We were up early and on a train out of Rome by 9 this morning. The girls enjoyed the ride out on the high-speed train; I enjoyed the nap.
Our gracious hosts at the albergo welcomed us just before noon. Our hotel room is affordable, spacious and overlooks the Duomo: you can't get any better than that.
We spent the afternoon wandering around and doing a few activities from our Florence Treasure Hunt book. The girls found the bronze wild
boar statue, and rubbed its snout for good luck, explored and drew statues in the piazza della Signoria, and found the Ponte Vecchio, though we just about walked over it without realizing we were on a bridge! The shops along the bridge feel like just another street.
Since it was Mother's Day I was treated not only to an amazing dinner at a traditional Florentine restaurant, but the girls had surprises for me: Maia recited a beautiful poem about the love of mothers, and Solanne made me a heart-shaped card.
So far, we're finding Florentines quite friendly. The hotel owners here have been helpful and kind. And a little family we met in a piazza where we were hanging out before dinner were friendly. Marco, a Scotsman raised in Florence, and his toddler son were playing with a giant ball provided by the clowns in the square. Maia and Solanne
happily joined in. Soon we were chatting with Marco, who assured us that the weather is usually much nicer at this time of year (sigh). Marco's wife, Natasha, later appeared. She is a Russian tourguide and was kind enough to give us a few tips on where to go and how to avoid lineups.
My discovery: Florence is much better than I remember it. It doesn't help that last time a pick pocket tried to steal my camera as I walked along the Arno alone one afternoon.
A tavola!
For lunch, we found some great food at a small shop and enjoyed sitting on the steps of San Lorenzo church. We had mild Provolone cheese (to suit the children's palates) with bread and a sip of Fanta. Derek and I also enjoyed wild boar and truffle sausages that were at once robust in taste and soft in texture. Perfetto.
For dinner, we began with Pecorino served with wild honey and pine nuts - a delightful start to less delicate fare. Our next plate was an antipasto misto: a mix of Tuscan sliced meats. Unfortunately our server did not name each of the four. I was happily surprised to find that although two of them looked nearly identical, they did not taste at all alike; one reminded me of the Italian salame I had as a child and the second was fuller and stronger. The other two were a prociutto-like ham that was not quite as salty or tasty as its twin and a third
salame that was fattier than the others and wilder tasting.
Next was the pasta: the girls shared giant cheese ravioli, though
Solanne barely tasted it, having filled up on the crusty bread. Derek had fettucini in the freshest pesto I've ever tasted. I manged to partake of both. Next were the main courses: Derek had roast beef with potatoes and arugula, and I had very thinly sliced roast beef in a clear gravy along with roasted baby potatoes. And we washed it all down with a half litre of chianti. A delicious end to a great day.
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