Who would have thought a paper store would be my tipping point.

When I arrived on Sunday I was hot and tired and in no mood for the crowds. I couldn’t find my way anywhere and for some reason I thought I had find everything in that single day. It was a disaster. When I finally did stop to eat I ended up in setting outside but in a back ally with the soccer game on. Not the table “e’ fuori” I was looking for. My gelato cost $10 (it was big but who needs $10 worth of ice cream) and of course I dribbled it down my shirt. (Good thing the shirt was on day two and doesn’t have to be worn again.) I was wishing I had chosen the italian class in Lucca. Monday was better but I was again trying to find specific things that were hiding from me.

But yesterday everything changed. I wanted to go to the Piti Palace and Boboli Gardens and I knew exactly how to get to them (my school is one block up from the river and the Piti Palace is one block down on the other side) so I didn’t have any worries. I just wandered that way after class. Along the way I shopped a little. I still hadn’t bought anything. I know everyone is finding it hard to believe that I have been in florence three days and have yet to purchase anything but it was the truth. (Not any more but that is for another post.)

It is not as crowded across the Arno so you can actually go in the shops. Most are so tiny two or three people are all that can squeeze in. I had been in a few before the paper store but that is where I was reminded of why I love Florence. They made their own paper in the store and they were working on a new color combination when I came in. If you have ever seen any paper that is just swirled with colors usually gift wrap or notecards that is Florentine style paper. I watched for a good twenty minutes. It all seemed very random but the colors came out in the same general flowy pattern every time. He talked about his family and how long they had been in the paper business while he worked. It was clear he loved what he was doing and was happy to tell me all about it. I am supposed to stop back in and see the finished product next week.

From the paper shop in a much better frame of mind I continued on the the Piti Palace. Think Versailles meets renaissance. It was ornate room after ornate room all adjoining with no hallways. The Medici were the originals owners but sometime in the 1600/1700 the Hapsburgs moved in. Most of the open rooms showed the Hapsburg time period but there were a few Medici rooms as well. To get to the state apartments you climbed 3 flights of stairs (four if you come from the bathroom in the basement) and have a great view of the duomo. To see the costume exhibit there were four more flights of stairs but somehow you were able to walk out to the gardens from the top floor. Saved you going back down all those steps but the real climb was just beginning. The Boboli Gardens basically are just the grounds that slope up behind the palace. It was a beautiful day and very peaceful and nice to walk around out of the crowds but there wasn’t much structure to them. From the top you had great views of the river, palace and town. Well worth the climb if only for a few minutes of not having to worry about getting run down by all the cars and bicycles.

After the palace I was once again running late for my cooking demonstration. (Wish I had missed it. This was the tuna night.) But even my dash through town seemed better. I was glad I had chosen Florence.