Leveling out

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Travelblog covering Wed-Sunday Sept 26th
Realizing that I’ll soon be in a completely different environment living north of Florence center, I’ve been strolling through the streets checking out stores, reading my book in Piazza Republica, and generally taking it easy. Lorenzo (remember, the owner of my September apartment, with whose family I had dinner a few weeks ago, and who also found me a dentist...very kind, humorous, helpful) found me one afternoon, and after I complained to him about the differences in style between Italy and America, he took me by the hand and led me to a few hip, young stores or “neggozi”. Now, in the past week I’ve tried on a dozen pairs of pants, and have agonized over the uncomfortable fit (think low riders, all the time, on every body type, day or night) and my self-consciousness! Lorenzo also led me right into a shop with freshly baked Bomboli (I think I have the name wrong) which look like Krispy Kreme donuts, but are friend dough sprinkled with sugar, hollow inside and filled with tough of light, vanilla crème. Yum! But then after that treat, we are already talking about “grassi” or fat, and he leds me into another store for icecream! He buys a chocolate sorbet, and I have to practically twist his arm NOT to buy me any!!! I’m trying to fit into those darn pants, and he leads me right to the most delicious temptations in the city!

*Wednesday morning I managed, going solo, to obtain a tax number, called a “codice fiscale” from a buy Italian office within 30 minutes! Amazing! Not only am I getting the hang of number tickets (that official offices use, as well as bakeries and other busy shops, because the tickets seemto maintain a sense of order and orgnization). That afternoon, Sofia and I went to a resturant for lunch; Bottega di Dante I believe is the name. I must say, not all pasta dishes are great in this city! Although I was absolutely excited to be eating out (this will have been the 3rd time I’ve eaten at a resturant) and outside on a cool Italian afternoon, I was in for a new adventure when I ordered a pasta dish with shrimp and prawns…as the sea-dwelling creatures are served still outfitted in their armor! I spent a good while looking at them, then a few minutes trying to open them up with my knife and fork, and ended up only eating a few tubes of pasta (drowned in a tasteless oil) that were beginning to get a bit slimy from the juice within the “gamberi” or shrimp. All in all though, we ended the meal with a Florentine specialty, very crunchy, twice baked almond biscotti “cantucci” that are dipped in Vin Santo wine (which I mistakenly started to sip, and then found out that this particular Vin Santo is for DIPPING) To top it all off, we received a complimentary shot of chilled Limoncello!

* Wednesday night I went to yet another concert at San Lorenzo, this time a chair preceded by a small instrumental group from San Gimignano. I’m beginning to think that sometimes the hollowing, echoing acoustics of the church are not great for concerts. This concert was higher quality, especially the second group called “Gruppo Polifonico: QUODLIBET”, who sang, acapella, Mendelssohn’s Kyrie, Heilig and a Brahms “Kyrie in sol minore”, “Missa Cononica” (including Sanctus-Benedictus-Agnus Dei-Dona nobis pacem). What is interesting though, is that with the echo, I think it is difficult for the artists to hear the correct rhythm, and wrong notes seem to echo longer than the correct ones. What kept my interest was: 1, the student group from San Gimignano was led by an incredible trumpet player and clarinet, who could play solo and we’d all be captivated and 2, the adult choir from Florence had passed out flyers inviting new and interested singers to audition for their choir!! With the flyer gripped tight in my little hand (I have an audition next Wednesday!) I listened carefully to the group, watching the conductor as his eyes widened when the sopranos fell off key, or smile when they managed the tight harmony with beautiful clarity. What angered me through the entire 2 hours, however, is something I’ve noticed before: a complete lack of manners from the audience. Behind me were 2 pairs of women who whispered throughout the entire concert, and after I turned around several times to give the evil eye, I realized they wouldn’t stop nor did they care that their whispers where carried quite far thanks to the stone walls. Secondly, people continually got up and left after they felt they’d had enough, or never got to hear or see what they thought they wanted….perhaps because the concert was free, they felt there was no obligation to be polite!

* Thursday afternoon, after a quick visit to Paolo at the library, I went to explore Fiesole. Only a 20 minute ride from Florence, the bus meanders up into the hills north of Florence, to a small village carved into the very top and sides of the tall hills. Here the trees stand up straight, seemingly manicured, and villas are all ochre colored, with patios and landscaped surroundings. I managed to wander through a bit of old Roman remains (only a spec compared to the Roman ruins in ROME) and the old archeological museum as well. There is an old amphitheater, which is in use during the summer, as well as Roman baths and a Roman/Etruscan church. In an attempt to find a good shot of the city from Fiesole, I ended up following a very long and narrow path (with stone walls 8 feet high on either side) leading to an old monastery. Closed gates, I continued up the very steep path, hoping to be lucky. Although I did not find the perfect spot to take the pictures, I was impressed with the villas that surrounded me. Now I was only able to see the tops of these villas, or had to peek inside the iron gates, but I presume that the upper crust of Florence own a house in Fiesole-with stone patios, fountains, paths with plants and flowers leading the way to shaded benches. It is cool in the hills-and I am accompanied by a few lizards and adventurous cats. My 20 minute hike up hill might have continued, but I might have ended up on a different hill and never have found my way back to the bus. While waiting to head back into Firenze, I grab a scoop of gelato (a table at which I’d love to sit and savor my sweet would have cost me 6 euro flat) and also head over to a church, which inside looks very familiar to San Miniato in layout and ornamentation-Cattedrale di San Romolo. On my way out, of the church, I see signs pointing up another hill (opposite the one I managed to climb alone save for the lizards running from my every step) for another monastery, church and piazza with perfect shots of the city…ah…I’ll save these for my next trip.

