Roman Holiday, part 1

Here's an Italian word you should know: sciopero (sho - per- o).  It means strike, or, as Merriam-Webster puts it "a temporary stoppage of activities in protest against an act or condition".

Strikes are commonplace in southern Europe and I've had my fair share of them this summer in Greece and this semester in Italy.  So far however, none have really affected me more than having to adjust my usual bus route/schedule or avoid a certain area.  This time however, I got to fully experience the effects of lo sciopero.  

I found out a couple days before I was leaving Florence for Greece that there would be a general strike that day, meaning that all trains and flights were canceled.  I was flying Ryanair, which if you are not familiar with them, they are a budget airline from Ireland and offer VERY cheap flights.  Unfortunately they do not fly out of Florence, only Rome.  So my plan was to take a bus to the train station from my house, take a train to Rome, take another train to the airport and then fly to Greece.  Thankfully I was able to switch my flight to Saturday but with all the confusion (because no one really publishes clear information/details about the strike) I ended up with an early train to Rome (before the strike began) leaving me stranded there.  After much headache, I ended up staying at the Beehive Hostel in Rome and decided to seize the day (carpe diem!) and spent my day in Rome sightseeing.

Sign for the sciopero in Rome.  It says something to the effect of "The way things are right now is not ok.  We have concrete proposals for change in Italy."

Senatus Populusque Romanus = The Senate and the Roman People in Latin.  The abbreviation SPQR was the signature of the Late Roman Republic and Empire.  Today it is the official emblem of the city.

The strike in Rome.  In the background the people are carrying flags and banners but it was a very calm atmosphere.

I decided that on this afternoon in Rome, I would go see the Roman Forum and the Colosseum, two sites that I have always dreamed of getting to see.  It was about a 20 minute walk from my hostel and it was luckily a beautiful, clear day.  Because of the strike the forum was closed until 2pm so I went to the Colosseum first.

One ticket to rule them all.  This 12 euro ticket allowed me to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.  Best 12 euros I've ever spent.

 Construction for the Colosseum began in 70 AD during the Roman Empire under the rule of Emperor Vespasian and was finished ten years later during the rein of Emperor Titus, with a few modifications made in the follow years when Domitian was in power.  These emperors are part of the Flavian dynasty, so in Latin the Colosseum was called the Amphitheatrum Flavium.  It could hold anywhere from 50,000 and 80,000 spectators and during the classical era it was used for gladiatorial battles, animal fights, and other forms of (often-violent) entertainment.

Inside the Colosseum

I was so excited to be here!

 I took my time walking around the colosseum, admiring the architecture and trying to ignore all the selfie-takers.  There is also small museum exhibit inside about libraries in antiquity.  This is a topic I don't know much about (and somehow, I haven't thought about it that much either) so I enjoyed the exhibit.  Inspiration for a possible thesis/special studies project next year? ;)

They also have a gift shop (naturally) where I resisted the temptation to buy overpriced "veni vidi vici" totes and notebooks and found this amazing-looking book:

I really want this.  Ooooh maybe I will buy it on Amazon as an end of semester gift to myself? ;)

Yes, I am a nerd.  And I'm okay with that. :)

Stay tuned for part 2!

Merry Christmas!

Hello everyone!

It has been over a month since I posted...I apologize for that!  I'm currently on Christmas break in Greece at my friend's house and will be catching you up on all that has happened over the past four weeks. ;)

Merry Christmas!  Buon Natale!  καλά χριστούγεννα και χρόνια πολλά!

Italian 101: ...these are a few of my favorite words!

Ciao a tutti!

It's been a rather uneventful week, with lots of rainy weather.  We finally finished our midterms this week so now we are settling back into our usual workload.

Bubu studying Ghirlandaio for the art history midterm

I thought it might be fun to make series of posts to teach you all some simple Italian words and phrases, so I made a list of my top 10 favorite silly-sounding Italian words to share with you. :)

10. Coccolare, co-co-là-re

This verb means to cuddle and the "coco" part always makes me imagine that warm feeling of being curled up with a blanket and a nice mug of hot chocolate.  One of my professor's dogs is named coccolina, which is from the noun coccola and basically means little cuddles. :)

9. Muffa, moo-fa

This word sounds kind of like "muffin" but it actually means mold, which I didn't know until I came to Italy and we talked about blue cheese in our sustainable food class. I also didn't know that it derives from the Latin mucere, to mold.  Unfortunately, given that I usually translate either battle scenes or love poems, I probably won't come across it in Latin anytime soon.

