Tag Florence

Italy – A surprise, “Make a Wish!”

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Every day is full of surprises. While in Florence, I stayed at Holiday House Borgo Pinti, run by the Oblate of Assumption Sisters. A beautiful sanctuary located behind the Duomo, a ten minute walk. Religious stays are interesting. Each place quite different; however, the common theme is peacefulness.

Every morning, after breakfast, I would walk in their beautiful garden, filled with roses.

On this particular morning, as I walked by this statue. I stopped in front of it, listening to the birds singing. For some reason, I looked down and something “white” caught my attention.

As you can see. I was walking on gravel, all the stones seem to meld together.

As I bent down, I found this, “Make a Wish” stone with a feather close by. How lovely.

Some Canadians were walking by, I showed them. One of them immediately said, “that’s a dandelion,” there is spiritual significance in that. I hadn’t noticed the dandelion. I was focused on the words, “Make a Wish.”

This was important, staying at a spiritual place, behind the Duomo. A wish could come true! I looked up at the sky, sun shinning, thought of my Italian grandmother, was this HER doing?

Sure enough, in researching the spiritual meaning of the dandelions, it is said they provide resilience, hope, transformation, new beginnings and the ability to manifest desires. Wow, I sure needed that!

So, with the holiday season here. We have many challenges in life. I share this with YOU.

MAKE… YOUR… WISH!!

Miracles happen…AND… follow your instincts, ie me looking down and finding this stone.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Italy – Florence, Love Locks and more…

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As I was exploring small streets, I came across Dante’s Church with all of these “love locks.” Will they work? I think it is the ritual for people / couples, to add a lock, and “feel” their love lasts forever, right?!

In that frame of mind, I saw these teddy bears in a window, positioned in such a humorous way. I thought of an older couple, comfortable in their relationship.

Of course, we must see a Pinocchio. Again, another humorous siting, next to Tigger. Whatever sells, right!

I walked by this toy store. I liked the world puzzle map they had. In America, we are focused on the 50 states and American history. Yet, our kids still need to learn more about the World.

This was funny. I was sitting and having a gelato. Different tourists walking by. I heard this man telling a younger guy he was with. If we get separated, just look for my green shoes. Of course, my ears perked up, I looked and he was right… no chance of missing the “green shoes.” Brilliant idea!

I discovered this shop with the most beautiful colored pencils. I have not heard of this Italian brand, Fabriano. I liked the pouch the colored pencils were in. I wish I was an artist, I would have bought them.

Of course, I have to end with a photo of the Ponte Vecchio. Gold prices were so high, that they don’t have beautiful jewelry anymore. Also, there is an owner that must own 7-10 shops on the bridge. They sell the same jewelry, so it was a bit boring looking in the windows. This is a view of the entire bridge.

I’ve been to Florence, so I was not there as a tourist. I mean, touring monuments, etc. This time, I was just going around. I walked the streets, I had walked with my Florentine grandmother when she was alive. One thing I forgot to do, was walk back to see her home, etc. Next time, there’s always a next time.

Ah, Florence!

Italy – Florence… YES, a Starbucks!

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I was recently in Florence, Italy. My mother was born / raised there, so it feels like a second home. I was fortunate, there were not many tourists. I was able to walk the streets and actually “see” the buildings, etc.

And guess what I saw… YES, a Starbucks! Amazing how they are everywhere. You’d think in Italy, they have the best coffee, who would go to Starbucks? Obviously, people go. Same with McDonald’s which is by the train station, always packed with people.

I noticed that more cafes offer coffee to go. Years past, that was not an option.

Oh, and of course, I saw the Apple Store too.

Imagine walking by the Duomo and being able to walk right in, no long line. That hasn’t happened in years. I lit a candle, look how full, so many prayers.

It’s interesting, no matter how many times I go to Florence, I still take photos of the Duomo as if it is the very first time. I was thinking about that this trip when I took photos.

Did I need another photo of the Duomo? YES, of course!

Happy Traveling.

Florence, Italy… I miss you!

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I was taking to my Italian mother the other day. She said was one of her cousins was in Florence and it felt so strange. There aren’t many tourists, so to be able to walk and “see” the city was an eery feeling. We are used to so many tourists that we are elbow to elbow with them. Instead, my mother’s cousin arrived in Piazza Della Signoria with open eyes, as if seeing the Piazza for the first time. BEAUTIFUL!

