A long day!

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Ciao!

Fortunately it did cool down last night – in fact, we were able to sleep with the windows open, making it wonderful for sleeping.  Of course we are on a big piazza, and either the street sweepers or the garbage trucks came by about 6, putting an end to any sleeping time.  I did manage to get a full 8 hours, though, and it feels great!  I’m coming to the conclusion that R does/did not have a cold; I’m thinking it’s allergies, which he will staunchly deny, but if he has a cold, it is indeed a very mysterious one!

So…with dinner reservations a block away for 8 p.m. we went down to the lobby at 7:30.   We met a small group of Americans – all university friends who travel together each year, and they were fun to talk to.  One gal was from Michigan, so we compared “hand signals” on where each of us had grown up … well, not that exactly, but gotten older at least!

Prosecco in the hotel's lounge

There we had two lovely glasses of an excellent sparkling Prosecco, along with chips, pistachios and a few other “nibbles.”

Dinner was at Il Club Nautico Lo Skipper.  What we hadn’t realized was that (1) it was Sicilian cooking, and (2) mostly fish-based.  (And anyone who knows me well knows about me, Dorothy Day and choking on a fish bone at the age of 23 in California…)  Suffice to say I’m not the biggest fish afish-ianado. 

The restaurant itself was lovely; nautically based with an actual boom from a sail boat running across one half of the restaurant.  It was nice and quiet, with the tables spaced far enough apart to enjoy some conversation with the person you came with!  (Which can sometimes be challenging at restaurants everywhere!)

For starters, I had their bruschetta using roasted eggplant for the “crust” with a combination of lettuce, cheese, tomato and olives.  It was excellent!  Robert started with their stuffed sardines and caponata (a bit different from the caponata he makes at home). 

My eggplant bruschetta

R's stuffed sardines

For mains, Robert ordered their “spigola” which is sea bass.  It came with asparagus and cherry tomatoes, and he enjoyed it very much – even though it was a bit bony.  What was interesting was that my main course didn’t arrive until Robert was more than half finished with his fish, but we do agree with the adage to eat when the food is served.  I had a very, very thin pasta – even thinner, if possible, than angel hair – and it was delicious, and literally just melted in my mouth!  It came with a very simple mixture of chopped tomatoes, walnuts and pine nuts, and was great. 

R's sea bass

My pasta!

We washed everything down with a lovely bottle of Sicilian white wine, whose name I have, of course, forgotten but it was excellent.  By this time, we were really too full for dessert (which is always a shame!) and we headed back to the hotel and popped straight into bed.  Fortunately, this not being a weekend (when I can imagine the piazza outside can get pretty rowdy!) there was only a small group of elementary school kids playing tag, and, as Robert said, we can sleep through that easily – and we did!

Up about 6 (thanks to the trucks or sweepers of whatever kind!) and down to breakfast at 7, after a wonderful soak in our bathtub!  (I do love bathtubs…)  It was the traditional Italian breakfast – cold cuts (cheeses, ham, salami) with rolls and coffee and juice.  Also some fruit – “canned peaches” according to Robert, but that’s fine with me, as I have always enjoyed canned peaches!  We are now getting ready to head out, so definitely, more later!

m

xxx

Ciao again!  Just back from a lovely dinner at Café Za-Za, but need to write first about the day.

Actually, we had a stunning day – we just aren’t going to be able to show you any photos of it!  Robert apparently let the battery run down on the camera, so there we were at the Etruscan Museum – and the camera wouldn’t work!  SORRY!  (How dumb can I get? – R)

Suffice to say that we were at the Etruscan Museum at opening, and spent a truly wonderful two hours touring the exhibits.  There were two school groups that dashed by us making an incredible din, but they were soon way in front of us, so we had absolutely no problem!  This particular Etruscan Museum is truly outstanding – and Robert is wondering why I hadn’t shown it to him before!  The pottery was superb and highly colored, and the miniature bronzes from the tombs were phenomenal.  We are definitely planning a trip through Etruscan territory as soon as we have Thrace (Bulgaria) and Greece behind us. 

After the Etruscan (Archeological) Museum, we headed next door to the Museo San Marco, where Fra Angelico painted as head friar and Savonarola, as a Domenican monk, took over the reins of Florentine government until he wore out his welcome and was eventually expelled and put to death…charming, yes?  The paintings by Fra Angelico were stunning – and while I am certainly not a flat art fan, this work was so sensitively done – as it turns out, Fra Angelico painted various thoughtful scenes in each one of the monk’s cells; this was to give the monks food for thought.  At any rate, the colors were so lovely, and the painting done so well – truly a beautiful presentation.  I am thinking that now that the camera is working again (it takes something like 10 hours to recharge completely) we may re-visit these two places tomorrow, just for the photos!

After Museo San Marco, we decided it was time to eat.  This time, we stopped at Pasticceria Robiglio.  We both had bresaola salads, which were delicious.  I washed mine down with two glasses of Prosecco; R had white wine.  Then, right across the street to the Laundromat.  We had a bit of difficulty with the “system” – we couldn’t get any tokens out of the machine, which was very frustrating.  We eventually took the clothes back out of the washer and returned to the hotel for a rest.  When we finally went back, the gettone (token) machine was working perfectly, so back to the hotel for clothes.  Fortunately, the washer took only ½ an hour, and then 25 minutes to dry, and we now have everything nice and clean, and I shouldn’t have to worry about laundry for at least a day or two!

R's strawberries

My chocolate cake with cream

By this time, we were beginning to feel hungry, so decided to go to Café Za-Za for dinner.  Za-Za is a large restaurant located at the central market. 

R at Cafe Za-Za

Cafe Za-Za!

I had been there several times before, and enjoyed it very much.  As we didn’t have a reservation, we decided to go early – 6:30-ish to see if they could take us.  And, they could!  We got a fabulous table for four right on the inside – truly lovely breeze blowing through. 

R's prosciutto and melon

R's chicken and peppers

My asparagus with eggs and truffles

My bruschetta with tomato and truffles!

We ordered a bottle of white Pecorino wine; dry and very, very good.  For starters, I ordered bruschetta with chopped tomatoes with truffles (yum…I am crazy for truffles!)  Robert had prosciutto and melon, which he enjoyed.  For mains, R had chicken (which doesn’t appear too often on the menus here) with peppers, and I had a Florentine dish – a layer of cooked asparagus, covered by two sunny-side up eggs along with more truffles on top.  It was FABULOUS!  I ate every bite … and even soaked up some bread.  For dessert, R had fresh strawberries with powdered sugar and lemon (followed by lemoncello), and I had chocolate cake with cream … hmmm….We’ve already booked again for tomorrow night!!

So, with the camera all charged up, we will be heading to Santa Croce tomorrow, and who knows where else!  Sorry again about the photos…

Much love,

m

xxx