“Tuscany is decorated with Florence like a ring with an expensive jewel; and the town is adorned with all sorts of good things, like a virginal neck with a beautiful necklace.” – G. Dati, La sfera
After reading such beautiful descriptions of Florence from my guide book, the city had an awful lot to live up to. Would it be this place of culture, art, food and architecture and would I find it to be truly – as stated by many others – ‘the most beautiful city in the world’?
Well, Florence certainly offered me everything that an Italian city should offer; from gelato on every street and magnificant churches on every corner.
So, let’s start from the beginning: the plane. I have talked before about my frequent run-ins with trouble at the airport. Although, to be honest it is either the airline, or more often than not me, who triggers the calamity. However, this time Mother Nature is to blame for once again reinforcing my bitterness towards flying as a mode of transport. Have you ever been on a plane that’s trying to land during a storm? Under the Tuscan Sun my arse, we were heading into a country in the midst of a full blown thunder storm. Like a cat playing with a mouse, the clouds tossed our tiny plane up and down before finally spitting us out onto the runway. It was not until we finally disembarked from the plane, shaken but luckily unharmed, that we heard the pilot confirm that he needed an engineer – our plane had been struck by lightning.
Luckily however, by the time we had arrived at out tiny B&B in Florence, the rain had stopped and by the afternoon the sun was slowly pushing its way through the thick sheet of cloud. First up on the itinery – the Palazzo Pitti – a magnificant place that boasts a rather impressive selection of art; from La Donna Velata to The Sleeping Cupid. After our shot of culture, we wondered over the Ponte Vecchio before stopping for a panino and oh so yummy gelato.
After lots more church exploration and a tiny rest at the B&B (we had been up since 2:30am!), we went in search for some Italian food. Unfortunately the restaurant that I hoped to go to was closed, so instead we went to a small trattoria which was filled with locals and character. We both ordered the tagliatelle con ragù d’anatra (tagliatelle with duck), it was delicious and a worthy substitute for the wild boar that I was unable to find ANYWHERE!
The next day the sun came out, making our trip to the nearby town of Fiesole all the more magical. Set in the Tuscan hills, Fiesole offers the most enchanting views of Florence (and very good pizzete!)
Swapping one beautiful view for another we returned to Florence and started a long climb to the top of Giotto’s bell tower. 414 steps in total, but boy was it worth it.
The rest of the day was spent exploring yet more churches, visiting the open-air market, eating gelato and at 6:00pm we went to mass. Of course, we couldn’t understand a word of it, but just being a part of the tiny congregation and giving the sign of peace to real Italians who I had never met, and doubtless will never again meet, just felt so special.
So I boarded my flight yesterday, with not a storm in sight. I have collected so many wonderful memories from my stay in Florence, however now I’m ready to explore somewhere new; somewhere old and somewhere real, away from the cities that pulsate so steadily with tourists. For me, this experience can only truly be achieved by living the Italian dream with an Italian family in an Italian home – so bring on the summer and two months of Roman bliss.
To The Table 