Too Much Wool

day two in Italy ...

My second day in Italy was a little jet laggie, although I did manage to get a glorious nine hours of sleep after the night of nearly zero sleep on the plane.

The main (or should I say the only) sightseeing thing I did that Thursday was a visit to the Palazzo Davanzati, which was around the corner from my hotel and quite interesting.

First of all, its kind of hard to resist anyplace that has a Sala dei Pappagalli (parrot room!):

Notice how the painted wall is made to look like a tapestry that's draping at the corners of the room?

And the pappagalli:

There were several gorgeous, furnished rooms that were open, but I think my favorite part was the lacework and the spinning tools.

Looks like a hackle to me.

 

Spinning wheel in front, skein winder (!) in the back.

The lace display, however, was absolutely mind boggling. I don't think I saw all of it (there were pull-out drawers, many of them, with more pieces) but I took several pictures of the pieces displayed on the walls in the lace room.

(you can click for bigger on all of these, by the way)

I might also mention that there was no entrance fee to get into Palazzo Davanzati, and its right downtown, in the old part of town, very close to some of the main piazzas (I don't know how to say 'piazza' in plural, sorry - piazzi? piazze?). Firenze makes a lot of its income from the tourist industry, so anywhere with free admission - not to mention no crowds of tourists! - is worth taking a look at. There are nearly-hidden gems everywhere you turn, and a lack of tourists doesn't mean a lack of beautiful things to see.

The rest of that Thursday involved my unpacking my suitcase to discover that I had underpacked. I do this all the time, actually, it should be no surprise. So I made a quick stop at H&M and bought some clothes. I also had a fabulous cheap sandwich and glass of wine for lunch, followed by my second macchiato of the day.

While Firenze is supposed to be an expensive place, my daughter had told me that you can get a simple sandwhich just about anywhere for about €2, and she was right. Add to that a glass of really good house wine (at my favorite place it was €1,80) and you have yourself a respectable and affordable lunch.

Its probably best not to get me started on the coffee prices. Morning cappucino - €1,20. Afternoon macchiato - € .90. I've been in desperate search of comparable espresso drinks since I returned to NY, and I've been sorely disappointed. Nothing (and I've been to "good" coffee shops, not chain stores) has compared in taste. And the prices here are at least twice (if not three times) as high as they were in Italy.

I know its probably a cliché, but its true. Food is better in Italy. And coffee - incomparable.

Firenze, day one recalled

I've been home for four days now, and yet I feel disjointed. Jet lag was actually worse going to Italy than it was coming home - that is, if you don't count waking up at 5am every day since I returned 'jet lag'.

In case it wasn't obvious from the posts on the trip (brief as they were), I had a fantastic time. I heard from many people, family and friends both, that "Florence is nice, but Venice was my favorite city." However, I wasn't going to Venice, the kid was in Firenze/Florence, and ... honestly? Either they didn't visit the same city I did or they didn't spend enough time there.

Come to think of it, I didn't spend enough time in Firenze. I had eight days, and it wasn't nearly enough time. I could have spent another month there and probably not seen everything in the city, never mind the two or three (or six) bus or train trips to nearby places that I would have liked to have made.

First things first. My hotel. I stayed at Hotel Cestelli, a place I had researched online as much as I could, as much as one can on the internet, but finally chose for several reasons. One was proximity to my daughter - the hotel was less than two blocks from her apartment, another was mostly fabulous reviews online, and then there was also the price. It was extremely affordable for Firenze in high season.

From the first minute I got there, Hotel Cestelli exceeded expectations. Not just spotlessly clean, not just the nicest owners you can possibly imagine, but also close to absolutely everything. A block from the Arno river, several blocks from the Uffizi galleries, walking distance to absolutely everything. My room (which I sadly negelected to take a picture of) was simple and beautiful, furnished tastefully and simply with antiques. By the time the jet lag started to wear off (about two days), I already felt entirely at home there.

Seriously - if you go to Firenze, stay there. It was an oasis of calm in an otherwise busy city. I realize that not everyone is willing or wants to live without internet access during a vacation, but it was a welcome break for me. Also, no TV, which was excellent - I spend enough time worrying about the news when I'm at home, who wants to do that on vacation? The owners, Alessio and Asumi, were full of great information on places to eat, recommendations on what not to miss seeing, and absolutely always gracious and wonderful to be around. I really can't rave enough about them or the hotel.

When I got to Firenze, it was hot. It had been hot there for days, maybe weeks, but sadly it was the last really warm day of my stay. The weather changed that first night, and we had a bit of rain or clouds every day after that.

