Florence & Arezzo

We made an early start getting up before 6.30 am. We were joined at breakfast by the local football team! After breakfast we set off to Florence for the day. The regular speed limit was 110 km/hr, but most drivers were traveling well in excess of that speed. Maybe it is because the police don't work on Sundays. There are however plenty of speed cameras on route Florence is 147 km from Perugia. It took us almost 2 hours to get there. After Parking the car we headed to the apartment of Rosalind Yunibhandu. Rosie had been based in Florence for almost 3 months. Although her apartment was small it was however well equipped and had real charm. It was located in 600 year old building and looked out in to a lovely garden courtyard. Rosie had spent much of the last 3 months touring the country meeting with regional food and wine producers. It was great to see her after more than 2 years.

Sunday many of the usual cafes are closed. We crammed inside one of the small cafes that was open near her apartment. There was a good selection of bakery items, small tarts and excellent coffee, per usual.

We spent a lot of time chatting and catching up on what we had all been up to. We all agreed that Italy was a great place to live and that the Italians really know how to live well.

For lunch we went to X where we had great pasta washed down with a bottle of Prosecco. After saying our goodbyes to Rosie we headed off back to Perugia stopping on route at Arezzo.

Arezzo is a city in eastern Tuscany, Italy. The hilltop Arezzo Cathedral features painted vaulted ceilings and a 15th-century fresco of Mary Magdalene by Piero della Francesca. Nearby, the Basilica di San Francesco has a chapel decorated with more Piero frescoes. The Basilica di San Domenico contains the 13th-century “Crucifix” painted by Cimabue. The imposing Medicean Fortress has sweeping city views. After plenty of walking Stewart and John bought Gelate. There were many people dressed up in old costumes. Stewart joined in the fun buying a medieval helmet.

After leaving Arezzo it was about 1 hour drove back to Perugia. That evening we ate at the hotel. The meal was rather disapointing.Read more