bfrac

Ann, I have just finished reading your entire report while drinking my morning tea. What a nice way to start the day.

I have long been wanting to attend a total immersion language school in Italy since the local college here will only do a very basic beginner class. Thanks for sharing.

uhoh_busted

Great fun reading your report! Thanks (or should that be Mille gracie?

ekscrunchy

Getting hungry, waiting for brunch at the Four Seasons!

LoveItaly

Mille grazie, uhoh, but close enough!

Lovely, interesting and a fun trip report annhig. Thanks for sharing your special time in Italy with us. I look forward to the Florence segment of your trip.

SusanG

Thank you so much for this great report. I have been studying italian for two years and have been thinking about going over to a school in Rome for the same kind of immersion. The same questions have been in my mind.....host family....hotel? ...where to go, etc., so it is really very helpful to read about your decisions and thoughts.

wayfinder45

Ann, what a lovely report! I'm so jealous! Your experience sounds wonderful. You've inspired me to consider a similar adventure sometime.... I've always been rather intimidated by the thought of attending a language school, but your report makes it sound fun and accessible. Good to know that you can take classes and still have your own space at a hotel. That is certainly a more attractive idea for me! Well done, managing to have your tooth taken care of on the fly...brava!

ekc

Thanks again Ann for keeping up your report! Love reading your impressions and about your experiences!

willit

Thanks annhig, great report and makes me want to rush off and study in Italy again.

I know it is no help now, but many of the modern trains in Italy have a table that slides up and out, and underneath a set of plug sockets for laptops. Until I saw one used, I had presumed it was a standard litter bin.

TDudette

Continued bravas, annhig. Bargello was a fave of mine so am hoping you will get there on this trip.

jent103

annhig, what a fun report! Turns out I was in Rome (staying near your old "neighborhood") while you were in language school! Having just got home Friday I'm eagerly reading Italian trip reports so I can pretend I'm still on vacation. Can't wait to hear about the rest of your time in Florence!

annhig

thanks all of you for your kind words and encouragement.

willit - i had no idea about the sockets; i had one of those nifty little tables [i came across them first on the eurostar] bit it wouldn't have helped if I'd found them as I had packed the lead and adaptors.

TD - no, i missed out on the Bargello - again. just ran out of time.

wayfinder - of course it was a bit daunting at first, but the people were very friendly and the lessons were very similar to the format I'm used to at home so it wasn't difficult to slot in. I'm pretty confident that 2 weeks at a language school would improve anyone's language skills immeasurably. Why wait? i wish I'd done it years ago!

annhig

Arrivo a Firenze!

I arrived at Pisa Centrale in a rain storm, and i was not looking forward to lugging my case down and then up all those stairs again, but this time I had my wits about me, and had no problems finding the lifts - right at the end of the platform - and changing onto trin for Florence. As usual it was packed to the gunnels so I sat on my case in the carriage entrance, and fell into conversation with 2 very nice lads from Florida, who were on their way to spend 6 weeks studying art and art history at the University of Florence. Despite 17 hours of travelling they were chatty and fun, and we had a laugh when, 5 minutes after I’d warned them about the people coming through the carriage leaving little begging cards, who should turn up but two women leaving the self-same cards. I hope that they are having a wonderful time.

After about an hour, Florence rolled into view, and I was pleased that I had remembered the station lay-out from 5 or so years before, so knew to go to the front left of the station for the taxi rank where, due to the rain, I was expecting there to be a massive queue - but not a bit of it. “Hotel Quattro Stagione” I said confidently to the taxi driver, keen to show off my newly acquired language skills, only to be met with hoots of laughter - as he said, that’s not a hotel, it’s a pizza! anyway it broke the ice, and we chatted away in something like Italian for the rest of the journey, though my confidence was dented a little when he asked if I wanted the main entrance to the hotel [as opposed to the staff presumably!]

20 minutes and €13 later, we were rolling up to the entrance, complete with flunkies with umbrellas and more porters that you could shake a stick at. For the mere cost of brunch, I was transported for a few all too brief hours into the world of 5 star travel. First stop, the powder room [what else could it be called in such an elegant establishment?] to find the rather less elegant “smart” clothes that I’d put at the top of my case for me to change into, then after deposting my case with the porter, I was escorted into the dining room. In fact, they appeared to have 3, all in use for this very popular repast, but thoughtfully they had put me in the heart of the action, near the food! Also, very thoughtfully, as I was a sole diner, they had provided newspapers, both english and italian, at my table.