* Saturday afternoon: a visit to Rufina, the home of Paolo. Although I messed up my scheduling, and had to leave earlier than I should have, Paolo invited me to see his town of Rufina and a festa di uve, a celebration of wine, called “Bacco Artigiano-Vino, Artigianato, Musica e Tradizione”. I was able to meet his father, a kind man at the mercy of heart medication that prevents him from leaving the house very often. Paolo and I walked around the town a bit, stopping by Villa of Poggio Reale. This beautiful villa is at the heart of the town, built in the 16th century, it was originally just a country house. Now it lodges a well-known wine museum. Paolo buys schiacciata, a sweet bread with baked grapes, that is typical of Tuscany, and incredibly delicious! It comes in various forms, but always looks delicious to me! (this one in particular had some fennel seeds I believe…) We are early for the festa or fair, but as we wander back down the hill from the villa we notice still more and more familes and townspeople of all ages began to gather in the main piazza. People are sampling local wines, and able to buy some panini with prosciutto to help digest the celebrated beverage. Later on and tomorrow there are crafts, music, entertainment, etc. As I come to find out, this town is famous for its red wine, Chianti Rufina. Like the scenery of Fiesole, this is the country side, dotted with smaller villages/towns, settled into valleys among beautiful rolling hills. Rufina is about 10 miles east of Firenze.

* Saturday evening/Sunday. Since the downpour of rain that caught me in its path while running on Friday, Florence has cooled down tremendously. Oddly enough, both tourists and Florentines alike are bundled up in scarves, jackets, and some even with wool hats, and it is only about 50 degrees!!! They know nothing of true meaning of winter here in Florence, but it is all in perspective I suppose! Last evening though, enjoying the crisp air that reminds me of New England autumn nights, I took a stroll through Piazza Signoria…following the tower which looms high above all the other area buildings…as their were flames lit in between it’s turrets. Enjoying the image of tower with glittering flames, the bright half moon and eerily silhouetted clouds passing in front of it, I kept wandering towards the piazza in front of the Uffizi following sounds of a guitar. Here a talented young man with a guitar, an amp (and a very odd female partner who sang back up but danced in such modern, over exaggerated, cliché moves that many couldn’t help make faces) was singing classic American songs: Eric Clapton, the Doors…and on the other end of the continuum of entertainment in this city, near San Lorenzo I was lucky enough to walk by a large group of Italian youth drumming in the street and singing unintelligible tunes, while laughing, swearing all at once.

* Paolo scolded me 😊, and for good reason, that if I think I’ve seen all of Florence, I am sorely wrong indeed. I’ve been talking to people lately about the opportunities of this city, and in the center, where I’ve been mainly so far, truly thrives on tourism, and there is very little genuine Italian culture here….as it thrives with real energy in the periphery of the city….perhaps more so in my new neighborhood near Piazza Dalmazia, north of the city.

* JOB/SCHOOL UPDATE: I am waiting until I move into my long-term apartment to find a job. This city runs on tourism, and there is not much else…So, my biggest bid is that I baby sit, get a good reference by baby-sitting, and then offer my services to hotels, who offer baby sitting to their clients. I thought this was a good idea, but I need my first job, so that I can give reference to the hotels! Also, there are many small café’s and such around, but one or two that I’ve found might be the type to show some young, hip artwork. So, when things get going, I will get a little portfolio together and see if I can get some exposure. Classes for school do not start until October 4th. On that day I will take an exam that will place me in one of the classes-elementary through immediate and advanced….we’ll see where I fit in then!

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Photos

Gilli-pasticceria e cafe Piazza Republica
From this sweet little shop, I've sampled an apple croissant and fruit and creme torte at the bar, and a bag with a small assortment of chocolates: coffee filled, truffles, or with nociolla filling. This place is well known for its confections! Notice in the middle of this window in particular are CANTUCCI, the sweet, but hard, almond biscotti traditionally served for dessert in Florence.

Hills around Firenze-looking out from Fiesole
Steep hills, with flourishing forests. The pines are narrow and tall, the greens rich, the houses warm shades of gold and yellow. I couldnt' get a photo to capture what I wanted...

Fiesole-Cattedrale San Romolo
Structure very similiar to San Miniato...on the other side of the river, but perhaps linked somehow in artistic history.

Uffizi- local entertainment
These people dress up in monotone clothing, painted skin, etc...and silently mock passers-by, or stand completly still for minutes or hours, depending on their ability, hoping for an audience, young or old, to fool or fool with.

Comments

[anonymous]

italy looks amazing
christina,the food looks so amazing.i would love to go to italy soon but now i'm off to fiji for a month.look for me on travelblog..veenesh

[Lexy925]

Nice photos!
Beautiful black and white photos!

[Giorgio Pinton]

l'uva di Rufina e quella di Firenze
Rileggendo i tuoi scritti e le tue esperienze devo riconoscere quanto sei cresciuta in Toscana. Credo che la Toscana con la sua Firenze sara' per sempre la tua vera patria. Firenze e' dove sei diventata italiana e donna. Firenze giustamente la capitale d'Italia del passato e' rimasta la capitale dell'arte e tu e l'arte sarete sempre unite. Pero' un giorno mi dovrai dire perche' l'arte per te non e' una ma cento, come l'uva non e' una ma una come grappolo e cento come chicchi d'uva. C'e' o non c'e' una specializzazione nell'arte?