Here Comes the Sun and Fun in Oltrarno

After an entire week with no sun, I was pleased as punch when the sun finally decided to show her lovely face. Last week the weather was all doom and gloom - lot's of rain and cold and no sun. I really started to miss the Colorado sunshine! But, thankfully, we woke up to a sunny morning on Sunday. When the sun comes out it's mandatory to get outside and enjoy the warmth!
Just up the street from our apartment is a nice little park. I'm not entirely sure what it's called...I'll look into that. We discovered it a few weeks ago and have gone back every Sunday to sit on the park benches that overlook the town. At the entrance of the park, on top of the hill, is this amazing sculptural fountain of a dragon. It seems a bit out of place among the Renaissance and medieval sculptures throughout Florence, but it is quite enchanting. Sunday, Ian and I took some pictures of the dragon (check out our Picasa site to view the pics!) and then sat on a bench listening to the soothing sound of running water and enjoying the warmth of the sun on our faces. An older gentleman sitting on a nearby bench was listening to Italian opera on a small radio, so we could faintly hear the music as well. It was really a pleasant little Sunday afternoon.


Ever since we arrived in Italy, I've been pinning to do a wine tasting. But can I tell you how difficult it is to find an inexpensive wine tasting that doesn't involve a tour bus, a huge mark up, and an inevitable tourist trap?! We finally found a reasonably priced wine and cheese tasting located at a wine bar in Oltrarno, just across the street from the Pitti Palace. So, last Thursday, we made our way across the bridge into Oltrarno for our scheduled tasting. It was fantastic! We tasted eight wines from the Tuscany region, all paired with delicious local cheeses. One of the wines we tasted was a Brunello from Montalcino; the bottle was 38 euros (almost $60)! All the wines were delightful and I convinced Ian to let us buy one of the less expensive bottles (only 20 euros). It's a 2005 Capezzana Trebbiano, a white wine. I loved this wine! It's interesting because during the fermentation process the wine is stored in barrels that were previously used for making whiskey. Therefore, the wine takes on a golden hue with a distinctly unique flavor. We'll have to enjoy it before we leave Florence because we just don't have room in our bags. Oh darn!

Another couple had signed up for the tasting as well, so it was just the four of us. They were from Florida and were in Florence for their honeymoon. It was really nice to talk to another couple from the states. Even though we just chatted about basic things (where we were from, when they got married, how good the wine and cheese were, and the "different" cultural customs in Italy), I realized how much I miss having conversations with other people. Conversation is hard with Italians who speak only partial English and me who speaks only a few Italian phrases. It was fun to learn about the local wines and chat with the Sommelier and the other couple. Truly a relaxing, delicious evening all around.


Ian and I have decided that Oltrarno is our favorite part of Florence. I may have mentioned this in a previous post, but Oltrarno, for centuries was, the poorer section of town until the Medicis moved into the Pitti Palace in 1550. Now it is home to the working class Florentines and houses many artisans' workshops. It has a very bohemian, down-to-earth feel. It's fun to walk along the streets and peer into the shop windows, which are filled with artistic delights such as marbled paper, handmade leather purses, and beautiful sculptures and painting. We spent yesterday wandering all around Oltrarno and "hiking" up the many steep streets. We visited San Miniato al Monte, a church built in the early 11th century. The view from the square in front of the church is pretty impressive. We attempted to go to Forte di Belvedere, a 16th century bastion, but it is closed for the season. Lastly, we re-visited Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun set. Unfortunately, the cloudy sky had other plans. So, no sun set. Oh well! We enjoyed a pre-dinner aperitif at James Joyce, one of the many Irish pubs in Florence. (I wonder how James Joyce would react to having a pub named after him - probably pretty well!) It's really interesting how many Irish pubs there are in Florence! Who would have thought? For dinner, we ate pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven at I Tarochi. Well, actually, I ate pizza and Ian had a calzone...finally. He's been wanting to try an Italian calzone for weeks!

We're hoping to take another day trip to one of the Tuscan towns later this week. We're keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain...but, if it does, c'est la vie ("that's life"...I know, I know, that's French, not Italian). It's still exciting to visit new places, even in the rain!