Il Dolce Far Niente: Day 5: Firenze

Il Dolce far Niente

"Il dolce far niente" in Italian means "The sweetness of doing nothing." According to our guide book:

"It's a philosophy in which life's pleasures are warmly celebrated. It doesn't necessarily mean doing nothing; it just means doing things differently. It means lingering over a glass of wine for the better part of an evening just to watch the sun slowly set. It means savoring a slow and flirtatious evening passeggiata, a procession with no destination other than the town and the streets. And it means making a commitment, however temporary, to thinking, feeling, and believing that there is nowhere that you have to be next, that there is no other time than the magical present."

As we were planning our trip, we read this passage and decided that il dolce far niente would be the theme of our week in Italy. We truly did enjoy the sweetness of doing nothing.

Italian Musings

* Siestas are a fantastic idea that should be adopted in America.
* Fanta is the dominant soda brand - orange is especially popular.
* When you order water, you have to specify "sin gas" - otherwise you get carbonated mineral water.
* They don't put condiments on their sandwiches - no mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, or anything.
* Every town has a "corso," which seems to mean Main Street.
* They rarely check tickets on trains and busses, but when they do you will receive a hefty fine if you don't have a ticket.
* There are no hosts or hostesses at restaurants - you seat yourself wherever you can find a place.
* When a restaurant is full, there is no wait list - they simply put a sign up that says "completo," and customers find another restaurant.
* In each town we visited, there were a lot of ladybug and pinocchio trinkets. We never really figured out why.
* Little kids speaking and singing in Italian is adorable.
* Graffiti is everywhere with little evidence they've tried to hide or remove it.
* There are many fountains scattered throughout the cities for drinking and rinsing.
* Italy in general is not as racially diverse as we expected, especially given its proximity to Africa. Florence was more diverse than the other cities we visited, but distinct racial lines were evident. With very few exceptions, Africans sold purses, belts, and sunglasses on the streets, Indians sold little plastic toys, and the Italians sold everything else. We wondered what the immigration laws are like, and if there are issues of racism.
* Venetians are extremely proud of their culture. They have a distinct dialect which they consider a completely separate language - Veneziano. Older Venetians sometimes refuse to learn Italian, but the younger generation has embraced it and generally learns both languages.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Day 5: Firenze

Woke up early and took the 7:30 am train to Firenze.
Checked in to our hotel and checked our email at a nearby internet place.
Walked to the central market, where they have lots of leather goods and cheap, lame tourist crap. We found the snack stand we had read about where Brad got a panino con bollito (beef sandwich).
Walked past the Duomo and Piazza del Republica across Ponte Vecchio to the apartment where Brad's Aunt Waddie used to live.
Aimlessly meandered through Aunt Waddie's neighborhood, crossing back over the Arno River at Ponte Alle Grazie.
Walked to lunch at Cantinetta del Varrazzono. Brad had focaccia with pesto, pomodoro, and olives and a glass of red wine; Jill had focaccia with peas and cheese.
Back to the hotel for a siesta.
Walked around and agonized over restaurants until we found Borgo Antico. We shared red wine and a pizza with eggplant and spicy salami.
Walked home and drank a bottle of wine on the roof of the hotel.

Il Dolce Far Niente

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