I had initially planned to get up today and go out and do some exploring. I wanted to visit the place where I stayed when I visited 9 years ago. I stayed at the Residence Michelangelo which is on the other side of the Arno River. To get there you cross over the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge. This bridge dates back to 1345 and is the only Florentine bridge to survive the destruction at the hands of the Germans in 1944. The Piazzale Michelangelo is also on that side of the city. It is a grand lookout point that provides a panoramic view of the city of Florence. When I was here last time we walked up the serpentine road at sunset for a sparkling view of the city. However, it is really cold outside today. It is much colder than it has been, so I decide for the time being to stay inside. I will plan to visit it tomorrow.
When planning my visit here, I knew that the weather would be really cold. I was prepared. Coat, hat, gloves and boots. I have to say that the temperature here has been mild for a winter in Italy. It gets down to about 34-36 degrees at night, but the days warm up into the high 50’s. Today it is expected to be in the mid-40’s with winds blowing at about 20 miles an hour. The winds making the temperature feel much colder. Hence my decision to stay inside today.
This would be a good time to share with you some of my insights about life in Florence.
The architecture here is the same everywhere. Concrete and stone buildings with terra cotta tile roofs. The many palaces and museums are of course quite opulent and ornate. But it is a concrete jungle. Even the roads are all cobblestone. Comfortable walking shoes are a must. You will not see Asians here walking around in 4 inch heals as you would in Hawaii.
My apartment is in the historic section of the city of Florence. So here you will find the older homes. Smaller quaint restaurants and bistros. In the square adjacent to my apartment, there is a small farmers market every day. They sell the freshest fruits and vegetables. The fruit here is so tasty. I bought a bag of blood oranges and I have nearly devoured the entire bag in a matter of days. In the city center is where you find the ritzy hotels and fashion stores. It is noisy everywhere. Street sweepers start very early in the morning and the bell towers start ringing at 6 am and then hourly it seems until nighttime. Traditionally the bells rang to call people to worship. Now they ring all the time. They must like the sound of them. I suppose after time you get used to it and you don’t hear them ring.
As I mentioned before, grocery shopping here is an experience. There are no costco sized products on the shelf. Everything is packaged in small quantities. Milk comes in what is equivalent to a 16 oz container. Many products are packaged in cartons instead of tin or glass. It is easier to dispose of.
While I am on the subject of disposing. There is no local garbage pickup outside your residence. You must separate your garbage into compostable, recyclable and all other garbage. Then you have to take it to the nearest garbage depository. My closest depository is about 5 blocks away. Nearly every time we leave the apartment, we take a bag of garbage to be disposed of. When you get to the depository, with your foot you press on a lever on the ground and a door opens up. You drop in your garbage and down the hatch it goes. So the next time you ask your kids to take out the garbage….tell them how it is done in Italy…and maybe you will get a little less whining.
Cindy Mochel Livermore 