I remember that feeling years ago. I was in Florence in June, it was so packed with people that I could not enjoy the city and I wanted to leave. I thought, I am DONE, I do not need to visit Florence for a long time.

THEN, one year, I visited in late November. I was walking the streets, hardly any people. Like my mother’s cousin, I had this strange feeling that something was wrong. Where were the people? My next thought was… ah, it’s late November – no tourists – this is GLORIOUS!

Fast forward to COVID 2021. My friend is in Florence right now. She said that August is SO HOT, over 100 degrees, she can see why the Italians go to the seaside the whole month of August. She remembers going around town with me, but couldn’t remember where restaurants and shops were.

So, I marked up this quick map for her. Once I did that, she had her bearings. She said there are not that many tourists. When outside you don’t need a mask, but inside you must have it. Also, because of COVID there were no new things to see in the market place or the shops. Everything seemed as it was from 2 years ago. Oh… this was funny. She was looking forward to a good dish of pasta. The pasta came, but it was SUPER AL DENTE. Not good.

My Italian girlfriend said her husband did that sometimes. I mean, there is AL DENTE, and there is ULTRA AL DENTE. She would tell her husband, “You must have been REALLY HUNGRY to serve pasta like this! YUK!”

Anyhow…

Traveling right now is challenging and different, because COVID rules / regulations keep changing.

If you are traveling… BE SAFE!

Florence… I miss you. I’ll be back.

Italy – My thoughts brought me the “Leaning Tower of Pisa” – no joke

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Leaning Tower of PisaI learned this weekend that the mind is very powerful.

For months, I have been thinking, “When will I have time to go to Florence?” Every day, I take a quick look to see what flight prices are to Italy. Usually, I try to fly into Florence.

This weekend I was focused on getting new tires for my car. I shopped around and found a place with a good price. As I was parking my car, I looked up and I could not believe it. Right in front of me was the “Leaning Tower of Pisa.” NO JOKE, see photo!

Now, I ask you… What would you think if you saw this? I chuckled to myself, maybe it was “a sign” to look for flights into Pisa’s airport.

Italy, I’m coming, soon – VERY SOON!

Book Review: Big Miracles by Joanna Garzilli… jewelry in Florence, Italy

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78369de7-95b5-49a6-b8e6-ddbc79271ef3A few days ago I was at the bookstore. It’s my favorite place to be besides browsing jewelry shop windows in Italy. When my children were young, if we were in Florence, of course, I would have to look at the jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio. My younger daughter would tell me, “Mama, promise, no looking in the windows, we are going for gelato.”

This is funny, because if any of you have been to Florence and have walked across the Ponte Vecchio, you KNOW it is IMPOSSIBLE to walk across the bridge and not look at jewelry. All the shops sell jewelry. The bridge is glittering in white, yellow and rose gold!

I would kid her that she was half Italian, jewelry was in her DNA. One day, I might be telling her not to look in the windows. As she gave me a scowl, I would give a grin and say, “I promise, I will do my BEST to walk in the middle of the road.” See photo, I did a zig zagging walk across the bridge. Can you picture it?  Look in one window to the right, have her pull me to the center, then go to the left, look in one window, have her pull me to the center! It was most amusing.

43a807e3-0894-4785-9fce-bc9248d95e75Guess what – NOW, she is at the age where she sends me photos of jewelry she likes. I KNEW this would happen!

Back to the bookstore. As it is a new year, there was a table full of motivational / spiritual types of books. Browsing through them, I found this book about “Big Miracles,” by Joanna Garzilli.

It’s a book about connecting with your Spirit. One thing she brought up, which I had never heard of, was experiencing the “dark night of the soul.” She talks about when she experienced this period and soon after met her husband. She explains that “the dark night of the soul,” is when we are going through a period of hopelessness/despair, it’s not depression, we are low, but somehow we know we must rid ourselves of negativity, so we can move toward happiness. She spoke about uncontrollable crying and illness that wouldn’t go away. She realized later that her soul was releasing the part of her that felt unlovable, because shortly after this she met her future husband.

She has some interesting insights. I think with each book we read, we gain a little more knowledge that helps us in self discovery, focusing on our vision and destiny in life. Some years we are right on target, other years it is slow moving and then suddenly it seems our hard work pays off and we are catapulted into the happiness and success we have been focusing on.

