Today was one of those days I have to write about so that even I can look back on more than once. From start to finish, it was a spectacular day. I met up with Emma Bird and Mario Berri from How To Italy because they were in the area for a conference. I took them too Gilli for a caffè (coffee) in Piazza Repubblica.
We hit it off and decided to have lunch as well. As we perused the menu, I told them that the next time they come to Florence I'll take them some place special for lunch. I wasn't sure if they had time to go to another place or even if the food at Gilli would be good. Luckily, Mario suggested that we go somewhere else.
My eyes lit up and all I could think of was that I had to take them to Il Rifrullo. As we walked toward San Niccolò, I called a friend to make sure that the restaurant was open. I had an inkling that it was, but I couldn't remember.
We arrived and found out that they were doing brunch for 20 Euros a person. We immediately went to the terrazzo (terrace) in the back and found a table in the shade.
Mario let Emma and I go first to select our food from the buffet. There was really l'imbarazzo della scelta (so much to choose from). I had to try a little bit of everything and in the end, my plate was overflowing. If I had had a bigger plate, I would've filled it up even more.
I can't even remember everything that I ate, but I will say that my plate was spotless within minutes. And, I'm fairly picky: if I don't like something I will not force myself to eat it. Space is limited in my tummy.
For dessert, I picked up every single one. There were three creamy desserts in large shot glasses, a warm torta alle mele (apple cake), cannoli siciliani, and fruit salad, which I didn't eat because of limited space.
We sat outside and talked about everything from working in Italy to life in Italy in general. I had a fabulous time with them both and wish that they lived a little closer so that I could see them more often.
After lunch, I went back to my place before heading out again to meet up a woman who lives here. I had to disdire (cancel) many times and felt so guilty that I was willing to do anything to meet up with her today. We met in Piazza Repubblica and ended up hitting it off really well. Hopefully, we will go out to eat somewhere soon because we love all the same restaurants.
As I walked near the Duomo, I called my new friend Haruko and popped by her place for a chat before she went out to dinner.
On my way home down via dei Servi, I was thinking about how fortunate I truly am. I have met some amazing people thanks to my blog. It's something that I never considered when I started my blog, so I feel even more fortunate.
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