Our week started with a visit to the church of San Lorenzo which I detailed previously. The afternoon was spent people watching in Piazza della Signoria. It has so much art and activity there’s always something to see. There are countless tour groups being herded like cattle through the piazza stopping for a mere minute or two to take in century’s worth of art and architecture. You see illegal vendors selling copies of Italian art and the occasional beggar trying to get tourists to part with a little cash. We watched one guy. He sat watching people with the most devilish grin on; sizing them up before going over to sit near them. He would engage them in conversation, but he just seemed too interested and too eager. His victim would leave within a few minutes. He would then look around after sitting with them for awhile. We watched him do this at least 5 times in a matter of 15 minutes. We’re still not sure what his scam was.
Tuesday was a low keyed day. We went out for a panino (sandwich) at our favorite sandwich shop, Salumeria Verdi, wondered around for awhile then had gelato at La Carraia 2. In the late afternoon and evening we spent reading. I’m on my third book since we’ve gotten to Florence, Vic is on his fifth.
Wednesday morning we spent at the church of Santa Maria Novella, built by Dominican friars between 1279 and 1357. I loved the whimsical black and white checkered pattern on the ceiling, the huge alter that looked almost like a building all by itself, and the inlaid wood benches behind the altar. (To give you an idea how big this thing is, I’m as tall as the 6th grey-green stripe on the side.)
I enjoy sitting in the churches, cool and quiet, looking at the amazing art work. I am amazed at the effort and imagination that went into creating the immense artistic architecture full of mosaics, sculptures, paintings and frescos. Although I appreciate looking at such splendid works of art, I always wonder if the money, time, and effort would have been better spent making people’s lives better.
In the evening we had an aperitivo at a favorite little bar a couple blocks from our apartment that we’ve gone to 3 or 4 times. There was a group of about 10 retirees from St. Louis that occupied all the outside tables, so the bartender brought out another table just for us. Watching all this, one of the shop owners next door apparently thought I was Italian and started rattling off to me in Italian about the touristi. When I told him “No capisco” (I don’t understand) he was surprised and a little embarrassed.
Thursday was a visit to Museo Nazionale del Bargello. The museum houses Donatello’s “David”, many masterpieces by Michelangelo, and the competing designs of “Isaac's Sacrifice” by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to win the contest for the second set of doors of the Florentine Baptistery in 1401. It also has an exceptional collection of ceramics, jewelry, ivory, and old coins. Vic liked the big cannon with a guys face on the butt end the best.
In the evening we had an aperitivo at a favorite little bar a couple blocks from our apartment that we’ve gone to 3 or 4 times. There was a group of about 10 retirees from St. Louis that occupied all the outside tables, so the bartender brought out another table just for us. Watching all this, one of the shop owners next door apparently thought I was Italian and started rattling off to me in Italian about the touristi. When I told him “No capisco” (I don’t understand) he was surprised and a little embarrassed.
Thursday was a visit to Museo Nazionale del Bargello. The museum houses Donatello’s “David”, many masterpieces by Michelangelo, and the competing designs of “Isaac's Sacrifice” by Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi to win the contest for the second set of doors of the Florentine Baptistery in 1401. It also has an exceptional collection of ceramics, jewelry, ivory, and old coins. Vic liked the big cannon with a guys face on the butt end the best.
We planned on using the third of our four GroupOns this week for dinner. I think we’ve had only had beef once since we’ve been in Italy and this GroupOn is for bistecca alla fiorentina, a.k.a. a big hunk of T-bone. We needed to call for reservations and not having a phone in our apartment we had to search for one.
Just like the U.S., Italy has embraced the cell phone so there are not many payphones to be found. We first went to the tourist information office for help. Although she was not supposed to call for us she bent the rules and tried the restaurant but there was no answer (it was the early afternoon). She told us we could find a phone at an internet café a few blocks away. We went a few hours later and headed to the internet café she recommended, but they didn’t have a phone for us to use. I suggested we might find one where we go to use an ATM and sure enough there was.
Now sometimes the payphones seem to work sometimes they don’t. There a special sequence of how you need to make the call, when to put the money in, and buttons that need to be pushed. There isn’t any information on how much to make a call so we end up winging it when we’ve used the phones. Two Euros later Vic gets someone on the line and makes a reservation for the next evening. Tomorrow we will have steak!!!
Friday we awoke to a cold and rainy morning. Thankfully the museum we planned on seeing was only one and a half blocks away. Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Restauro, literally meaning Workshop of Semi-precious Stones and Laboratories of Restoration, now a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence it was officially founded in 1588 by Ferdinand I de Medici. It is a global leader in the field of art restoration and is one of two Italian state conservation schools.
