We were up late, didn’t get to breakfast until 10:30. We really like the breakfast here, lots of variety, and served until 11.
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Our first order of business was to cross the Arno at Ponte Vecchio and walk to the gardens at Pitti Palace. The gardens were pretty, but being fall, there wasn’t anything blooming. The highlight was the views over the city from the heights of the Gardens.
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Lovers bring a lock to the bridge, lock it on the railing, and throw the key in the river.
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We found a pretty spot and had a little photo shoot.
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After the Gardens, we decided to walk the markets. There are several areas of outdoor markets in Florence, with hundreds of stalls selling all kinds of stuff, but probably more leather goods than anything else. Lana bought a ring, and I didn’t buy anything. You can’t really buy a lot of stuff when you are traveling light…you just don’t have the room!
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Dinner that night was at a place called Sostanza, a little hole in the wall that some people in San Francisco had recommended to us. It opened in 1869! We had pasta starters, and a second course of chicken breast fried in butter. It was wonderful…juicy and full of flavor. I wonder how many restaurants in American have been open for 138 years...
We found ourselves listening for other English-speaking travelers at our dinners. A lady and her daughter from Boston (Kate and Sara) sat with us at the communal tables. Sara was studying art history and was studying for a semester here in Florence, living with a local family. Lana made friends with the kitchen staff.
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As we were leaving, the zipper on Lana’s jacket broke. We would have to find her another one, as it was going to be cold for the next few days.
Back at the hotel, we caught the second half of “Mission Impossible III” on TV, and hit the sack around midnight.