8. Chiacchierone, kiac-kieh-rò-ne

This word is a mouthful!  Chiacchierone is the Italian equivalent to chatterbox, from the Italian verb chiaccheriare, to chat.  The kiac-kieh sounds mimic indistinct chattering, making it particularly fun to say.

7. Urlare, ur-là-re

One of the many words associated with screaming, urlare means to yell.  It derives from an even more silly-sounding Latin word, ululare which has the same meaning -- and I have seen it many times in my translations. :)

6. mucca, moo-kah

Remember this word?  It is one of the Italian words for cow!  I think it is really cute and easy to remember because it sounds so much like "moo".  It comes from the Swiss-German "Mugg" and was originally used in reference to Swiss cows.  Fun fact: one of the local milk brands here in Florence is called Mukki.

5. Svenire, sve-nì-re

Very similar to venire, to come or arrive, this word means to faint.  In Italian, usually when you see a word with an "S" at the begin, it means the opposite.  For instance, contento means happy and scontento means unhappy.  That rule doesn't apply here but it helps me remember svenire because fainting is rather like the opposite of coming or arriving.

4. Topolino, prononced exactly as written

The very unique Italian word for mouse.  Topolino is actually the diminutive form so it means little (or cute) mouse.

3. Fanciulla, fan-chu-la

A poetic term deriving from the word fanciullezza (childhood), which in this case means youthful, adolescent girl.  Fanciullo is the masculine form.  This word is part of high register language so it isn't used much in daily conversation.  I have only heard it as a term of affection from a mother to her children.

2. Zanzara, zan-zà-ra

One of the most fun words I know for mosquito. It comes from the Latin zinziare, which means to chirp or buzz (like mosquitoes!).

1. Pipistrello, pronounced exactly as written

This is my all-time favorite silly-sounding word in Italian and it means bat (the animal).  I'll leave it at that. :)

Hope you enjoyed learned some new words!  This weekend we are taking a field trip to the mountains to learn more about typical Tuscan mountaineer cuisine and cooking techniques, so stay tuned!

If you have time, leave a comment - I love hearing from you all :D  Please let me know what you think of the posts and what else you would like to see on this blog.

La musica italiana!

Ciao a tutti!

The other night as I was getting ready for bed, a car drove by blasting a Jovanotti song (popular Italian singer) and I realized that I hadn't done an Italian music post yet.  Since I finished my second midterm today and only have one more to go, I thought that sharing some music with you all seemed like a great way to celebrate!  I tried to find videos that have the lyrics (and, when possible, the english translation) so that you can sing along if you want. :)

To start with, here are a couple songs we've learned in class:

Volare (Nel blu dipinto di blu) - 1963, Domenico Modugno
Classic Italian song from the 1963, which we recently sang in our language class.  Your parents probably know this song ;) 
Lyrics are only in Italian but volare = to fly, cantare = to sing.

L'Italiano - 1983, Toto Cutugno
One of my favorites from first-year Italian, this fun song highlights all good, stereotypical parts of Italian culture.  Italian lyrics + a good English translation :)

 

O sole mio - 2011 Il volo
Another great classic from 1898, this version is sung by Il Volo which is a trio of young men who sing "Italian operatic pop".  They have several other great songs (including some in Spanish) which you should check out :)  Also, o sole mio = my sunshine.

Controvento - 2014, Arisa
 This song won this year's Festival di Sanremo, an important music festival/competition that takes place every year.  I couldn't find an English translation, but I was able to find her singing it for a TV show.

Non cambierò mai - 2013, Baby K feat. Marracash
I've included this one to show that not all Italian songs are slow, emotional ballads.  This one is a rap so if that's your thing, enjoy :)   The lyrics are in Italian.

Per dirti ciao - 2012, Tiziano Ferro
The title literally means "to say ciao to you" and it is by my favorite Italian singer, Tiziano Ferro!  I have been listening to his songs since I started taking Italian and they have really helped me remember words and grammar concepts.  

Fun fact: Tiziano also sings in Spanish...so here is the same song but en Español :)

And finally, per concludere (to conclude), here is the Jovanotti song that I heard the other night and which prompted this post.

