Truffles, Chianti, and Gelato

So I am basically in love with Italian food. Not only that, but I am having a love affair with it as we speak. This is the kind of affair that boyfriends not only approve of, but take part in willingly. It's like some kind of messed-up Italian menogoiteau. Over the past week, I have had gelato four times, and we are planning on going again tomorrow. It is amazing, and guilt it mitigated by the necessity to "try the local cuisine..." Turns out the local cuisine is the food people dream about. Chianti is a red wine that comes in a grass-covered bottle, local to Florence, and truffles are something Mike and I have come to obsess over. As I mentioned, his pasta last night was made with truffle oil.

Well, today as we wandered about, we came accross a farmer's market. We sampled several different cheeses, wines, and honey before coming accross a man that had a truffle farm! (Oh, for those of you who don't know truffles are rare, expensive mushrooms that are served in only high-end restaurants. It cannot be cultivated because it only grows at the root of a certain tree, and is found with a pig or dog that are trained sniff them out. Only two places in the world can grow them: one is Italy/France and the other is the Pacific Northwest!) It was very fun to run into this man and hear about his truffle-hunting. He had pictures of his farm, and the biggest truffle he has found this year sold in the U.S. for $3,000 euro! For a single mushroom! We bought some cheap truffle oil from the supermarket and tried to replicate it for dinner. It was rather delicious although not quite the caliber of last night's pasta.

Today, we woke up way too early to stand in line for a half an hour and see the Uffizi Gallery, which houses the best collection of Italian art. Although I do not know nearly as much about Italian art as Spanish, it was still impressive to see works by all four of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michaelangelo, Rafael, Donatello, and Leonardo! My favorite two pieces were both Boticelli's: Birth of Venus, which I have as a poster in my room, and Spring, which is just gorgeous. We spent the rest of the day wandering... Florence has a lot of expensive sites, but you can get a great sense of the city and its history just by wandering. A few sites such as the Duomo, other churches, and Michaelangelo Piazza and viewpoint are free, so we checked those out. And I bought something... We both found some well-priced leather sandals and got them! Mike spent the better part of three blocks talking me into this self-indulgence, but they are real Italian leather and I have practically worn through my others by now.

Florence's most famous bridge that crosses the main Arno River is called the Ponte Vecchio. It is lined with gold and siver shops, and is a "place of romance" as was evident by the THREE wedding couples that deliberately walked accross before flashing cameras. Leaning over the bridge there are a series of padlocks locked together. Guys traditionally bring their gals here, add a lock and throw away the key and a deliberate demonstration of their undying love. Before I knew what was happening, Mike added one of our small luggage locks to the bunch, and with a "For you, dear," he tossed the key overboard. I know, I know... sickeningly romantic, but Florence just has that effect on people.