Preview of Florence

There is a brisk breeze blowing through the streets of Florence and people are everywhere. I quickly scope out the Eastern part of the city in the late afternoon, and discover that there are medieval treasures around every corner. Just steps from the hotel is the Piazza della Signoria, where a copy of Michelangelo’s David stands, and the Loggia dei Lanzi built in 1382, which is an outdoor sculpture garden filled with classic Roman statues. I walk past the Duomo, the tallest structure in the city, where the sound of steeple bells ring through the piazza.

In the evening, I dine at the Brunello Lounge at the Hotel Bernini Palace, and the food is the type of artistry typical of the Florentines, or as my server tells me, “Just like a painting.” I enjoy a white prosciutto, full of fat, which melts like butter on the tongue. Then there are quenelles of soft goat cheese flecked with briny green olives with dried tomatoes, Tagliatelle pasta with porcini mushrooms and shavings of parmesan, and a wild berry crepe for dessert.

The beauty of Florence will have to wait for another week thought, as my next destination is Chateau du Fey in the Burgundy valley of France.

© 2006 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved