Mr Silver and I had decided to take our honeymoon a couple of weeks after the wedding. I had a very good friend’s wedding two weeks later, plus it gave us a chance to sort out all post-wedding admin.
‘But you must go on a minimoon’ my mum insisted! And it turns out she was right… after the elation and adrenaline of the wedding, who wants to go straight back to real life? That being the case, I was so glad we’d booked a short jaunt to Florence.
Aeroplane champagne selfie!!!
We’d chosen Florence as we both love Italy. I’ve mentioned before my penchant for the three P’s: Prosecco, pizza and pasta. And that’s not to forget the wine, olive oil, gelato and fresh bread. And of course the non-food related culture! Friendly people, gorgeous architecture and the epic history.
Though I’d never been to Florence, I’d dreamed of visiting the world’s centre of culture. I’d written my A-Level History coursework on the Florence as the birthplace of the Renaissance and fell in love with the city through all the pictures I’d seen.
And if I was visiting my dream destination, I had to, of course, stay in my dream hotel.
Il Salviatino….
A perfectly restored 15th Century villa, Il Salviatino is totally enchanting and a wonderfully authentic Italian estate, located fifteen minutes outside the centre of Florence.
As soon as we arrived we are offered a glass of prosecco, given a mini tour and led up to one of their terraces for a snack. We ordered a perfect caprese salad with creamy mozzarella, lush ripe tomatoes, crispy bread and divine olive oil plus a small portion of a perfectly cooked al dente pasta with seafood. I cursed that camera was in our luggage so I couldn’t take photos for the blog but Mr S gently reminded me that we were on a minimoon and I should just enjoy myself. But don’t worry lots of food pics to come!
Wine guzzled and food noshed we were led up to our room…and what a room!! A word of advice, always tell people you are honeymoon as we were given the most amazing free upgrade.
We had the Ojetti Suite in the villa’s main tower.
Here’s a tour of the room:
A massive bed!
A huge antique mirror which housed a secret TV!
A sexy study, carrying some more treats from the hotel.
Our own conservatory!
A winding staircase leading to further excitement…
A bath with a view, and…
Our own sun terrace!!
With a spectacular view of Florence!
After the madness of the last few days it was fantastic to chill out and enjoy our amazing room. We were so excited to be Mr and Mrs Silver and to enjoy our first week as a married couple in one of the most romantic cities we’d ever visited.
And it was time for our first dinner date as a married couple. First we had another sneak peak around the hotel and quick photo in the library.
Then we were led on to the terrace to enjoy the culinary treats Il Salviatino had to offer. La Cucina is the hotel’s restaurant and the menu showcases traditional Tuscan fare with many of the ingredients taken from Il Salviatino’s own gardens.
The restaurant also has an amazing view of Florence but with the light already dimming it was difficult to capture the perfect panorama.
We started with a delicate rare tuna amuse.
The menu mainly featured fish and the tuna was a lovely way to kick off.
A great mix of bread accompanied our meal.
Mr S chose prawns and scallops to start. He loved the dish but I found it a little to creamy and sweet.
I preferred my dish of sea bass tartare which was delicious and refreshing.
We stuck with the Italian tradition of including a pasta as our first course. A tradition that has often seemed to me one that will just leave you overly full so I’ve never followed it before. But this time, as we were celebrating we decided to share a pasta dish of ravioli. The pasta was perfectly cooked and the portion delicate and light so we certainly weren’t left with a carb over load!!
My main course was monkfish stuffed with olives and tomatoes and lightly fried on the outside.
Mr S chose fish and chips, which was actually fish and crisps!! Both dishes were light and tasty but neither were out of this world. However, they fit with Il Salviatino’s style, homely, familiar and perfectly turned out.
I think I’ve gone on long enough in this post so I’ll leave a further tour of the hotel for tomorrow, and our fabulous breakfast with a view!
