Day 8

WEDNESDAY 4 AUGUST 2010

After class, Judith, Amy, and I went into town (Amy and I for shoes, Judith for exploring) and found a street to come back to later. Meandering toward a medieval bridge, we walked through a street with the most interesting iron and wood doors. I got to snap a gorgeous Florentine sunset complete with arched bridges, waterfront villas, wrought iron lamp post and little cars. We passed one arch with a mass of small keylocks stuck on a railing. I still vaguely wonder what that is all about. Meeting up with Judith on the sunset bridge, we head off in search of delicious Italian food, and she led us to the most fantastic restaurant! Tucked between alleys, the entrance leads immediately downward to a stone plateau split between a standing bar and restaurant entrance (down more stairs of course). The walls are brick and plaster and are covered with art and found objects - thick painting on burlap, old army cap, dusty wine bottle - and the menus are paper glued to wooden plaques hinged neatly. The spelling of the English translation is charmingly atrocious. The food served is gourmet and the waiting staff professional. Chatting with each other from our wooden bench thrones, we grazed on bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before the main course: for Amy, a stew-like warm dish with puré vegetables in a red sauce and teeny pasta bits; for Judith, a meatloaf-like presentation of wild boar with mushroom sauce and mini toast with a salad; for myself, a sirloin of pork glazed with honey and chili flakes with spinach cooked with rosemary. Putting the spinach on bread helped mask its texture, and I could still enjoy its mouthwatering flavor. The food was SO GOOD!!! and the vibe was great! According to Amy, the wine was marvelous, but I couldn't care less. It did look very pretty in her glass though. Everything was so wonderful that I cleaned my plate and, while the girls were holding their stuffed bellies, helped finish Judith's salad and polished off the last of Amy's pasta dish. When we asked for the check, we were presented with a rose-cut green tomato on a napkin with a note, "To the best table: Hi, I'm Michele, the chef of restaurant. Hope you like food that I made :-) ....Ask to the waiter a limoncello I offer for you. Thanks" The limoncellos came without our inquiry, and so did the chef! He sat with us, the only table in the room with three single ladies, and told us about how he lived in Britain and Baltimore, and asked after our Italian travels. We made quite the impression, because he offered to cook for our whole Lisio school and bring it to us! That is, until we told him how far away it is. Judith pulled the matron card and graciously got us out of the restaurant in time to catch our bus home (the chef hadn't even finished his shot of limoncello), and walking on the way, who else did we chance to happen upon but the rest of the girls from our trip: Tori, Shaina, and Alissa! Walking home was great fun!