7/23 – Jim, Michele and I hopped on the train to Florence and left Milan Saturday morning. Once we arrived, we took a cab to our apartment which we rented in the town center not far from the Uffizi Gallery. It is a great location but very crowded. The cab driver could not get down our street due to all the tourists. He ended up driving around to an intersection at the beginning of our street. Our apartment was #1 via Neri so we just hopped out and went right to the door – 20 feet from the intersection. It is a very nice apartment with plenty of room. Boy is this area noisy though, even up here on the third floor. Makes sleeping very difficult so we are debating leaving and going someplace else.

The first day we just walked around locally to get a feel for what is right near us and since it is Florence, the one thing you smell is leather! The leather shops are everywhere and boy, the jackets, purses, bags, everything, are just beautiful.

Michele and I have been doing some shopping so we are having a good time with that. We only go out for less than an hour because of the heat. Found some nice restaurants with good food so I have not been doing much cooking.

One of the locations where we bought leather products back in 2016 was along the side of Piazza Santa Croce so we walked over there to look for the shop. The church is there of course – a beautiful exterior I might add. We did not go inside this visit as we have lots of photos from our two weeks in Florence back then. And we did not find that leather shop. Now it appears there are only carts with bags, jackets, gloves as well as carts with other tourist products hanging off the sides. (photo later)

Monday we went to the Mercato Centrale which is huge and has anything you might want to eat. We picked up some stuff so we could either snack or cook. Takes a while to get through the market but if you go early you can roam around without too many people in there. Michele was shocked when she saw it and enjoyed buying a few things for herself.

Tuesday, we got tickets for the Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour of Florence and it was absolutely fantastic. We picked it up in a beautiful area across the river from our apartment where there are tree lined streets, beautiful homes and a lot of history. The day started out cloudy and there was a wonderful breeze as we sat on the top level of the open air bus. We enjoyed it so much we actually stayed on and went around twice. Took a few photos so we could remember what we saw and where we were.

After that we stopped for lunch near the apartment and then headed back upstairs to cool down and relax. Michele and I did a little more shopping later in the afternoon. Shopping in Florence is really fun. There is so much to see and buy here and the prices are not bad. I just happened to find a gorgeous light lavender leather purse. Yeah, I seem to be collecting purses again.

Here it is Wednesday and our son Chad joined us in Florence. Chad arrived around lunchtime so we all went out to eat. It really is so nice to have both children with us on a few weeks of this trip.

Thursday we all went to the big central market so Chad could check it out. He enjoys markets, loves to cook and knows what to buy plus he speaks Italian very well so that is very helpful. Since Chad has been here with us, we’ve walked to both markets, which are wonderful.

The second market is il Mercato di Sant’Ambroglio and it is on the eastern side of il Centro sort of behind the Basilica of Santa Croce. Inside the market were mostly clothes and household wares. The produce was outside under what look like parking lot covers or roofs. An interesting aside at both markets were the proprietors at the meat booths “carving” or slicing the thin slices of prosciutto from the intact or complete hams using long, maybe 15 – 18″ knives, manually. They were not using the mechanical, electric slices you see at the deli or the meat department in our supermarkets. The prosciutto slices were just as thin though and equally tasty!

Also on Thursday, we transitioned to a new apartment, not only new to us but it appears to be recently renovated such that we think we are the first to use it. We moved for a couple of reasons but mostly because of the noise at night. Our first night here we were awaken at 4:30 in the morning to several women loudly arguing and seemingly about to get into a fight before the dozen or so women and men split the antagonists apart and they all marched off. Then on any night, the tourists, college-aged folk and even the locals are out walking up and down the streets and alleys, talking loudly and non-stop, carrying on until 1 or 2:00 in the morning. Add to that the motorcycles and garbage trucks, we just knew we’d be zombies before long.

This second apartment has much more space and the living area is more conducive to sitting around and talking or whatever. It has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, greatly appreciated by our adult children! However, we didn’t choose very wisely – the noise at night is almost as maddening as the first location. We are two blocks from the Uffizi and the large Piazza della Signora (nice for evening concerts!) and three blocks from the Duomo – this apartment is still in the Centro. Then there is this amateur group who plops down on the church steps next door and puts on mini-concerts beginning about 10:00. Their only audience consists of two or three people who we think are members of their immediate families! We just didn’t realize how late everyone stays up and roams the streets. We’ve stayed in 18 apartments now on this trip and these are the only two where we have fretted about getting enough sleep at night! Anyway, more research and no apartments in the centers of larger and more popular cities next time we are in Italy.

To celebrate our new and surprisingly large abode (we did not yet know about the noise here) we went across the river for lunch – a nice, typical pranzo. To cross over the Arno River, we used the world famous Florence landmark, il Ponte Vecchio. Gold and jewelry shops galore line the road inside the structures you see! That bridge must hold more gold than what is in Fort Knox.

The restaurant was not on our list, it was very late in the lunch period (it was after 2:00 PM) and not much was open, but again, buona fortuna shone on us. Actually, we had a restaurant in mind but when we arrived at the address, it was no longer there. (Serious note: the internet websites are not always accurate about operating hours (orario) or if your target store/restaurant is even still in business!) Anyway, this restaurant was not too crowded, our table was in an inner courtyard and not on the street, and while it has been hot, there was enough shade and breeze that we were comfortable.

Each of us ordered a different primo and I’ll simply post them all.

We continue the routine of walking around in the morning and taking short walks in the afternoon. The bars at night are fun because the weather is slightly cooler and we can sit outside, enjoy a drink and the night sights which can be very entertaining.

We are in Florence until the 5th so we will continue to stroll around and enjoy the sights and foods of Florence and of course, each other’s company.