frolicking, round 14.

More frolics from Florence! This past Monday was a real treat, since I am a food blogger (www.talkoftomatoes.com) and chef: Florence had its food show. It was a food event showcasing Italian food, where restaurant, hotel, store owners go to sample new foods and meet vendors. It is where college kids sneak in and get free samples of wine, it is covered by magazines and packed-full of foodies---from casual to snobby.

You could eat dessert with actual gold flecks, taste compare over a dozen varieties of salami, easily the same amount of chocolate, vino, pasta, balsamic, and beer. I stuck to confettura and pestos, cheese and dessert wine---for the most part (I only made it on Monday, since on Sat/Sun the boys and I were in Arezzo).

I cycled across town and spent 5 hours at this foodie event---and loved every minute of it. Read all about it here. Besides Monday's food event, fun frolics this week included learning to knit with my friend Tannis (she is planning to open up a knitting shop and fattoria in Florence!). The boys played hooky were sick and did a bit of knitting as well.

In addition to learning to knit, we imbibed on mimosas, and made Dutch Pancakes and topped them with powdered sugar and one of my purchases from the food festival: Bianca Pesca Confettura (white peach jelly). OMG fabulous.

I am not a great knitter. I tried to teach myself with a do-it-yourself knitting book for kids some years ago. But found I had little questions here and there and nobody close by to answer. So I piled my knitting needles and yarn into a box and tucked it away. Learning to knit is on my life's list of things to do (I just found my cousin online and LOVED that she had a life's list of things to do and is tracking them; it is a hoot to see them crossed off and blogged about with pictorial proof!).

I didn't expect to 'cross that bridge' (aka learn to knit) this year, at this time in my life. But I am so, so glad serendipity occurred and our odd little knitting group developed. For the record, Anthony is the best knitter in the family.

Arezzo

We are adjusting to the fact that we don't always know where soccer games will be---and find out field location just days before we hit the pitch. Which means, this last weekend collapsed into a last-minute trip to Arezzo. (I will say, if learning 'spontaneity' is on your short list of personal goals, this would be a perfect environs for you). It turned out to be fantastic.

I rented a car (this simple phrase always cracks me up, as it involves riding a bike across town with out-of-town bags strapped on---and since 6 days a week only registered resident-only cars are allowed to drive into the city---picking the boys/passengers up at a rendezvous point 4 blocks from our flat). In this case the boys walked with me across town (my bike carrying 3 bags while we pushed it---and took in the sites).

Actually, on the way to the car we spotted a tiny museum next to Ognissante church and popped in for a five minute peek. It ended up being of all things: Giambologna's Last Supper. All sorts of frescoes by Giambologna, including some that were just started---and you could see the grid and sketching on the walls waiting for paint... very, very cool. Giambologna was the master of the studio where Michelangelo got his start...

So we picked up the car, first went to Caleb's at-home soccer game (Anthony and I poked around Fiesole while Caleb's team warmed up), then packed into the car and drove to Arezzo. More accurately, we drove straight to our country hotel. A good bargain since it was just outside the city. And it was way up a curvy road, where there was still some snow on the ground! We ate dinner at the hotel---a treat above all treats. Then slept, woke, ate a delightful breakfast (a spread of pastries, meats, cheese, homemade jellies, coffee, fruit, yogurt...) and sped off toward Anthony's game.

The whole day was sunny and delightful.

We hit Arezzo in the afternoon, saw Vasari's house (just the outside---it was closed), toured the Duomo, and sat in the grande piazza for a long lunch in the March sunshine. We Anthony [parla Italiano] had made an appointment to see Piero della Francesca's Legend of the True Cross---apparently one of Italy's greatest fresco cycles (in the church of San Francesco). We also went into an antique-museum of a personal collector whose finances still make Arezzo a better place; he is the reason Arezzo is so famous for its antiques market.

Besides the antiques, churches and the food, we loved Arezzo's park. This huge glorious park (with a sculpture of Petrarch) was full of grass, sun, stretches of pathway-lined trees, and stunning views over stone walls. People were throwing balls, sitting about chatting, babies riding in strollers, children running about. People of all ages filled this park to the hilt. All this buzz was right in the heart of the city---the whole park butted right up against the Duomo.

And the long streets coursing through the city (Corso Italia & Via Cavour) were people-laden as well. But the thing was---it wasn't tourists. It was the people from Arezzo humming and chatting about. It is a clean city, well-kept (rebuilt and restored since the war---and it shows), cared for and lived in. No graffiti (there is a ton of graffiti in Florence, so we always notice where it isn't); just neat parks, clean streets, good restaurants, inviting piazzas and well-kept buildings (the library and loggias were beautiful).

And we find that with most of the cities we visit, we make immediate plans to return. Our next visit will include a visit to Vasari's house, time at the Museo Statale d'Arte Medioevale e Moderna, a lingering visit/picnic in the park---and exploring the ruins of the Fortezza Medicea. So, Arezzo... until next time.

frolicking round 13

Bugger---I am behind on blogging about my frolics. Here goes: last week my one-day frolic blurred across multiple days.

For Lent I decided among other things, to take 2 days off a week from my computer. Entirely.

Wow that is easier said than done. The first day I had to avoid the 'elephant in the room,' but found my day was long and enjoyable and I spent time doing things I always mean to do: read a book, study Italian, walk around Florence, try a new recipe. One day I felt lousy and watched a movie. Now I am lenient with myself, and let myself at least check email---but I cap my time.

The best part of meaning to take off 2 days a week is that it is encouraging me to traipse off and enjoy Florence with increasing abandon. I am more likely to pop out of the house if just for an hour or two. Which means I will go to the farmers' market---the long way around.

Every Thursday there is a garden market---with seasonal flowers, plants and herbs---under the Loggia on Piazza Republicca. If I am around, I generally walk through it. Last summer, the boys bought little cacti there. I usually just peek, but this time I bought fresh thyme. I continued onto the Mercato---the largest market near San Lorenzo---and bought fresh mozzarella, polpettini (small meatballs) and some tomatoes.

Other forays last week included:

• spending some time at Orsanmichele with Anthony (used to be grain market and open loggia with miracle-giving painting of the Madonna and Child (a place for hope during the plague). Now it is a church (still with grain chutes), with fantastic statues commissioned by the various guilds and an impossibly ornate and breathtaking tabernacle housing a newer painting of the Madonna (by Daddi). The museum above the church houses sculptures under restoration and glimpses of the grain mill (only open Mondays).
• walking/exploring the streets near Tornabuoni, toward the train station and Santa Maria Novella. I found Antinori's Piazza and wine bar, a mozzarella bar (really!) and bought some Italian cookies to sample with the boys.
• I snapped a photo of a street-cleaner; it made sense to take a picture since we see and hear them all the time near our flat. The token moment: after I snapped the photo, the driver and I caught each others' eyes---and both laughed-out-loud.
• drank coffee at the posh coffee bar (Caffe Giacosa). I say posh because it is by Tornabuoni---the shopping street lined with all the high fashion name brands. And with magazine-spread photos on its walls, is consistently packed with well-dressed Italians and truth be told: the coffee is good.
• I made tortillas. From scratch! The boys and I gobbled them up for dinner.
• Anthony, Caleb and I also went for a walk around town recently---we found pastries and visited the Academia (Michelangelo's David), laughed at silly t-shirts and bought souvenir sweatshirts.