A Weekend in Chianti

I actually only spent a day in Chianti but I wanted to paraphrase "A Weekend in the Country" anyway. Yesterday my roommate Tracey and I wandered all over Florence. We walked around for 3 1/2 hours and it was so much fun. We had lunch in a cute little restaurant owned by a husband and wife. The food was really nice (of course), very simple, and the pasta was perfectly al dente. After that we tried to find the building where Tracey has her first class of the semester and failed MISERABLY. You would think that during orientation the university would take you to all the buildings especially the ones farther away from the main campus. After all isn't the point of orientation to help the students become familiar with their new environment? Not according to SU Florence. I didn't really mind searching for the building, but for Tracey's sake I wish we had found it. However, in searching we went to Piazza Santa Maria Novella (where the convent is), the Mercato Centrale (central market), the Ponte Vecchio, and the Duomo.

I plan to go inside the convent at Santa Maria Novella. The exterior was beautiful and the interior is supposed to be as well. Of course I loved wandering through the central market. There were tons of stalls filled with meat, cheese, pasta, produce, olive oil and balsamic vinegar, fish, and of course proscuitto hanging from the ceiling. There was also a little restaurant inside the market. I'll eat there sometime for sure. Wandering around the market made my mouth water. All the food looked so fresh and beautiful.

Tracey and I walked along the Arno to the Ponte Vecchio, the bridge filled with jewelry shops. It was a moment of visual gluttony. So much gold, silver, and beautiful jewels. We stopped for a snack at a cafe next to the bridge. It was terribly over-priced, extremely touristy but so much fun. Being a tourist is fun every now and then. I had a cup of hot chocolate that once again brought out my inner child. I LOVED it. Finally we walked past the Duomo and went home.

Today was amazing. Sandra and Cosimo took us outside of Florence into the Chianti region to visit their close family friends. It was cold and wet today but the countryside was still beautiful. They have a beautiful house and tons of pets. 6 cats, 1 dog, 2 birds, and a chinchilla. We had a huge lunch of polenta and chicken and some wine that the family makes themselves. The wine was spectacular. I wish I had my own vineyard in Chianti, perhaps in another life time. After lunch we drove to the local town and walked around. The clock tower in town leans slightly, it's not as dramatic as in Pisa but it's noticeable. In the central Piazza was a market. One of the stalls was selling porchetta, if I hadn't just had lunch I would have gotten some and eaten it on the spot. It's something to look forward to in the future. Going outside the city was a lot of fun. I'm sad I didn't get any pictures but hopefully I'll be back when the weather is nicer.