On the first floor of the small museum there is an impressive collection of mosaic works, including cabinets, table tops and other works of art, many in flowers, fruits, animals or musical instruments, but also copies of paintings done in inlaid stone. The second floor is dedicated to the workmanship aspect, showing a wall of stone samples, workbenches, tools, and examples of the production of inlays. Although it is a small museum we must have spent over 2 hours there. I guess cutting pieces of stone and putting them together is an artistic way reminds me of what I do in my scrapbooking and card making, only on a much more difficult manner.
Just like the U.S., Italy has embraced the cell phone so there are not many payphones to be found. We first went to the tourist information office for help. Although she was not supposed to call for us she bent the rules and tried the restaurant but there was no answer (it was the early afternoon). She told us we could find a phone at an internet café a few blocks away. We went a few hours later and headed to the internet café she recommended, but they didn’t have a phone for us to use. I suggested we might find one where we go to use an ATM and sure enough there was.
Now sometimes the payphones seem to work sometimes they don’t. There a special sequence of how you need to make the call, when to put the money in, and buttons that need to be pushed. There isn’t any information on how much to make a call so we end up winging it when we’ve used the phones. Two Euros later Vic gets someone on the line and makes a reservation for the next evening. Tomorrow we will have steak!!!
Friday we awoke to a cold and rainy morning. Thankfully the museum we planned on seeing was only one and a half blocks away. Opificio delle Pietre Dure e Laboratori di Restauro, literally meaning Workshop of Semi-precious Stones and Laboratories of Restoration, now a public institute of the Italian Ministry for Cultural Heritage based in Florence it was officially founded in 1588 by Ferdinand I de Medici. It is a global leader in the field of art restoration and is one of two Italian state conservation schools.
On the first floor of the small museum there is an impressive collection of mosaic works, including cabinets, table tops and other works of art, many in flowers, fruits, animals or musical instruments, but also copies of paintings done in inlaid stone. The second floor is dedicated to the workmanship aspect, showing a wall of stone samples, workbenches, tools, and examples of the production of inlays. Although it is a small museum we must have spent over 2 hours there. I guess cutting pieces of stone and putting them together is an artistic way reminds me of what I do in my scrapbooking and card making, only on a much more difficult manner.
After the museum we had a light lunch since we were having a big steak dinner this evening. The rain is off and on throughout the day and it has gotten cold. By the time we leave for the bus stop to go to the restaurant it’s in the low 50s and drizzling. We buy our tickets from a machine located at the stop and wait for our bus. It seemed to be late and we figured we must have just missed the one before. After waiting around for at least 15 minutes a girl closing up a shop says, “No bus.” When we seemed confused she said, “Strike today, no bus, tomorrow, bus.” The first time we plan on using the bus in Florence they are on strike.
I guess we could have gotten a cab but we didn’t even consider it, usually they are just too expensive. We should call the restaurant and let them know we can’t make it. Luckily since this bus stop is one of the larger central stops in the city there is a pay phone right there. We call but there is no one at the restaurant that evening that speaks English and I seem to lose all my Italian at the most inopportune times lately, so Vic didn’t even hand me the phone. We just figured they would realize we weren’t coming sooner or later.
So now what do we do for dinner? We both had been anticipating a nice juicy steak all day so we were a bit disappointed. I had not planned on cooking and so we had not gone to the market. We stopped by one a grocery store that was just about to close but we really didn’t feel like cooking.
We head off back to the apartment to make a new plan. It was cold and wet so we didn’t want to go far and we didn’t want to wonder around until we found something that sounded appealing. TripAdvisor to the rescue! We found Trattoria San Lorenzo about 3 blocks from us on the corner near the church and market of its namesake. It was ranked #25 out of 808 restaurants in Florence. We’ve passed this restaurant many times but never really looked at it. Being just outside one of the main tourist attractions, we figured it would have expensive, mediocre food. Nothing was further from the truth.
Trattoria San Lorenzo is a charming narrow restaurant on two floors. The regular menu had many interesting pastas and main dishes, but Vic and I ordered from the chefs handwritten suggestions clipped to the inside of the menu. We split an antipasto of burrata with ultra thin slices of lardo and prosciutto. Yes, lardo is exactly what it sounds like, lard. It is made by curing strips of pork fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices. Although you think that cured fat would be greasy, the little white slivers melt in your mouth with hints of rosemary and sage, and while it is rich, it is not greasy at all.
Vic had scaloppini alla pizzaiola, thinly sliced veal topped with a sauce that mimics pizza; tomatoes, capers, oregano and other herbs. I had spinach and ricotta crepes in a light tomato béchamel sauce that was simply wonderful. We hadn’t planned on dessert until the owner and chef started the grand preparations for crepes suzette on a movable workspace in the middle of the room. Vic didn’t want any but encouraged me to get some. After about 10 or 15 minutes of building the sauce, with butter, sugar, fresh squeezed orange juice, and 4 different liquors, was the always impressive moment when he lit the whole thing on fire.
