This is truly a fantastic city in the heart of Italy. I am glad that we made this trip an exploratory one covering six cities and towns - but if fortune favored me to return, I would stay in Tuscany for most - if not all - of the vacation. Venice/ Treviso, Milan, and Turin all deserve their honors, but Siena and Florence are truly spectacular. The architecture alone is worth the effort but adding in the hilly geography, the unique history and culture, castles, palaces, art, science, and the people of this great city make it all the more special. Anything less than a month in Florence is not enough to fully take in the whole of the Florentine experience, but it's a great start and we certainly made the most of the three days and two nights we were there.
I could probably write a book on this part of our journey, but three experiences stand out. First, the museum of Leoardo da Vinci - a relatively small museum on Via Cavour. While it was small, it was by far my favorite museum. It is dedicated primarily to Leonardo's technology and anatomical research projects, rather than his art. The highlights are some 50-60 machines reproduced from Leonardo's original sketches. Most are actually working machines, and many are interactive; you are welcome to play with them as much as you like. The picture is a model of the tank he designed initially to be powered by horses but then modified to be powered by "8-manpower".
The second is the Palazzo Pitti just across River Arno via Pont Vechio where the Medici family renovated a mansion formerly owned by Luca Pitti. The Palace on its own is just an amazing piece of architecture and decoration (Raphaels and Reubens abound), but the gardens (the Giardino Bobolini) with their many sculptures and fountains are just extraordinary. We trotted around these for over an hour and were it not for the heat (38 degrees celsius!) and the fact we had to catch our train back to Venice and home, we could have stayed the whole day I'm sure.Finally, there was the marvellous experience of our pensione (our B'n'B - thank you AirBnB!) at 13 Via Leonardo DaVinci where our hostess, Carla offered a lesson in local Tuscan cuisine. The kitchen (cucina) was very simply appointed, but well organized for me and the three ladies (Carla, my wife, and Carla's daughter - the last two both going by Elisabetta...I just called them una and due - my wife being una, of course :-)) to enjoy cooking and sharing some local organic wines. We made a tomato/bean soup, a delicious pate of chicken livers and hearts, garlic and lots of olive oil for the crostini, and then a rosemary and garlic stuffed roast of rabbit (coniglio arrosta) which was served with pomadoro tomatoes , beans, and of course accompanied by lots more wine. Then of course, the grappa, biscotti dipped in Vin Santo (a fortified wine similar to an ice wine), fresh local golden cherries, and then "nocino" - a homemade walnut liqueur that somehow looked, smelled and tasted a lot like walnut flavored Buckley's cough syrop and kicked like a mule.
That last bit was a bit of a blur, as you can imagine. What I do recall was a wonderful conversation Elisabetta (una) and I had, first with the whole family and as the evening grew late, alone with Alberto -Carla's son. He spoke of the ongoing challenge of preserving traditions like preferences for Italy's many great grapes and their wines, golden cherries that taste much more delicious than their red cousins but cannot sell, and even Italian language and titles - against the erosion and incorporation of other European and American influences and tastes.
We leave today, Friday, to go home via Frankfurt and London, and we hope that families in Italy will keep the traditions they chose to share with us during our due settimane sulla luna.
After we get home, I will write a series of reflections that may be useful for anyone thinking about travelling to this lovely country. Until then, arrivederci, a presto.
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