Saturday we saw the Galleria dell' Accademia, which is the house of Michelangelo's David, among other works. I was confused whether "finito-nonfinito" (finished-unfinished) was an actual style or not, as it seemed to me that Michelangelo just ran out of time or switched cities, leaving his statues behind.
I liked the Galleria degli Uffizi a lot, though I made a bit of a fool of myself, confusing a Botticelli for a DaVinci. I enjoyed seeing as art progressed, adding in perspectives and scale. We got kicked out before I could see all the rooms, though. (I missed the Caravaggios - I was not impressed)
Il Campo
The Cathedral
Il Campo, near the end of the day.
From Fortezza di Santa Barbara, looking toward the city
Monday we did a bit of shopping at the Market downtown, buying scarves and leather items, before going on a wine tour in the Chianti region. We learned about wine and olive oil production, before sampling cheeses, wines and olive oils.
Above the city
Local cuisine includes:
Crostini Toscani - unsalted bread topped with a purée of chicken liver, capers, and onion. My host mom makes these when we have guests over, but I'll admit, I am not the biggest fan.
Ribollita - literally "reboiled", bean and bread soup
Bistecca alla fiorentina - Florentine steak, comes in two sizes, large and huge (500 g and 1kg, no joke). We wanted to know if we could get 250 g, not an option. However, we still wanted to try it, so we ordered the 500 g for all three if us, plus side dishes. (Unlike in North America, it is unusual for secondi piatti, main dishes, to come with vegetables, salad, potatoes, etc. If you order steak, veal, chicken, etc, that is all you get.)
Cantucci, or cantuccini - known as "biscotti" to North Americans, these dry, twice baked cookies are usually flavoured with almonds (mandorle), and served with vin santo. After trying one dipped in the strong, sweet wine, my mom said something along the lines of "I've been eating biscotti wrong my whole life".
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