This morning we walked over to a real Florentine neighborhood around San Ambrogio market. The fruit, vegetable, and flower stalls were beautiful, especially the artichokes (carciofi) and the fennel bulbs (finnocchio).
Of course below is my favorite photo of the morning: the bicycle shop.
We were right by Santa Croce, so we went in to view the Giotto frescoes and saw a woman working on restoration.
We saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Machiavelli, and Galileo, but only the honorary memorial to Dante. As Caroline and I learned, he was exiled from his beloved Florence to Ravenna, where his body rests. We went out into the courtyard and entered La Capella di Pazzi, the famous Renaissance chapel by Brunelleschi , who also designed the Duomo. Della Robbia ceramic medallions decorated the interior as well as this exterior courtyard dome.
Earlier, I went into a shop to look for a purse. It was lovely but molto costoso: 330 Euros. I told him I’d think about it. He lowered the price. I told him I’d think about it, not intending to bargain. He lowered the price. I ended up walking out of the shop con una borsa nuova e bella per solo 150 Euros. Thanks, Mom! Melissa bought some beautiful 18 karat gold, they call it oro giallo– yellow gold– medallion earrings with the symbol of Florence, the fleur de lis or Fiorentina. On the back side is an imprint of the patron saint of Florence, San Giovanni, or St. John the Baptist (di Battista).
The Florence Lions Club erected this sign outside our tower home.
Caroline, as we were leaving il negozio, la donna ha detto: “Tanti auguri per la sua figlia e buon compleanno.”
A dopo.
estateitaliana 
Love the photos of the vegetables, esp. fennel and artichokes, molto bello!! Thank you for them. I noticed some tomatoes and other summer vegetables – surely it is not warm enough in Tuscany yet for them? And the flowers? Maybe they come from southern Italy? Just curious. Loved the purse (and the great bargain), but the leather jacket is gorgeous!
the woman said: “Best wishes for his daughter, and happy birthday.”
hmmm….it is not my birthday. I am confused haha
the woman said: “Best wishes for his daughter, and happy birthday.”
hmmm….it is not my birthday. I am confused haha
Wow–gorgeous photos of the market–vegetable perfection! Love your Italian ensemble–jacket, purse and boots–you look like you came straight from the runway in Milan at Fashion Week! I also really like the photo of the woman fixing the bicycle tire–another slice of everyday life! And the ceramic medallions–so beautiful–that blue in the mosaic. Thanks so much for sharing! Jana
Jana, it was a man fixing the bicycle tire. I loved that, too. The San Ambrogio area is a great neighborhood without many tourists . Tomorrow Lucca! I thought I was over jetlag, but it’s 4 am and I’m wide awake. Maybe I’m just excited about tomorrow. Thanks for following the blog. Can’t wait to read about your and Steve’s trip to Lake Garda!