Breakfast was on the hotel’s terrace. Strawberries, bananas, oranges, yogurt, soft boiled eggs, toast with jam, croissant, cheese, cold meat, juice, coffee and cereal were all available. tried most of the choices. Ann did too. The weather was sunny and the temperature was in the low 70’s. That, the planters with colorful flowers and the fragrant jasmine set a dolce vita atmosphere. The waitress who was less then friendly last year when I was here was full of smiles and softly singing to herself.
The morning continued to get better as Ann and I walked across Ponte S. Trinita and the Arno, found the pedestrian street, strolled up to the Piazza di S. Giovanni and climbed to the top of the Duomo with hardly any other tourists. The views of Florence were magnificent although it was slightly hazy. As we walked down the narrow, steep, dark passageway we ran into the couple that we shared a table with at dinner last night. Part of the fun of the climb and descent was to get a close-up view of the garish paintings on the inside of the dome. The scenes were Hades on the lowest circle, Purgatory on the next higher level and Heaven on the top.
When we reached the surface, we plugged our earphones into our iPhones and followed Rick Steves’ audio tour of the Renaissance walk. He talked about the Duomo, Giotto’s Tower and the Baptistery with Ghiberti’s bronze doors. Then he led us down the pedestrian street (via de’ Calzaiuoli) past Orsanmichele Church and its famous statues stepping out of niches on the outside walls. We ended the tour at Piazza Della Signoria with its copy of David, Perseus and other statues, Ammanati – Neptune Fountain, Savonarola Plaque, Palazzo Vecchio the entry to the Uffizi Gallery and a view of Ponte Vecchio.
We put away our iPhones and walked over to Santa Croce Church. The church has many famous painting and tombs of famous people including Michelangelo and Galileo. We were a little disappointed because some of the main attraction were being renovated and we could see them. However, we were able to see the church’s leather school and shop as well as its museum that features Cimabue’s Crucifixion and Gaddi’s Tree of the Cross and Last Supper.
Getting hungry, we decided to try nearby Trattoria Anita which was recommended by Rick Steves. The trattoria was on small side streets and a little hard to find. This was good because there were few early diners and we were seated right away. I had bruschetta and pasta al Anita. Ann had Tuscan white beans and flat noodles with tomatoes. It was all good.
After lunch we walked back to our hotel to escape the afternoon heat and to rest.
Our rest lasted until dinner time when we walked down the Arno and went to Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. This is a very friendly restaurant that specializes in Tuscan cuisine especially wild boar. Ann and I finally learned to order a meal without going to bed bloated. We split antipasto of cheese and cold cuts including cinghiale. Then we shared a plate of fried codfish and mixed vegetables prepared similar to tempura. For dessert, we split a plate of mixed dolce – mini creampuffs with chocolate sauce, marzipan and tiramisu. We also had white wine and fizzy water. I had a camera with me, but I forgot to take photos.
We took the long way back to the hotel passing Piazza Espirito and the Pitti Palace. It’s now closing in on 10:00. I’m watching the USA England World Cup match It’s 1-1 into the second half.
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