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Our four weeks in Italy have flown by filled with so much fun and packed with so many sights and sounds and tastes that I wonder how we fit it all in, yet feel so relaxed. Having an apartment as a base has been wonderful and we could not have wished for a better home away from home in a more perfect position. Location! Location! Location! For Reg and Tony it has been the Lorenzo food markets just around the corner. For Molly and me it has been the streets lined with leather shops and other tempting wares spanning out in every direction. Oh, and being directly opposite a wine re-filling station (I know, what a great invention!) has been a hit with all of us.
Our last few days have been filled with last minute shopping (oh, the glorious new year sales) and trying to squeeze in all those sites we thought we had plenty of time to do. But somehow time has run out. Florence is so full of art and history and beauty that you cannot see it all in four weeks. We also keep discovering new little restaurants and cafes which look so enticing. Last night we ate in one nearby which until now we had only gone to for coffee (at €1.20 for a cup of deliciously strong cappuccino you gotta love it). Don't know why we didn't try it sooner for a meal as the food was superb. Artichokes are our new favourite food.
Florence has also been a nice central base from which to easily reach other great places. We can walk to the train station in less than 10 minutes and with the wonderful rail system, places like Rome and Venice are only a couple of hours away, or less. Yes, Florence was a very good choice for us.
We have walked this city so much that we feel we know every street and nook and cranny (and shop keeper) intimately. There are a few streets we have to avoid due to promises made of returning later to purchase certain items which someone spent hours trying on. Not mentioning any names, but thanks a lot Molly. :)
The weather has been most kind with a lot of sunshine and mild temperatures. The few wet days have not prevented us doing what we wanted (always a good day for a museum) and the very cold days were welcome as we could don our fine warm clothing and still feel snug. And after all our walks, shopping, museum hopping and explorations, we always had our wonderful, warm apartment to which we could retreat and relive the day's adventures through our photos and conversations over a nice glass of Chianti.
Today, the 6th January, is a public holiday with great fanfare in Florence. It is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas and one on which Italian children celebrate the arrival of La Befana, a good witch. We had forgotten this as we did a final trek up the long staircase to Piazzale Michelangelo to take a last look across the rooftops of this lovely city. We gave a farewell toast in the shadow of the bronze David and headed back to the heart of the city.
When we reached the Duomo, the crowds were unbelievable. The whole square was closed off, the main church doors were open, dignitaries were seated on the steps and an angelic children's choir were singing their hearts out. Hundreds of marchers poured into the square in colourful Renaissance dress with drums beating and flags flapping. Real camels carrying the magi arrived who gave their gifts to the baby Jesus in the live nativity scene. It was like a grand finale to our time here.
I think we are going to miss Florence. We have loved this time with Molly and Tony and really appreciated the opportunity to share this adventure with them. I hope we have the chance to do it again sometime in the not too distant future. But until then, we still have a few days in Milan ahead of us and then the long haul home. Farewell Florence. Thank you for being so kind to us.
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