June 27th 2020: Another amazing week in Florence! While the weather is getting hotter, the city is continuing to open up!
I went back to school! We all wear masks and are super spread out but it is so great to be back in person! Now my class is made up of a Venezuelan, two Californians, and your favorite Vermonter! Our teacher is super excited to have us in person and was showing off Danielle and me as her ‘American daughters.’ The class is a mixed level to encompass us all but now Danielle and I are the top students at the school!! It is pretty nice to be able to say I know all the grammar!
Osteria de Peccatori opened this week for the first time since March so I was there! I had a great socially distanced meal with some friends and friends of friends. I had pesto pasta and then was convinced to have the Panna Cotta all’ fragola because it was gluten free. Everything was sooo delicious and it was lots of fun to support this great restaurant. When I met one of the people we were eating with, she asked me where I was from and I told her Vermont. She asked ‘no like what state is that in??’ Everyone else laughed and I explained it was almost Canada.
I also went to the Uffizi with some friends and had an absolute blast. I was super confused as to why they weren’t showcasing my artwork but I guess it is more suited for the Louvre! One of my friends took an art history course in college this year so while he was presenting the pieces to us, his brother and I were pretending to be art critics (barton style!) While masks are obligatory, circles are placed on the floor to show were you can stand to be properly spaced out, and many less people are allowed in each day, one might not even notice a difference with how aggressive the ‘shush patrol’ is. I first learned this term from a blog but quickly discovered how true it is. In each room the people are sitting in blazers in the corner and just shush you!
After the museum visit, we headed down below the Uffizi to see the rowing club. The club was founded in 1886 and previously was used as stables. This area was used by the Medici families so I felt right at home where the royal dukes used to exercise!! The view of the Ponte Vecchio is absolutely amazing and unmatched from anywhere else in the city as you can see in the featured image at the top!
All of this marveling made us pretty hungry so we made a stop for the best gluten free pizza! This time I got a calzone and it was my first one in years. It was absolutely delicious and I will definitely be going back!!
I stopped by Perche No today and Marie is back! She asked about everyone, especially my menta-mom! She can’t wait for the whole crew to be back together in Florence!
In other news: it has been so crazy hot here. The way people greet me in shops has changed now when I wear shorts or dresses. If my knee tape is visible, instead of ciao or buonasera, the first thing I get asked is “cosa hai fatto” which means what have you done. When I start to explain what happened very basically (I don’t know these fancy words!!) they immediately cut me off and give me food…this works pretty well!
Abbie Abroad 