Leather, Pashminas and of course, THE David.

Ahhh. Florence or Firenze to those of you in “the know”. I love that city. The leather, jewellery, pashminas, food markets and of course countless tourists blindly following the plastic flower, umbrella or waving hand to guide them to the next major attraction.

Last weekend I ventured to Florence to visit, Kassey and friend from college who was living there for the month of July… I know, lucky girl. It was so refreshing to see a an old friend and what was even better was her knowledge of the town and of course her apartment near the Ponte Vecchio was a great place to stay with her and her Mom and Grandma who were visiting. We spent the weekend eating apperitivos at very cute local bars, shopping in the San Lorenzo Market, eating gelato from its birthplace (yes gelato began in Florence, I mean what better reason to feast on that incredible frozen delicacy than in the place where it originated? At least that’s what I told myself) and of course visiting the incredible historical monuments that it has to offer.

For those of you that have not been to Firenze let me paint a mental picture for you. Go ahead imagine with me if you will (I would say close your eyes but then you cannot continue…alas) a town in the region of Tuscany known for art, wine and the ideal Italian vacation (it has also been the home to many chick flicks, hence the reason most women have an unknown draw to this area). The smell of cheese, salami, procuttio and coffee combine with the sounds of laughter from of the cafes to make a perfect setting for a get away. The only draw back from this incredible place is the humidity and heat, but I will no dwell on the negatives.

Upon exiting the Santa Maria Novella train station you are immediately met with the Santa Maria Novella church immense and beautiful standing before you. As you walk towards the center of town you pass countless clothing and shoe stores, the San Lorenzo market, the covered market and of course during all of this the smell of leather is wafting through the air. If there is such a thing as a shopping crave I certainly got one inhaling that amazing aroma. Continuing on you see the Duomo and Campanile, one of the most famous in Italy. And in front of them hundreds of people posing, while squinting from the bright, hot sun. Leaving there you can pass through a very famous Piazza (so famous in fact that its name is currently slipping my mind, sorry about that) where the FAKE David is. You know, David, THE DAVID, the incredibly famous statue of the biblical David.

***Tangent….. I find it so odd that in a culture where people are often more modest than not in the Academia building where the real David is there is a bench behind him. I know the reason that it is there but I always have to laugh because it is the perfect place to take a rest and bask in the glory is his perfect behind. Maybe its just me but people get into some sort of trance sitting there “relaxing”. I mean sure there are people that sit near his front side but every time that I have visited the bench behind him is always packed. People saying oh this is so incredible… yea, you are just so – in awe- .

Back to the rest of the trip. If you continue past the famous, forgotten name, Piazza you will pass the Uffizi building which houses an large number of Florence’s most famous paintings. Just behind the Uffizi lays the Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge that didn’t get destroyed in WWII, and home to the gold jewellery headquarters of this town. If you continue walking you will pass the Pitti Palace and behind it the Boboli Gardens. They are a great combination of art, history and the patience of a person with a very green thumb.

Don’t be mistaken there are many more historical sites that can be explored but these mentioned (oh yes and the Santa Croce Church) are the main sites if you are doing a whirlwind tour. The new thing that I did this trip was that I climbed the top of the Duomo. I got up really early and was at the side entrance of the Duomo by 8:30 am ready to climb the 463 steps to the top. Besides no ventilation, narrow walkways and spiral staircases it was not that bad and the view from the top is something that HAS to be seen. It allows for the perfect 360 degree view of the entire town and the regions beyond it. You can play Where’s Waldo with the churches and places that you have visited and it gives you a satisfaction of knowing just how much you walked to earn all of that gelato. Just me? OK moving on.

All in all it was a great way to spend the weekend (and my hard earned 80 euro per week). I just got back from a Tuscan vacation but that update will come in just a bit.

Until next time..

JIA

Also, just to keep you coming back for more, here is another recipe:

Pepperoni

(Italian style, not the kind that comes on a pizza)

I realize that this may not sound like the most appetizing dish (sorry Mom, I know that you didn’t seem to be a fan) but TRUST ME, if prepared correctly it is incredible!

• 2 red bell peppers and 2 yellow bell peppers
• ¾ cup raisins
• 1 red onion sliced
• 2 TBS olive oil
• ½ - ¾ cup bread crumbs
• 1TBS red vinegar
• 1 TBS brown sugar

1. Clean and slice the bell peppers into chunks
2. Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion. Once soft add the bell peppers and sauté until cooked
3. Add the raisins, brown sugar and vinegar and heat all together. If there is no remaining liquid add some water to ensure that there is enough for the bread crumbs to absorb
4. Just before serving add the bread crumbs

*parmesan can be added to the dish for a little something extra J