TravelinGirl

Ciao!

I'm sitting in a little alcove in a tower listening to the rain and thunder. I went to Museo del Opera (or something like that - I'll fix the reference later) and saw Michelangelo's unfinished Pietà. It was amazing. I wasn't going to stop, but I had 40 minutes to wait for the tourist bus (I know, it's tacky and horrible, but I would have been able to get to Fiesole - a tuscan hill town - and back for a reasonable amount of money and could have laughed at all the tourists). Anyway,I wasn't going to go in, but I had time to kill and knew that that was in there, so I paid my €6 and wandered around. While I was in there it started to sprinkle, and then to rain, and then to POUR. I had my umbrella (which was a good thing), but not my raincoat. I managed to make it back to the hotel between major downpours, so my timing with rain on this trip has (knock on wood), been great.

Yesterday was fun. Got up late (as I won't be able to do that once I go on the tour - I figured I should get SOME kind of vacation during my vacation). Wandered and got some strawberries and cream for breakfast. Wandered up and down walking everywhere. Took photos. Went to the market area - that's always fun to see the tourists and those who prey on them. There was beautiful leathergoods stuff, and amazing scarves - too bad I don't wear them, because all the beautiful colors and styles made me want to wear some! Had an amazing sandwich (best lunch I've had yet) from a little restaurant in the big indoor market (oh my god, this place is foodie heaven, every kind of cheese, meat, fruit, veggie, etc. Made me want to rent a house here just so I could shop and make food.) The sandwich was a round tuscan roll (they don't seem to salt the bread) dipped in au jus (sp?) and then piled with warm just sliced pork. They put a green and a red sauce on it (no idea what's in the sauce) that made it spicy and yummy. Took this outside to sit on the steps of a church and watch the tourists and pigeons and hawkers and enjoy my awesome sandwich.

More food descriptions - last night for dinner had a simple bruschetta (toasted bread rubbed with garlic, topped with tomatoes and basil - heaven) and a saffron risotto. The risotto was perfect - creamy and yummy without being sticky or heavy. Had a 1-4 liter of house red wine with dinner (€3 - can't beat that!) - my stomach was a little unsure about the red wine, so I only drank one glass. Had a tartufo dessert (truffle gelato - chocolate on the outside surrounding creamy vanilla?coconut? filling) with a glass of vin santo. All that food and I'm losing weight. Then again, walking all over the city and back does that.

The night before I ate at the same place (Trattoria Nella - ate there with the Rick Steves folks last time - around the corner from my hotel). That was REALLY good. Appetizer of insalata caprese (tomatoes, fresh mozzarella - so cream it melts in your mouth - and fresh basil). For dinner had roasted pork with rosemary roasted potatoes. This was amazing. They were both roasted to perfection, with just a hint of salt and a hint of herbs to make everything just right. Dessert was (finally) tiramisù and vin santo. Had a 1-4 liter (2 glasses) of white wine with dinner - perfection.

Soon I'll be off to a train to Rome. I think that'll be a good way to spend a couple of hours on a rainy day. I feel sorry for all the tourists who've never been here before and are having to figure out what to do because of the rain. Then again, I've been enjoying having most places to myself without the tourist hordes, so that's cool by me. I wasn't going to buy people things on this trip, but I saw things that just screamed people's names, so I'm going to have to figure out how to send things home - my bag is overflowing with stuff. Doh! Anyway, hugs and kisses to you all, I'm being safe and having a great time! Can't wait to fill this in with pictures when I get home.

posted by Unknown @ 1:33 AM