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JUNE 6, 2001 WEDNESDAY

Waiting in line 2 hours at Uffizi
original painting by Don Sr

Today we did the Uffizi. Of the many art galleries and museums in Florence, and in the world, for that matter, this is the one that has the most extensive collection of medieval art. Of course, much of it is on a religious theme, but this is a must-see for anyone’s trip to Florence. Here is where you find the famous Botticelli “Birth of Venus”, and “Primavera” and Titian’s Venus of Urbino. There are also thousands of Madonna and Child paintings by every well-known and unknown painter in the world. When they weren’t painting Mary with her son, they were painting her being told of the coming event by the angel, or holding her torn and broken son after he was taken down from the cross. There was a room dedicated to works by Leonardo da Vinci, and many Michelangelo paintings too.

JUNE 7, 2001, THURSDAY

We have had enough museums, art galleries, churches, piazzas, tourists, and lines. In the morning we worked on our trip reports and processed photographs and then got on our bikes and went for our favorite ride again. This time we continued from Bivagliano up to the top of the mountain, where we found a monestary and another huge view. We ate our lunch there, enjoying the mountains, the valleys, the monks on their way to prayers (or lunch). We were going to take a different route down, but I couldn’t bear to miss any part of the route I love so much, so we went back the same way we came.

We got back to the apartment at about 3pm, showered and turned on the tv for the Giro coverage. Something has happened, no race. From what we can decipher, the riders are not riding today in protest over the drug testing. We listened to the discussion on tv, trying to figure out how serious things are.

This evening we had our hostess prepare a Tuscan meal for us. We had antipasto of bruschetta, then prima piati of pasta pesto, then a yummy lamb steak with some kind of peppery green (it looked like spinach, but had a peppery aftertaste). The Chianti was ruby red and flavorful. For dessert we had fresh seasonal fruits.

We took a stroll after dinner, enjoying the night views from the Fiesole hilltop.

JUNE 8, 2001 FRIDAY

Happy birthday to my darling sister, Susan, 29 again.

Today we were supposed to go to Florence to see something, but the lure of our bike ride was impossible to resist. We made up the excuse that we needed to get more pictures to illustrate my description, and so were able to justify one more ride out into our little paradise.

Even so, we still told each other we would go to the Pitti Palace, or see the frescoes at the Santa Maria del Carmine, or visit the Boboli Gardens, or look in at the Palazzo Vecchio in the afternoon. All important sights we must see in Florence. Oh, well. I guess we will see them another trip. We just couldn’t bring ourselves to leave our peaceful little haven, Gelsomino.

We did one last load of laundry, just for form. The hostess must think we get all of our clothing dirty every day, because we wash at least one load every day. But she just can’t imagine what a luxury that washing machine is when you are bicycling and getting sweaty and dusty every day. Carla, our hostess, is a nice lady, probably late 40s or early 50s, and someone who has absolutely no interest in travel, sight-seeing, museums, art galleries, etc. She is 10th generation Fiesolan, and plans to stay that way. None of those computers or technology either. She has a husband, but we never see him, and a married daughter, and two cute little grandsons, Alberto and Enrico. They all live in this complex, along with a couple of long-term rental units, and two short-term rentals. Life is sweet for Carla and family.

In the afternoon we watched the Giro coverage and Don worked on his pictures. Then he packed up the bikes and Alberto and Toby, the dog, helped.

Don and I both agree, if you plan to visit Florence for more than a day or two, Fiesole is a great place to stay. You can get away from all of the tourist crowd and enjoy the calm, friendly atmosphere of this little town. There is frequent bus service that runs until midnight, should you want to go to the city for some reason. No parking problems, no terrifying city driving. There are numerous good restaurants to choose from here. The scenery and views are exceptional. There are several great lodging options to choose from. This is the way to visit Florence. The biggest problem is dragging yourself away, down to Florence, to see all of those things you should see.