Saturday 29 July was hot in Florence – again – and promised to stay that way all day. It comes as little surprise now to see handwritten signs on doors or windows of local businesses saying that they will be closed until the end of August or early September as more and more Italians wrap their affairs up and leave for the beach or mountains or wherever, anywhere to get away from the heat for their August holiday. This “get out of town in August” thing isn’t confined to Italy either, as we would see plenty of businesses closed in Paris for August as well. (photo: Daniel and Susan at the Mosaic workshop.)
The heat notwithstanding we counted ourselves fortunate – enjoying our a/c while finishing packing the last of our things for the Big Move to Paris on Sunday. We’re taking the absolute minimum amount of stuff – computer, a few summer clothes, and various odds and ends to get our new home in order as son as we arrive -- and just keeping our fingers crossed that the rest of our household goods arrive in the next week or so.
Our friend Daniela from Germany sent us a text message this morning that she was coming up to Florence from Siena by bus – we had planned to see her today and relieved that she would be able to make it before we left. So we strolled over to the bus station about 10 am, just before her bus pulled in. The three of us left the SITA bus station, passed beneath the train station at Santa Maria Novella and started walking up Via Nazionale toward the central market (“mercato centrale”), stopping at the Alinari photographic showroom along the way. Daniela has an eye for taking photos and I wanted her to see the Alinari showroom. The Alinari photographic archive contains one of the largest collections of old photos of Italy – and Tuscany in particular – and also produces a number of very nice and reasonably priced books of portions of their collections. Anyway they were closed – it was Saturday after all – and so we walked on, skirting the central market, and ending up at the OK bar across from our apartment.
We sat and had coffee and chatted for a while as we decided what to do with the day – heat or no heat.
From the OK we walked over to the mosaic workshop (“Mosaici Laboratorio”) that we discovered this past winter. This was probably our fourth time there and as always we were awed by the work done in this former convent. Truly amazing using tools and methods from the Renaissance era they produce fantastic artwork indeed.
We left the mosaics behinds us and walked through Piazza Santa Croce, just around the corner really – although you wouldn’t know it since few tourists and no tour groups ever get this far (50 mtrs) off the well-worn tourist pack. I often wonder if it was like this for the religious pilgrims who used to visit these places in the middle ages. Probably.
Anyway the piazza was packed, or rather the area around the piazza was packed with people since the grandstands and chairs were still set up for the Benigni show where he has been reading from Dante’s divine comedy – a one-man show which runs until sometime in mid-August I believe. Tickets might still be available but I doubt it.
From Santa Croce we headed toward the Arno but then turned off just before the river onto Via Neri, and strolled up and through the Piazza Signoria, where we just hung around watching the people, photographing the statuary – I never tire of that and apparently neither did Daniela – and then headed off, passing through Piazza della Repubblica and finally ending up at a little osteria, “del Porcellino” (Via Val di Lamona). I would not recommend this place: the food was so-so (Susan’s risotto was overcooked and we thought used long-grain rice) while the prices were rather inflated – sticking us with a price fixe (“prezzo fisso”) after the fact. (photo: on the Piazza Signoria; one bag in, one bag out.)
The three of us left and headed back to our apartment where we talked for a while longer, mostly about everyone’s future, since all our lives are heading for big changes soon. For us it’s Paris and for Daniela it’s leaving for the US to meet up with her husband in Reno, NV.
We walked back to the bus station and arrived just moments before the Siena (“rapida”) was to leave – so we said arrivaderci to Daniela and couldn’t help but wonder when we would see her again.
It was back to the apartment to finish packing. Later on in the evening we went back to the OK for a light supper before turning in and to sort of say goodbye to the neighborhood. We had already said arrivaderci to Massimo and Marta at the Osteria Ortolano and to Francesca at Milligan & Milligan on Friday.
We crossed the street one more time from the Ok – no more dolce in the morning, no more plates of pasta for pranzo in the afternoon, no more aperitivi in the early evening -- and went to bed. We have an early call Sunday morning, and have to be at the train station by 5:50 am.
Wish you were here,
Steve
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