First Impressions

 Buongiorno amici e famiglia!

We have arrived!  I will spare you any commentary on the flight to Rome and the drive to Florence.  It was a flight and a drive. 

We arrived in our neighborhood, Campo de Marte (a mere 15 minute walk to the center of Florence), in high spirits and eager to set eyes upon our temporary home.  

Here is a photo of our street.

Charming right?

And here is a photo of the park at the end of our street.

So nice to see some greenery in the city, agree?

Here is the approach to our apartment.

What????

Here is Harold trying not to look worried about the approach to our apartment and what we would find at the end of this dingy alley. I didn't even bother trying to not look worried. I was instantly flooded with vivid and horrific memories of an apartment rental in Santa Monica so awful we joined the gym at the Loews Hotel next door in order to shower there each day and pretend we were long-term hotel guests. 

Here is what we found at the end of the dingy alley.  Our door.

And behind that door?

An absolutely FABULOUS apartment! Molto molto bene!  I can live with the underwhelming approach! It will keep burglars away.

The apartment is perfect for us. I won't bother posting photos of the second bedroom or either of the clean, modern bathrooms, but I must post these:

We have a wall of closets!  There are three more closets just like these, with enough hangers to hang every article of clothing we packed! I was certain we would have search out the Florentine equivalent of Bed, Bath and Beyond for the mundane task of purchasing hangars, but no, we have hangars and drawer space to spare!  I am a happy woman!  Hangers and ice cubes...who could ask for anything more?

We arrived in Florence on Labor Day.  EVERYTHING was closed except the fantastic grocery store around the corner.  I had no choice but to cook dinner.  We were famished.  In our fully equipped kitchen I concocted a dish of freshly made pappardelle with leeks, roasted tomatoes and freshly grated parmesan.  Plus pane e vino. Not a bad thrown-together meal from a jet-lagged cook.

In the "Live and Learn" department, here is a photo of the hair products I lugged across the ocean.

And here is photo of the salon window not more than 30 feet from our apartment.

I should have listened to my friend Lisa about this.  She insisted I could find my hair products in Florence, but I didn't want to have to hunt them down. Go know I would find them on our first walk around the block!

 

I did, however, listen to my friend, Amy, and purchased a Mophie, which I can use to charge my phone when it runs out of battery power, which it did on our very first day. Google maps took us to three different agencies to apply for a codice fiscale, which is a tax number you are required to file if you stay in Italy for more than 30 days. That jaunt took 13,000 steps and a phone charge. And we did not get the tax ID. It was by appointment only. 

Speaking of Google maps, there is no such thing as getting lost in a foreign country any more. Google takes you everywhere you need to go.  It's very convenient, but a little sad. Some of our favorite travel experiences over the years occurred when we meandered off the beaten path and allowed ourselves to get lost in labyrinthine streets.  Of course, GPS did once cause Dan to drive down a flight of steps in Provence to the shock and amusement of the villagers, so you can't always rely on it...

Harold says it is not necessary for me to say buongiorno to every single person I pass. I guess it got a little out of hand. I don't say hello to everyone that crosses my path in Newtown.  But, I love the way it sounds. Buongiorno!  I will tone it down.

Finally, today I discovered the pleasure of an Aperol Spritz. EVERYONE drinks them for lunch. I am nothing if not a lemming, so I went for it.  And so did Harold.  Fantastico!  Salute!

By the way, it seems that people have been having difficulty posting comments. If you would like to reach out to me, send me an email.  No pressure.