Florence is beginning to feel more like home. A fruit stand near the Porta Romana sells my favorite apples, vibrant green ruccola for salads and sweet Sicilian mandarins for snacks. The Centro market down the street satisfies our needs for staples. Our backyard is the Bobolli Gardens, the Medici's playground, a warren of clipped hedges, stone pathways, Roman sculptures and fountains covering 11 acres. We are told that Cosimo Medici's wife, Elenora di Toledo, had the green thumb in the family, and it was she who laid it out after they moved in, having sold their other place down the street (Pallazo Vechio) for more spacious digs across the Arno. Many days we head directly for the Gardens and get a good workout climbing the Avenue of Cypresses before heading off for another destination.

One such sojourn took us to the church of San Miniato al Monte, a basilica built in the 11th century. Legend has it that Prince Minas was a Christian in the Roman army. When he failed to renounce his beliefs, he was beheaded in front of the emperor, picked up his head and headed for the hill where the church now stands. Sweeping views of Florence reward the steep walk up the winding roads and steps leading to San Miniato.