On the first day:

I just kind of walked around. This picture is of the Ponte Vecchio (the "old bridge"), which was less than two blocks from my hotel. I wandered in fairly tight circles at first, as the streets in the old part of town can be maze-like and don't run in straight lines at all. (Actually, I'm not sure that any streets there run in straight lines, but the mazes of alleys and small blocks near the hotel were a little confusing until I got my bearings.) Of course, I'm one of those stubborn people, the kind who hates walking around with a map in hand (like all the other tourists), so any walking-in-circles that happened was entirely my own, stubborn fault.

I met my daughter after her class (she had finals the first few days I was there), and we walked around a bit around sunset, when I took a picture of the Duomo (cathedral) which dominates the city skyline:

If you ever plan a trip to Firenze, try to read Brunelleschi's Dome before you go. The dome is amazing and the history of the city in the Renaissance and what went into building the cathedral is excellent background.

Here's the front of the church, also taken at twilight:

My daughter and I had a great dinner at a little place called Casalinga (housewife, more or less) that first night. Maybe I've been living in a cave all my life, but ravioli with butter and sage? Absolutely to die for. I'm going to grow sage all summer so I can recreate something like that first meal in Italy.

Interesting point to note - in Italy, it is apparently considered incredibly rude for a waiter to bring you your bill without your asking for it. The assumption is that you will have a long leisurely meal, and cutting that short or even suggesting to by bringing a customer an un-asked for check is just. not. done. Which resulted in much hilarity as my daughter and I tried (very hard) to get our waitress's attention in a very busy restaurant. No complaints, though - its a wonderful change from NYC eateries where they seem to want to turn over tables as quickly as possible.

Theoretically, I could go on and on, and this post would never end. I'm going to try to recreate most of my days there, as much as possible (or at least the highlights) and post about them. Mostly with pictures. Thankfully, I kept an extensive journal while I was there, writing once or twice a day about what I did and saw (and thought, and ate, and ....).

So... more soon. For now I'm back to reality and trying to declutter my house, after staying in a hotel for 8 days, a spotlessly clean and uncluttered place (not having dishes to do, not even having to make my own bed), I want a little more breathing room here at home.

I won't even get started right now on what's happened to me and coffee after being in Italy. I'll say more about that some other time. It might deserve a post of its own.

I miss Firenze, already....

[Click for bigger.]

View looking east (I think) from Ponte Santa Trinita. From my first day in Firenze.

so much to see...

So, I've been doing all of the things one is supposed to do here in Firenze. Strolling along the Arno in the early morning sunlight. Seeing as many churches and museums as I can. Eating as much as I can (which is totally offset by how much walking I've been doing), all of it fantastic. 

There is a certain level of museum burnout, and I'm trying to stave it off. I'm trying to see a couple of things a day, but even with that kind of schedule its actually impossible to see all of the major attractions in a week. But there's only so much you can take in before it begins to blur. 

I stopped in the very old, small(ish) church around the corner from my hotel today. Chiesa Santa Trinita, on Piazza Santa Trìnita right near (you guessed it) Ponte Santa Trìnita. I've walked by it, dozens of times. Probably a half dozen per day actually - its on the way to all of the cafés I go to - but had kind of ignored its relatively plain exterior, other than to note that it was a church. Considering that there's a tiny church practically everywhere you turn, it didn't seem particularly notable. No queues for admission, or admission fees, and just the occasional local person stopping in. So I hadn't really paid much attention to it. 

I got a wonderful book the other day, called The Piazzas of Florence (by Lisa McGarry), which isn't a guidebook (at least not in the sense that most of them are). Its more of a memoir, with historical notes on each of the piazzas and their place in the life and history of Firenze. Because the author trained as an architect, there are also some interesting notes on some of the buildings in and around each of the piazze. 

While reading a bit in the book last night, I noticed there was something on Piazza Santa Trìnita, right around the corner, and when I read it I realized that I'd been walking by a church that I needed to stop into, completely unaware that it was of note. 

The Sassetti chapel in the church, with its frescoes by Ghirlandaio, was absolutely amazing. I spent nearly an hour in the church, which was a lot, considering its size. It was peaceful, nearly empty of tourists (there was me and one other person the whole time I was there, remarkable for this city). Now that I see the picture on Wikipedia, I wonder why I bothered taking pictures. But of course I did - hopefully a few of them came out nicely. 

Ironically, this church is directly across the street from Ferragamo (NB: there's a shoe museum there, which I haven't been to yet, just steps away from my hotel). Its on one of the main shopping streets of the city, Via Tornabuoni, the one with Prada and Gucci and all of that. So its really an anomaly, given the neighborhood as it is today. 

