After
a trying couple of weeks in the Netherlands and France, Aman and I were
relieved to be sitting on a high-speed train cruising south from
Paris, en route to Italy, through the rural pastures of the French countryside,
which eventually gave way to the Alpine foothills and, beyond, the Italian
Alps. Given the length of the trip and the fact that we had to switch
trains in Torino before reaching our destination, we had some reservations
about whether I would be able to withstand the journey. But, throughout
the duration, my leg felt slightly better than it had, ten days earlier, on the
way into Paris (which was a much shorter trip) and we optimistically viewed
this as a sign that I was slowly, slowly beginning to heal.
Florence,
or Firenze, to the locals, was our first stop in Italy, mainly because it is
another one of my all-time favorite European cities (such beautiful
architecture, so much history, so much culture, such great food!). I thought that Aman would like it too.
Before our arrival, we briefly toyed around with the idea of staying, not in
the city itself, but in the surrounding hills of the Tuscany region where you
can find these really unique, old stone farmhouses for let. Common sense,
however, dictated that we not isolate ourselves in some far
corner of the countryside when I was unable to get around so easily. In
fact, one of our first priorities after reaching Florence was to find a medical
lab where I could have my blood tested again since I was still on coagulants
and needed to be closely monitored. Under the circumstances, it was way
more sensible to stay in town. Thus, we lined up a one-bedroom apartment –
recently gut-renovated, reasonably priced, and situated in a central part of
town, Santo Spirito – for our four-night stay. Aman and I were excited to
find such a place, considering that it was last minute and we were approaching
the peak of the summer tourism season in Italy.
We
disembarked from the train on a gloriously warm afternoon (such a welcome
change from the rainy, cold weather that plagued us in France), and made our
way out of the station in search of a taxi. It was only a five-minute
drive from there to Santo Spirito, through the unimaginably narrow, haphazard
streets of Florence that, despite this modern age, still look as though they
are better equipped to handle the width of a horse-drawn cart over a full-sized
motor vehicle.
We
reached the address at or around the arranged time, and met the owner’s nephew
who let us in and showed us around the apartment. A bottle of Chianti and
silver platter with fresh fruit had been left on the dining room table, a small
welcome gift for us.
That
night, Aman and I stayed local and explored the Santo Spirito neighborhood,
which we really loved. Less than two minutes from the entrance to our
apartment, we hit the main square – open to the street on one side, and
anchored at the far end with the beautiful Basilica di Santo Spirito (Basilica
of the Holy Spirit). Here are a couple shots of the facade of the
Basilica that Aman had gotten earlier that afternoon:
On
either side of the square, sat a handful of restaurants, as well as a few cafes
and a couple of bars. Each establishment had a small covered seating area
in the square, all of which were full of people, talking, eating, and
drinking. Waiters and waitresses scuttled back and forth between the
seating areas and the kitchens with plates of food and trays of drink. A
trio of street musicians sat in one corner of the square playing music. A mix of mostly locals, ex-pats and students milled about. Not too touristy, we walked around a bit before
getting situated at one particular restaurant without being harassed to try
this place or that as we surveyed our options. It was a nice, relaxed
scene, and the evening only improved after our meal came – a salad of thinly
sliced octopus with fresh green apples, a plate of melon and prosciutto (a must),
and a bowl of perfectly-cooked tagliatelle with lamb ragu. Outstanding.
After dinner, we sat on the edge of the square with some of the locals
and watched a random group of friends who had begun to folk dance around the
musicians. It felt unbelievably good to be there.
The
next morning, we got an early visit from the owner of the apartment, David, and
his lovely wife, Britta. They had heard from their nephew that I was on
crutches and wanted to make sure that the apartment was okay for me, since it
could only be reached by climbing three flights of stairs. Definitely not
ideal, but we knew that this was much the norm in Europe (where it is very
difficult to find an apartment building with a lift) and, more importantly, I
seemed to be managing fine. With instructions to have a good time in
Firenze and call them if we needed anything whatsoever, David and Britta left.
Five
minutes later, it occurred to us that we should have asked them if they knew
the name and location of a reliable medical lab where I could get a simple
blood test done. I sent David a quick email to inquire. He
responded that he indeed knew a good place, and asked me what time I would like
to go that afternoon. Naturally, he insisted on taking us. It was
too far for me to walk, he said, and, besides, we would never find it on our
own. So we agreed to meet again at 2 p.m.
In
the meantime, Aman had to run back to the train station to make a reservation
for our upcoming travel – we were planning to spend a couple of nights in Rome
after we left Firenze, and then, a week in Salerno. When he got back, he
looked exhausted. It’s hot out, he said, as I passed him a huge
bottle of cold water. How did it go, I asked, referring to whether
or not we had scored reservations for the exact trains that we had
wanted. He shook his head with a slight laugh. It went fine,
he said, but you should have seen the guy at the ticket counter when I tried
to explain that I wasn’t Italian. He wouldn’t believe me… all he
kept saying was, No Italiano?!? No Italiano?!? We had to
laugh, as the incident sounded, not exactly, but sort of, like one of our
favorite Russell Peters bits about Indians and Italians (here).
