Florence
We returned to one of the most magnificent and captivating cities in the world, Florence. This photo of the Duomo was taken at Boboli gardens behind the Pitti Palace, the private home of the Medici family in the 1500s.
Part art gallery, part secret hideout, the Boboli Gardens are like a time machine back to the 16th century. Originally a playground for the Medici, they still feel like an exclusive, walled-away escape. It is fun to explore the winding paths or duck into the many grottos.
We are no longer at the coast, and are now enjoying excellent meats and pastas accompanied by bold red wines. Terry enjoyed the Bistecca Fiorentina, which is priced by the kilogram, and incidentally 1 kilogram is the smallest size you can order. So we shared it.
Stacy, on the other hand is learning about wine windows. Florence's historic wine windows (buchette del vino) are centuries-old, arched portals carved into Renaissance palaces. Originally built in the 1500s for nobles to sell estate wine tax-free, they became "plague windows" in the 1600s for contactless service. They were revived during COVID and are fun, street-side spots to grab a drink.
From the rooftop of our hotel we had views of The Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is considered the most important Roman Gothic church in Tuscany. Its construction started in 1290 and it took almost 200 years to be completed.
Also, from the rooftop terrace we enjoyed views of the Duomo.
After a hard day of sightseeing, we would ascend to the rooftop to enjoy live music playing in the piazza during sunset while enjoying local wines.
One night we were lucky enough to capture this beautiful full moon rise over Florence from the rooftop.
Seeing David for the second time allowed us to appreciate the sheer mastery of this creation in ways that we had not noticed the first time.
For example the detail of his sling’s strap, draped over his left shoulder and running down the length of his back is remarkable.
Our first night in Florence, we enjoyed an exquisite pasta carbonara. We thought that it couldn’t be improved upon, more on that later…
After eating delicious pasta, we were determined to learn how to make our own. So we attended a cooking class in a beautiful villa in the Florence hills. During our cooking class we made tagliatelle, ravioli, meatballs and gelato. The day was so much fun, and the wine was delicious too.
What is that expression about too many cooks in the kitchen?
We took an excursion to Bologna, a city considered to offer the best food in Italy, which is saying a lot, given the exceptional food throughout the country. This map shows the range of foods that Bologna/Emilia Romagna is known for. We tasted many of them on our historical, food and walking tour and even dined in the oldest tavern in the world.
The primary reason that we visited Bologna, was to meet the family that provided our favorite chef, Biba Caggiano with the recipe that we cherish, Spinach Lasagna with Bolognese Meat Sauce. They run Trattoria Boni. We met the current chef, 3rd generation who signed our cookbook, next to Biba’s signature, and he reviewed Biba’s recipe.
We ate their lasagna, which was good, but not as good as Biba’s. Apparently, the family modified the recipe decades after they first gave it to her. So they knew that it was an original. Alas, we have our memories of it as she prepared it for us in Sacramento. Mama Mia that was excellent lasagna!! We miss you Biba.