Tutto l'amore che ho (all the love I have), 2011, Jovanotti
Unfortunately I couldn't find a good quality video with an English translation so here are more Italian lyrics for you. :)

That's all for now!  Let me know which is your favorite!  I have many more songs to share with you in a later post. ;)

Ciao!

In fattoria: Our trips to Italian farms

Ciao a tutti,

Sorry for being absent for the past few weeks.  I started to write a post and then got hit by a sudden onset of work.  We have all our midterms this week so I've been busy writing a research paper for social history (which I thankfully finished last night) and now I need to study for my exams.
Let's see...so many things have been happening lately!  One of the classes I'm taking this semester is sustainable food where we learn about the methods of food production that are responsible and respectful of workers and our natural resources.  Part of the class includes field trips to visit local farms and compare the different types of agriculture.  So two weekends ago, we visited Camporbiano, a bio-dynamic farm outside of Florence.

What is bio-dynamic, you ask?  Good question!  In Italy, organic is called "bio" which is short for biologically (or naturally) grown.  A bio-dynamic farm is different from an organic farm for a couple reasons.  Organic means that the crops or animals have been raised without (or with limited) antibiotics or other natural substances.  Bio-dynamic is a little harder to define.  It is actually more of an agricultural philosophy but essentially it means that crops and animals are raised without antibiotics and with particular attention to their well-being.

Camporbiano produces milk, cheese, and other dairy products from cows and goats, as well as flour, fruit, and honey.  We got a tour of the farm and got to meet all the animals, including two very cute dogs :)

I vitelli!  The calves:)

Bonding time with the Camporbiano cows

 There are two words for "cow" in Italian.  You can either say la mucca (moo-ca) or la vacca, which is almost identical to la vaca in Spanish.  Our guide, who works at Camporbiano, told us that each cow has a name, in addition to the number on their tag and that the farmers know each one.  There are about 40 cows on the farm and during the winter months they live inside the stalls (which are much bigger than they appear in this photo) and during the rest of the year they graze outside.  The stalls, which are cleaned daily, are covered in hay to protect their joints from the hard impact of walking on the concrete all day - basically the same reason we wear good running shoes when we do certain sports or activities that involve lots of walking.  The cows also eat a very healthy diet - only the special hay that is made there on the farm. 

Le capre!  The goats - this one wouldn't stay still long enough to snap a photo that wasn't blurry :)

 Camporbiano has goats to make goats milk products that are very popular here in Italy.  Like the cows, they live not only in the stalls but also in the pastures depending on the seasons.  Our guide explained that because they do not give antibiotics to their animals, they heal them using natural remedies.  He told us that one time they had a bull who injured his leg and they cured him with calendula, a special type of flower with anti-inflammatory properties which grows naturally on the farm.  Incidentally, I have also used calendula gel for muscle pains and can say that it works quite well!

Camporbiano and the beautiful Tuscan countryside

 After our visit, we got to sample the various products, including cheese, bread, veggies, honey, yogurt, and a delicious fresh pear juice.  Yum!

Today was our second field trip and this time we went to Reggio Emilia, in the Emilia-Romagna region to visit la Fattoria Rossi (fattoria = farm in Italian) which is famous for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.  La Fattoria Rossi is an organic farm, so it was rather different than Camporbiano.

For instance, the stalls the cows lived in were not covered in hay and were rather dirty.  They were also not allowed to roam outside and they ate corn and other grains in addition to hay.

Fattoria Rossi dairy cows

We did get to see how the parmigiano is made, which was neat but a bit smelly because there was so much milk and aging cheese.

Making cheese wheels

The cheese needs to dry a bit before it can be soaked in salt water to preserve it

The cheese has to be inspected by an expert to make sure it meets the standard of parmigiano reggiano cheese.  The wheels are tapped with a little hammer to make sure they are not hollow inside.  If they have any defects, they cannot be sold as parmigiano reggiano but can be sold as other cheese or as grated/powdered parmigiano like we have in the States (although today we learn that our grated "parmigiano" is usually not parmigiano but another different type of cheese called Grana Padano).

