Thurs May 7-HoHo and Fiesole

We had- wait for it- a beautiful, sunny day after days of rain and thunderstorms. So we walked to the HoHo stop near the PonteDella Grazie. I got 48 hour tickets , so we don't have to feel rushed. We met a group of German women waiting for the same bus. Interesting conversation ensued, and we boarded the bus. Out route took us around the East side of the city, then up into the mountains to Fiesole.

Fiesole is an ancient city, with Etruscan and Roman roots, and is home to three US University overseas centers- most notably St Mary's of Minnesota, Georgetown, and, oh yeah - Harvard. Two (that I attended ) out of three ain't bad. Now if Providence joined in... We walked a short bit, and had some lunch. Tagliatelle con funghi for him, and Pappardelle alle cinghiale for me. After filling the bellies, we walked to the ancient archaeology center, where we saw Roman ruins, including the amphitheatre, Lombardi tombs, Roman temple, and Roman baths. Well worth the €7 entry fee.
Then back to the bus stop, with a stop off in the Duomo di San Romolo for some candle-lighting. The bus ride down was as breathtaking as the trip up.

The bus route continued through the West side of Florence, and over to Oltrarno. We saw Piazzalle Michaelangelo again, and went down the mountain to get off at our stop.

With thoughts of gelato in our heads, we headed toward Sbrino where we enjoyed our treats yesterday. On the way, we saw our German lady friends from the morning. We chatted a bit, grabbed a picture, and on to Sbrino. There was the longest queue of school kids... No way. So we headed across the street to the Joshua Pub- not exactly Florentine, but an amusing, fun pub to enjoy an Aperol spritz and Guinness. Good decision. When we passed the gelateria, the line was still crazy long

Back to the house for a pre-dinner nap, followed by a dinner of croquettes and cappelini with a dried tomato topping that I conjured.Read more