Florence, Italy

We arrived in Florence via Air Berlin on 9/17 and after a little wait we were picked up by Simone and delivered to our 5th floor apartment. It is a spacious apartment in a great location and a huge balcony with a river view. We had a delicious dinner across the street and went grocery shopping at the neighborhood market.

On Monday we set out to see the city. We spent the day browsing the squares, visiting the famous Brunelleschi's Duomo and stopping for coffee in one of the outdoor cafes.

Tuesday we explored more of the city and went on a tour of the Academia Gallery where we saw Michelangelo's David. It was interesting for Tony to stand in the exact spot where he stood 51 years ago on his first trip to Florence.

Cooking was the theme for Wednesday. We met Chef Giuseppe and the other 3 members of our class at Piazza Della Repubblica. We went from there to a café for coffee and pastries, then on to the fresh market where we tasted local fruits and vegetables. Next was the olive oil and vinegar tasting before actually preparing our meal. Our class was held in the Olio e Convivium Restaurant. We made almond biscotti, gnocchi with pesto sauce and eggplant parmigiana. We had a fun time cooking, drinking and laughing through the entire experience. Needless to say, we had a very small snack for dinner that night.

On Thursday, we walked to the train station and bought our tickets for the Saturday trip to Lucca. We continued exploring new parts of the city and we are looking forward to seeing Fred and Nancy tomorrow … only two more nights in Florence.