Thus seated, I looked about me for a few clues as to what happened next. On the table was a menu stating that the price of lunch - €70 - included all drinks [which was the information I’d found, not without difficulty - on the net] which were to be “presented” by a french champagne house of which I had never heard, and an agritourimso from near Siena, which produced both white and red wines and what turned out to be some very yummy cheeses from their sheep. Next, I was offered a glass of champagne - very nice too - and then rather left to my own devises, so following the lead of everyone else, I went to look at the buffet which was laid out behind me.

It dawned on me pretty quickly that the biggest danger was that I would over-eat and drink myself into oblivion. well, why not, you may be saying, but I had somehow to get to my pensione after this, and I didn’t want my 2 1/2 days in Florence ruined by gluttony, so helping myself to just 3 oysters and some prawns [actually, the prawns, being totally tasteless, were the only dud element in the whole meal] I sat down again.

After this modest antipasti, I decided I’d like to try something other than the champagne so went up to the table where the wine was being served and discovered that the girl serving spoke perfect english [being from an american/swiss family who had bought this agritourismo when she was very little] so it was pointless trying to practice my italian on her! but we had a nice chat, and then I went and talked to her sister who was handing out the cheese and prosciutto in the other room, and tried some of her wares of course. Then I sat down and sipped some very nice white wine whilst reading the paper and watching the other clientelle. I decided that they divided into 3 distinct groups - traditional italian families having a celebration meal, the great and the good of Florence, who were dressed up to the nines in Versace and Max Mara, and the celebs - and you could spot them as the male celebs were dressed in jeans and white shirts, and their womenfolk were in Versace!

Then I saw some people walking round with plates of hot food, and on investigation, found that at the servery of the main kitchen, they were serving such delights as trippa alla fiorentina [it looked lovely but I’ve never liked tripe since my mum used to cook it for my dad] but I chose some rare roast fillet of beef and rosemary potatoes, which accompanied by some red wine proved absolutely delicious. Finally [and not before time, you’ll be thinking] I had some strawberries, followed by coffee - in fact 3 coffees as you could have as many as you liked.

By now it was about 3pm, and as I had said that i would be arriving at my pensione at between 3 & 4 pm, it was time to pay the bill and re-enter the real world. The concierge showed where on my map I was trying to get to, and as it had stopped raining, I walked the 10 minutes or so to the pensione I had booked http://www.residenzacasanuova.it/ After sounding the bell I was buzzed in by Max, who with his sisiter Beatrice runs the B&B in the apartment they inherited from their grandmother. They had both been very friendly and patient with my italian when I was booking, and Max was very welcoming, showing me around and making sure I had everything I needed.

Getting in was a bit complicated - after opening the vast front portal, you had to negotiate the grill across the entrance, then the lift and finally the front door to the apartment. But once inside, it did not disappoint. All the rooms were very spacious with high ceilings and decorated with antiques. As well as the entrance hall, there was a reading room, and breakfast room cum lounge, and a lovely terrace looking out over the roofs of Florence. I had booked their superior single “Belle epoque” room, which had a small but very comfy double bed and large wardrobe, as well as a very generous bathroom and shower. Perhaps best of all, it had a small fridge and a kettle with tea-bags! oh, bliss. OK there was no milk for the tea, but that was easily remedied when I went out to explore, which after dumping my luggage I did straight away. Max had said that if I turned right out of the apartment and first right, the Duomo was only 10 minutes walk away, but long before I got to the Duomo I was sidetracked, and soon found myself outside the Museo del Palazzo Vecchio which I discovered to my surprise was open until midnight! fancy that! Feeling suddenly far too tired to manage it then [and in fact I never saw it, despite the amazingly long opening hours] I promised myself a visit on another night, and after buying some milk and a bottle of water I trudged back to my hotel, which wsa surprisingly easy to find, once I’d located the borgo della croce, which intersected the via della mattonaia where the residenzia is.

although it wasn’t even 9pm I was exhausted and before I knew what had happened, I had fallen into bed and was fast alseep.

