Photo diary: Firenze farewell

June 29, 2016

(click photos twice to enlarge)

After breakfast on Saturday, we said goodbye to our beautiful house, and our friendly companions dispersed to their next destinations.

Andy and I returned to Casa Howard in Florence, where we spent part of the afternoon wandering around the Oltr’Arno window-shopping (dazzling housewares, the coolest jazz record store ever) and enjoying the witty graffiti (iconic American as blockhead) until we noticed a poster announcing that the Tuscan gay pride parade was taking place…today! In fact, right now!

So we wended our way back to the other side of the river and eventually found the parade, full of enthusiastic youngsters who kept waving at someone over our heads — we crossed the street to see who it was, and it was all-purpose Nonna, beaming beatifically at the marchers and accepting their excited greetings.

Then it was time to park in a pleasant piazza for a classic Italian cocktail (Negroni) with classic Italian cocktail snacks (potato chips).

We followed a costumed marching band from Lucca to the Piazza della Signoria, where they mingled with the plethora of homoerotic statues, new sculpture by Belgian artist Jan Fabre, and a wedding photographer taking his job very seriously.

We had dinner al fresco at Michael’s first choice, where the waiter engaged us in zesty conversations about wine and American politics and where Andy ordered one of the most sublime dishes we ate all week, gnudi with spinach and sage. Gelato, a good night’s sleep, and off to the airport. Va bene!