Florence, Aug. 8

Aug. 8, 2012
Florence, Italy
Florence is gorgeous! In fact, the whole Tuscany region is gorgeous. I can see why people fall in love with this area of the world.
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Most of the buildings are in classic Renaissance style covered in pale pastel stucco with red tile roofs, and in the countryside are rolling hills, lush vineyards, cypress olive trees, and pine umbrella trees. We saw all of this during the bus ride for the day trip we had signed up for today.

Monique had the bus driver stop so we could take pictures from a scenic overlook of the Arno River. We also stopped to see the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, in which are buried the remains of American soldiers (and at least three Army nurses) who were killed in the fighting in Italy during World War II. It’s one of 24 military cemeteries established by the American Battle Monuments Commission, an independent U. S. government agency that creates military burial grounds and shrines for American casualties in foreign countries. I can only imagine how painful it would be to have a loved one buried in a land far from home, but still I’m glad the U. S. has these places for those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

One of the highlights of the day was a visit to a walled medieval city called San Gimignano. This town is famous for its towers, of which 14 are left and can be seen on the skyline from several miles outside of the town. At the height of its power from the 11th through 14th centuries, San Gimignano was an important cultural, economic, and trade center. It declined during the Black Death, and is now a tourist and artistic resort.

The main church in the town, the Collegiate di Santa Maria Assunta (Collegiate Church of the Assumption of Mary), is known for its beautiful, vivid, colorful frescoes, which cover almost every inch of its walls and illustrate the life of Christ and various other religious topics. (In the Middle Ages, the common people were illiterate, so the best way to educate them about anything was through images.)

Gary and I made a special point of going into this church (luckily, it was one of the churches that give out disposable capes to cover your shoulders, since I hadn’t brought my cardigan along on this trip) in order to see the portion of the frescoes depicting the Seven Deadly Sins, which Monique had told us about. This segment of the frescoes was quite graphic in showing what would happen to offenders who indulged in the Seven Deadly Sins. In the panel portraying Greed, a sinner was shown tied down on his back with a row of devils squatting above him, pooping coins into his open mouth. You can only wonder what kind of mind thinks up things like that.

Also quite gruesome was a museum of torture implements, all of which have unfortunately been historically documented as being used at one time or another (some still are, apparently). Not for those with weak stomachs.

On the lighter side, San Gimignano also boasts a very famous gelato shop called Dondoli Gelateria di Piazza, which has won the Ice Cream World Championship several times (when you taste it, you know why), been mentioned in several world traveling guides, and been visited by many celebrities. It’s known for its very unusual flavors of gelato, such as Dolceamaro (cream with aromatic herbs), Crema di Santa Fina (cream with saffron and pine nuts), and Champelmo (pink grapefruit and sparkling wine). Gary and I went with some of the more conservative flavors. We had two scoops each of chocolate and rosemary-flavored raspberry (called Rosemary’s Baby). Without a doubt the best gelato we sampled in Italy.

Speaking of Italian treats, there is also a bakery in San Gimignano, Panifico Boboli, which makes ricciarelli, those soft, chewy almond cookies covered with powdered sugar that my family used to eat only at Christmas time when we were kids. Monique treated the group to some during our visit. Between this and the four-course dinners, she’s going to get us all fat.

The town also has various other little shops where we stocked up on more souvenirs for ourselves, such as Tuscan olive oil, a natural stone necklace, and colorful 100% cotton tablecloths.

The other highlight of the day was a wine-tasting session at a family-owned winery called Tenuta Torciano just outside San Gimignano. Here we were given a variety of both red and white wines to sample with a “light lunch” of only three courses (an appetizer course of Tuscan bread, salami, and cheeses; an entrée of lasagna; and Tuscan cookies and biscuits for dessert).

Gary and I finally got a taste of the famous Brunello wine here. We liked it so much we ordered a bottle to be shipped directly to us at home. (We don’t mind buying things at these “demonstrations” if it’s something we really like and it’s reasonably priced. While it was kind of expensive at €52 a bottle or about $68 in U. S. currency, Monique said she hasn’t been able to find it in the States for less than $75.) We also ordered a bottle of the winery’s truffle-flavored olive oil, which was poured over the lasagna we were served for lunch, and also a fantastic raspberry-flavored balsamic vinegar that can actually be served over desserts such as vanilla ice cream and strawberries (just a couple of drops, of course).

After we got back to Florence, Gary and I did some more sight-seeing and souvenir shopping along the Ponte Vecchio over the Arno River. This is the only bridge in Florence that was not bombed during World War II because of its historical importance. It is also lined with luxury gold and silver jewelry stores, art dealers, and souvenir shops. (There was some really nice “bling” in the jewelry shop windows, but nothing we could afford.)

Then we had dinner at a place called FrancesoVini, located on Borgo de Greci off of the Piazza della Signoria (behind the statue of Neptune in the square). This restaurant is situated in one of the oldest buildings in Florence over the ruins of a Roman amphitheater, and specializes in typical Tuscan dishes such as Florentine beef (bistecca alla florentine). Gary and I split one of these huge steaks between us with a side of roasted potatoes. Fantastic! We haven’t had a bad meal in Italy yet.

Tomorrow we go on to Rome . . .