Okay, dinner last night. We went to Trattoria Lo Stracotto for dinner last night; fairly close to the hotel, recommended by Rick Steves. Very nice, comfortable place – many non-Italians there! I had a mixed salad along with an eggplant “pie” which was wonderful – slices of eggplant between cooked thin spaghetti. Linda had cooked spinach sautéed with lots of garlic, as well as the eggplant pie. I splurged for dessert, having their vanilla egg-cream gelato – fabulous! Washed down with sparkling water and two glasses of Chianti Classico – total bill about 45 E for everything! Back to the hotel around 9-ish for Skypes with Robert and then Linda with her whole family – missing only the cat, I think! A good time was had by all, and nice to see what is really happening at home; makes it feel not so very far away!
Up about 6 for our 8:15 appointment with the Accadamia and “David.” Got there a few minutes early – it must be all of 5 minutes around several corners from our hotel (we can see the dome that covers David from our hotel window!) and were among the first to get in. In fact, for a few minutes, we had the sculpture to ourselves! Wow! –It was curious how many times we found ourselves back in that room with David! - Linda Unfortunately, yet another place where no photography at all is allowed! Bummer! Toured the other galleries including an interesting exhibition of sculpture by Lorenzo Bartolini and a museum of ancient instruments.
Back to the hotel around 10, and to be honest, I was pooped already! So, I took a nice nap, and Linda went for a walk! (Note: It is SO nice to travel with such a congenial companion who doesn’t mind me napping when we could be out seeing the sights!)
Up from nap and out around 11:30 a.m. and over a block to the Piazza San Marco, where we picked up the #7 bus for Fiesole. Great drive up, and got off at the main Fiesole square. It was really blowing a gale up there, but we headed first to the archeological museum and the Roman ruins. Not the greatest museum I’ve ever been in, but some very interesting Greek pottery. Apparently the Eutruscans were great admirers of Greek pottery, and imported a great deal of it into this area. I could take pictures there; hope you enjoy!
From the museum, we toured the grounds – their 2,000 person amphitheatre is still in use for occasional concerts; they have done a tremendous job in maintaining it.-I had the urge to just perform SOMETHING at the center of the amphitheater stage- “I’m a little teapot” the Italian version….Linda
Katy - A sign just for you!!
Decided to find some some lunch, but didn’t need to go far. We split a pizza margarita and had glasses of red wine out on the square – just what we needed! As it was now about 2:30, (local churches closed from noon to 3) we decided to head back to Florence in our trusty #7 bus. Home again about 3:30 p.m.
When we picked up our key, the gal at the desk invited us to attend a small gathering she was putting together at 4 p.m. so only a short hiatus and down again to the lounge. Here we were met with glasses of Prosecco (who is ever going to say NO to that?) and introduced to Marianna and Gianni, both who work at the hotel. They talked about the history of the hotel (former monastery) and the history of the square immediately in front of the hotel (which Rick Steves says is the nicest piazza in Florence!). They talked about sightseeing and restaurant recommendations and provided us with a great deal of useful information. From there, we headed to the Palazzo next door to look at the gardens. The palazzo is owned by the owner of our hotel, and they apparently use the gardens in the summer for weddings and celebrations. The garden was really lovely, and behind the palazzo’s walls, it was incredibly quiet for being in the middle of Florence! This is the first time the hotel has put on such a welcome reception for guests, and it really showed the pride they have in the place that they work and the city in which they live. We really, really enjoyed it!
On the square, between the hotel and the palazzo, is a very small but beautiful church, that is rarely open outside of religious services. I’ve included a couple of pictures; it was incredibly lovely, and we feel very lucky to have been able to participate in the reception and see the garden and church!
Still thinking about where to have dinner, but will try and get this posted now! More later!
Much love,
m
x
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