august2014
68
FLYTO
florence
daily;
london
threetimesdaily.
brusselsairlines.com
SLEEP
The
ApeRosaRelais
(Viadei Cappuccini
12, 055475178, aperosa.it, rooms from€79)
occupiesacharmingvilla just outside thecity
centre. Bikesareavailableandabusconnects
to thecentreevery tenminutes.
EAT
Cross the river to theOltrarnodistrict to
enjoychunkyT-bonesteaks (
fiorentina
) and
other traditional dishessuchas
ribollita
at
AnticoRistorodi Cambi
(ViaSant’Onofrio 1R).
It’sa friendly trattoriawithwooden tables,
abrick-vaultedceilingandanoutdoor terrace.
CULTURE
Built byMichelangelo’snephew,
Casa
Buonarroti
(ViaGhibellina70) isnowamuseum
dedicated to theartist. Thecurrent exhibition
about his influenceon20thcenturyartists
featuresworksbyMatisse,KandinskyandHenry
Moore, onshowalongsideMichelangelo’s
drawings (until 20October).
SHOP
Sbigoli Terracotte
(ViaSant’Egidio4R)
specialises inmajolica, apottery technique
dating from 1857,whichmakes for useful and
beautiful souvenirs. Thecolourful decorationson
thepots, platesandvasesare inspiredby
renaissanceormedieval designs.
LATER
Stroll inPiazzaDuomowitha luscious
gelato
from
Edoardo
(PiazzaDuomo45R), or try
oneof theirwine-flavouredsorbetsmadewith
Moscatod’Asti orChianti.
TIP
Takebus7 fromPiazzaSanMarco to
Fiesole
for somestunningviewsover thecity.
Visit thearchaeological area toseeRomanand
Etruscan remains includingawell-preserved
Roman theatre.
SarahLane
BUS
TheVolainbus
leaves theairport
forSantaMaria
Novellastation
roughlyeveryhalf
hourbetween6am
and8.30pm, then
hourlyuntil 11.30pm.
Ticketscost€6one
wayor€10 return.
TRAIN
A taxi to
thecentrecosts
€20-€25.
TOURIST INFO
firenzeturismo.it
/
info
TheZahaHadiddesigned
Magazine restaurant
SLEEP
The latest addition to theuber-stylish
FirmdaleHotel group,
HamYardHotel
(1HamYard, 02036422000, firmdalehotels.
com, rooms from£378/€475) occupiesa
quietishcorner of Sohoandoffersanoriginal
American 1950sbowlingalley, a theatre, aspa
andLondon’smost beautiful roof terrace.
EAT
Tuckedawaybehind theRitz, is
SevenPark
Place
(7-8ParkPlace, stjameshotelandclub.
com), chefWilliamDrabble’scharming little
restaurant.OneMichelinstar andnine tables
equalsa reallyspecial, intimateplace. Dishes
includepoached lobster tail, fricasseeof haricot
coco, artichokesandmousseron. A real find.
CULTURE
Paywhat you likeon the
Alternative
LondonWalkingTour
(alternativeldn.co.uk), a
celebrationof East London’sstreet art scene.
SHOP
BoxPark
(BethnalGreenRoad, next to
ShoreditchHighStreet station), Shoreditch’s
hugelysuccessful pop-up, isdue for relocation in
2015socatch it now. Abuzzymall constructed
entirely fromshippingcontainers, it’samagnet
for street fashion, cocktailsandglobal foodstalls.
LATER
TheQueenofHoxton
(1-5CurtainRoad)
screensclassicsandnew releasesupon the roof.
TIP
If youwant toexperienceZahaHadid’s
magnificent space-agearchitecture, booka table
at
Magazine
(WestCarriageDrive, Kensington
Gardens,magazine-restaurant.co.uk), adjoining
theSerpentineSacklerGallery. ChefOliver
‘Ollysan’ LangecreatesmodernJapanese fusion
dishes that areeverybit asarrestingasMs
Hadid’ssinuouswhitespace.
LukeTarrant
UNDERGROUND
At£5.70/€7.20 for a
single, theLondon
Undergroundor ‘Tube’
as it’sknown, is the
most cost-effective
wayof travelling from
HeathrowAirport to
thecitycentre.Trains
runon thePiccadilly
lineapproximately
every 10minutes
from5am-11.45pm.
The journey takes
around50minutes.
TRAIN
Witha journey time
of 15minutes, the
HeathrowExpress,
which runsnon-stop
fromHeathrow to
PaddingtonStation, is
thesuperfastoption
(heathrowexpress.
com).Oneway
costs from£21/€27.
TAXI
A taxi to the
citycentrewill cost
anywherebetween
£45/€56and
£70/€80,and takes
about anhour.
TOURIST INFO
visitlondon.com
/
info
63,742,977 +44 19°C
britishpound (gbp)
threetimesdaily
unitedkingdom
london
heathrowAirport (lhr), 23km
london
61,482,297 +39 25°C
Euro (EUR)
daily
Florence
italy
Florenceairport, Peretola (flr), 4Km
TheApeRosaRelais
isaconvertedvilla
just outside thecity
EDREEVES
