day 4. florence to citta della pieve
ETA: just realizing that the pics in this post are really crappy. i think it is because lj likes to make them tiny, and then i make them bigger. i guess i'll go back to using the lj client to make these posts, cause all the pics really came out great.
up at the very crack of dawn to finish packing, have breakfast, and head off to the train station. we considered taking a taxi because of my ankle, but we were still dealing with only our carry on bags and knapsacks, and the train station wasn't that far, so we hoofed it.
a bottle of rose hip liquor we bought, that was made by nuns. we found this tiny shop hidden in an alley courtyard that sold items made by local orders. in addition to this, we got tj's mom a rosary of olive wood and some jam.
for our last dinner in florence, we hunted around a bit for something nice. we found this restaurant that seemed to have only a large tented dining area hidden back behind the buildings. we headed back there and it was very noisy. tj was not pleased, saying it seemed to be full of teenagers. upon closer inspection, we discovered that they did have a full seating area inside, which was much more civilized and quieter. and not at "the kids' table", as tj put it. it was a lovely meal
wine, of course
tj's amazing ravioli with sage butter
mmm mmmm tortellini en brodo. so simple, so good
a simple chicken cutlet for me
and (the remains of) tj's spiedini, which had chicken, rabbit, pork and sausage
the 'special dessert' which was a creamy cake topped with fruit
i had only fruit, including a quince, which made me beyond happy
the train station in florence
using my mad skillz in italian to buy tickets. i had to buy tickets for our next trip the following week, as well.
us on the train, with a trenitalia employee trying to sleep
no picks of arezzo. to busy. we got off the train, got our car with no problem, and managed to drive out of town. tj hadn't driven a stick in years, and i was full on navigator, as she speaks zero italian. the autostrada was a little freaky at first. people don't leave enough room when passing, and will probably 'tap' you if you don't get out of their way.
we managed to get to the proper exit, where we were instructed to call the owner of the villa. despite my impression, he did not speak english. i managed to determine that the house was not ready, and that he would meet us 'by the hospital' at 3pm. it was only noon! we found the town, passing the hospital, found a parking spot (market day), and figured out how to get the car to go in reverse (it's a tricky thing). we hit the supermarket and the cafe, and went back to the hospital. jacopo (the owner) had brought his english/french/german/italian speaking friend to act as liaison. we followed them up to the house, got a tour, the keys and settled in.
our bedroom
the living room
dining room
kitchen
some of the villa cats
the pool (from the patio)
the house
more cats and our cute fiat
same but different
olive groves across the road
and that, my friends as they say, is that
da
up at the very crack of dawn to finish packing, have breakfast, and head off to the train station. we considered taking a taxi because of my ankle, but we were still dealing with only our carry on bags and knapsacks, and the train station wasn't that far, so we hoofed it.
a bottle of rose hip liquor we bought, that was made by nuns. we found this tiny shop hidden in an alley courtyard that sold items made by local orders. in addition to this, we got tj's mom a rosary of olive wood and some jam.
for our last dinner in florence, we hunted around a bit for something nice. we found this restaurant that seemed to have only a large tented dining area hidden back behind the buildings. we headed back there and it was very noisy. tj was not pleased, saying it seemed to be full of teenagers. upon closer inspection, we discovered that they did have a full seating area inside, which was much more civilized and quieter. and not at "the kids' table", as tj put it. it was a lovely meal
wine, of course
tj's amazing ravioli with sage butter
mmm mmmm tortellini en brodo. so simple, so good
a simple chicken cutlet for me
and (the remains of) tj's spiedini, which had chicken, rabbit, pork and sausage
the 'special dessert' which was a creamy cake topped with fruit
i had only fruit, including a quince, which made me beyond happy
the train station in florence
using my mad skillz in italian to buy tickets. i had to buy tickets for our next trip the following week, as well.
us on the train, with a trenitalia employee trying to sleep
no picks of arezzo. to busy. we got off the train, got our car with no problem, and managed to drive out of town. tj hadn't driven a stick in years, and i was full on navigator, as she speaks zero italian. the autostrada was a little freaky at first. people don't leave enough room when passing, and will probably 'tap' you if you don't get out of their way.
we managed to get to the proper exit, where we were instructed to call the owner of the villa. despite my impression, he did not speak english. i managed to determine that the house was not ready, and that he would meet us 'by the hospital' at 3pm. it was only noon! we found the town, passing the hospital, found a parking spot (market day), and figured out how to get the car to go in reverse (it's a tricky thing). we hit the supermarket and the cafe, and went back to the hospital. jacopo (the owner) had brought his english/french/german/italian speaking friend to act as liaison. we followed them up to the house, got a tour, the keys and settled in.
our bedroom
the living room
dining room
kitchen
some of the villa cats
the pool (from the patio)
the house
more cats and our cute fiat
same but different
olive groves across the road
and that, my friends as they say, is that
da