Hello,
Yes, this will be our last weekend in Florence. On Monday we will travel by train to Sorrento. All of our travelers left us on Momday, so just Susan and I are here in Florence now. Since this is my favorite Italian city, I was very happy to have the extra days to enjoy this lovely place.
Many changes are occurring in Florence, as I mentioned in an earlier blog. The city is cleaner and seems to be fewer gypsies around, but those people do seem to pop up whenever the police leave the area.
Gypsies are beggars. That seems to be their sole source of income…other than picking pockets. Some of their dramatic scenes are pretty funny to watch. For instance, everyone who has been to Italy knows of seeing the classic old beggar woman on her knees, forehead on the sidewalk, moaning how hungry she is, rattling the few coins in her plastic cup, begging for more coins. A few days ago, on a fairly busy street, I saw one gypsy woman, sitting on the bumper of a parked car. As soon as a group of tourists was headed her way, she walked over to the sidewalk, got down on her knees and started her wailing routine. Another old woman, was sitting on the church steps, rattling her cup, begging for coins, moaning that she was hungry. I walked up the steps, tried to open the church door by pushing instead of pulling. The old woman stopped her moaning and shouted at me to pull the door not push. So I did that, entered the church, and she went back to her drama.
Many of the historic buildings are being restored, so there is scaffolding everywhere. The Ospedale of the Innocents, a building dating from the 1400’s, right near us in Piazza Annunziata, is undergoing a major renovation, which will include a museum that will tell the story of this first orphanage in Florence, we are proud to know one of the young architects working on that project, Jacopo Carli, son of our good friends, Massimo and Magda.
The Baptistry, by the Duomo, is also getting a facelift. The Museum of the Duomo is closed and being totally re-done, not due to open again until November, 2015.
I am happy to see the clean up projects underway. Florence is a very old city, so naturally buildings cannot last if they are not cared for properly. However, there are still so many beautiful places to see in this city. My favorite things to see are outdoors, anyway.
So many things to see and places to go. Now the sun is shining, I can smell the pastries baking in the pasticciera downstairs. Yes, Robiglio seems to be baking their delicious goodies right here on Via Dei Servi once again.
So I am off to visit more of my favorite places, which seems to me, will have to include a cappuccino and brioche at Robiglio.
I will sign off for now, and tell you more of my adventures later.
Ciao for now,
Dolly
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