Tuesday, July 12, 2011 “Let’s Make a Deal”

Day 5: Firenze

Hasina, get ready to be proud. Everyone else, get ready to be jealous – especially you, Liz. Beth Bray owns pink Italian leather sandals. And they’re awesome. This magnificent event really didn’t happen until the very end of the day, but it was so exciting we wanted to share with everyone before you got bored and quit reading.*

Our hotel no longer serves breakfast, so we walked to the Piazza Santa Maria Novella and enjoyed a cappuccino, fresh pastries, and orange juice. These people know how to start a day. We then continued walking to the Medici Chapel, a structure designed and decorated by Michelangelo. This has a less famous dome than the Duomo, but we thought the inside of this structure was more beautiful than the inside of the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore which we saw later in the day. I had a momentary scare because about ten years ago, marble fell from the ceiling of this structure. We managed to finish our tour unscathed. Phew. The Medicis were a pretty powerful family of their time and because of the artwork they commissioned, they helped make Florence the center of the Renaissance. Dang what a legacy. Both Beth and I also commented on the quality with which the cities of Florence and Rome were built. Many of the buildings that surround us in Houston are simply not built to last. What will they put in museums five hundred years from now? Something from Pottery Barn? Lame.

After the Medici Chapel, we walked a few blocks more to the Cathedral di Santa Maria del Fiore (also known as the Duomo). We walked through an open-air market on our way and met some delightful characters. This is also where today’s blog gets its title. We have mad bargaining skills. While we’re not going to reveal any actual numbers, we had fun playing the game with the salesmen and saleswomen of Florence.


We made a friend in the market from Albania who had a small leather shop and he told us the story of how he learned his craft from his uncle. His hope is to eventually save up, move to America, and find a nice American girlfriend. He really was adorable in his outlook and the way he spoke about his shop. You can tell he was proud, and rightfully so, he made beautiful leather goods. We then continued through the market and came across an equally as adorable Italian leather shop owner. He had an open-air stand and when Beth and I asked about other colors of a notebook, he said, “Come with me.” I always get a little nervous when sales people take me to “back areas”, however he proceeded to a lovely and well air-conditioned shop, which he and his family made leather goods for and owned. He also helped to boost my confidence because when I asked him in Italian how much a bag cost, he responded in Italian. I must have had a blank look on my face because he also said the number in English. I can’t figure out the number quickly because I have to translate the Italian number into French and then into English. I know it’s complicated, but it’s just how my brain works. He then helped me work on my Italian numbers throughout our visit. He also gave us a polite high five when we did well with our counting. Sweet Italians.

We finally made our way to the Duomo and found pretty long lines, so we had a pizza. The day got hotter and the lines got longer. Beth and I also accidently dressed scandalously again. We went back to the market and got a pretty good deal on two scarves that we will now tie to our bags and carry everywhere. It’s hard to remember an extra layer when it’s at least ninety-eight degrees outside. The inside of the cathedral was not as elaborate as the outside. We were surprised to find a rather plain interior with the exception of the Duomo. The inside of this dome when looking up is incredibly detailed, as is the outside of the entire church. We tried to include a few pictures so you could see the elaborate doors, walls, arches, and roof. Beth and I also liked finding this cathedral because you turn a corner and it seems to jump out of nowhere and it is, like St. Peters, massive. When the cathedral was built, they simply ended construction with a hole where the dome was supposed to be. They figured someone would come up with the architecture to build the dome eventually. Definitely worth a visit. Both Beth and I will have to return since we, against my mother’s recommendation, did not climb the interior of the dome. We figured if it was ninety-eight degrees outside on the ground, inside the cavities of a Renaissance period dome would be unbearable.

We had lasagna for the first time in Italy, and it was green. Another tasty meal and free wifi. Definitely a plus, and luckily Beth had her I-touch with her. We did manage some gelato but headed back to the hotel relatively early. We have a long day tomorrow and then a night train to Salzburg. We’re sad to see our time in Italy come to an end, but hoping when we step off the train in Salzburg we’ll be hit with a cool breeze.

Love,
Beth and Jesse

*Beth speaking directly here: I’ve reached a point in my life where I am getting bored with my black and brown shoes. My good friend Jesse wanted me to spend as much money as she is on quality products while in Italy. As we were walking to gelato this evening, we passed a very cute store with a friendly saleswoman and great window display. They were having a fabulous sale on shoes and I was in the market for a new pair. Jesse and the saleswoman were both quite persuasive in convincing me that the pink shoes were very practical and would go with a lot of different outfits. I am hoping they are right. They are super cute shoes and I’m really excited to have them. There is something extremely comfortable about Italian leather!