Aging gracefully: the cheese storage room :)  Parmigiano needs to age before it is ready to be eaten

These stamps certify that it is Parmigiano Reggiano and also tell us the details about where, when, and how it was made

Afterwards anyone who could eat dairy got to taste some samples of parmigiano that was in different stages of the aging process.  I can't vouch for it myself but I was told that one really can taste the difference between a few months of aging!

Now I'm back in Florence and ready to resume studying for those midterm exams!  If you have any questions about the farms, please ask!  I have lots more information to share that wouldn't fit in this post. :)

A dopo,
Isabella

Blog Updates + Lots of Photos

Ciao!

This is my second post this week because I wanted to share a few more things with you all:

1. I have now added labels to my blog.  On the right hand side there should be a list of all the topics I have covered.  If you want to see what I wrote about churches, click on the label "church" and you will get a list of all relevant posts.  This makes it easier if you are trying to search for a previous post.
2. Orientation finished about three weeks ago and I wanted to share some photos from my weekend trips with you all.  Enjoy!

I live far from il centro (the center of town) but close to a small town called Fiesole.  Fiesole was an Etruscan town originally and is full of Roman ruins....which are noticeably absent from Firenze and which this Classical Studies major really wanted to see.  It also has splendid views of Florence!  The first time I didn't get to go into the archaeological site but I recently went again last week during "culture week" so we got a reduced entrance fee which made us very happy.  It is a beautifully maintained site.

Fiesole: Street View

View towards Florence on a cloudy day

The Roman theater

Tuscan countryside view from the archaeological site (looking away from Florence)

 The next weekend my friend and I went to the Expo Rurale on the opposite side of town.  There was lots of food, plants, and animals to be petted and photographed. :)  It was a fun Saturday afternoon activity that also let us explore another side of town.

Add caption

selling salame

Having fun with Pinocchio

Another Friday after class we went to Settignano, which is another small town that is easily accessabile by bus.  There wasn't as much to do there as in Fiesole but we admired the view and enjoyed being away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  There seem to be good hiking trails here...when the weather cools down I need to convince my friends to go with me! ;)

A picture my friend took of me taking a picture :)

 The next weekend we took a trip to Viareggio beach, which was very relaxing.  To get there we had to take the train from centro at the Santa Maria Novella station.  It was the perfect time go to as it wasn't crowed with summer vacationers but it was still sunny and warm enjoy to enjoy the beach.

Santa Maria Novella train station (www.florence-on-line.com)

Viareggio beach with mountains in the background

Our final weekend was full of studying for our language and art history finals and spending quality time with Bubu:

Surprised Bubu

Lazy Bubu

Napping Bubu

So that's about it for orientation!  I am definitely more confident with navigating around the city and speaking Italian most of the time.  From now on we have class trips about twice a month and I will be posting about those.  Last week we went to Ravenna -- I'll tell you all about it in my next post!

Ciao!

Santa Croce

Ciao amici!

Our second art history field trip during orientation was to Santa Croce to study the Italian Gothic style.  Compared to Romanesque churches (like San Miniato), Gothic churches are taller and are less dark inside.  The height of the church is representative of the desire to be closer to God (ie the church is reaching up to heaven) and the relative abundance of light in Gothic churches is because God is light.  When we think of Gothic churches, we usually think of grand churches such as Notre-Dame de Chartres in France:

Notre-Dame de Chartres, France.  www.wikipedia.com

Italian Gothic churches however, look quite different.  The Gothic style originated in Northern Europe and due to a history of Northern invaders it had a slightly negative connotation, so they changed it up a bit to make it more Italian.  This is Santa Croce:

Santa Croce, Florence.  www.wikipedia.com

It looks nothing like Chartres.  You can see that the Italian Gothic retains the heaviness/solidness of the Romanesque churches and it is more horizontal than Chartres.  Before we go inside I will point out one more difference between the Romanesque and Gothic styles: the arches.  Romanesque churches have a round, roman-style arch which is called arco a tutto sesto in Italian.  Gothic churches (Italian or otherwise) have an arch which ends in a point and is called arco a sesto acuto in Italian.

www.laterzalibropiuinternet.it

Inside Santa Croce

See how much more light there is?  There are also stained glass windows which you won't find in a Romanesque church and instead of mosaics there are lots of frescoes.  To enter Santa Croce we had to pay a small fee and wait in line as it is very popular among tourists for several reasons.  The two main reasons are: a. many famous people are buried here and b. the paintings of Giotto.  Let's check out the tombs first!

