P. Vecchio, lunch,paints, tea, pizza,Venchi, Valentines

Thurday, yesterday, I made up for many of the gelaterias being  closed for renovations and seasonal time off before the tourist season starts again. In between having gelato about 4 times, I also saw a few things,)


Decided to post a few photos, then it´s done. (Explained more in previous post).

 Water fountain, near Ponte Vecchio, to the right is the wonderful fruit and veg market I found. Gorgeous produce, cash only, but many colorful and unusual varieties of seasonal fruits and veg. To the right of this photo is a caf, where you can get panini toasted, pastries, hot and cold drinks and food, and sit down, or eat at a bar standing (cheapest) or walk out and eat elsewhere.

Below, Ponte Vecchio shops along the bridge, river view, from the next bridge Santa Trinita or Carraia, I forget.

 Some of the fruits and veg at  the waterfountain market. This above was to the left of the water fountain above photo. Below is what I had for lunch to the right of the water fountain above, across the street at the caf.

 Baked fruit cheesecake, acqua naturale, blood orange, and a toasted panini with turkey, buffalo motz, arugula, pomodoro tomatoes. Below, just down the road from the caf, fruit/veg market and water fountain, near the Ponte Vecchio on the St Trinita/and Carraia side, is one of the local art shops. Just a few of the many things packed into the shoppe, floor and ceiling and wall space all something. I got a bunch of supplies! All in very Florence colors: umbers, ochres, loden green, grey, gray, lamp black. Paints, sharp hard charcoal pencils, ink, brushes, tiny Windsor and Newton solid watercolor.

 And old weight set like my father used to have by his bedside. :) He was a chemical engineer/scientist, great in maths and sciences, history etc, loved reading, learned til the day he died. He taught me my love of such things, antiques, history, maths, sciences, reading, books, music, travel, learning, etc. Funny how one tiny little box of stuff can remind me of so much, a lifetime with that wonderful father of mine, childhood, stuff he made like a huge glass for a telescope, etc.:)

 Tea break, reading local newspapers and such...

 Half and half Gusto Pizza: mergerita and napolina (sp sorry, am tired it´s late) I think

 THIS "painting" is inlaid marble tiles of various colors and shapes. It is entirely marble. And extremely detailed, not shown well in the photo. One of many the shop across from Pitti Palace sells.

 Ponte Vecchio closed up like pretty chocolate boxes waiting be reopened every morning

 More Gelato. Two piccolo sizes (small) in cups, which is Italian (they have sugar cones as tourists like them. I get cones sometimes too, as I do like them also!). Hazelnut, deep deep rich dark chocolate (heart of the chocolate, is the English translation of the Italian name of that flavour) in my piccolo cup. The other is same chocolate flavour, and a salted carmel flavour. Sorry it´s late I´m tired, can´t remember the Italian names. Venchi, on Ponte Vecchio. ALL their flavours are great! Each piccolo, was 2.50 Euros, and you can have two or three flavours. I often just get one flavour though, very unusual to do.

 Art shop, part of window display.  The chocolate below is from Venchi gelateria and chocolatier sp. Photos are a bit mixed up. Too tired to fix it. That is solid blocks and slabs of chocolate they make, in all types, flavours, with nuts and other additions or not. Tiny endless fancy and delicate, wrapped and not wrapped chocolates, in many flavours and sizes and shapes all over the shoppe. Plus the chocolate running from the taps at the window display side of the shop.

 Hilarious underwear. Goal! (guy is on his knees, with his shirt pulled up over his head). And the other bits and pieces on the upper display, self explanatory if you can actually see it,)

 The Duomo (the side not being renovated and cleaned, covered in scaffolding)

 Wonderful scented air of hedges and flowers everywhere. Above just a few of the lavender, bay, herb and citrus (orange and lemon, both on the same hedge) actual planted hedges growing along walls and in pots etc everywhere. Rosemary, a few grapes, etc. So pretty to see, wonderful to smell, etc.

 Rooftop garden, with plaster frescoed wall, with more bay etc herbs hedges and potted plants and flowers...more of the motorbikes all over (mopeds?) that everyone has, and there is parking for all over. Bicycles as well.

 The covered pavillion of statues, and waterfountain area. Again is late, too tired to recall name of plaza...but is well known. Live concert flute and woodwind music playing classical music loudly thru out the entire area. Wonderful, romantic, what I want when I am in Florence: statues, architecture, culture, food/gelato, live music which is amazing, etc. Wow. Just wow. PErfect

 Lovely romantic. Roses, candlelight, wine(not shown) heated lamps overhead keeping everything toasty warm, even though imho the night was fairly warm about 50.

 The Merry go round plaza, another well known one, too tired to recall all the names in English or Italian. The Wild Boar water fountain below...across from Venchi gelateria (to the right), a few feet away, then if standing to the front of Venchi, or the side of the Boar, the Ponte Vecchio is just a few steps away

 MMMMmmmmm. mmm. MMMMMM. the entire time I was enjoying my gelato, I was mmming and MMMMing to myself outloud, as were others,). We were all sitting on the steps, by the wild boar water fountain, enjoying our gelato. Another piccolo below, with stracciatelli and mela (white gelato with thick dark chocolate slivers thoughout, and apple). I wanted another. Am getting one when they open in the morning! 2.50 Euros.

 Pinocchios above. Duomo view from bar with live music and books, below.

 More flowers, hedges. Cyclamen above, bay hedge below. The bay smelled wonderful!

 River lights view at night

 And, it´s nearly Valentine´s day again!,) Everywhere are hearts this and hearts that,). Venchi has chocolate hearts wrapped in colorful romantic colors. These hearts below had the word love in various languages, including something very close to Norwegian: Danish.