There’s something about Laurie! Before I talk about all of the wonderful things we did when she visited me in Florence, I must first introduce you. Laurie and I first met in the first grade, when we were six years old. We were both in Miss Lafferty’s class at Lakeshore Elementary in Rochester, New York. From the moment we met, something clicked. We became inseparable! Kids had a lot more freedom in those carefree days of the 1960s, and we had the run of the neighborhood. We made countless treks between our two houses, where we played games, listened to music (favoring, at that time, Bobby Sherman and the Partridge Family), caused some mischief, and terrorized my little sister. We played in the snow, rode bikes, hiked along the local creek, and explored every nook and cranny of our neighborhood. Life was good! That is, until tragedy struck in the form of my father’s being transferred 3,000 mile away to San Francisco. We were to move in June 1972, at the end of our fourth grade year.
Laurie and I cried, we hugged, and we vowed to remain friends forever. And here we are, thirty-five years after my family moved cross country, still dear friends. And in those days, it was much harder to do. You see, these were the days before e-mail and cell phones. Calling long distance was so expensive that it was strictly prohibited by our parents. We had just one tool we could use to stay in touch: writing. And write we did; countless letters passed back and forth across the country, letters the two of us have saved. In them you see two girls growing up, from childhood, into adolescence, into those teenage years, and finally into adulthood. We followed each other's escapades through junior high, high school, and college, all in writing. We sent each other pictures so that we could see one another grow. We visited each other once or twice on trips with our parents, but that was rare since we were so far apart. It was the writing that kept our friendship going.
We saw each other, albeit at a distance, through good and bad. We supported one another always. And somehow we both turned out to be eerily alike. We are both teachers, and we both have an enormous enthusiasm for life and for getting all we can out of it. During the past several years, we have been fortunate enough to have seen each other a few times during Laurie’s work-related trips to San Francisco. And in between her visits, we have what we call “Wine Chats,” conversation over a glass from a bottle of the same wine, usually from Vin Nostro or Chateau Julien, two wine clubs we both belong to.
So during one of those wine chats, when I told Laurie that was going to be teaching in Florence, the first thing she said was, “I’m coming to visit you!” And a year and half later, she really made that happen!
Laurie and her husband Brad arrived in Florence on Thursday, May 3, the day before the students left. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect as there’s no better cure for the sadness I was feeling about the program coming to an end than a dose of Laurie! The plan was that she was to call when she was boarding her train and I was to meet the two of them at the train station. I was at the school when my cell phone rang. Laurie said they were boarding a 15:30 train that would get them in around 17:00. She was in a big hurry to make this train, so we hung up quickly. And right away I thought she had the arrival time wrong. So I went on the Trenitalia site to check and, sure enough, found out that her train would get in at 18:30 instead. Or so I thought. You see, Laurie and Brad had been in Italy since Sunday and were traveling around before coming to Florence. I thought that they were coming directly from Venice, a three-hour train ride away, but instead they were coming from Rome, a one-and-a-half hour train ride away.
Imagine my surprise when my cell phone rang a little after 17:00 and it was Laurie calling from the Santa Maria Novella station, wondering where I was! I quickly figured out what had happened and rushed out the door. Luckily the train station is just a short walk from the school, so I arrived about 15 minutes later. Sorry, Laurie and Brad! Well, we just laughed about it, hoping that it wouldn’t foreshadow the rest of their time in Florence.
The first thing we did was walk to their hotel, the Globus Hotel, near San Lorenzo. They checked in, dropped their stuff off in their room, freshened up a bit, and we were off! We decided to have dinner at my favorite wine bar, Conquinarius. And what better way to begin our dinner than with a Bellini! We had fabulous food and wine, and after dinner we decided to walk around a bit.
I just knew I had to take them to the famous boar in Mercato Nuovo. Here they rubbed the boar’s nose in the hopes that they will return to Florence one day.
Laurie and I cried, we hugged, and we vowed to remain friends forever. And here we are, thirty-five years after my family moved cross country, still dear friends. And in those days, it was much harder to do. You see, these were the days before e-mail and cell phones. Calling long distance was so expensive that it was strictly prohibited by our parents. We had just one tool we could use to stay in touch: writing. And write we did; countless letters passed back and forth across the country, letters the two of us have saved. In them you see two girls growing up, from childhood, into adolescence, into those teenage years, and finally into adulthood. We followed each other's escapades through junior high, high school, and college, all in writing. We sent each other pictures so that we could see one another grow. We visited each other once or twice on trips with our parents, but that was rare since we were so far apart. It was the writing that kept our friendship going.
