Abbiamo sonno

Day 6

Being on the go all week finally caught up with us - we are all dragging today but managed to get in about 9700 steps out and around (lunch and a little shopping). We lunched at Caffe Italiano (another great recommendation from Debbie and Al Finocchio – thanks!!!) that was so charming (pictured). Brian took this great photo last night of the Palazzo Vecchio with the Fountain of Neptune at the left side – beautiful! Dinner at Trattoria Pallottino (another recommendation – thanks Salina!) Megan and Trevin shared the bistecca alla fiorentina and the lasagna was molto buona!

Visiting a Tuscan Villa

Day 5

We took the 31 bus to Grassina where Megan had scheduled us an AirBnB experience for olive oil and wine tasting in Tuscany. Our host Caterina drove us to her 600 year old villa that has been in her family for 5 generations. We enjoyed fresh coffee before a tour of the olive grove (200 trees) from which she harvests olive oil for her family and friends each fall. From there we explored the beautiful grounds then were treated to olive oil tasting in Caterina’s kitchen. A short trip from the villa landed us at Podere Ema winery where we were greeted by Natalia and taken on a tour of the facility, then enjoyed fabulous wines (Rosso Ema, Nocchino, and Foglia Tonda) plus a taste of Rosato from the fermentation tank. Such a memorable experience - thanks Caterina and Natalia! For dinner we discovered a lovely restaurant Ara: e Sud featuring Sicilian cuisine.

Happy New Year!

Day 4

After dinner at Ristorante Boccadama on New Year’s Eve (delizioso!) we braved the cold and crowds to enjoy the New Year’s Eve revelry. We shared a bottle of Prosecco at La Borsa Ristorante, then joined the countdown to 1/1/2020 at Kikuyu (pub next door to our apartment). Today we lounged around until 2 pm, then made our way to Mercato Centrale for lunch only to find it closed (it is open 364 days/year - just our luck!) So we found a panini shop nearby where I saw the most honest store sign (see photo top left - fine print!) “Probably the best coffee in Florence” 😊 We took a little down time in the afternoon before dinner to relax and chat - Megan and I did a 3 minute plank challenge to liven things up. Dinner was at FrancescoVini where a new varietal of red wine was consumed - see picture of bottle. The series of photos of Megan show her response to tasting Grappa (Brian and Trevin ordered with their tiramisu) - smelled like paint thinner! Another delicious meal - risotto, stewed beef, Florentine steak, and coniglio at the table. Ciao!

New Year's Eve day

Day 3

We started the day with science! We spent 2 hours at the Museo Galileo with a special exhibit on perpetual motion by Leonardo DaVinci. My personal favorite was the table of chemical affinities (bottom photo). From there we walked along the Arno to find the Hotel Mediterraneo where the USD students will be staying and where my first lecture will be next Sunday. Lunch at Che ti Garba was wonderful (they seat you with a lovely glass of chilled Prosecco - yum!) From there we walked to Eataly (yes, a fairly Americanized market, but amazing chocolate to buy). As we sat outside sipping wine, we had front row seats to a communist protest against the high speed train in Torino. Brian, Megan, and Trevin couldn’t pass up the gelato despite the 40° weather, and the walk back home included the Duomo at sunset - as crowded as Times Square on New Year’s Eve. Happy New Year!

Out and about in Florence

Day 2

Megan and Brian went in search of coffee and pastries this morning, today was Caffe Mario. We set off in the cold and wind to visit Museo San Marco (happened to pass the beautiful Duomo), Mercado Centrale (wow!), lunch at La Fonticine, then trekked across Ponte Vechhio up to Piazzale Michelangelo with stunning views of the city. Nick and Camille told us about a terrific caffe house (Gilli) where Raelene and I sipped Americanos. Pizza for dinner tonight!

Arrival in Firenze

Day 1

It took us three flights - SD to Newark, Newark to Munich, GER, Munich to Florence and we arrived a bit tired, but no delays and with all luggage! We have a wonderful B&B on Via dei Benci in the Santa Croce area. We napped a bit, then ventured out to get our bearings … we found the grocery store and an English pub (Kikuya) where we grabbed a bite and watched Liverpool beat Wolves. A stroll after dinner and we found Basilica di Santa Croce - though it was cold so we made the 1 minute walk home (no kidding!)

The countdown begins ...

January 5-22, 2020 I’ll be teaching the Science of Food and Cooking in Florence, Italy for study abroad at USD (a program called the Second Year Experience or SYE). I’ll have 21 USD students taking the lecture and lab! Brian and I are traveling soon - Sat 12/28/19. Lab supplies are packed, lectures are written, and the excitement is building. Join us (virtually) here for the trip!