Well, there's lots more to say, but I'm here at my daughter's apartment waiting to help her and her roommates move to their new place, and I really shouldn't be playing around on the computer. But its my first chance with more than a few minutes to write something. 

Just two more days after today - I leave on Thursday morning - and its going to be really hard to go. 

super quick

I just wanted to say hi again, and once again I have to go almost immediately. (This time I'm on my daughter's computer, the previous time I was in an internet café...)

Firenze is absolutely amazing. The buildings, the sky, the Arno, the bridges ... the gelato, the amazing coffee everywhere (but I already have a favorite spot for my espressos and macchiatos....)

I've been to San Miniato al Monte, to Santa Croce, the Campanile of Giotto, San Marco ... and walked miles and miles in the sun, rain, and moonlight on the gorgeous old streets here. The town is filled (and I do mean filled) with tourists, but I'm staying on a beautiful quiet street just a block from the Ponte Santa Trinita (more about where I'm staying at a later date, I can't say enough good things about it). 

All of the food is wonderful. Just about every street has some amazing sight when you turn a corner. Do I love it here? I can't begin to tell you in the few minutes I've got. I've been writing about it every night before bed (the old fashioned way, on paper) so I hope to be able to reconstruct some of it when I get a chance. 

Buona sera ... for now. 

ciao!

Super quickly - forgot my password briefly and only a couple of minutes left to write something here, but ... I'm in Italy, and its fabulous. Cappucino to die for, wine with lunch, and the most gorgeous things everywhere you look.

I'll write again soon, maybe with a few stories, although probably no pictures for now. Thankfully, I survived the trip without jetlag, so I'm doing quite well in that regard.

remember me?

Hi there. It's been a while, hasn't it?

Things here have been good. Very good, but also very busy, and somehow a few days off (from work, and blogging) turned into a very long absence. That last post seems to have taken over and swallowed the blog for the past while. Oops.

So, to be honest, there's really no knitting news to tell. A couple of half-finished socks and a scarf in progress. I've been spinning a lot, though. I spin almost every night. And quilting a bit as well - I even posted recently on the Fine Stitches blog that Lene and I keep together.

Truly, though, what's consuming me right now is an upcoming adventure. I've said little (or perhaps nothing) about it here, but my daughter has been gone since January, off for a semester in Europe. And being a dutiful mom (or more honestly, one who finally got invited to visit), I'm going to see her.

Now, I have to admit, I feel guilty about my upcoming trip to visit her. I can't tell you how many people I know who have lost their jobs. I found out about another one yesterday, a friend/student that I see pretty often. I spend much of my time going to and from work in a trendy neighborhood that's full of shuttered stores and shops (some with decades of history) that have closed their doors in the last few months. So to suddenly unleash a torrent of words after nearly two months of silence to say that I'm going on a trip seems almost insensitive.

I'm going to Italy.

I'm going to Firenze for eight days. I leave next week and I'm sort of overwhelmed. I've been half-heartedly studying Italian audio lessons for the past few weeks - the most useful phrase is probably "I'd like some wine, please" -  and doing some shallow research into what I might want to see and do while I'm there.

Now, I'm half Italian (or more properly 1/4 Italian and 1/4 Sicilian, if you're someone who knows and notes the difference), and I think I'm the only person in my family who's never been to Italy. And here I am, contemplating a visit to the 'birthplace of the Italian Renaissance'. I sat down the other night and started doing some research on what I might want to see when I'm there. I even read Brunelleschi's Dome [excellent book] in the past month.

I'm not an art history scholar or even an amateur, but I know enough to be overwhelmed. Raphael, Fra Angelico, Da Vinci, Botticelli, Filippo Lippi, Galileo, Michaelangelo, the Medicis. I've been telling myself that I need to get myself into my daughter's room and study her art history textbooks before I go. To be somewhat informed before being blown away by all of it.

Have you noticed that I keep using the word "overwhelmed"? I think I need a thesaurus.

I feel odd with zero-segue from silence to the announcement of this big trip, but I decided that saying something was better than nothing.

I'm in the midst of last minute preparations. What to knit? (probably plain socks.) What to read? (suggestions welcome). What to wear, see, do, and visit when I'm there? I do have it together enough (just barely) to have gotten myself a mobile blogging whatsis that I will try to use while I'm there, although probably without pictures (until I return). I've even contacted people [thank the gods for Ravelry] and have some tips on a few yarn shops to visit in town. And hopefully a date for coffee and a visit with a fellow Raveler.

My flight leaves from NY next Tuesday evening. I don't speak the language (scusi!), I'm traveling alone and ... I'm incredibly excited.