We left on May 8th, 2010 for two weeks in Italy. The first week's adventures on our own in Rome, Venice and Florence preceded our gastronomic week in Tuscany with the fabulous Sherry Page of Culinary Getaways!
Our hotel in Florence was completely unlike Rome or Venice. The Hotel Continentale (left) is new, ultra-chic, ultra-modern, ultra-sleek, and conveniently located right on the Arno. In the center, Jeff and Sherry chat with the marvelous front desk staff at the entrance. Look closely at the wall art: a recessed light above two angled metal disks, with cut-outs of the continents, project shadows of the globe onto the wall. Right, you can see an alrternate entrance with ferns and whimsical hanging wicker chairs.
Left, Jeff in the glowing elevator--the ceiling, walls and floor were lit from within. Center and right: We stayed in the Tower and our room was incredible! The bed was the largest I have ever slept in: it was the equivalent of two queen beds put together. Diaphanous white curtains hung around the bed from a hidden track in the ceiling as well as around the perimeter of the room, giving one the feeling of being wrapped in some sort of gossamer cocoon. Amber lights in the hidden drapery track glowed softly. Below, you can see the working clocks as floating side tables, followed by a view from our window. Far right below, you can see a view of the Tower and hotel next to the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) on the Arno River. The Tower is the tall stone building on the far left, next to the green scaffolding.
Turn down service left the room in a glorious state. The curtains were drawn, enclosing the bed--only the sides were draped behind the reading lamps for access. The only light was the amber glow from the edge of the room and another hidden light behind the headboard. It made me want to curl up and sleep for a hundred years.
There was a fascinating ROOM-SIZED elevator--with banquette seating and plantation shutters that hid lights giving the feel of real windows-- that went from the lobby to the breakfast room. At breakfast with Sherry, I remarked that the scrambled eggs must have cheese in them to be so golden and she said that is simply the natural color of Tuscan eggs! Wow!
Left, the steps up to the lounge with grey flannel day beds and a view of the Ponte Vecchio. Above and right: the hotel facing ours had a bar/lounge completely sided in floor to ceiling glass.
On our first afternoon, we had lunch with Sherry in an adorable residential neighborhood on the south side of the Arno. She took us to one of her favorite spots (top row, first and second from left) where Jeff ordered a very traditional Tuscan dish, Pappa al Pomodoro, that was listed as a tomato soup, but when it came, it was a kind of porridge (top row, third from left). Turns out saltless Tuscan-style bread is shredded and added to the soup; the bread soaks up the liquid and it turns into a thick, delicious meal you can eat with a fork. Afrer lunch, we walked around the city center and ran across an artist, Maftouh Abdeerahim selling etchings and watercolors of Florence and Pinocchio. We fell in love with his work. Jeff and Sherry bought several each and as a bonus gift, Maftouh (whose name, he told us, means "Open" in Arabic) painted for each of us tiny watercolors of the city and landmarks as we watched.
Sightseeing in Florence. Above from left to right: The Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace) in the Piazza della Signoria; the Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune) in the Piazza; the copy of Michelangelo's David in the Piazza; a chraming view down a sidestreet. Bottom from left: begun in 1294, the Basilica di Santa Croce (Holy Cross), is the burial place for Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli among others; these myserious iron rings were embedded in the walls of many stone buildings all over Florence--some were shaped like what could only be a bat; by the Arno, for the "by-the-river" picture collection.
Views of The Duomo
Dinner was at Cipolla Rossa (The Red Onion). The kitchen had a glass wall and the chef was happy to have his picture taken! In fact, all the staff were extremely friendly and giving--our appetizer plates for the table were HEAPED with meats and cheeses. I had pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes and Sherry had "drunken spaghetti"--pasta that was cooked in red wine!
DOORKNOCKERS OF FLORENCE
On Sunday, the driver came to take us to the villa, about an hour outside of Florence, where Sherry was waiting for us. Phase Two fo the adventure was about to begin!
The pictures flanking this text need some explanation. These performers were on the steps outside the Uffizi Museum dressed like stone statues. Their grey/off white clothing and make-up were perfect and the fabric they wore was starched stiff so as to appear immovable. They did indeed seem carved out of marble.
The one on the left was a saint and the one on the right was Leonardo Da Vinci. They stood stock still until money was dropped into their boxes--and then they came alive. Now, this was so much more imaginative and entertaining than the dreadful "gold and silver" mimes that one can now see in any big city around the world--the ones that do "The Robot." (sigh and roll of the eyes)
When I dropped some money into the saint's box, he came alive, pulled me up the steps close to him and caressed my face with a tender smile and a beatific look on his face--I received his hilarious blessing with glee. When I dropped a coin into Leonardo's bucket, he came allive and opened the book he was holding --the cover of which showed Da Vinci's Vetruvian Man--that contained slips of paper printed with Da Vinci's "Code for a New Economy." He handed one to me as a souvenir.
