From Fabriano to Firenze

Our workshop in Fabriano has officially ended and this morning we went our separate ways, 5 of us to Florence for more adventures and 2 to Rome to fly home to the U.S. We took the train this morning, a 3.5 hour journey that included switching trains in Foligno (not that we are only visiting places that start with an "F", it just seems that way).

Florence is beautiful but unbelievably crowded with tourists.  Yes, I'm one of them but it's still annoying, especially after the small town experience we had in Fabriano, for which I am most grateful to Diana, Maggie and Georgio for arranging, we had such a marvellous time.

 I have rented an apartment for my stay here, only 2 blocks from the Duomo, that rounded church dome that is the most famous of Florentine landmarks (not counting the naked statue of David). It is a lovely place, on the 3rd floor of a very old building. It faces an inner courtyard so it is very quiet except when the church bells chime the hour, which I love.
 I had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, which is half a block down the street. I know, I know, I'm in Italy, the food choices are numerous but after the stupendous meal we had last night at the Marchese del Grillo ristorante - hotel, everything else from now on will seem pale by comparison (more about that in a later post) so a big, juicy cheeseburger and some rock and roll seemed necessary to cleanse my palate. Then I strolled down to the river Arno to see the sunset on the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge. Tomorrow morning, a 3 hour walking tour to get an introduction to the city and its history.