Nora and family are in Italy for two weeks and she’s sharing the experience with us all. Sit back and enjoy!
Laura
Another gorgeous evening, so warm and breezy. After a long day of walking–12,000 steps by the end of it according to Kat’s fit bit–the little trattoria nearby is perfect. I’ve got a hankering for Florentine steak, but know I can’t fit an entire T-Bone in. But they have a smaller deal–steak strips done in a balsamic sauce with rosemary–and rosemary roasted potatoes.
What an inspired choice, even if I couldn’t eat all of it. The potatoes taste exactly like the ones I often do at home, which is pretty damn good if I do say so myself, but the steak! I don’t think we could duplicate it. Just marvelous.
And we splurge on a bottle of Barolo. Absolutely gorgeous.
There are shooting stars the next three night, but the sky over the city, at least, was too overcast. I make due once we’re back with a little sky/people watch from our little balcony. People come and go, come and go, and near midnight I see an old man shuffling along with a shopping bag and a briefcase. I wonder what work he does that brings him home so late. He slowly, slowly, lets himself into the outside door of the apartments across the street. Fatigue is in every movement.
I hope he got as good a night’s sleep as I did.
Up late for me–vacation!!!–and start my day off with a mix of pilates/yoga/ballet moves courtesy of one of my Jennifer Kries DVDs. BW’s down at breakfast, so I’ll clean myself up and get ready for the day.
We’re going to visit a nearby museum and its exhibit of Renaissance art, and I want to go back to the lady and her shop with the many pretty bags. We have reservations for the fast track through the lines of the Uffizi tomorrow, and will do the same for The Academie later this week. We hope to get ourselves up and out early one day for The Duomo, as our marvelous concierge recommends. Then there’s the can’t miss Pitti Palace. Lots to see and do!
It looks like another perfect blue sky to explore under today.
Nora
I’m so glad you & your family are having such a great time in Florence! I often vacation with my daughter, son-in-law & granddaughter, but this year we split up and they vacationed in July, and I’m up in Woodstock right now, reading of your travels.
I had a delicious cucumber with fresh dill soup as part of my lunch. Chef was kind & gave me recipe. You should try to make the steak w/balsamic vinegar when you get back. I’m going to try :-)!
My mouth is watering as I read this. I’ll have to make going to Italy a short term goal. This just sounds lovely. I am not a shopper, I am a walker and an eater. Until I can do it myself, I’ll soak up the atmosphere by proxie. Sigh.
I’ll have to live vicariously through you!It sounds heavenly and I hope its as much fun as it sounds!
I love Italy and each and every time someone visits it again, my heart is right there them. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
What is a fit-bit? It counts steps? Interesting…
I’m not a steak eater, more of a seafood person, but I’m intrigued by this Little Trattoria in Florence Steak!
Love, love the Pilates/ballet/yoga mix. At the little Pilates studio I go to, my favorite teacher used to be a ballerina. She is now a certified Pilates & yoga instructor. Her classes are a blissful combination of grace & torture. I love every second!
Cheers to the blue skies & the lady with the many pretty bags!
After a killer day at work, it is lovely to come home and read about your travels. Will have to put Italy on my bucket list as it sounds marvelous and all the leather goods you keep describing sound wonderful. I am going to take my tired self to bed and dream of blue skies and walking in Italy.
Italy is my favourite place. Florence a wonderful city. Every street hides a masterpiece – have got to the Uffizi twice through fast track, and the second time we just left the group and wandered around on own. The fast track comes with a guide who was great but has a strict schedule . So enjoyed the second time better. Wish it were me there again. Maybe next year. Its a long way from NZ though.
Amazing to read about the shooting starr. t’s true! We didn’t have overcast sky and it was an amazing display here in my Country (Portugal) :). But then I live in the country and you know how endless, and dark, is the sky without city lights and pollution to dim.
Nora needs to cut a bit back of so much meat. Our meat is pretty delicious – but still intense – and I think she at home eats less meat; so she should give seafood (from trusty source) and fish a try to detox a bit.
Sweet her story about watching other people… if that man knew that NORA! was watching him it would put a spring on his step ahahah
Thank you Laura!
Just returned from a glorious Italian second honeymoon with my husband of 26 years! We had the best time and I am SO enjoying reliving it with the fabulous Nora Roberts, my favorite author. We, too, did the same sightseeing, eating, walking endlessly and shopping and this was all during a heat wave! It DID help keep the pounds off as we walked and sweated off the pasta. Enjoy, my darling Nora and family. With you in spirit.
Now I want to know all there is to know about the little old man from across the street. Thank you Nora for including that peice with the rest of your log. 🙂
These travel logs are fun. My favorite is Nora and BW’s trip to Ireland. I know Nora is all about family, but I hope next time she travels (and logs the trip) with just her husband. Maybe the two of them are not romantic, but their trips together look romantic, funny and spontaneous.