Thursday, July 2, 2009
This morning the sun was shining brightly, and had I left my house to return this afternoon, I would've been shocked to find that it could rain. It was also humid today, which made me feel a bit groggy. I kept the windows in our apartment open even though the heat bouncing off the stones in the piazza below wafted inside. It wasn't until lunch that I felt the air cool down. The sky became hazy and dark, but still I didn't believe it would rain. Even yesterday I heard tuono (thunder) in the distance, but not a drop of rain came. [Read More]
Sunday, June 28, 2009
I always thought that prendere freddo allo stomaco (getting a cold draft on your stomach) was an old wives' tale. I've heard people say that you should cover up your stomach after you eat because it could cause you digestive problems. I never really knew what happened until we went to dinner Saturday night with my suoceri (in-laws). In the restaurant, the air conditioner was on very high while we were having dinner and suddenly my suocero (father-in-law) wasn't feeling well. He got so bad that we had to call an ambulanza (ambulance). [Read More]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Each city in Italy has its own festa (holiday), which is based on the day of the city's patrono (patron saint). Florence's patrono is San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) is today, June 24th. I walked around a little bit earlier today and saw that many shops were closed in centro (downtown) even though the streets were filled with turisti (tourists), enjoying the city and its monuments. For tonight's fuochi d'artificio (fireworks), we decided to see them from our place instead of standing along the lungarno (street along the Arno) as we did last year. [Read More]
Monday, June 22, 2009
After last night's temporale (thunder storm), we woke up to cooler temperatures and grey skies. My girlfriend and I had decided a couple of weeks ago to go to the spa to get pampered. Erin and I were fortunate enough that we had our big corsa (run) last night. At times during the corsa, I did think about our spa day and kept telling myself that I'd be rewarded for the sforzo (effort). [Read More]
An evening race through the streets of Florence
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Last night we ran in the Notturna di San Giovanni. I had been a little worried about the race because it didn't start until 9pm. I generally run in the morning as a way to start my day. Erin, Alessandro, and I walked to the Duomo while the city was still glowing as the sun was slowly setting. We ran into Annette who was warming up near the punto di partenza (starting point). [Read More]
Thursday, June 18, 2009
I am obviously intrigued by other expats. I know quite a few in Florence and am friends with others. I am fortunate to be able to write about them in The Florentine. I enjoy finding out how they made their way to Florence and what they do here. Just this week alone I was invited to a lunch where I met other expats that I didn't know and then a book launch at the Paperback Exchange where there were others. I'm fortunate to continually meet new people in the city who have moved here and hear about their stories. [Read More]
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Since I plan to run in the Notturna di San Giovanni next Saturday night, I wanted to make sure I was ready for it. I try to run about 5-6 kilometers each time and sometimes even include a slight incline to Piazzale Michelangiolo. Today, however, Alessandro and I decided to run a further distance to be more prepared for the 10k gara podistica (running competition). [Read More]
Christobel Kent at the Paperback Exchange
Friday, June 12, 2009
Any time an author comes to talk publicly, I love to see him/her speak. It's especially interesting to me when an author writes about Florence to see how they see the city. I had seen Christobel Kent's books in the bookshop, but haven't had a chance to read any of them yet. Yesterday evening she came to speak about her latest crime novel, "A Time of Mourning" at the Paperback Exchange. [Read More]
Thursday, June 11, 2009
My mother exposed us to many different cuisines when I was growing up. And, I admit that living in Europe has brought me to seek out ethnic restaurants, especially Asian ones, no matter where I live. One of the reasons I created Dining in Florence was because I wanted to try all the sushi restaurants in town. I often eat Chinese, Japanese and Thai food because it reminds me a little bit of home. Today I was very excited because I would finally go to my first Thai cooking class held by Melanie from the Spice Lab at Saint James church in via Rucellai. Eating out is a treat, but I wondered how difficult it would be to learn how to make some of my favorite Thai dishes. [Read More]
Up to Piazzale Michelangiolo and back
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
On this cool summer morning, I am excited to go out for a run. Sometimes I'm not as motivated as I'd like to be, but when I know I'm going to be running up to the Piazzale Michelangiolo, I feel almost giddy. I love how I can see David from Ponte alle Grazie and then make my way up the winding viale (tree-lined avenue) to finally see him looking out over the city. [Read More]
