Another enjoyable day in FlorenceJun 20, 2012
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| We head into the city again. This time to the post office to send some stuff home – are now thinking about the weight of hand luggage etc. After some time we finally manage to complete all the necessary forms – why did I mention a CD, that means an additional form. All the employees very casually dressed. Did expect them to be in some type of uniform but mostly in jeans and tops/shirts. Megan heads off to do some of her own sightseeing. We board another red bus. Florence is very beautiful – some of the areas on the other side of the river are wonderfully green with large mansions from years far gone. After one circuit we head to the train station to book our tickets for tomorrow to Venice. The self service machine decides not to cooperate so we queue for nearly an hour to make a purchase that takes two or three minutes. We board the bus again to do a different circuit. Get off with half an hour to spare before meeting Megan, only to find we have lost our map where Megan had helpfully put an X on the spot. Megs is queuing at the il Latini restaurant we wanted to visit last night. I can remember roughly where the street/lane is but not quite the precise corner. David remembers it is near a museum so asks a local who direct us – we make it with only minutes to spare. Megan is allowed in first as she was there the longest – the other customers most definite that she should be the first to enter. We are seated and immediately served with prosciutto and melon, barley salad and bruchetta. Next we have the option of pasta or three soups. We forgo the pasta but can’t make up our minds about the soups so, Luigi, our waiter brings us a sample of each type. Pumpkin and beans, minestrone with cheese and a mixture of zucchini and eggplant I think. This is followed by a serving of meat - a choice of lamb, beef, rabbit, chicken and veal and I cannot remember what else. We choose to have a side – they end up bringing two each. By this time I am wondering just what this is going to cost us – make up my mind not to think about it – just enjoy and pay. Dessert follows together with Biscotti and a sweet wine liqueur to dip them in. Each glass of the liqueur is the equivalent of three nips. When the bill finally arrives we have a pleasant surprise. The whole evening with four very large and filling courses, including drinks, comes to EU130. We are surprised at how cheap it is given the quantities we have eaten. While we are eating there is still a queue outside. As each party leaves another are let in. When we leave it is after nine thirty and there is still 30 or so people outside. We then walk to Palazzo Vecchio where there is an ‘outdoor museum’ showing a dozen or so major sculptures including the ‘fake David’. Quite stunning statues. Along side is the Palazzo Vecchio which is the town hall of Florence. We poke our heads inside and are offered free tickets – this at 10pm. We wander around this amazing building. Every room is just stunning, every ceiling is a major art work. There is a ‘map’ room with numerous maps from different periods. In the main hall there are large and expansive frescoes that depict battles and military victories. In recent months there has been quite a bit of publicity as tests have shown that, behind one of these huge frescoes, is a painting done by Leonardo De Vinci. Don’t think they know yet what to do about it. A late evening walk home via the river A lovely evening. We have so enjoyed Florence. A peaceful city – sometimes we cannot see anybody else around – even walking along the river at midday. Of course the tourist centres are quite busy but not annoyingly so. |
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