I departed the school as quickly as possible and strode down the hill. I stopped at Bar del Corso for a piece of pizza to avoid passing out from hunger. The service was surprisingly fast and the pizza was warm and thick with cheese. However, I did not dally but soon arrived at the house where I finished packing my bags, loaded the car and motored into the countryside. The morning had been rainy but the rains had passed. The air was clear and crisp. The puffy white clouds rose above the rolling green hills. The sun shone brightly to highlight the brilliant colors. The view was breath-taking. I would occasionally slow to look but I was intent on getting to Firenze. Soon I left the country roads and was on the Autostrada. Now I was really on my way. There was no more attention to the countryside but the focus was on zipping along at 100mph and on avoiding slower traffic.
I arrived in the old central city and wandered about the one-way streets for a bit before the hotel's doorman stepped into the street to ask if I was searching for his hotel. As a matter of fact, it was his hotel for which I searched. I had driven past it three times. Their signage was not too good and, in this case, GPS had its limitations. No matter. I gave him my car and was escorted to a lovely room overlooking a small courtyard. Before long my luggage arrive and I began to settle. I soon met my companion for the weekend, Dina. We strolled about the nearby streets, enjoying the views and the people. We discovered a quaint little shop and purchased snacks for later. After a time, I returned to the hotel for a shower.
Just before dinner Dina joined me for a bit of wine and our snacks. As the time for dinner arrived we sauntered down to the hotel restaurant. The entry to the restaurant was a very nice bar. We were greeting in the bar and asked if we would like a drink before dinner. We agreed. We were escorted into a most grand "Salon di Musica". We situated ourselves in large leather lounging chairs. Our aperitifs arrived and we chatted softly under the lovely music floating about this stately room. The ambiance of this elegant place gave pause to our chatter and we simply basked in the grandeur of the moment. In my melancholy, I looked at Dina as she closed her eyes to the music. Her flowing locks and her linen gown draped over long legs caused me to wonder what this moment might have been like twenty years ago, for Dina was many years my junior. I quickly pushed such thoughts from my mind and allowed myself to simply appreciate this moment.
After a time we were escorted to a fine dinner complimented by a delicious wine. The dining room was elegant and the service was warm and attentive. After we had completed our several courses we were, again, escorted to the music room for a cognac. We lounged and, at least I fell in love with the moment. The room was so lovely. The music was so soft. Dina was so delicious. For me, it was a perfect combination and I basked in its intensity. I'm not so certain how often such moments come in a lifetime. I shall not soon forget these moments. From that moment on, each time Dina and I met, we met in the Salon di Musica.
The next morning I arose late, no doubt effected by the sizable amount of wine and cognac consumed. We had a large American breakfast and began a long, relaxed walk about the city. We visited piazzas crowded with tourists and walked slowly down nearly empty side streets couched in lovely ancient buildings. I recalled a past visit to this city. I did not like this place. This time was different. I loved each part of this place. Dina shopped a bit and the shopkeepers were friendly. There were many tour groups but we avoided them. It was just a rejuvenating experience for me. I could live in this place.
In the afternoon we stopped for a sandwich at the "Alle'Antico Vinano" just off of the Palazzo Vecchio. The cibo, a focaccia panino, was warm, large and delicious. There was a long queue but we were served quickly and ate sitting along the street. Munching and watch the tourists was great fun. Later we made a rather quick trip through the Uffizi Gallery and retreated to relax before another dinner. I took a long bath and a short, much needed nap.
The dinner for the second evening was quite an event. The restaurant was Enoteca Pinchiorri. The dinner was 13 courses accompanied by six wines. I would detail the dinner but it was simply too complex. Needless to say, it was quite a "degustatzione." The restaurant was very nice, our fellow diners were interesting and the service was perfect. An interesting thing was that our primary server was a young Japanese man (who was surprised when I greeted him in Japanese) and, quite honestly, it was often difficult for me to understand his explanation of each serving in Italian. But, despite the unclear explanation, the servings were lovely and delicious so, we didn't hesitate nor question but simply enjoyed. The day had been full of exercise and the dinner was very long. The full but not hectic day was finished with another very long sleep.
I arose late, again, and we met for a cappuccino and a pasta. Again we strolled about the city. We chatted. We munched a bit. We drank a bit. It was a beautifully sunny day and Dina was enticing as she seemed to flow above the street. It was such a pleasure to spend a weekend in the company of such a lovely young woman. However, my time here was drawing to a close. I picked up my car and bags from the hotel, dropped Dina a her B&B and departed this beautiful old city knowing that this will not be my last time in Firenze.
As a cap to this wonder, as I drove down the Autostrada, over the nearby hills I saw an extremely colorful double rainbow. The top rainbow had seven distinct colors and the bottom rainbow, while more faint, had four colors. It was a beautiful sight and the perfect finish to a beautiful weekend. As I drove past the rainbows I reflected for, Dina will be off on her own adventures and I'll be off on mine. It will be interesting to see if our paths cross again.
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