We saw each other, albeit at a distance, through good and bad. We supported one another always. And somehow we both turned out to be eerily alike. We are both teachers, and we both have an enormous enthusiasm for life and for getting all we can out of it. During the past several years, we have been fortunate enough to have seen each other a few times during Laurie’s work-related trips to San Francisco. And in between her visits, we have what we call “Wine Chats,” conversation over a glass from a bottle of the same wine, usually from Vin Nostro or Chateau Julien, two wine clubs we both belong to.
So during one of those wine chats, when I told Laurie that was going to be teaching in Florence, the first thing she said was, “I’m coming to visit you!” And a year and half later, she really made that happen!
Laurie and her husband Brad arrived in Florence on Thursday, May 3, the day before the students left. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect as there’s no better cure for the sadness I was feeling about the program coming to an end than a dose of Laurie! The plan was that she was to call when she was boarding her train and I was to meet the two of them at the train station. I was at the school when my cell phone rang. Laurie said they were boarding a 15:30 train that would get them in around 17:00. She was in a big hurry to make this train, so we hung up quickly. And right away I thought she had the arrival time wrong. So I went on the Trenitalia site to check and, sure enough, found out that her train would get in at 18:30 instead. Or so I thought. You see, Laurie and Brad had been in Italy since Sunday and were traveling around before coming to Florence. I thought that they were coming directly from Venice, a three-hour train ride away, but instead they were coming from Rome, a one-and-a-half hour train ride away.
Imagine my surprise when my cell phone rang a little after 17:00 and it was Laurie calling from the Santa Maria Novella station, wondering where I was! I quickly figured out what had happened and rushed out the door. Luckily the train station is just a short walk from the school, so I arrived about 15 minutes later. Sorry, Laurie and Brad! Well, we just laughed about it, hoping that it wouldn’t foreshadow the rest of their time in Florence.
The first thing we did was walk to their hotel, the Globus Hotel, near San Lorenzo. They checked in, dropped their stuff off in their room, freshened up a bit, and we were off! We decided to have dinner at my favorite wine bar, Conquinarius. And what better way to begin our dinner than with a Bellini! We had fabulous food and wine, and after dinner we decided to walk around a bit.
I just knew I had to take them to the famous boar in Mercato Nuovo. Here they rubbed the boar’s nose in the hopes that they will return to Florence one day.Our next stop was Caffé Rivoire in Piazza della Signoria. Our intention was to have a real Italian macchiato. The only macchiato that Laurie had ever had was a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks, so she was in for a treat. But then we spotted the Absinthe behind the bar. Absinthe is a famous green-colored anise-flavored spirit that is derived from a plant called wormwood. Its greatest popularity was in Paris during the late 1900s and early 1900s when many writers and artists made it their drink of choice in cafes across the city. Hemingway was just one of those writers. This is also where absinthe got its bad reputation as an addictive, psychoactive drink, causing it to be banned in the United States. It’s still banned in the U.S. today, although it’s still served elsewhere in the world. Well, we just had to try it! And what better place than the famous Caffé Rivoire?
Well, it turned out to be the perfect place, and the bartender made quite a show of preparing the one absinthe that the three of us planned to share. He first laid a sugar cube on a silver contraption over the top of the class. He then poured the absinthe over the sugar cube, where it soaked the cube on the way into the class. And then, with a flourish he lit the cube on fire! What a spectacle! Everyone around the bar watched and enjoyed, as did we. Finally the drink was ready for consumption, served with a glass of cold water on the side to dilute it. The bartender, quite proud of himself at this point, used two hands to slide the still-flaming drink across the bar to us. We all tried a sip, and I must admit that none of us experienced a hallucination!
After our absinthe and macchiatos, we decided to go to my apartment, which is right around the corner. We ended our evening with Vin Santo (another first for Laurie) on my rooftop terrace. What a glorious first night in Florence for Laurie and Brad!
