The rains continued throughout the day on Wednesday, and into the evening, as you can see in this photo of Lungarno d. Archbusieri, the road that runs between the Ufizzi and the Ponte Vecchio.
Of course, Wednesday was the start of classes. When I returned to my apartment at the end of the day, I found a message on my cell phone from a student, inviting me to go out to dinner with a group of eight of them, all DVC students who had taken my preparation class. What a wonderful way to celebrate the start of the semester! Of course, I said yes.
We had reservations at 8 p.m. at the Golden View Open Bar, one of the restaurants on the students’ meal voucher system. Given the name, I had no idea what to expect, and what a surprise I was in store for. The restaurant sits on the south end of the Ponte Vecchio, with stunning views of the Arno. The interior was very chic, and the service was impeccable. The quality of the restaurants on the meal voucher plan is simply amazing!
I’ve always known that Italians linger over their meals, making each meal a celebration, and last night we did as the Italians do—our dinner lasted for over three hours! Midway through out meal, a jazz trio set up and started playing a series of jazz standards, which made the evening even more memorable.
We all left the restaurant around 11:30 and crossed back over the Ponte Vecchio, toward our apartments. As we strolled, we came upon the Mercato Nuovo (New Market), which really isn’t so new; it dates back to the 16th century. During the day the market becomes alive with vendors selling a variety of products, but at night it’s empty, except for one thing—the Fontana del Porcellina (the Piglet’s Fountain). This really isn’t a piglet at all! Instead, it’s an early 17-century life-size bronze statue of a wild boar. Legend has it that if you rub the boar’s snout, that you’ll return to Florence one day. It’s obvious that people believe in this legend as the boar’s snout has been rubbed smooth and shiny over the centuries. Well, we’ve all fallen in love with Florence and have every desire to return, so we had to give it a try (some even kissed that ugly boar!). Let’s hope it works and that we all are able to return to this magical city again and again.
Grazie, studenti, per una sera fantastica! (Thanks, students, for a fantastic evening!)
Of course, Wednesday was the start of classes. When I returned to my apartment at the end of the day, I found a message on my cell phone from a student, inviting me to go out to dinner with a group of eight of them, all DVC students who had taken my preparation class. What a wonderful way to celebrate the start of the semester! Of course, I said yes.We had reservations at 8 p.m. at the Golden View Open Bar, one of the restaurants on the students’ meal voucher system. Given the name, I had no idea what to expect, and what a surprise I was in store for. The restaurant sits on the south end of the Ponte Vecchio, with stunning views of the Arno. The interior was very chic, and the service was impeccable. The quality of the restaurants on the meal voucher plan is simply amazing!
I’ve always known that Italians linger over their meals, making each meal a celebration, and last night we did as the Italians do—our dinner lasted for over three hours! Midway through out meal, a jazz trio set up and started playing a series of jazz standards, which made the evening even more memorable.
We all left the restaurant around 11:30 and crossed back over the Ponte Vecchio, toward our apartments. As we strolled, we came upon the Mercato Nuovo (New Market), which really isn’t so new; it dates back to the 16th century. During the day the market becomes alive with vendors selling a variety of products, but at night it’s empty, except for one thing—the Fontana del Porcellina (the Piglet’s Fountain). This really isn’t a piglet at all! Instead, it’s an early 17-century life-size bronze statue of a wild boar. Legend has it that if you rub the boar’s snout, that you’ll return to Florence one day. It’s obvious that people believe in this legend as the boar’s snout has been rubbed smooth and shiny over the centuries. Well, we’ve all fallen in love with Florence and have every desire to return, so we had to give it a try (some even kissed that ugly boar!). Let’s hope it works and that we all are able to return to this magical city again and again.
Grazie, studenti, per una sera fantastica! (Thanks, students, for a fantastic evening!)
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