Life, it’s not easy, but if we focus on the goal — WE GET THERE!

Florence – Italian Street Music

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When I was in Florence, I came across these singers while I was walking to the Duomo. They were really wonderful and making quite a bit of money, because not only did they have great voices, but as you can see they had the charm of “old Italy.”

Sharing a little bit of Firenze (Florence) with you today!

Enjoy!

Florence – The Walking City… explore Piazza Michelangelo by foot

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3C529AF7-46FB-4CF9-A311-DF3A3983D9DBI’ve been to Florence many times, especially when my Florentine grandmother was alive.  When I would visit Florence, I was not a tourist. I was staying with my grandmother. I did do some touring, but mainly I lived the life of a Florentine. Go early to the market to buy your groceries, come home set the table for lunch, always put down a table cloth, grate the parmesan cheese, cut the bread, make the salad – this was routine. With my grandmother gone, I realized I needed to find a new way to fall in love with Florence.

Back in those days, there were hardly any tourists. Some, but you walked the streets comfortably. Now, you walk elbow to elbow with tourists and foreign students. It is so packed you cannot enjoy the city unless you wake up at the crack of dawn BEFORE the tourists have started their day.

The Central Market used to have lovely leather purses, cashmere sweaters, silk scarves, belts and more. Now, the vendors, year after year, sell the same products and it’s hard to know what is real leather and what is not. The designs are not special anymore. It’s sad to see this. Gold is so expensive that the Ponte Vecchio does not sell unique jewelry anymore either. BUT for the first timers to Florence, where the leather goods, etc. are all new to them, they think it is fantastic!

It’s amusing to hear conversations among tourists, there is a competition to know Florence better than the next person, to have been to Florence more times than another person, to be the best Florentine blogger, know the best restaurant  — you get the idea.

So, with my heart feeling a bit sad and nostalgic for the old days, I decided I needed to re-discover Florence in a different way.  I was curious to explore the hills above the Piazzale Michelangelo.

64F1C219-CF8E-4EFA-8BD4-F54CB65CD8F3I got lucky and as I was walking up a long road, I found “The Walking City” map. See the photo of the map. I want to see if they have other maps for walking the city like this. What a great adventure for people who have been to Florence many times, want to get away from the crowds and get some exercise. The views and the villas up there, as you can imagine, are fantastic.

If you make the walk all the way around, you’ll have this view of the Duomo from Piazzale Michelangelo!  Stop and treat yourself to a gelato, you deserve it!

Yes, you can see Florence with “fresh eyes!”

Florence – YES, I found a 99 cent store…

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DC6A821E-F171-4F8F-93CE-85290D3A99F4The Family Dollar stores are all over America, but I didn’t expect to find one in Florence. I thought you might enjoy seeing this, so if you travel to Italy you can save money by buying water and other small items here! They really have quite a bit, it’s amazing how the store looks small on the outside, but upon entering it’s quite big.

If you save on water, etc….  you can enjoy a gelato!

Firenze – Bartolini kitchen store

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2AB82753-8768-4542-AB5A-F9EC1B009E18Yesterday, I was walking in Florence and I got lost. I was trying to catch the bus. I knew where I was, but I thought I would be “smart” and take a “short cut” down a small street to get to the bus stop faster, but that led me in a different direction from the bus stop. In Italy, the streets can twist and turn, it feels like being in a maze.

The good news with getting lost is that we explore a new area. I sure got LUCKY on this street. I came upon a store called, “Bartolini.” I was drawn to the beautiful window display of kitchen items. It is fun to explore kitchen stores when traveling.  For example, look at the window display, it’s amusing to see the variety of espresso machines you could buy all lined up! BEAUTIFUL, isn’t it!

Personally, I use my little Bialetti espresso machine daily! Works perfectly, even after years of use. In fact, I was looking at the smallest Bialetti, which would be for one espresso. Trying to find the BEST deal, I have been checking every store to see what the cost of the smallest Bialetti is. I’ve noticed the price for the machine varies from 14 to 17 euros. I’m curious to see what the price is in the country. Hoping to get this down to 12 or 13 euros if possible!

Inside, the store reminded me of  Williams Sonoma in America. Same quality of kitchen items. Everything from pots, pans, Le Creuset, china, appliances, coffee machines, etc… Oh, but with lots of espresso cups and oil and vinegar containers!!