erin:
And we're discovering some scents that we never would've found in the U.S. Like this Tropicana, this is incredible. And the only place that you can find this in the U.S., almost the only place you can find it, is Mozzafiato.com. It's amazing. It smells amazing. It's like all the scents. It's like spices and florals and fruits, all blended so perfectly. We're going to get some of this. Take it home.
Phil:
And in a way, this comparison is a metaphor for the relationship between the world and Florence itself. On a planet full of societies battling for notoriety and attention, the birthplace of the Renaissance is undeniably pure, authentic, and simple. It's a city that you'll discover is just as much about society's future, as it is part of our collective past. Florence really is all of us, and we can't wait to come back.
Phil:
Since we're in Italy, it's only fitting to give a quick shout out to our friends at Mozzafiato.com for supporting this channel.
Erin:
Not many people know that the majority of the world's beauty products are produced in Italy, where their commitment and exquisite ingredients and formulations delivers an unparalleled beauty experience.
Phil:
Mozzafiato.com brings the spirit and connection to your home. Never before has the North American market had access to the products of dozens of iconic Italian beauty brands, nor have they had access to the behind the scenes stories around how those brands were started.
Erin:
From legendary fragrances and gifts for home and leading-edge skincare routines, subscription boxes, and gifts, the products they selected transport both of us to the very soul of Italy.
Phil:
Each brand in the Mozzafiato collection has been carefully selected as an embodiment of the incomparable Italian standard.
Erin:
I am in love with their Perlier line from Milan, especially the honey anti-aging body balm that makes your skin feel like silk. And the Acca Kappa hair brushes are so prima, yet affordable, that I have replaced every brush in our home with them.
Phil:
And their Proraso line has taken my shaving game to a whole new level. Although that's just a fraction of Mozzafiato's men's product collections.
Erin:
Even our kids go nuts for the exotic Marvis toothpaste flavors.
Phil:
So if you want to experience the Italian beauty difference for yourself, just go to followabc.com/mozzafiato and use the gift code, "ABCGIFT" for a free gift with your order.
Learn more about how we stay in multi-million dollar Inspirato Pass homes around the world for a low, flat monthly subscription and no nightly rates, taxes, or hidden fees.
