Bike Tour of Florence, Italy

I hadn't been on a bike since we moved to Florence. But, when we received an email from Italy by Cruiser Bike offering to take us on a "molto romantico" bike tour of Florence, I jumped at the chance.

Only later did I stop to consider that: Italian drivers are crazy, Italian traffic laws are nearly non-exisent and that the offer was for two. Meaning my, how do I say this nicely -- ballence-challenged, pregnant wife was invited along for the ride. Why not go, right?

Well I did, but we decided that Kate had better sit this one out. So, that meant I was one person short for a sunset bike tour of Florence. Luckily, my friend Tommaso was available, so he joined me for the tour, which took place on the only evening that it hasn't rained in this city for the last few weeks.

We started the tour at 6pm, which left us a lot of sunlight for the tour, even this early in the year. It was a small group, probably 8 of us total and we all spoke English. Everyone was really excited a living, breathing, real-life Italian (Tommaso) showed up to join us. The people at Italy by Cruiser Bike thought he was lost at first (who takes a tour of their hometown?), but that's understandable.

All of the major sites were on the route: The Duomo, Bapitstry, Palazzo Medici, Innocenti, Santa Croce, Palazzo Pitti, Ponte Vecchio, and Piazza della Repubblica. There were also others you might not expect: the English Cemetery, Piazza Beccaria, Ponte San Niccolo and lots of time on the bike trail that borders the Viale. Unfortunately, we had to skip Santa Maria Novella and a couple of nearby places because we were running late due to a few slow pokes on our tour...fellow countrymen of ours, I'm sad to admit. Hey Americans: get off your butts and start exercising...you're ruining the bike tour for the rest of us :-)

I have to say, I've seen all of these places before, with the exception of the English Cemetery, and they were much better by bike. I know that a bike may not be everyone's idea of a great way to get around, but I'm increasingly convinced that people who hold that opinion haven't been on a bike in years. Biking around Florence was fun and surprisingly easy. I immediately came home and started begging Kate to let me get a bike.

So, if you are visiting Florence and looking for a great way to see the city,
give Italy by Cruiser Bike a call. We highly recommend them!

The highly-requested (by Georgette and Kate) romantic bridge photo:

Rob's Typical Lunch

With the rain coming down non-stop, we thought we'd share one of the things the rain can't put a damper on - my typical lunch. Is it healthy? Who knows. But I swear by it.

Above, in the sandwich, is tomato, pecorino di pistoia, and finocchiona. In case you've never had finocchiona its a Tuscan speciality, salami made with fennel, which is found more or less all around Florence. The bread is ciabatta, from the bakery down the street.

Gregorian Chant at the Duomo

Not too long ago, we found out that the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) was planning a series of free concerts inside the cathedrial. The first one was Wednesday night, and it was great. Most of the works performed were composed by Girolamo Frescobaldi, a Florentine lived from 1583-1643.

The vocalists were accompanied by strings and, occasionally, brass instruments. I've never heard gregorian chant in a cathedrial before and it blew me away. The sound bounced off every wall, notes piled on top of notes, but it still sounded great. I'm not going to start downloading gregorian chant, but you will find me at the next concert (not chant, but also free) in April. If you're in town, you should visit this site for more details.

Living in Italy: Pensione Annalena & The City of Florence

R.W.B Lewis's book, The City of Florence, is a great read for anyone that loves Florence, Italy -- whether you live here or not. He wrote the book in the early 1960's while he was living here with his wife and family. The book is full of great bits of history and descriptions of spots in Florence that simply have not changed.

One description that caught my eye was of Pensione Annalena, which is right down the street from our apartment. So, I thought I'd go down and shoot some video, narrarate with Lewis's words and share it with you all. Hope you enjoy.

Reflections on 2011: Rob's Books

I read a bit in 2011, so I thought I'd follow Kate's lead and share my reading list from last year with everyone. Enjoy!

Elizabeth
This biography humanizes Elizabeth and removes much of the fairy-tale story that Hollywood has assigned to her. In the end she is revealed to be a much more powerful, clever and well-rounded monarch than I'd previously known.

The Sisters
This was Katey's book, but she enjoyed it so much I decided to read it also. This one generation of one family enjoyed a front row seat for some of the most historic moments of the 20th century. Plus, the family itself is kind of cooky. Worth reading for sure.

Cleopatra
Last year I read a lot of Roman history. This year I picked up the new Cleopatra biography and enjoyed it immensely. The author doesn't do Mark Antony many favors. Read Cleopatra and Elizabeth back to back and compare.

This Side of Paradise
For my money (and I don't think I'm the only person), this is Fitzgerald's best work. Amory is one of my favorite characters and the writing is so good I found myself re-reading pages from this book because I'd never read anything described so well.

The Italians
If you plan to be in Italy for any period of time longer than a week, read The Italians. It's a bit dated in places - it was written in the 60s I believe - but this is the best introduction to Italian culture I've read yet.

Stonewall Jackson
I needed some American history during this year abroad. This biography of Stonewall Jackson fit the bill. The history isn't perfect; Bowers must have made up a lot of the dialogue in the book. But if you read it as hyper-accurate historical fiction instead of rigid history you'll enjoy the crazy life that Stonewall Jackson lived.

You Are Not a Gadget
Jaron Lanier is a master of technology who has a problem with the way the web is developing. Read this book. Weather or not you agree with Lanier when you've finished, you won't be able to say he didn't warn you.

Meditations
Stoic philosophy. Sometimes it's necessary reading to help you develop the patience you'll need to navigate the Italian bureaucracy.

Florence & The Medici
A straight-ahead review of Florence during the lives of all the Medici. From Cosimo the Elder to the last Grand Duke, Florence and the Medici takes you through some of the city's best and most turbulent years.

1688: A Global History
This was assigned to me back at GW. Not sure why I re-read it, but I was glad I did. The author does exactly what the title implies: he give you a nice look at what the world was like in 1688, and it turns out that a lot of what we base our world on today emerged right around that year.

The Fourth Part of the World
Here's the thing, I'm a nerd. This is a book about sailing to the Americas and all that was involved in doing it. From the politics to the science to the religion, The Fourth Part of the World examines Western Europe's obsession with exploration of the new world and far east.

Bonus: A Farewell to Arms
I don't read a lot of literature. I mostly read histories. However, I read A Farewell to Arms in three days over our Christmas vacation. If you haven't read it, read it soon. If you aren't speaking in short, direct sentences when you've finished, I don't know what is wrong with you.