Taste of Tuscany

 All the ladies in the breakfast area know me by now and they come and chat while I eat. I’ve been sticking to cereal and fruit, with one little taste of something extra interesting each day. Today I tried a chestnut slice that LOOKED like the caramel part of caramel slice but tasted like yucky meat. Argh. After breakfast, Leonardo picked me up for a trip to Lucca. It’s about an hour drive and we talked about lifestyle, politics, sport and a range of other topics, comparing and contrasting our opinions and experiences. No guide today - exploring solo is not quite as informative, but still fun. Lucca is beautiful and was very quiet since we are heading into low tourist season. 

After a coffee in St Michael’s square, I spent some time in the tiny Domanus Rome excavation house and walked around the various piazzas. 

I had gone pretty light on breakfast today, and the Pasticceria windows looked amazing so I indulged in a few snacks to keep my strength up - firstly Pizza Romana Tonda with tiny courgettes and Parmesan, the base very very thin and crispy with an olive oil crunch. I also tried some Coconut Biscotti- small biscotti rolled in coconut (and maybe egg white?) before the second cooking.

 

Back in Florence for the afternoon, I had a late lunch of a pizza with mortadella, pistachios and burrata. I watched the pizziolo shave the mortadella in front of me to put on top. Delicious. I decided on a few purchases for home to remind me of the trip. Firstly I went back to the pottery shop to buy a large planter for a tree out the front of 117 Regent. They make them as a custom order so I chose the colour and the design. It will be made by the brother, and painted by the aunt of the shop proprietor, whose son was also at the shop. I ended up with a matching house number as well. Good salesmen . They were such nice people and I was there chatting for ages. I then walked across the road to a fascinating shop, all dark timber shelving with gilt and fancy carvings, stocked to the brim with framed pictures. I had seen it on our last trip but it was closed. The owner, in his eighties, said he closes on all the catholic days. His grandfather started the shop in the late 1800s. He was also wonderful and I spent ages talking to him, buying three little beautifully framed pictures of Florence.  

It’s been a day of talking to and buying from the actual makers. It’s really satisfying and adds another dimension to the purchase.