Michelangelo's tomb

Galileo's tomb

Back in the day, it was possible to be buried in Santa Croce if you were of a certain status so yes, these are actual tombs.  There are several other famous Italians buried here, including Machiavelli, and many more funerary monuments to people they wished to honor but aren't actually buried here.  The most famous of these is Dante, author of the Divine Comedy.  Dante was exiled from Florence in 1302 and is buried in the city of Ravenna, where he died. Florence came to deeply regret having exiled him and since then they have tried to honor his memory in every way possible all over the city.  In Santa Croce, they built this funerary monument:

Dante's funerary monument

Giotto's Paintings

Giotto was very influential in the transition between Byzantine-style paintings and a more realistic, humanistic style.  Byzantine paintings are very flat and two-dimensional, with no sense of movement.  Giotto (1266 – 1337) created his art from observing real life so his paintings have a greater sense of depth and movement.  During the Renaissance, this style will be more fully developed but Giotto is generally regarded as the first to have explored the three-dimensionality of figures.

Only parts of the frescoes remain

another capella by Giotto

How many arches "a sesto acuto" can you find? ;)

Note the attention to depth and perspective...

That's it for now!  If you've made it this far, congratulations!  That was a lot of information but there was just so much to share about Santa Croce.  This will be the final post from my orientation art history class.  The last church we visited for this class was San Lorenzo which is a great example of Renaissance architecture but unfortunately we were not allowed to take photos inside.  It is a really neat church and probably one of my favorites so you should definitely click on the links and check it out. ;)

A dopo!

Lezioni di cucina (cooking lessons)

Buongiorno!

Today I thought I'd recap the dishes we learned to make during our first orientation cooking class.  I didn't take pictures of the actual food since I was busy cooking, so these are pictures I found online so you could see what the dishes look like.  I've given some explanation of the dishes but not specific recipes.  Also, you should know that food in Italy varies from region to region, and each region has their own special dishes.  Since Florence is in Tuscany, the majority of these things are typical to Tuscany, although there are some which are universally enjoyed throughout Italy.  Ok, let's get started!

Week One: Traditional Rustic Tuscan

Panzanella

Pappa al pomodoro

Pollo in fricassea

Tiramisù

Panzanella from www.fiorentininelmondo.it

Panzanella is a bread salad made with chunks of stale bread, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and basil.  It sounds a little strange but it is actually quite good and very easy to make.  Think of it as the Italian version of tabbouleh.  To make this gluten free, we simply used toasted gluten free bread.  Basically, you soak the crusty bread in a small amount of water and red wine vinegar until it is soft, then squeeze out the excess water and tear it into small cubes, add the chopped vegetables and a few basil leaves.  Then drizzle extra virgin olive oil over it, toss and serve.

Pappa al pomodoro from toscaneat.it

Like Panzanella, Pappa al pomodoro is made from crusty bread.  The slices are cut into small bits and cooked in a homemade tomato sauce made with garlic and basil.  It is similar to gnocchi (if you aren't familiar with that, don't worry, I will show you how to make it soon) but with a consistency more like soup.  Again, it sounds really strange but it is actually quite tasty.  And you can definitely see how both of these dishes would have been easy for farmers to make because the ingredients are simple and inexpensive.

Pollo in fricassea from www.incucinaconlilly.com

 We also made pollo in fricassea (chicken fricassee).  I'm vegetarian, so I can't share my opinion on how it tasted but my classmates certainly seemed to like it.  This is a medieval dish, and like the others, it is pretty simple to make.  First, we coated the small pieces of chicken in flour while we heated butter in a pan.  Then we add in the chicken and let it cook for a bit.  Next we added some broth to the chicken to create the creamy sauce.  Finally, we took it off the direct heat, added a beaten egg and some lemon juice.  We let it finish cooking in the heat that the pan retained and served it.

Tiramisù from wikipedia.it

For dessert we made Tiramisù (because of our time constraints we weren't able to make this one gluten free and diary free but I am sure there is a way).  Tiramisù is a dessert that is seen as very complicated and sophisticated in the United States, but really it is quite simple.  Our version included raw eggs but in the US it is better to avoid raw eggs and make an eggless Tiramisù.  

