TBTAM Does Italy – Part 2

Florence

The high speed train from Rome to Florence takes under 2 hours, and Wanja packed us sandwiches for the ride. We walked from the train station in sweltering heat down the narrow, treeless streets of Central Florence to our apartment on Borga Pinte.

Tucked away behind the tall stone walls are apartments, gardens, schools, hotels, you name it. It all seems so very secret. So it should come as no surprise to you that behind the unassuming door of our building was this entryway…

Go through that gate and down the hallway…

And you are in the main garden!

Our apartment is a modern renovation on the ground floor…

and has a small private garden.

We rented the partment through a European site called Hidden Italy. I highly recommend it.

The best part about staying in an apartment vs. a hotel is discovering the little things that make life abroad different from home. For example, the Italians dry their dishes in a cupboard above the sink lined with open-grated shelves. Now you see ‘em…

Now you don’t!

But enough domesticity – on to Florence.

This is the Duomo. It was closed by the time we arrived, but open for Mass, so we decided to attend the Mass in order to see the place. We were a rather motley crew – one ex-Catholic, one Jew, 2 Quakers, and 2 kids raised without a formal religion. No one seemed to mind.

We liked the Fake-David in the Piazza near the Iffizi Galleries. The lines were too long to see the real one.

We strolled the streets, stopping to buy sandals, watercolors and other small things.

Dinner was at a rather touristy place near the Ponte Vecchio, a meal during which the waitress ran out of the kitchen screaming when a large bird flew in. The food itself was non-descript, save for a single dish – Pecorino cheese served with honey and pears. We decided then and there to make it ourselves the next day. (recipe below)

We stumbled upon a concert by the Santa Barbara Choral Society in the Chiesa San Stephano al Ponte Vecchio.

The entire first half of the concert was accompanied by a solo bird singing along somewhere in the eaves of the church! The highlight of the concert was Lux Aeterna, a modern choral piece by Morten Lauridsen that I had never heard before.

To get a little sense of the experience do this – Close your eyes, imagine you are in a church in Italy and listen to this excerpt. (Requires real player, give it a second to load.) You will understand why my face was covered in tears by the end of the piece.

After the concert, it was gelato and a leisurely walk home. At night, many of the stores outside the tourist areas shutter up, giving the place a bit of an eerie feeling.

But don’t be frightened. Madonna is there on almost every corner watching out for you…

The restaurants are still open…

And there is plenty going on behind those walls. One evening, we walked past an open door, and looking in, saw that the whole neighborhood was in a large coutyard watching an old movie being projected on the walls!

Tomorrow – More Florence (and more recipes)…

Pecorino Cheese with Honey and Pears

1 wedge good pecorino cheese – Goat’s (oops I mean sheep’s) milk is best
1 pear, not too soft
Honey
1 Tiny sundried tomato (Or a small piece of dried pepper if you are daring)

Place honey in a small bowl for dipping, Garnish with a small sundried tomato or pepper.
Cut cheese into small wedges. Core and slice pear. Dip cheese or pear into honey and eat. Hmm…