Forza Firenze

For the Italian leg of our trip, I plan to do the following every day:

1) complain bitterly about the heat (in true Vancouverite style);

2) eat gelato;

3) drink wine;

4) talk with my hands; and

5) emphasize the second last syllable of every word.

On to our first full day in Florence. Our hotel offers free breakfast every morning. This is presided over by Roberto, a gregarious and emotive Florentine full of tales from his former life as a sailor. We formed an instant connection over the time he spent in port at Vancouver and Victoria, and further bonded over his disdain for the dreary Prince Rupert.

After a very satisfying breakfast, we set out for the hop-on, hop-off tour bus as a means of exploring the city. Given the scorching heat, we focused on the former and heavily de-emphasized the latter. The bus took us just out of town and up the hill to nearby Fiesole, which offers a charming view of Florence and a welcome reprieve from the heat and crowds of the city (did I mention how hot it was? God, it was so hot). After lunch and some exploration, we hopped back on to the bus and rode back into the city.

The view from Fiesole

Wandering the streets of Florence was a surreal experience, and there were a number of arresting moments as we came upon the Duomo, the Piazza de Santa Maria (where the David used to stand and which now houses a replica), and the Palazzo Vecchio.

Cosimo Medici looking consternated by the volume of tourists in his Piazza

That's not actually Florence in the background

We tried to eat dinner at Gusta Pizza, one of the many reccomendations we received, but discovered it was closed through August and selected a nearby restaurant with a lively terrace instead. The hostess seated us at a communal table and we were soon joined by an English couple who encouraged us to shun the Uffizi Museum in favour of a museum dedicated to British antiquities. They enthusiastically reported that the museum was completely empty when they visited, and that they had a lovely time away from the crowds and all that Italian business, thank you very much. We duly noted their recommendation.

Despite being a random selection, our dinners were excellent. We began with julienned vegetables and fresh mozarella, then had a quattro stagione pizza and spicy spaghetti.

Our after dinner gelato, purchased from an equally random shop on our walk home, was also excellent. We arrived back at our hotel and as we collected our room key, I wished the front desk attendant bue-na-NOooo-tte with a two-handed flourish for emphasis.

A very small part of the Duomo at night

Dave

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