"Due panini per uno (Two sandwiches for one)," Alessandro said to me today as I was walking toward the mercato (market). I asked him why he wanted a panino and he told me that we can go to the Cascine, a park on the other side of town, where we could have a picnic. And, because it was a nice day, it sounded like a great idea.
While I was at the mercato, I bought a few ingredients to make the panini, like prosciutto crudo (cured ham), finocchiona (Tuscan fennel salami), and fresh pecorino cheese. On my way home, I walked past my old forno (bakery) to buy schiacciata (Tuscan flat bread) and cenci (Tuscan fritters that are usually eaten during Carnevale, the time period between Epiphany and Lent).
Alessandro picked me up in front of our apartment and we drove to the Cascine. It was a bright and sunny day albeit a bit chilly. We sat along the banks of the Arno river and ate our panini, facing the sun. Before we dove into our cenci, we ate a few sweet and juicy clementini (seedless mandarine oranges).
After our little picnic, we walked along the Arno and in the bosco (woods) up to the ponte all'Indiano (Indian bridge). A lot of people were out fare una passegiata (going for a walk) and a few were also walking their dogs.
We walked back to a passarella (footbridge) where I took the picture of Florence. I was hoping that I could see the Duomo from where we were standing, but I could only make out the Palazzo Vecchio and the torre (tower) in San Niccolò.
I enjoyed our picnic today in the Cascine even though I had to keep my giubbotto (jacket) zipped up and sciarpa (scarf) tightly snug around my neck to keep warm. But, it was nice to be walking around the tree-filled park without any cars whizzing by.
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