Tomorrow - a perfect day.

tarquin

I am so enjoying this.

annhig

DAY 9 Monday May 16th

Although I had been greatly looking forward to being back in Florence, I’d been a bit nervous too as I have rarely spent too many days entirely on my own without children &/or husband in tow. Mainly I was worried that I’d get bored as when I’ve had to go away from home to work, I’ve found that I’m bored within about 30 minutes of booking into my hotel, even though i look forward to it before I get there. So I’d got lots planned for my 2 precious days in Florence. On my itinerary for today was the museo di san marco, the Bargello museum, and the palazzo Vecchio, plus anything else I came across that I’d not done before. I’d considered getting a Firenze card [entry to all the official museums of Florence plus free transport throughout the city for 3 days] but firstly I’d only got 2 days, and secondly, you’d have to go a bit to get your money’s worth, even in 3 days. Also, in the morning, I’d woken up to find a note pushed under my door to say that our hostess, Beatrice, would be running a lunch-time tour of the local San Ambrosio market for any guest who cared to take part, at a cost of €30 including tastings and lunch. I’d researched other such tours and they were much more expensive, so this looked ideal.

So after a pleasant breakfast - nothing very special but the cappucino was nice as was the custard cornetto - I set out for my first destination, the monastery of San Marco, in the piazza of the same name. On our previous visit to Florence we’d stayed in an apartment very near here, but we had never made it to the monastery when it was open [mornings only according to the schedule of museum opening times that I had downloaded and printed off]. It was very pleasant walking through Florence in the morning before all the tourists were up and about, and in about 10 minutes I was there, and at 8.45 am, I was one of their first visitors. Well, what a lovely place. You enter a sqaure courtyard dominated by a huge tree covered in roses, around which there is a loggia covered in remarkably well-preserved frescos telling various biblical stories, and off the loggia there are several rooms containing paintings, frescos, etc. Finally, if there are not too many people up there already [it’s 100 at a time I think] you are allowed upstairs to see the monks’ cells and the frescos on them telling the story of the birth of Christ to his crucifixion [though many seemed to be in the wrong order even to my untutored eye] and the cell and study of Savanorola, complete with his rosary and hair shirt!

I suppose that I was there for about an hour and a half [a record for me in a museum] and after this great start to the day, it got even better as behind the Piazza San Marco I found the botanical gardens. I am a bit [my family would say very] batty about gardens and I couldn’t give up the chance to have a look round this one. Whilst it wasn’t a patch on Kew or Wisley, it was very interesting, with some lovely old trees and beautiful rose bushes and other specimen shrubs planted mainly in huge pots. One long border was entirely planted with herbs of all types which was very successful, and another [mostly more in hope I suspect] with ferns, which they had wisely covered in a net to keep off the sun though even in a north-facing border, I doubted that this was going to do the trick. They even had a glass house full of cacti and other tender subjects, though as it was south facing, even the cacti might struggle when it gets very hot in there.

I didn’t have that long there as I wanted to get back to the apartment for the market tour with Beatrice, but on the way back I had time for a spremuta d’arancia at a local bar [which also offered various other fruits and veg juices as well, all at a very reasonable €2.50 or so] and as it was I was back with 10 minutes or so to spare.
Beatrice had asked my before I arrived if I’d be interested in doing a market tour with her as I had asked her about some of the tours run by other companies, and at €30, hers was definitely competitive. Two other guests, a russian couple who fortunately spoke english joined us, and together we walked down to the San Ambrosio Market which is about 200m from the apartment. First of all she took us round some of the outside stalls, all of which had their own specialities - the fruit and veg stall that sold numerous different varieties of tomato all with their own use, [one for sugo di pomodoro, another for tomato salad, a third for roasting] - the stall with the herbs and spices, yet another with the largest porcini I’d ever seen...she said that they regularly move around the city’s markets so that you may see different stall holders on different days. We tasted the wares of several stalls [with the owners’ permission of course] and I noticed that Beatrice bought some broad beans from one stall - for future use perhaps? Then we moved inside and walked past several enticing displays until we stopped at a stall selling hams, salamis, and cheeses. We started by trying some pecorino cheese with the raw broad beans - who thought of that? - and then were offered a variety of hams and cheeses, until I was beginning to feel quite full. Possibly co-incidentally, [or was this why Beatrice had chosen this stall?] the assistant at the stall was Moldovan and spoke russian, so she and the other guests were able to have a nice conversation. Or I assume it was nice! The prosciutto was outstanding so I decided I would come back the next day and buy some to take home, as well as some of the ravioli I’d spotted on another stall.
By now it was time for lunch and Beatrice was anxious that we sat down beofre 1 pm else we might not get a table at the market restaurant, which specialises in the sort of traditional Florentine dishes that appeal to market traders - and at the sort of prices they like too. Nothing was more than €5, and the wine was charged for what was consumed - we managed to put away the best part of a bottle plus two bottles of mineral water between us, as well as sharing numerous dishes that Beatrice suggested, ranging from tuscan bread and tomato salad, tripe salad, to ravioli in brodo, a minestrone-type soup, trippa alla fiornetina, and several others that I’ve forgotten. Apart from the tripe salad they were all very tasty and I’d happliy eat there again.

