Bellissimo

Our morning started with a cooking class for Leisa and I with the owner of the B&B, Mariangela. We strolled up the the Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio on Piazzale Lorenzo Ghiberti. It is a local food market where mostly Florentine people shop, unlike the larger market where there are many tourists.  On our way to the market Mariangela pointed out many restaurants and shops where locals shop and live, it has a very different feel to the rest of "tourist Florence". The market were incredible, lots of asparagus and beans in flavor as well as lots of different varieties of tomatoes. There were butcher stalls, cheese and bakeries. It makes us want to stay longer and shop daily. We were both so awestruck. 

We returned to the B&B and promptly set to work in the little kitchen. We made pasta primavera with asparagus and pesto for entree, veal saltimbocca with fennel and orange salad and tirimasu for dessert. It was delicious. Ken and Mick bought wine and we had a leisurely lunch.  By the time we’d finished we decided it was nap time and we’d meet for drinks before dinner. 

We walked back up towards the market looking for more local restaurants and stopped at a lovely little one which was quite busy but managed to squish us in. I say squish as that’s what happens,  we are all jam packed in so if anyone wants to leave, everyone virtually has to get up to let them out. It’s common in most restaurants and can get a little stifling.  We decided to order meat plate for entree which is literally a huge plate of salami and prosciutto to share. We were pushing to get through it. We all felt like pizza so ordered 2 to share and a Greek salad. Thank God we only ordered 2 as there was so much food we couldn’t eat it all. Plenty of €5 glasses of wine and the complimentary limoncello saw us toddle home to bed. Another great day in Florence. 

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