I guess we could have gotten a cab but we didn’t even consider it, usually they are just too expensive. We should call the restaurant and let them know we can’t make it. Luckily since this bus stop is one of the larger central stops in the city there is a pay phone right there. We call but there is no one at the restaurant that evening that speaks English and I seem to lose all my Italian at the most inopportune times lately, so Vic didn’t even hand me the phone. We just figured they would realize we weren’t coming sooner or later.
So now what do we do for dinner? We both had been anticipating a nice juicy steak all day so we were a bit disappointed. I had not planned on cooking and so we had not gone to the market. We stopped by one a grocery store that was just about to close but we really didn’t feel like cooking.
We head off back to the apartment to make a new plan. It was cold and wet so we didn’t want to go far and we didn’t want to wonder around until we found something that sounded appealing. TripAdvisor to the rescue! We found Trattoria San Lorenzo about 3 blocks from us on the corner near the church and market of its namesake. It was ranked #25 out of 808 restaurants in Florence. We’ve passed this restaurant many times but never really looked at it. Being just outside one of the main tourist attractions, we figured it would have expensive, mediocre food. Nothing was further from the truth.
Trattoria San Lorenzo is a charming narrow restaurant on two floors. The regular menu had many interesting pastas and main dishes, but Vic and I ordered from the chefs handwritten suggestions clipped to the inside of the menu. We split an antipasto of burrata with ultra thin slices of lardo and prosciutto. Yes, lardo is exactly what it sounds like, lard. It is made by curing strips of pork fatback with rosemary and other herbs and spices. Although you think that cured fat would be greasy, the little white slivers melt in your mouth with hints of rosemary and sage, and while it is rich, it is not greasy at all.
Vic had scaloppini alla pizzaiola, thinly sliced veal topped with a sauce that mimics pizza; tomatoes, capers, oregano and other herbs. I had spinach and ricotta crepes in a light tomato béchamel sauce that was simply wonderful. We hadn’t planned on dessert until the owner and chef started the grand preparations for crepes suzette on a movable workspace in the middle of the room. Vic didn’t want any but encouraged me to get some. After about 10 or 15 minutes of building the sauce, with butter, sugar, fresh squeezed orange juice, and 4 different liquors, was the always impressive moment when he lit the whole thing on fire.
I’ve never had crepes suzette that I remember. I’ve had cherries jubilee and bananas foster which both get the dramatic flambé. This desert was one of the most delicious things I ever tasted! It was a warm, rich caramely goodness with the citrus brightness of oranges. The crepes were not too delicate and thin, but had a little substance to them. I was in yummy heaven.
Being the last ones to leave the restaurant the owner came over to thank us for coming. The restaurant had only been open for 4 months and he was eager to thank his customers. His name, not surprisingly, was Tony, and he was a wonderfully friendly, funny and interesting guy. He is 72, has been the business for 55 years and the 15th restaurant he’s opened. He worked at the Savoy in London in the early 60’s. He has made crepes suzette for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, to name a few.
We told him we found him on TripAdvisor, and while he knew of the website, he didn’t seem to understand how he got there. We explained to him it is his customers that voluntarily go to the site to review him and that many travelers nowadays use this site. He told us that he had gotten one bad review on the site but the guy came in 15 minutes before they closed, and although he was offered many things, he wanted something that would take too long to make. Vic explained to him he could contact TripAdvisor to explain the situation and that it would appear along with the guys review. Tony was so happy to hear all this. He seems to really want his customers to be happy. When he found out we were in town for another 3½ weeks he invited us back and offered us a discount next time we came. I will definitely go back, if for nothing else but the crepes suzette.
So even though we didn’t get our luscious steak dinner we had a very great meal. Next time we plan to go out and need to take the bus I’ll check the planned strike webpage, although I think this one was last minute since I didn’t find it on the web.
Being the last ones to leave the restaurant the owner came over to thank us for coming. The restaurant had only been open for 4 months and he was eager to thank his customers. His name, not surprisingly, was Tony, and he was a wonderfully friendly, funny and interesting guy. He is 72, has been the business for 55 years and the 15th restaurant he’s opened. He worked at the Savoy in London in the early 60’s. He has made crepes suzette for the likes of Charlie Chaplin, and Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, to name a few.
We told him we found him on TripAdvisor, and while he knew of the website, he didn’t seem to understand how he got there. We explained to him it is his customers that voluntarily go to the site to review him and that many travelers nowadays use this site. He told us that he had gotten one bad review on the site but the guy came in 15 minutes before they closed, and although he was offered many things, he wanted something that would take too long to make. Vic explained to him he could contact TripAdvisor to explain the situation and that it would appear along with the guys review. Tony was so happy to hear all this. He seems to really want his customers to be happy. When he found out we were in town for another 3½ weeks he invited us back and offered us a discount next time we came. I will definitely go back, if for nothing else but the crepes suzette.
So even though we didn’t get our luscious steak dinner we had a very great meal. Next time we plan to go out and need to take the bus I’ll check the planned strike webpage, although I think this one was last minute since I didn’t find it on the web.