Florence

So, one of the major line items in My Life Plan is to travel to Italy every October. So far, so good. I first went 4 years ago, to this cooking school in the small Tuscan village of Montefollonico. I flew into Florence, and spent 2 days there before heading south. I fell in love with Florence: the art, the food, the people. I burst into tears as I rounded the corner in the Accademia and saw the “David.” I wandered around the Duomo, marvelling in its beauty and architecture. I plunked my ass down in the Piazza della Republica, sipped chianti, and watched Italian fashion (the boots! The boots!) pass me by. Since then I've visited Pisa, Rome, Naples, Siena, Venice and many small villages (including the one my grandmother is from) in between. As I planned this most recent trip I wondered if I would still feel the same way about Florence: was it just because it was my first Italian city that I loved it so? Nope!

My second trip to Florence this past October confirmed my first impressions. I love it. And a second trip allowed me to delve a bit deeper. Of course I had to visit the David and the Duomo again. But this time I had a chance to have dinner with a Florentine resident who directed me here. Breathtaking. He also told me about this restaurant, popular with locals, off the beaten track. Can't wait to go back. Do I have to wait until October?

I'm working on it.