Up and Down

A word to the wise.  If you intend to excite people’s charity as a beggar, don’t sit there yakking on your cell phone—just saying.

My trip is half done, and I have ticked off most of what I wanted to see in the city.  Narrow streets, gray stone, and crowds eventually get me down, so it was time for something different.  I crossed the Ponte Vecchio walked along the Arno for a bit and then turned under and arch and began to climb.  And climb.  And then I climbed some more occasionally stopping to pant.  The steep ascent took me past the pleasant house Galileo lived in.  It's not open to the public, but there's a Galileo Museum in the historic center for those who are interested.

I climbed past the Giadarno Bardini and turned and climbed up to the Fortress Belvedre---closed or I would have stopped and visited and then down a long, narrow road past an olive grove.  Birds tweeted.  Insects hummed.  I admired the olive trees with their short twisted trunks and silvery green leaves.  Florence is surrounded by rolling hills. After a long steep descent I turned uphill again into a sort of village-like environment and back to more steep climbing.

The purpose of all that?  I was out of breath and my legs began to ache, but the weather was good, and I needed to leave the historic center for a while and those narrow streets walled with stone, the cigarette smoke, all those tour groups, and just the crowds in general.  Few people shared my route.  Here and there I caught glimpses of trees blossoming in pink and white and green grass and leafy bushes.  Mere words cannot convey the beauty of the Tuscan countryside in spring.  My photo doesn't either.  A long, long fight of shallow steps led up to the Piazza de Michelangelo where another copy of David presides over a magnificent view of the city.  I paused to take pictures.

Now, this piazza is a noted tourist spot.  A lot of tour buses come here, and so do city buses.  Gelato and souvenir stands serve those in need.

But I was not done with the climbing.  From the banks of the Arno one can see one of the oldest churches in Florence—San Miniato del Monte.  I strolled up hill and climbed more stairs until I reached it.  It’s a living church, so on this Sunday I could not enter.  As it was Palm Sunday, a lot of people were around (Note that I wrote the post on the day and am just publishing it later) passing out olive branches for the Tuscan version of the day.  Even down in the historic center may people carried them.

After enjoying the air and the view I hiked back again wondering what else I could do today.  I checked at the bus station. Nope. Very few lines running and not to anywhere I wanted to go.  I tried a museum I had not seen.  Nope. Closed.

To console myself I had gelato:  cinnamon, hazelnut-chocolate, and hazelnut.  Swoon!

After finding a euro pence in the gutter and taking it as a sign, I decided to go shopping.  I had a good idea of what I wanted for myself and for prezzies from previous episodes of window licking.  I went to the Santa Croce district because it’s known for its leather shops.  I came away with an elegant number in black leather.  I bought a few other things, but they are prezzies for folks who might be reading.  I snooted around stands and markets—regular readers know my weakness for markets.  The one I explored seriously catered for tourists—all right with me!  My quest proved successful.

But another item remained on my personal list, and I wondered if I could get it taken care of today leaving more time the rest of my trip for excursions.  I went back to the Ponte Vecchio to find that most of the jewelry stores were open.  I licked windows for a while and then entered one.  I emerged a short time later quite satisfied with my purchase of a pair of pretty gold earrings.  I opted for the nine caret hoops.  The gold glitters the same as fourteen or twenty-four caret.

Glad you had a nice day, Pil.  And the food?

One traditional dish--and very easy to make is Pasta e Fagioli. The Tuscans make this with white canellini beans or red speckled borlotti and short cut pasta.  I had penne.   One cooks beans with aromatics like garlic, onion, and celery or mixes them in if using canned beans.  Tomato is always welcome.  Some porky sausage--which I did not have--turns the dish into a special occasion.  Don't forget to finish with olive oil!

In other news. . . Mount Etna has erupted AGAIN.  Italy is the most volcanically active area in—well, you have to go to the Pacific Ring of Fire to find a area of comparable volcanic activity.
Ciao!