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| Florence in the late afternoon, taken from the steps of San Miniato (quite a climb!) |
Buon giorno!
We’ve been living in Italy for almost a week, so I guess it’s time to get y’all caught up on the everyday life of a couple of temporary Florentines.
We arrived Wednesday afternoon, took the bus from the airport to the city’s main station, Santa Maria Novella, then walked to the apartment, where we were met by Antonella, the apartment’s caretaker. The place is lovely; it’s a second floor flat on Via della Vigna Nuova, one of the two big shopping streets. By “big” I don’t mean the street is more than 12 feet wide (no street in Florence is more than 12 wide), I mean we’re above Mont Blanc and across the street from Prada, Gucci, and such. Our building, like most all buildings here is old, beautiful, and very well kept up.
Florence is a bit of an enigma. The Renaissance is everywhere–magnificent churches built by Brunelleschi, piazzas and loggias filled with the statues of Donatello and Michelangelo. Walking through an alley you stumble across Casa di Dante and the neighboring church where the poet first encountered his beloved Beatrice. Or the house of Galileo, now a museum, where one of the scientist’s fingers is preserved, said to be perpetually “flipping off” the church (yes, that finger) for his years of house arrest. On the other hand (bad Galileo pun), Florence is a live, vibrant city that nods its head politely at the history and tourism and then goes on with everyday life.
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| Shopping for dinner at the Mercato Centrale (central market) | Market to table: Creamy Gorgonzola dolce, fresh plums with basil, balsamico, and dried cherries, and a soft fruity Chianti Classico. |
In short, stay here more that a couple of days and this place will charm the socks off you. We’ve wandered through narrow scooter-filled twisty streets, eaten local fare at tiny hidden osterias (small family-run restaurants), enjoyed gelato daily (the best so far is in the Oltrarno, across the river near the old fort), and purchased fresh porcini mushrooms and vegetables and balsamico and roast chicken from the stalls at the Mercato Centrale.
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| A selection of confections and gianduja from Roberto Catinari’s Arte del Cioccolato |
And I’m here for the chocolate of course. Roberto Catinari’s Arte del Cioccolato sells some lovely gianduja bonbons, and our favorite stop for tea and tantalizing chocolate and custard filled pastries is Dolcissima, just across from Palazza Pitti in the Oltrarno. I make sure to begin each day with cioccolata calda (hot chocolate) from a local caffe or bar. Rich and frothy and frequently unsweetened, I sip it while standing at the “barro” as my wife enjoys her morning capuccio.
Time to make breakfast–eggs with fresh basil and tomatoes, I think–then wander into the quiet Sunday morning streets. (Sunday morning is the only time this city is quiet!) Perhaps the Bargello today to see Donatello’s David, or maybe the Bardi gardens. We’ll let the streets decide.
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| The magnificent church of San Miniato. Believe it or not, we actually (accidentally) took part in the wedding! |
Ciao!
Rich