Later
that afternoon, we went downstairs to meet David. Aman was right – it was
boiling hot out, nothing but brilliant sunshine and not a cloud in the sky or the
slightest breeze. David arrived right on time, and we took off for the
medical lab, making small talk along the way through the winding streets.
As it turned out, David was an extremely interesting guy who grew up
locally but, since then, had lived in various exotic corners of the world (U.S.
Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Spain, France) and had only recently returned to
Firenze with Britta to raise their two small sons. Full of energy and fluent
in five languages, David was, formally, both a dive instructor and a restaurant
owner, but currently working as a personal chef. An obvious character, we
liked him immediately.
Pulling
up to the medical lab, David insisted on bringing us inside and talking to the
receptionist on our behalf. He wanted to make sure that they knew exactly
what we needed, and did not dare think about ripping us off. Since we did
not speak even basic Italian, we had no objections. To the contrary, we
were incredibly grateful. Inside, however, we found out that the only
technicians who could do the blood test were gone for the day. We were
asked to return the next morning before 10 a.m. After arguing in proper
Italian (i.e., animatedly, with his hands) that we had come a far way and
insisting that there must be someone on site who could do the simple test,
David apologized sincerely to us for the situation. Everyone was gone
but, no problem, he said with a good-natured smile, he would bring us back the
next day. What time, he asked, did we want to return. Aman and I
were blown away by his instinctive kindness. We gratefully accepted a
ride back to the apartment, and agreed to meet the next morning at 8 a.m.
That
afternoon, while I rested my leg, Aman walked around to take some pictures of
beautiful Firenze:
Aman
and I greeted the next morning eagerly, as we were excited to get the blood
test out of the way. We met David as agreed, and drove across town.
Along the way, David excused himself, as he had to take an important phone call
from his sister. He held his phone in his left hand and, in between
shifting gears, used his right hand to steer the car and alternatively talk to
his sister using hand gestures for emphasis. No, of course, his sister
could not see his hands moving a mile a minute, but this only fascinated me
more. When we got out of the car, I asked Aman if he had noticed that true Italians
seem to have an irrepressible tendency to talk with their hands, even when no
one is looking! Aman had caught it too, and the both of us would laugh
about it with David and Britta a couple of days later.
After
finally succeeding to have my blood test done, Aman and I were on the other
side of town and figured it was a good time to see some of the more popular
sights, which were in walking distance, such as the beautiful Piazza del Duomo
(Cathedral Square):
Wandering
around was fun, but it was another hot day and, on my walking sticks, I tired
quickly so we made our way back to the apartment not long after lunch.
Aman made a solo mission that night to watch Italy and Germany play in the
semi-final round of the UEFA Euro tournament at an outdoor location across town
where a large screen had been set up for the event and the crowds were out in
large numbers. Italy won that night to advance to the
final. According to Aman, the mood on the streets was electrifying, or as
he would call it when he walked in the door – it was a frenzy in Firenze!
We
woke up the next morning glad that we had all urgent medical matters under
control and determined to enjoy what appeared, from the inner courtyard window
of our apartment, to be another beautifully sunny day outside. It was a
five-minute walk from the apartment to the Palazzo Pitti, former residence of the grand dukes of Tuscany, where we
stopped by to check out the Costume Gallery. (The collection was decent,
although I am not sure that we would call it a must-see.) Hobbling around
for thirty minutes or so on my walking sticks also tired me out again, so we
took a rest before attempting to leave the gallery when we were done.
Once we started moving, I felt better but we immediately encountered a long
flight of stairs that we need to ascend in order to leave. I paused
before it, looked up feeling daunted and took a deep breath, when a woman came
from behind us. We did not see her coming, but rather heard her
voice. Keep it up, she said to me as she passed by, you’re
doing great. With renewed strength, I smiled, said thank you, and
climbed the stairs.
Outside,
we only made a quick stop in the Boboli Gardens, which sit behind the Palace,
as Aman gently, and correctly, pointed out that I would most likely not be able
to handle a proper walk around the expansive lawns in the scorching afternoon
sun on my walking sticks. Instead, we returned to the streets and found a
café in Santo Spirito where we enjoyed a couple glasses of refreshingly cold
iced tea. We talked about how beautiful Firenze was, and how happy we
were to be there despite the obvious issue with my leg. Aman told me how
proud he was of my efforts (I was doing much better at getting around than I
had done in Paris), and I reminded him that it was only with his help that I
was doing so well. We talked about our hopes that my knee would continue
to heal so that we could continue our trip. The conversation then drifted
to the random kindness of strangers and, in particular, our wonderful host,
David, and how grateful we were to be in his care since we arrived. Maybe
we should see if he and Britta want to have a drink tonight, Aman
suggested. It seems the least we could do is buy them a round or two
as our way of saying thanks for everything. I immediately agreed, that’s
not a bad idea. Aman sent David a quick text message asking whether
we could treat them to a drink later in the evening. The response from
David: Of course! That would be lovely. And we know the
perfect spot. We shall all have an apertivo together. I
will pick you up at eight o’clock. (Generally consisting of light
refreshments and a cocktail before dinner, the practice of having an apertivo
is a social institution in northern Italy; it is a way of opening the palate
before dinner, socializing and relaxing or, in other words, enjoying life a
little more slowly.)