And the next day would be even better! I picked Laurie and Brad up at their hotel and we walked to the train station, where we were to meet Beppe, driver extraordinaire. Janet also joined us, and we all hopped in Beppe’s van for a trip to the wine country! (You might recall that Beppe also took my parents and I to the wine country when they were in Florence. He’s such a fantastic guy!) As we left Florence, it was pouring down rain. In fact, Beppe even asked us if we still wanted to go. Of course we did! In fact, we figured that the rain would make the wine country even more magical. And we were right! The leaves glimmered with wetness, the dark clouds added a haunting quality to the sky, and the sound of rain on the roof was like music.
Our first stop was Casa Emma, a winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. This winery produces Chianti, Vin Santo, olive oil, and vinegars. We began with a tour of the winery, where our guide Laura walked us through the entire production process, answering all of our questions.
Well, it turned out to be the perfect place, and the bartender made quite a show of preparing the one absinthe that the three of us planned to share. He first laid a sugar cube on a silver contraption over the top of the class. He then poured the absinthe over the sugar cube, where it soaked the cube on the way into the class. And then, with a flourish he lit the cube on fire! What a spectacle! Everyone around the bar watched and enjoyed, as did we. Finally the drink was ready for consumption, served with a glass of cold water on the side to dilute it. The bartender, quite proud of himself at this point, used two hands to slide the still-flaming drink across the bar to us. We all tried a sip, and I must admit that none of us experienced a hallucination!
After our absinthe and macchiatos, we decided to go to my apartment, which is right around the corner. We ended our evening with Vin Santo (another first for Laurie) on my rooftop terrace. What a glorious first night in Florence for Laurie and Brad!And the next day would be even better! I picked Laurie and Brad up at their hotel and we walked to the train station, where we were to meet Beppe, driver extraordinaire. Janet also joined us, and we all hopped in Beppe’s van for a trip to the wine country! (You might recall that Beppe also took my parents and I to the wine country when they were in Florence. He’s such a fantastic guy!) As we left Florence, it was pouring down rain. In fact, Beppe even asked us if we still wanted to go. Of course we did! In fact, we figured that the rain would make the wine country even more magical. And we were right! The leaves glimmered with wetness, the dark clouds added a haunting quality to the sky, and the sound of rain on the roof was like music.
Our first stop was Casa Emma, a winery in the Chianti region of Tuscany. This winery produces Chianti, Vin Santo, olive oil, and vinegars. We began with a tour of the winery, where our guide Laura walked us through the entire production process, answering all of our questions. 
By the end of the tour, the rain had let up so that we were able to walk around the beautiful grounds. Terra cotta pots spilling over with flowers, acres of vineyards, and olive trees delighted us. But we were ready for some tasting!
So Laura led us into the tasting room where we were able to taste four of Casa Emma’s wines, as well as the olive oil. One thing that makes wine tasting in Italy so special is that all tastings are private. We’ve grown so used to fighting crowds in Napa and Sonoma. It’s not like that in Italy. You can’t just drive from winery to winery as you can at home; instead, you must be with a guide or driver, who arranges tastings ahead of time. And it’s considered uncouth to visit more than two wineries in a day. After all, how can you really appreciate a wine if you’ve already tasted at ten other wineries?
Anyway, we loved the wine at Casa Emma, and Laurie and Janet both purchased quite a bit to have shipped home. I, on the other hand, satisfied myself with a stopper and a plate. (Chip would be proud!) I did this because it’s very expensive to ship wine back to the U.S.: 150 euros a case, in addition to the cost of the wine. Yikes!
After leaving Casa Emma, Beppe drove us through the beautiful Chianti countryside toward our next destination: Tenuta Torciano. Along the way, Janet asked whether olive tree leaves have any scent. No sooner had she asked than Beppe pulled over, rolled down her window, and said, “Check for yourself.” (The answer is “not really.”) 
Anyway, Tenuta Torciano is a winery near San Gimignano in the Chianti region that has been in operation since 1720. Here we were able to taste an amazing ten wines, accompanied by a light lunch of antipasti and lasagna. What a treat! The proprietor was a real character, cracking lots of jokes along the way, and even hitting on Laurie!
After tasting and enjoying our lunch, we walked the beautiful grounds, and we even made friends with a couple of cats! Laurie sort of summed it up here: “This is so perfect!”
