Italy Journal 6 - Pitti, Pity & Porchetta

Cooking classes have commenced, my sprained foot is healing and I'm enjoying myself in Florence. I decided yesterday to henceforth carry myself with my limp in confidence because I'm not letting a little ankle injury stop me from having a great trip and experiencing whatever it is I came here to find. Even if I am finding it more slowly…

Monday's first cooking class had me a bit worried. We were making Crepes Florentine (that's with spinach filling) but there were no crepe pans and our teacher was totally unfamiliar with the kitchen and workstations. Thankfully things improved from there, with a seafood spaghetti dish on Wednesday (during which I learned how to clean a squid) and asparagus risotto with veal milanese today. The boy from Texas working behind me made his "country fried veal" instead, with more breading than meat! The level of cooking instruction is pretty basic but I decided not to try to transfer to a different class because there are still things that I can learn (like patience and teamwork). Plus my teacher is a sommelier (wine expert) and it's fun to learn about wines, too.

Wednesday I had lunch in the tratorria underneath my apartment. It was one of the best meals I've had so far. The homemade ravioli was perfect texture, the filling of fresh spinach and ricotta, unlike any similar ravioli I've had. Every bite, every texture and taste is so fresh. You can taste the sunshine and the grass and the air. This is really food of the earth. The cream sauce was light, the mushrooms soft and tender, and little green herbs were just enough to offset the richness. And the red wine which was so good, and the bread. I love eating this kind of food. All of your senses come alive and you almost want to kiss the cranky old waiter for delivering it to the table. This is why I came to Italy.

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Yesterday was a day off and I was sitting home with my elevated ankle feeling a little bit pitiful and it reminded me of the Pitti Palace which is around the corner from me. They have a spectacular garden so I went there –to Pitti, to escape my self-pity. It worked. The garden was probably the most beautiful physical therapy regime I could have imagined. It looks like a cross between Middle Earth – The Secret Garden – and Alice in Wonderland. I took some amazing pictures but they don't do it justice. So far the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace is my absolute favorite place in Florence. And it's not even a food place! The Medici family of Italy married into the French aristocracy during the Renaissance and this is where they lived and had parties. There are secret passages through the hedges and fountains and quiet nooks, and you can just imagine fancy people strolling through very same paths and enjoying themselves. Since it is right around the corner from me, I've decided to declare it my official backyard and go back there at least a few more times before I leave.

After two hours of hobbling and strengthening my ankle, I happened upon a homemade gelaterria where I had *the best gelato yet* which wasn't technically gelato at all, it was chocolate sorbet with orange peels. Let me tell you about the gelato here. Everyone tells you it's great but let me be honest – it isn't. Most of the places that I've seen don't make it from scratch and it's way too sweet. But the few places that do it the old fashioned way are worth seeking out. So that's what I've been doing. So I don't get gelato very often because not that many places actually make it themselves. Surprising (to me anyway)!

Yesterday was a big holiday in Florence – the Festival of San Giovanni (John the Baptist), the patron saint of the city. There were all kinds of special things happening, the most special of which was an *amazing* fireworks spectacular at night. It seemed like the whole city was gathered on either side of the Arno (river) to watch them. I went with a friend and we had a picnic dinner of porchetta (juicy roast pork) panini sandwiches and wine. In Italy there is no silly law preventing civilized people from drinking wine outside like there is in New York. I bought this strange tube of mosquito repellant that looks like deodorant. It seemed to really work well as there were thousands of hungry bugs and I didn't get bit at all. We could see the bats that live by the river and I think they were eating the mosquitoes. I try not to think about the bats because they creep me out—but I'm grateful for their dining habits. Then, all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere and in perfect unison, all the street lights blacked out! The huge fireworks display began and lasted for an entire hour—it was the most spectacular fireworks show I've ever seen. The sound ricocheted and echoed off the buildings up and down the river and it seemed like the entire city was caught in a collective "Wow". After a short walk home, I welcomed a sweet sleep.