After Beatrice had settled the bill, [her profit margin much have been small] we all went our separate ways; for my part I wanted to go to Santa Croce which I had never visited before, so I headed south and ended up round the back of the church, at what is called the Leather School. It appears to be a workshop for very high-end leather goods, way out of my league, but I had an interesting conversation [well, I was interested] with one of the workers who was the assistant of a lady who made the most exqusite bags, and looked at some ostrich wallets, which though small, were perfectly formed - and still beyond my means. It turned out that I could get into Santa Croce itself this way by buying a ticket at the leather shop [not at the church gift shop; I would think this strange were it not Italy, where such things, however illogical, are everyday occurances] and I had a lovely hour or so wandering around the church and the cloisters. I was particularly taken by the tombs - Marconi, Gallileo, a few others I’ve forgotten.

Then I remembered that someone [ekscrunchy? - apologies if I’ve got that wrong] had mentioned that you could catch the bus [no 12 or 13] up to the Piazzale Michelangelo so I set off across the Arno to find the bus stop. And walked and walked but didn’t find it. Eventually I decided to give up and just walk anyway - it would probably be quicker. Despite the heat it wasn’t too hard, and every time I stoped for a breather, I got the pleasure of being able to enjoy that fabulous view of the Duomo against a pure blue sky. Finally I got to the top, which was a bit of an anticlimax give the huge number of other tourists, people fighting for spots to take the statutory photos, the gelati sellers, the hawkers...and not a spot of shade or a seat for the weary. Just below the parapet however I spied a bar with some very enticing parasols, so I made a bee-line for a seat and ordered a drink. All right it was €7 for a medium beer, [with a bowl of crisps!] but for half and hour in the shade with the best view in town, I thought it was worth it. There was even a cabaret in the shape of a japanese couple having their wedding photos taken - the one where he lifted her up and her hooped skirt flipped over her head was particularly entertaining.

But even I couldn’t make a beer last more than 30 minutes, so following the theme of doing things I’d never done before, I decided to walk up to San Miniato, again mentioned by someone here on Fodors. It was a bit of a hike, but worth it just for the mosaics [€1 for 5 minutes illumination] though the whole basilica is very beautiful. After a quick look round the herbalist’s shop and a consultation of the map, [my favourite flip-out one - very useful and small enough to fit in my trouser pocket] I started to head downhill with no thought except to head back in the general direction of the apartment. Then joy - I almost fell over the Rose Garden. I’d read about there being a rose garden in Florence before I left, but totally failed to work out where it was and - well - it was here. And open. For those who might be interested, I have already posted another thread, but if you don’t fancy looking for it, here’s the link : http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca...vori-16288702/
It was really a delight to walk amongst the roses, already more or less in full bloom, with their lovely colours and heavy perfume. really, worth the trip all by itself.

However, after about an hour I felt quite tired after my day’s exersions, so I decided to tear myself away and I had every intention of heading back across the river, but was distracted when I came across this place: http://www.fuoriporta.it/ . Featured in fodors as primarily a wine bar, [with better service than the reviewers have said] as well as serving basic florentine dishes it has a huge selction of wines including many by the glass, and some lovely tables outside, all of which I found impossible to resist. So I sat down and enjoyed a couple of glasses of red wine, some crostini, and a long phone call with my mum, who shares my love of gardens, and of course, roses.