Now it was time for some coffee. So Beppe took off down some back roads toward the town of Montefioralle in the Greve in Chianti region. Along the way that back road turned into an unpaved road, rewarding us with some of the most spectacular scenery we’d seen all day: remote villages, stone towers, acres of vineyards, stone walls, all framed with gorgeous cloud banks. And, yes, even a rainbow!
When we reached Montefioralle, Beppe parked right in front of a small artist gallery, Galleria Civetta, run by Khostow Salehi. We immediately fell in love with his work, watercolors of the area, and Laurie and I both gave him some business, right as he was getting ready to close up his shop! 
We then walked next door to the Caffé le Logge (yes, the same name as the place I go every morning for my coffee!) and had some espresso, Beppe’s treat!
Well, you think that after such a long day that we’d be ready to go home and get some sleep, but not us! Instead, Beppe dropped us off at Janet’s apartment, the palazzo on Piazza Santa Croce, and we were both eager for Laurie and Brad to see it. When we left Casa Emma earlier that day, Laura had given us a free bottle of Chianti “to enjoy tonight.” So we opened it and toasted to a wonderful day!
And then it was time for dinner! Janet took us next door to one of her favorite restaurants, Enoteca Boccadama, where we proceeded to have a wonderful meal by candlelight. Somehow I think Laurie and Brad enjoyed their first full day in Florence!
The next day, Saturday, May 5, Laurie and Brad had a booked tour at the Accademia, so we arranged to meet at Janet’s apartment after it was over. Janet wasn’t able to join us for the day, so Laurie, Brad, and I set off. We cut over so that we could walk along the Arno. The sky was filled with the most beautiful fluffy white 
clouds I’ve ever seen, all against a backdrop of brilliant blue. Everything looked like a painting! We admired San Miniato, sitting high atop a high across the Arno as we made our way toward the Ponte Vecchio.Once we hit the Ponte Vecchio, Laurie was in heaven. You see, she loves jewelry, especially gold jewelry, and there’s no better place for that than the shops lining the Ponte Vecchio. She selected a gorgeous gold cross inlaid with semiprecious stones, a piece that will always remind her of her time in Florence.
All that shopping worked up an appetite, so we headed across the bridge to the Golden View Open Bar, a place I’ve given quite a bit of business over the past three months! We were seated at a table right on the water, overlooking the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio, with geraniums bursting out of the window boxes, framing our views. And our meal was fabulous! Along with a bottle of Chianti, we had a pecorino plate, followed with pasta. Laurie had her first Italian gnocchi and loved it!
And Brad was in heaven! I mean, what’s not to love? A big piping hot bowl of ribollita, a tasty pizza, and a waitress who looks like Cameron Diaz! Life is good!
As we dined, the sky put on a show for us. Huge dark clouds began to roll in, making the buildings lining the Arno seem to glow. The winds grew stronger as the storm approached.
But somehow it held off, allowing us to enjoy our walk back over the Ponte Vecchio after lunch. 
When we reached the other side, we took some time to enjoy Piazza della Signoria and the marvelous statues situated throughout: a copy of Michelangelo’s David, a bronze statue of Cosimo Medici by Giambologna, the Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati, a copy of Judith and Holofernes by Donatello, the Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, and Cellini’s Perseus With the Head of Medusa, among others.
We even found the exact spot where Savonarola was burned on May 23, 1498,, ironically after his Bonfire of the Vanities took place earlier in the same square. During the Bonfire of the Vanities, countless works of art, books, articles of clothing, and pieces of jewelry were burned, all in Savonarola’s attempt to clean up the decadence of Florence. I guess his followers finally wised up to how crazy he was, giving him a dose of his own medicine!
After exploring the piazza, it was time for one last visit to my rooftop terrace for a final look over the monuments of Florence. And then it was time to say goodbye. Laurie and Brad had a plane to London to catch early that evening. So I walked them back to their hotel, where they picked 
up their things. And we said our goodbyes out front. Oh, I hated to say goodbye. You see, Laurie and Brad live in Kentucky, so we don’t get to see each other much. But as Laurie and I said goodbye, with tears in our eyes, we did so with the knowledge that our friendship is one that will last a lifetime. And we’re so grateful that we were able to experience Florence together. We’ll be sharing our memories of these three days for a long, long time!
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