I’ve been procrastinating with these photos because I don’t want it to be over! There are still some more to post, don’t worry. I’ll probably dole those out in small pieces, not to keep you in suspense, but because I’m not ready to become mundane. I was looking through the photos tonight and it was making me a little sad. But enough with the moping. Time for some photos!

One photo that I never posted from Sicily. It is the reason that I would go back to the resort.

That’s right, Prosecco on tap!! I’m not sure that the way he is pouring it is best for the bubbles, but prosecco on tap!! I want one for my house. Jim is thinking about getting a wine cellar stubbed in in the basement; I want Prosecco on tap.

We couldn’t leave without getting some photos of our favorite place in Florence, Le Volpi e L’uva (The Fox and the Grapes). It is the most amazing little wine bar.

There are some outdoor tables and room for about ten people inside. After the first couple of weeks, we would call earlier in the day and make a reservation for a table outdoors. It is one of the things that I really miss about Italy: eating outside. Some friends came to visit today, and I took them to the same place that I took them to last time: The Taproom. It’s the only place close that has outdoor seating in the summer. I love to eat outside!

We love wine!! We’re all happy, but it is our last day together in Florence, so a little sad too!

The place has an amazing wine list, that is constantly changing.

They specialize in small, out of the way wineries with great values in wine. Most of the glasses cost between 3-4 euro each. (Of course, that’s about 6 bucks now, but it is still a pretty good deal.) We tried to taste everything that they had on the list. If there was something new that we had never heard of, we had to have that! They also make cheese plates and the most amazing crostini. Our favorite was sausage and cheese. YUM!!

Our last dinner in Florence was with the University of Florence contingent. I can’t remember the name of the restaurant, but we had the hardest time finding it. It was by Pitti Palace, but it took us a good 15 minutes to finally find it. It was good, with lots of traditional foods. We started with Fritto Misti (Mixed fried stuff, hard to turn down), and I think Jim had a truffle pasta and I can’t even remember what I had.

We tried to get a picture of everyone but honestly, photographing Italians is like herding cats:

We took about four photos but all of them are bad. Either people aren’t looking at the camera, they are chopped out or making funny faces. This is best.

From the left: Dante’s wife (cut out, but an amazing cook), Andrea Dei (he was our host), Roberta Sessoli (really smart and super nice), Jim, me, Dante Gatteschi (lots of fun and also really smart), Andrea’s wife, Andrea Caneschi (runs the group in Florence).

We miss you all!!

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Thinking about going to Florence? I got two books for you:

Brunelleschi’s Dome by Ross King – talks about how the dome was constructed. Very interesting!

The Agony and Ecstacy by Irving Stong – amazing book about Michelangelo. I wish that I had read this before going. I think I would have seen his sculptures and art in a new light. Long but I couldn’t put it down, especially the first half. I think he ran out of steam for the second half. But the second half is mostly about Rome, so who really wants to read that if you are going to Florence?