Summer has definitely arrived in Florence. Not only is the weather sunny and warm, but the Florentines have already started leaving for the weekend. This morning when I looked out over the terrazza (terrace), there were hardly any people at all. My piazza is not that touristy, but still many people walk through it to get to downtown from the other side of the viale (large avenue).
To celebrate the sunny and beautiful Sunday, I decided to go to the Artigianato e Palazzo by myself this afternoon. I wanted to go around lunch time so it wouldn't be too crowded.
I walked through the downtown area past the Duomo, Piazza Repubblica, the Santa Maria Novella church and up toward Porta al Prato to the Giardino di Palazzo Corsini sul Prato, which is on via della Scala. I had heard about the giardino (garden) before, but never visited them until today.
Most of the visitors to the mostra (show) were in line to eat, so most of the bancarelle (stands) were empty. I was able to walk around and enjoy the giardino and look at everything that the artigiani (artisans) were showing.
There were many different artigiani displaying their finished products as well as showing how they make scarpe (shoes), cappelli (hats), gioielli (jewelry), ceramica (ceramics), and much more.
I ended up buying a collana (necklace) and some cantuccini (biscotti). I was tempted to buy some cioccolato (chocolate), but with the heat, I was certain they would melt.
I walked home with my two small confezioni (bags) of fresh cantuccini, but instead went through San Lorenzo. I say that I usually don't walk around the San Lorenzo area in general, but on Sunday almost all of the shops were open, so I did some shopping too. Surprisingly the shops weren't that crowded even though the streets were.
I am planning on returning to the Giardino di Palazzo Corsini sul Prato some day for a proper visit as it was truly beautiful and peaceful. I love going to giardini like these to enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon. When you live in the city, these spots of respite are considered treasures and valued like gold.
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