I walked over to N&M’s house and we drove to Lynda & Francesco’s new home which is in Oltrarno, the other side of the Arno from the center of town. Their home is beautiful, you can see the architectural details and layout from Francesco who is a non-practicing architect. They made a great meal that began with a primi piatti of special ravioli they picked up in Tonfano yesterday (they just took a drive to the beach house for the day), then salad and sliced pork for secondi, and then the special gelato that Maura brought along. I brought them a bottle of wine and also brought one for N&M.
I really enjoyed getting to know their kids again as it’s been many years. Mina is 15 and will be starting high school, Yosef is 9 and nicknamed Boghi by Mina. Mina speaks English quite well, Boghi is shy so I couldn’t tell. I also learned that they have purchased another B&B near the American consulate, and this is with new partners. They want me to spend two nights there this week to give any suggestions for the place (I did that in the past with a couple of their B&Bs).
After lunch we drove back to Firenze, but first stopped at a lovely church above Piazza di Michelangelo called San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain). It started construction in 1013 and stands atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and there is an adjoining Olivetan monastery where the monks make famous liqueurs, honey and herbal teas, which they sell from a shop next to the church.
The church has changed little since it was first built, with the nave’s patterned pavement dating from 1207. The center of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448. The terracotta decoration of the vault, along with the crucifix above the altar, are by Luca della Robbia.
Back in Firenze I hung out with N&M for a bit, then walked home with a jar of tomato sauce by Nan which became part of my pasta dinner that evening after my Alta Cockers call with The Bird (Feigenbaum), The High Llama (Heckman) and Mitch (Greenberg) – Alta Cockers is Yiddish for old farts.
The four of us, who are friends almost from kindergarten, still have a monthly Zoom call that started during the pandemic. This call, like our one previous during my adventure here, has three time zones involved – Pacific, Eastern and Central European. We enjoy catching up with each other, sometimes talking about medical issues, sometimes real estate problems, sometimes acting jobs, and then Italy. One thing I shared was that it’s harder for me than anticipated to learn Italian – and I realized that part of it relates to age – and everyone else confirmed their similar issues. When thought about, it is to be expected, but certainly not celebrated.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hkHBLhjLMM819APj9
I really enjoyed getting to know their kids again as it’s been many years. Mina is 15 and will be starting high school, Yosef is 9 and nicknamed Boghi by Mina. Mina speaks English quite well, Boghi is shy so I couldn’t tell. I also learned that they have purchased another B&B near the American consulate, and this is with new partners. They want me to spend two nights there this week to give any suggestions for the place (I did that in the past with a couple of their B&Bs).
After lunch we drove back to Firenze, but first stopped at a lovely church above Piazza di Michelangelo called San Miniato al Monte (St. Minias on the Mountain). It started construction in 1013 and stands atop one of the highest points in the city. It has been described as one of the finest Romanesque structures in Tuscany and there is an adjoining Olivetan monastery where the monks make famous liqueurs, honey and herbal teas, which they sell from a shop next to the church.
The church has changed little since it was first built, with the nave’s patterned pavement dating from 1207. The center of the nave is dominated by the beautiful freestanding Cappella del Crocefisso (Chapel of the Crucifix), designed by Michelozzo in 1448. The terracotta decoration of the vault, along with the crucifix above the altar, are by Luca della Robbia.
Back in Firenze I hung out with N&M for a bit, then walked home with a jar of tomato sauce by Nan which became part of my pasta dinner that evening after my Alta Cockers call with The Bird (Feigenbaum), The High Llama (Heckman) and Mitch (Greenberg) – Alta Cockers is Yiddish for old farts.
The four of us, who are friends almost from kindergarten, still have a monthly Zoom call that started during the pandemic. This call, like our one previous during my adventure here, has three time zones involved – Pacific, Eastern and Central European. We enjoy catching up with each other, sometimes talking about medical issues, sometimes real estate problems, sometimes acting jobs, and then Italy. One thing I shared was that it’s harder for me than anticipated to learn Italian – and I realized that part of it relates to age – and everyone else confirmed their similar issues. When thought about, it is to be expected, but certainly not celebrated.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hkHBLhjLMM819APj9