I have many mottos when it comes to luxury travel. One of them being: ‘You can’t go wrong with the Four Seasons.’
And when it’s Michelin-starred dining in one of the romantic cities in the world, you definitely can’t go wrong. With that in mind I booked Il Palagio at the Four Seasons for our final night in Florence. In summer, dining in the restaurant takes place on the garden terrace.
We started by relaxing in the bar.
Where we had a perfect view of the garden.
And were surrounded by lemon trees.
The perfect place for cocktail hour.
It was a delicious and fresh-tasting Rossini for me.
And a rather potent Roberto Cavalli Martini for Mr S!
Dinner was also served with a view and a live pianist to entertain us.
Glass of champers duly poured…
we kicked off with some canapes.
And bread of course…
I managed to convince Mr Silver that we really didn’t need a twenty course tasting menu. I’ve got new bikinis to wear for our main honeymoon after all. And he agreed to a humble four courses….
Firstly an amuse of tuna.
Mr Silver started with a beef and seabass carpaccio with fresh broad beans and citrus scented ox bone marrow. I loved the beautifully multicoloured, striped dish, a work of art in itself.
My starter of lobster salad was equally elegant and artistic.
A pause before the main course for a look around the interior of the hotel.
The hotel is gorgeously appointed and totally luxurious. It provides quite a contrast to the more rustic Il Salviatino but if you’re choosing between them, I think it’s a matter of taste. I’m glad we stayed where we did as Il Salviatino offers an incredibly personal service and a real authentic feel of Italy. While the Four Seasons is like staying in a palace and has the benefit of being closer to town.
Anyway! On to the pasta course…
Cavatelli pasta with marinated prawns and squid.
Linguine pasta with garlic butter, chilli and scampi. Again our Florentine friends provided us with perfectly cooked, fine pasta with light sauces. The dishes were well portioned leaving us still ready for more.
I chose sea bass with crushed tomatoes and artichokes.
Mr S got his meat fix with roasted lamb, bell peppers and capers.
Time for a touch of La Dolce Vita? A pre-dessert…
And for our main desserts:
I chose a light and fresh berry concoction.
While Mr Silver went rather more chocolatey!!
And then came a delicious surprise…
….and a very happy Mr and Mrs Silver!!
I’m so glad that we chose to go on the minimoon, it may seem decadent, but a couple of days away after the wedding was the perfect way to cushion the landing of the high we felt from the day.
We’re off soon on our main honeymoon but more of that to come!
