Florence

We'll I'm at my favorite florentine ristorante....Birreria Centrale...but instead of getting my usual I've gone with bruschetta...again the same but different and gnocchi al pesto. The only problem is I sat outside and I'm right next to a bus stop so everyone is waiting right next to my table!

 I just found out that this restaurant and the one across are owned by brothers.

 Well, the gnocchi isWONDERFUL! I left 2 in the dish so I didn't look like a hog and I SO WANT TO EAT THEM,,,,

 As I'm sitting here, watching the locals and tourists walk by, I think what an insult it must be to the locals the way the tourists dress and act. It's hard to explain but easily evident. I think I really could live here, maybe not in Florence, but nearby, and have a wonderful time for several months, but certainly not in the height of tourist season and I would definitely need to learn Italian....JP Help!

 Well, the gnocchi is almost done...I really shouldn't have eaten that much...and there's not much vino left either....1/2 lite just doesn't seem enough, but it's cheaper than by the glass...so I guess I'll head off to Santa Croci.

 I sure wish Jim was here to enjoy this. When we were here in the 80s we were rookies...boy has time changed things!

 Tonite we head off for dinner with a local family....sure hope they have gnocchi!

 

 

 

 

June 7. 2014

Lesson - if you want to take a train get your ticket a day before. I wanted to go to Bologna but could not get a good time coming back so I headed over to the Duomo because I couldn't remember if I went in last year….. So, so glad because I didn't. Getting there an hour early I was first in line so I was able to get pictures without tourists in them. 

There was a mass going on in one of the small side altars. The priest was precious… short, very bent over and needed help getting around but when I went up for communion he looked up and had the most piercing blue eyes that seemed to smile at you. 

And then I discovered stairs going down. It turns out that the Duomo was built on top of Santa Reparta  that was built in the 5th century, which was built on Roman houses, of which some of the ruins are visible.

Then over to the Baptistery….words can't describe the beauty of the ceiling. I'll let the pictures tell the story.