The great lie in, part II

We've been sleeping imperfectly, but not badly. Yet the hours of cooking and walking were beginning to take their toll--not to mention the healthy (un?) quantity of wine consumption involved in everyday Italian meals. So we determined to arise at our leisure and avoid any commitments until our class Thursday afternoon. We rolled out of bed minutes before breakfast would end and just in time to bid our new UK friends buon viaggio.

We laid about for another hour, slowly getting ready, and set out for the Bargello, yet another museum of Florence, this one specializing in sculptures from Renaissance era schools. They have some very fine sculpture, a lot of mythological figures copied from other artists, as well as some original work by the famous Florentine artist Donatello. The palazzo itself was very fine, and we enjoyed the many objets d'art that the collection had to offer, including game boards, combs, dishes, purses (or at least the purse closures when the fabric had worn away) and tapestries.

But I was in the mood for some sunshine, so we left to catch lunch at a sidewalk cafe where we enjoyed the spectacle of the local garbage pick up (really, it was fascinating). The truck is equipped with a high-powered magnet, which it uses to pick up the garbage receptacle.

Class began again at 2:30p. Today was dolci, or sweets. We made a classic fruit tart and some marvelous almond and pine nut cookies with a texture something like a macaroon but without the coconut. We also made an unusual creme brûlée with pecorino Toscana, orange peel, rosemary, pepper, and chestnut flavored honey, which Loie really enjoyed--more like a primo piatto than a dessert really. We had fresh chestnuts, a real delicacy both here and in France, which we cleaned, boiled, cleaned again, and boiled again but in sugar and dessert wine the second time to candy them. The flavor was the same I remember from France, but the process is too tedious, so I think I will settle for buying them.