Last night, there was a nice breeze, so I thought I'd take a walk to the Piazza Della Signoria (where the Palazzo Vecchio is and the fake statue of David). As I entered the piazza, there were several Carabinieri (police) trucks with a bunch of policemen, putting on, what looked like riot gear. Ok, I say to myself, am I missing something. I looked around the piazza and everything looked normal except for these guys suiting up....
I asked a local if she knew what was going on (yes, Tony, I used my Italian) and she didn't have a clue either. So, I thought, they must be expecting something to happen. Within minutes I heard loud singing and shouting coming from one of the side streets. Remembering my experience of living overseas, and expecting the unexpected, I decided to walk in the other direction. As I glanced back, I saw a ragtag bunch of young men, obviously with an agenda. Fortunately, it appeared peaceful. I never did find out what it was about though.
But, the best part of all of this was that because I went in a different direction, I found a restaurant Maria and I ate at last year. ....Francesco Vini.....the risotto with carmelized pears and truffles was incredible....
I enjoyed every mouthful and finished it off with a cup of decaf espresso macchiato (literally means stained with milk).
I decided to walk back to the Piazza because it looked liked most of the carabinieri had gone except for a few, including this guy.....
They had devised a pulley system for getting the bathing water to all the floors....there were four floors, all with the same room configurations with beautiful tapestries and paintings throughout. And the entrance fee was only 2 euros!
It is bright, airy and smells oh, so beautiful! The salespeople wear a sort of "uniform" of navy skirts and jackets and the ladies have navy and white polka dot blouses and are very well trained in the art of making you feel special. They have it down to a science now, because you tell a clerk what you would like, they put it on a digital card and when you are done, you go a cashier area, where your products are waiting for you, once you pay for them, of course.
I might add that they are very particular about their uniforms. A lot of "primping" was going on!
Did your whole body ever get so tired you couldn't move? Today was one of those marathon days for me. Benedetta had personal business to attend to, so I was free all day. I decided to go to the Museo Danvanzati which is an old Middle Ages home (well, not really), how about a palace! I must have climbed a hundred and one stairs because each floor had a huge salon and bedroom with bath. No toilets, but accommodations for bathing......
All the rooms had decorative painting like this, really pleasant soft colors.
The bedrooms were very large and had a lot of windows for cross ventilation.
Not much of a tub, but at least it was a small private space off the bedroom.
I knew I couldn't be in Florence without going to Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. This is an ancient establishment which started out as a pharmacy and over the years has added the most incredibly well done soaps, perfumes, powders, etc., etc., The walls still have the ancient murals and the wood cases, etc. The chandelier is a newer addition....
By this time, I was getting hungry and thirsty, so I decided to head to the Mercato Centrale. Usually, I get there after the lower level Farmer's Market is closed, but I got there early today so I got to witness the hubbub! 
Can you imagine a deli like this in St. Augustine? Heaven! And this was one of many throughout.
The crowds at the famous Nerbone's where everyone says you should eat were too much for me, so I went upstairs to the newer fancier food stands. I found out it was even more crowded up there. The tourists love this place. Anyway, I made my way over to my favorite focaccia stand and had a piece of this...
It is focaccia with broccoli rape and asiago cheese on top. The best part of these focacci, are the crusty bottoms. Yum? The little piece of bread you see sticking out of the wrapper is a small cheese bread I bought to bring back to the apartment.
But, the best part of this adventure was something that happened that even as I write this, I find hard to believe. As I was walking past some of the food stands, I looked up and saw what looked like a familiar face, "wait, I know those eyes!" Oh my gosh, it was Kathleen from my exercise class in Fredericksburg, who I haven't seen in 14 years!! Amazing!!! What are the odds? You talk about a "place in time!" It really makes you wonder. Her husband took a photo of us, but in the excitement, I forgot to ask him to send it to me. I gave her my card, I hope she thinks of it.
I made a few more stops on my way back to the apartment and of course, had to stop at Vivoli, a gelato/pastry shop...
This is a little cup of tiramisu! Finito!!
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