First, we made a mixture of hot water and instant coffee.  Into this, we dipped ladyfinger cookies and then laid them flat to line our pan.  Next we beat the egg yokes and sugar together, then added this to mascarpone cream.  Then we beat the egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks formed, as if we were making merengue.  We did all this by hand because due to miscommunication we didn't have an electric beater in the kitchen!  It's a great arm workout!  Then we added the egg whites to the mascarpone.  Next, cover the layer of cookies with the cream and dust with cocoa powder.  Place a new layer of cookies and then cover them with the cream and dust with cocoa powder.  Repeat until you have reached the top of the pan and make sure you end with a layer of cream, dusted with a liberal amount of cocoa.  Chill it in the fridge for a couple hours and enjoy!  We actually made this first so it would be ready when we finished dinner.

So those are the dishes we made our first week.  It's quite a rich meal! Of course, this is Italy so there was also bread, salad, and walnuts to eat as well.  I hope you enjoyed learning about these Tuscan dishes!  Remember, these are just explanations of the dishes, not actual recipes.  If you want to make some of them you should always have a recipe (just ask me) with measurements and cooking times to avoid a kitchen disaster. :)

Buon appetito!

Ice age: Florence Edition

Ciao a tutti!

This is a few weeks late, but remember that picture in my first post of Piazza della Signoria with all the hail?  That was apparently a very rare occurrence and thus a very big deal here in Florence, and I wanted to share some pictures with you all from that day.

L'era glaciale - "ice age" in Italian.  Photo from teladoiofirenze.it

Yes, all that white stuff on the ground is ICE!  Here's how it happened....

It was a beautiful sunny day in Florence and we had just gone back into class after our so-called pausa caffè (coffee break).  It was just us and our professor because the program directors had left to run an errand.  We opened the window because it was warm in the classroom and were just starting to take notes on some of the finer points of Italian grammar when suddenly, it became very dark.  We thought nothing of it and continued working because we had a lot of material to cover but within a few minutes we were interrupted by a gust of wind which came swirling through the classroom and the sound of pelting rain.  Chiudere le finestre! Close the windows!  But as we got up and closed all the Sede's windows it became clear that this was not just your typical rainstorm.  I'm from Florida so I know storms, but I have never seen anything like this before.  Within minutes, it was raining so much that you couldn't see a single thing and hail was beating against the window so hard we were afraid it might break the glass.  The wind was very strong and blowing from all directions and from the window I could just barely make out a pigeon trying to fly out of the storm.  Needless to say, all attempts at learning grammar ceased and we just stood at the window, watching the storm.  Even though we closed the windows in time, quite a bit of water managed to leak inside and we had to soak it up with towels.  The whole thing lasted only about 20 minutes and when we could finally see out again, we were surprised to see how much the piazza had changed.

This was a few minutes after the storm, when people caught outside ventured out into the piazza again, but immediately after the storm, the piazza was deserted.  All the umbrellas over the kiosks in the piazza were completely destroyed by the wind.

The hail that remained on the window sill

Confused tourists congregating outside of an overpriced gelato shop

We finished class and then I abandoned my plans of further exploring the town that afternoon and headed home.  Piazza della Signoria had very little ice and hail compared to what I saw on my way home, which was more like the picture at the beginning of the post.  Unfortunately though I do not have pictures because I was wearing sandals and a maxi skirt and was too busy trying to make sure I did not get completely soaked.  The temperature had also dropped significantly so I tried to hurry as fast as I could.  When I got to my bus stop in San Marco however, I had time to take a picture of the fallen trees and branches along with all the other tourists and locals.  If you want to see more pictures of le grandine (hail), there is a slide show here: Bomba d'acqua e grandinata (lit: water bomb and hail storm)  The website is in Italian but just scroll down to the slideshow :)

Fallen trees and branches in Piazza San Marco

This was a pretty amazing storm.  Water and ice found their way into almost every part of the city.  I have a friend who owns a store here in Florence and the door was pushed open by the hail and it covered almost the entire floor!  Even when I got home I found my host mom cleaning up the water that leaked in from the windows.  Thankfully though, we haven't had such weather since that day.  Sometimes it rains but for the most part it is sunny and a very pleasant 80 degrees Fahrenheit. :)

A typical day in Florence.  (And yes, that is someone rowing on the Arno!)