After
picking us up that night, David brought us to a friend’s private dinner club
next to the Boboli Gardens – not for tourists, not even for the general public,
this was a place that you could not access without an insider’s help.
Awesome. We cut through the inside dining area, which was dim and quiet
in the pre-dinner hour, and found a large wooden table with oversized benches
on the open garden terrace in the back. It was shaded, in part, by a
canopy of tree branches extending over the exterior wall of the Boboli Gardens,
and the ground beneath our feet was nothing but loose gravel.
Lovely Britta, an interesting woman in her own right, met us there, with
her and David’s adorable boys, Matteo and Tomaso. David’s good friend,
Leo, also joined us later that evening. What a great evening it turned
out to be. We talked, we laughed, we drank, we ate, we lost track of time
– and, just like that, our date for an apertivo went a little too
late into the hot summer night. We were having such a great time that, at
some point, Aman and David made plans for us all to spend the next day
together. It was a Sunday, and David and Britta were going to bring the
boys to the beach. Why spend the day at the museum with all of the
other tourists, David asked. Join us and we’ll show you how people
in Firenze enjoy their weekends. As much as I love the Uffizi Museum,
we could not resist such an attractive offer.
In
high spirits, we all left Firenze early the next morning for Viareggio, a beach
town on the Tuscan Riviera located about one hour north of Firenze, which is
very popular with the locals. Gently sloping hills full of dark green
olive trees and fields of giant sunflowers – all dutifully facing the sunlight –
covered the landscape as we drove through the Tuscan countryside. Clusters of mustard yellow, lemon yellow,
peach and cream-colored houses sat bunched in the hills. From the
backseat, Leo called the manager of the beach club where we were planned to
spend the day, and made sure the red carpet would be rolled out when we
arrived. David explained that they were taking us to a proper beach club,
highly organized, with a swimming pool and a very nice restaurant and beach
chairs and umbrellas and cabanas in which to shower and change after enjoying
the sea. How can you not have the most perfect afternoon ever in such a
place?
True,
on the one hand, I could not do much but sit underneath our beach umbrella with
a bag of ice on my knee and it felt a little awkward being on crutches at the
beach. But, on the other hand, I did my best to stay present in the
moment. After all, it was a perfect day, everyone was having a great
time, and I could not think of a much better place to be laid up with a bag of
ice on my knee, or a better group of people to be with.
Hours
later, after a hands down glorious day at the shore, we washed up and piled
back in the car. David was enthusiastic about showing us Pisa. We’re
so close by, he said. Not on the
direct way home, but still, it’s so beautiful. We must stop so you can
see. When we got there, Aman and I had to laugh in amazement because,
one minute, we had no intention of visiting the leaning tower of Pisa and, the
next, well, there we were in front of it. All of the white marble
buildings in Pisa's Cathedral Square looked exquisite in the fading light of
the day, and the tower in particular was definitely one of the most curious
structures that we have seen yet.
Most
visitors were taking each other’s picture “holding up” the tower so that it did
not fall over.
We
did our best to fit in.
Our
group did not stay there long as it was getting late and time for dinner.
After showing us the tower and the Cathedral Square, David and Britta wanted to
bring us to one of their favorite restaurants on the outskirts of Firenze, Vera
Napoli. Another place that you will not find in a Lonely Planet
guidebook, this was a local joint. It had a great low-key vibe, good
people, and amazing food. Aman and I started with a ginormous pot of
steamed shellfish, before moving on to clams and linguini (for Aman), and a
piece of simply grilled branzino with olives, tomatoes and sliced potatoes (for
me).
Everything
was unbelievably fresh, perfectly prepared, it was perhaps the best meal that
we had in Europe – ahem, that is saying a lot, as we had some pretty
unbelievable food this summer.
The
next day, it was sadly time to leave. This time leaving town was
particularly hard, because David and Britta had invited us to stay another
night, as they were having friends over to watch Italy play Spain in the UEFA
Euro final match and welcomed us to join. And we so
enjoyed their company…
But,
we were already behind schedule and felt that we had to move on. So we stuck to our plans and prepared
ourselves for the afternoon train ride to Rome.
Of course, being such gracious hosts, David, Britta and the boys picked
us up at the apartment, helped us with our gear, and personally drove us to the
train station.
As
our train pulled slowly out of Firenze, gaining speed as we proceeded – past countless
fields of giant sunflowers, all standing tall and facing the sun – Aman and I
stared out the windows of the train, lost in our own thoughts. One look at each other though, and we knew
what we were both thinking. What an incredible
time that was, and how random life is to bring you across the path of such
amazing people. It was just one week
earlier that we were discussing the thought of calling this whole trip off… Thank you, David and Britta, for putting the
wind back in our sails.