My Last Days in Italy

My formal sightseeing in Florence was done – and I had the weekend to just hang out and enjoy the city.

I had planned to do my shopping on Saturday – I had a few things I wanted to buy and wanted to look around the stores in the less touristy parts of Florence. First stop was the market. I was successful there - my bartering skills from Bali kicked back in – I finally bought a light scarf / shawl which would have been perfect for all those churches I've been in with a little too much shoulder showing ... but when I was in the market, I noticed that all the other stores seemed quite quiet ... I asked someone and yes, it was a holiday today ... best laid plans and all. I wasn't that disappointed - I haven't been fussed about shopping this trip. Traveling has helped me realize just how little I actually need and I really can't see the value in getting kitcshy gifts for family and friends (forwarning here) - other than of course for my niece and nephew ... :-) Though I did have one request from the friend I'm staying with in London to buy her a purse ... so the hunt was on – this would be fun - however, given the holiday, with only the touristy shops, no luck today - hopefully better luck tomorrow. And so with 36 degree weather and no stores open, the pool quickly became the best option.

My Saturday evening was lovely – even including 3 very full on lemming experiences. I decided to try Oltrano for dinner and so crossed the Ponte Vecchio – it was lovely – there was a very good street guitarist performing and a number of people just sitting on the bridge listening – very mellow in the early evening light with great views of the sun setting on the buildings near the river. I eventually ended up at one of the main tourist squares for dinner and enjoyed just watching the world go by. This was followed by walking, with my gelato for the day, and finding a Charlie Chaplin'esq mime entertaining a number of us lemmings on one of the big streets. All in all, a genuinely nice touristy evening in Florence.

Sunday morning was lovely - very peaceful as I walked through the Boboli Gardens which were up on a hill and from one spot offered a stunning view of the surrounding countryside which looked beautiful. It reinforced my view that next time I'd have a car and spend my time in the countryside.

The afternoon, with a few more shops open, I hit jackpot with the purse - so successful in fact that if my friend doesn't like it, it will be coming home with me (ignore what I said previously about material possessions - will take some time for that to apply to purses and shoes!) I succumbed to a final exhibit - a special one on Galileo - something else I've visited very much with my brother and nephew in mind - they really enjoy this kind of thing and I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed it (kind of like the dinosaur museum in Montana). And then, some final time sitting and reading in the sun by the pool. I knew it would be some time before I was able to do that again so I definitely took advantage while I had the opportunity :-)

And finally dinner - for a number of days now, I had seen this little trattoria, a block from my hotel, always with a line outside - this had to be a good thing. So I headed there for dinner and had a great time and great food. It was definitely a local spot with the waitress ebulliently (not an overstatement) greeting the regular. A caprese salad, some pesto pasta and a glass of chianti - life is good. After my last gelato and walk through Florence at night (the Duomo is stunning at night), the evening was perfectly capped with another street performer, this time a young woman wearing jeans and singing opera with live accompaniment - wow, she was good and had a large group of us standing in the cool of the evening listening to her sing. It fit the setting perfectly.

I really enjoyed my time in Italy - again, can't believe this was my first time here. The lifestyle is so relaxed and the people are lovely. The history and art almost overwhelming, but I've definitely had a good taste. And speaking of tastes, the food - definitely a highlight! I will be back :-)

ciao Italy