21-26 June 2012. Thursday to Tuesday.
Thursday.
Gelato: Coffee Crunch + Cream
It was strange to arrive in Florence but not go directly to my little apartment on Via Giraldi. Instead, my mama and I went to the B&B we had reserved, directly across from Mercato Centrale. This was going to be more a tourist experience than a student/resident experience–having to live out of a suitcase and explore all of the most famous sights like I had never been here before.
We had dinner across the Arno at Gusta Pizza and gelato at a little Gelateria called “Perché No?” (meaning Why Not?).
Friday.
The B&B provided us with breakfast at a cute bar down on the street corner. A bar in Italy is not like a bar in the states. Yes, it does serve alcohol, but also cafe and pastries in the morning. Mom, especially, enjoyed sitting at the outdoor tables, before the leather market opened. The weather still cool, before the day’s heat would set in, we enjoyed our cappuccinos and people watched before starting out for the day. After breakfast, we crossed the street to the Mercato Centrale to explore the various food vendors. The fresh fish was particularly interesting, with a pot full of octopus tentacles boiling next to the case of iced shrimp.
Around 11:00, we met up with my friend Krist, who had stayed in Florence for a month to kill time before joining the next group of students to participate in CalPoly’s summer 
Switzerland program. We met at the SITA bus station to visit my dear Antica Marcelleria Cecchini in Chianti, one last time. After raving about it the first two times, I was so excited to show Dario off to my mama. He was there, working behind the counter. We enjoyed our little glasses of chianti classico and crustini con lardo (toast topped with lard and Dario’s secret season salt–simply divine). We headed upstairs and enjoyed the outdoor tables, summer Tuscan sun, and vineyard views. There is something picturesque about the Tuscan countryside; the landscape seems almost too accidentally perfect to be real. Mom, Krist, and I dined on the usual meats and fresh vegetables. This time of year, the Tuscan fennel was in season and was so tasty to dip into olive oil mixed with the season salt–so refreshing.
On the way out, mama and I got to stand behind the counter with Dario for a photo and he treated us to digestive shots of Grapa. While behind the counter, with his huge arms squeezing us together as we posed for the picture, he announced in his deep voice: “To Beef, or not to Beef?!”
That evening, to counter all of the meat we had eaten earlier, we enjoyed a very local restaurant, Il Vegetariano (The Vegetarian). Located near the train station at Via delle Ruote 30r, the crowd of visitors is young and Italian. We enjoyed Lasagna and a delicious salad. This was one of my favorite restaurants in Florence, excellent and healthy food for a good price.
Saturday.
Gelato: Pineapple
We met up with my roommate Alex, who had just returned from visiting her family in Greece for a month, to take the train to the Cinque Terre. By 10:00, we had arrived in Riomaggiore, the southern most of the five towns. We slowly walked up the hill to the great view overlooking the sea, wandered through a few shops and down to the harbor. Next we walked along La Via del’Amore (The Walk of Love) to the next town of Manarola. We enjoyed lunch at a little seaside restaurant before hopping on the train to Vernazza. The previous fall, a massive rain storm had caused a huge mud slide, covering much of this town. Over the year, the town was slowly excavated from the mud and many repairs had to be done. I was very impressed by how much work had been accomplished since the devastating flood, and it was still possible to see the height of damage caused by the mud and water. We really enjoyed the little beach and soaked in the sun.
The entire train ride home was quite entertaining. The peddlers who usually pester visitors, selling silly items to tourists at places like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, must have just gotten off work. As our train stopped in Pisa, tons of these men got on the train, with their bags of souvenirs and counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags. They all seemed very nervous, as though they were trying to be sneaky by constantly changing seats and avoiding the conductor.
Hot and tired from a long day in the sun, we just crashed when we got back.
Sunday.
Gelato: Green Tea (while doing laundry)
Fogli di Procopio + Lemon and Basil (post dinner)
Today was the feast day of San Giovanni (St. John the Baptist) the patron saint of Florence. This is a big day for the Florentines, full of activities. After breakfast, 
mama and I headed over to the Duomo to see the festivities taking place at the 10:00 mass. A choir was singing in the Baptistry and then a huge procession made its way into the cathedral for the grand, feast day mass to be held by the once Archbishop of Florence who had recently been appointed to Cardinal. He was all decked out in new red robes. Mama got a little teary eyed and said “I just love it here.” awwww….
We enjoyed sandwiches at Il Due Fratellini (The Two Little Brothers) before hopping on the bus to gather my huge suitcase and a box I had left with Krist, and brought it back to the B&B. They were both so heavy! We did some much needed laundry before meeting up with Krist to peek in on the Calco Storico. This Historic Soccer is a brutal combination of Soccer and Rugby, with no rules and dates back to the ancient Florentines. It now takes place once a year, on the feast of San Giovanni.
Pizza dinner at A Casa Mia (My Home), a favorite of CSU Firenze students and locals alike. Located near Mercato Sant’Ambrogio, the students usually congregated here for birthday dinners.
The feast day fireworks started at 10pm. Shot from Piazzale Michelangelo, the best vantage point was the banks of the Arno. The fireworks were themed with red, white, and green and after about half an hour of them, people started clapping, expecting the end. But no, they lasted an entire hour. The intensity of the fireworks kept the streets alive and vibrant as we walked home.
Monday.
Gelato: Neve di Riso + Baccio
We spend the morning weeding through my suitcases and boxes, trying to fit everything into two 50 pound bags and two carry-ons. I like to save everything, so it was tough to throw away my old Italian homework. We walked to school to take some clothes to donate and to visit Connie and Ref in the office. They were like our parents, always holding our hands as we slowly learned how to navigate in this foreign land. We visited my old front door on Via Giraldi. From the corner, we watched as some blond girl entered my home for the past year. *tear* Mama had visited Florence with my Oma 30 years ago, when she was my age. She brought with her some of the photos she had taken and we tried to discover the locations. We recreated some of the old pictures with my mom posing in the same spots. It is amazing how little both my mama and Florence have changed in 30 years.
Lunch was at my favorite Panino shop. Ke Ci Metto?, located at Borgo La Croce 52r, is one of the best places to grab a quick yet delicious panino. I will go in and say to the owner “Qualcosa ti piace” (something you like) and he will quickly choose one of the many homemade focaccia breads (flavors range from spinach to corn, tomato to beet) and create the best sandwich. But this is not just a sandwich, he chooses from a special spread, Tuscan meat, and accompanying cheese, all of which go perfectly with each other, and then pops it on the little grill so it is piping hot. Aw man, so good! yummmmmmm…….
We took the bus up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo to meet Alex. We enjoyed the view and I did a little shopping at the Benedictine Monk’s craft shop outside of the church San Miniato al Monte. On the way down, mom and I enjoyed a sit-down dinner before heading back across the Arno to Santo Spirito, to see my friends one last time before we all headed our separate ways.
Tuesday.
A final Italian breakfast, last minute packing. We slowly dragged our bags to the station to catch the bus to the airport. It was the same hot weather and crowds of people that had greeted me when I had arrived in Florence 10 months before. We made it to the airport, our bags met the weight requirement, and we were on the plane. I was sad, but mama and I still had one last adventure to enjoy before heading back to reality. Ciao Firenze.
Next, and last, stop: London.
The Orange Penguin (i'arancio pinguino) 