After the wine and crostini, the walk back to the apartment didn’t seem quite so long, and by 7pm I was sitting down drinking tea on the terrace overlooking the roofs of Florence - could things get any better than this?

LoveItaly

I am so enjoying "travelling" with you, annhig, as you explore Florence. I so love roses also and found the rose garden absolutely beautiful. I am trying to remember where the garden was that had all the irises, the flower of Florence of course. If memory serves me right it was in that general area. Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful adventure.

jent103

That DOES sound like a perfect day! Still reading and enjoying along with you.

Leely2

Yep, a perfect day.

bfrac

Ann, you are right. Things couldn't be any better than that.

annhig

Love - I found it below the piazzale michelangelo but the irises were all over, so i had forgotten about it until you mentioned it. I'm not sure how you'd get to it, but it was visible from the path up to the piazzale so I assume that if you wanted to get to it, you'd be able to do so.

jent, leely, bfrac - patience!

annhig

Could things get any better than this?

OH YES THEY COULD.

By 8pm I was beginning to get peckish [that may be a surprise to you, dear reader, but it would not be a surprise to my family!] so I thought that I would go out and inspect some of the nearby restaurants recommended by Fodors and my hosts. So instead of turning right out of the apartment and walking towards the market and what had looked like the somewhat downmarket eateries on offer in that direction, I turned left and left again, and strode along until I reached the Borgo Pinti, and instead of turning right towards the “quatr...sorry, the Four Seasons” I turned left towards La Gioastra, which is recomended by both. Described by Fodors as a “clubby spot” and by my hosts as refined and romantic with a delicious cuisine, let us just say that it was not “sole female diner” friendly. I kept walking down the road and came across a trattoria which looked ok, the menu was interesting, so I went inside. I suppose the fact that it took them 5 minutes to notice my existence ought to have told me something - but I was eventually shown to a table and given a menu, and then left to look at it. So I looked at it, and at my fellow diners, and back at the menu, and at my fellow diners again, and back at the menu which was getting less exciting by the minute, so after a good ten minutes, I just got up and left. I didn’t say any thing, just left. [note to restauranteurs - if you want to stop bored customers walking out, and lone diners get bored really fast, make sure that you bring them some drinks and bread within 2 minutes of them sitting down. It’s MUCH more difficult for them to walk out then].

I knew that if I turned left again, I would come to the Borgo la Croce where there were a number of restaurants, but none of them greatly appealed, and I was beginning to give up hope, when on the corner of my own street, via della Mantonaia, I came across the exceedingly unprepossessing trattoria “il Giova”. Really, the website sums the place up completely.

http://www.ilgiova.com/

Even now I am not sure what made me go in. Perhaps it was the thought of “cappallaci al fiori di zuca profumi al tartufo” or “tortelli maremma in salsi di burro, salvia, e arancia” or tagliata con carciofi e panico [sorry, that means panic, but that’s what I’ve written!]..but whatever it was, in I went. What a difference to the other place. I was politely shown to a table, offered the menu, then wine, bread and water, smiled at by the waitress from time to time in an encouraging way, and generally made to feel welcome. Most of the menu was completely mystifying - what, for example, was the dish that they had translated as “cut with its sauce and vegetables”? or “Pentolaccia”? [the insides of a sheep, I think!]

In the end I settled on a primo of tortellini of potato in a saffron sauce, and secondo of fillet of duck in an onion sauce, both of which I had seen going out to other diners who were obviously enjoying them hugely. Wow. The pasta was just terrific. Silky smooth with a sauce to match. I ate every bit and mopped up the sauce with my bread. [don’t you do that? oh, you don’t ? well, you don’t know what you’re missing!].

By the time I got to the duck I was possibly a little full of pasta, but it was still very delicious, and I almost finished it. Coffee was enough however, and full of the duck, I waddled back home. Trip advisor tells me that “il giova” is about no 450 out of 850 restaurants in Florence, in which case the 449 above it must be pretty good. but it would be hard for them to be friendlier.

Tomorrow - my last day in Florence or how many tortellini can I squeeze in my case and other party games.