Day 21: A Day of Fun

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Waking to the Bell Tower
I warned my Brazilian roommate that I was setting my alarm for 7am, just so he’d know. The other two boys didn’t crawl in until the late hours of the night, so I am sure that my alarm was an unwelcome interruption in their sleep. But I was not the only one making noise. The bell tower chimed at seven o’clock also, but it was not just a monotone chime; we were serenaded by a full multi-note celebration of the morning.

In Which I Arrive Early for Once
I booked a cooking class with the same company as the gondola tour, and this time I was not going to miss the boat, so to speak. I arrived 15 minutes before the stated meeting time, which was a full 45 minutes before the tour was scheduled to begin. No one showed up. I went to an internet café and called the tour company to verify the tour had not been canceled. The operator described that the early meeting time was simply so people could find the place, and the guide would arrive around 10am. At least I was in the right place.

The group was to meet at a central market some blocks away from the Duomo. It was like a Pike Place Market, with vendors for everything, from flowers to fish, from meat to fruit. There were also a handful of fast food vendors, making it an idea place to come for lunch in the next couple days. I intended to take photos then, since I wanted to actually get something out of the market tour. While I waited for the guide, I congregated with a father-daughter pair from Texas and an older lady from Sweden.

Market Tour and a Lesson in Food
The guide arrived with several travelers in tow, making 14 of us in total. For the next two hours, we wanted from stall to stall in the market learning the history of the place and how best to pick out your fresh foods. There are a handful of markets like this around town, most of which were established 150 years ago when Florence temporarily became Italy’s capitol. Putting the fish stands and the fruit stands all under one roof was a new concept, but it’s worked ever since. We were educated on the vast varieties of fish, fruits, and meats available at the market, and how to prepare some of them. (See my notes from the market tour.)

Cooking Class
The group was led from the market to a kitchen across the river, about a 10 minute walk. This was the first time I had been herded in a group since arriving in Italy, and I temporarily enjoyed weaving through the streets without needing to know, or caring, about the destination. Once the group arrived, we were into three clusters; I was with the Texas father-daughter duo, the Swedish lady and a young boy from New York. (His family was at another table, and typical of what you might expect of urban New York personalities. I’m glad I wasn’t with them.) Our table was overseen by Helen, a Brazilian girl living in Florence. She coached us through the preparation of bruschetta, pasta with zucchini, roasted bell pepper and eggplant, meatloaf, and panna cotta. The recipes were very easy and had minimal ingredients. Everyone had a turn preparing some part of the meal. We are our bruschetta in the kitchen as the food finished coming together. In Italy, it is meant to be a social appetizer, eaten before everyone goes to the table.

Bone Appetite
Our group finished lunch preparation first, and we were led to a dining room in the basement, water and wine provided. First course was the pasta, a delicious blend of vegetables and thick, round noodles. Second course was the meat loaf, which was my favorite. It was prepared in individual servings, pan fried with onions and red wine. Dessert was the panna cotta, with texture comparable to jello, topped with strawberry puree. I thought it was tasty, though perhaps not my favorite dessert of all time. In total, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in Italy so far. Perhaps it was the atmosphere, or the fact that I helped prepare the food, but it was filling and delicious. Afterwards, I exchanged information with the people from my group and took off for the hostel.

Duomo Tour
I didn’t get back until after 3pm, making for a long morning. But the cooking class was totally worth it. It took some motivating, but I roused myself from my bed and headed back out to the Duomo. I arrived an hour before closing, which was just enough time to catch the free English tour through the cathedral. Inside, the building was massive. This duomo has one of the longest naves among all Christian churches. You know what they say about long naves…. long processionals. The walls were pretty bare, but it only added to the visual depth of the room. (See notes from the tour.)

Baptistery
The Baptistery charged admission, but after the enlightening Duomo tour, I wanted to complete the picture. The ceiling was a gold mosaic, similar to the Duomo of Venice. But in design, it mimicked the dome in this Duomo (or rather this Duomo mimics the baptistery), with levels or rings of stories radiating from the center. The walls were frescoed with stories from the bible. I loved the one where Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, like two naughty teenagers getting kicked out of the mall.

Stroll Around the Block
After the heat had died some and the piazza was shaded from the Sun, I went back into the neighborhood for a stroll. The map makes the city look spread out, but everything is within easy walking distance from each other, and this report coming from a lazy person. The vendors all pack up in the evening, so the piazzas are cleared except for the groups of people slurping their gelato.

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