Florence is Fantastic

In Florence we went to the Boboli gardens, my old haunt that kept me sane during the craziness of Italian life ten years ago. I have been back once since to wander the allees of cypress that have been there for hundreds of years, and this time it was wonderful to go back with my daughter. It was somewhat like a circle that had been completed. I used to lie on the stone benches and dream about what my life would be like, imagine my future of marriage or children or nothing, and plan for the next week.

There are two hidden passages where they force the trees into low arches that are shaded and cool. The only sound in the air is the cacophony of bird chirps and the crunch of feet in the stones down the paths. Tom stopped to film the silence so we could show it as a contrast to the chaos of Roman life. He joked that I could go back and play myself some peace whenever I needed it.

We found the gargoyle fountain that we had taken silly pictures by a decade ago. We all stuck our tongues out and romped about. After we wandered through the city that afternoon my mom went to the BAR gelateria near Piggy Market and had the requisite gigantic gelato. See the picture for proof. I don’t know how she eats that much and doesn’t gain a pound. Hope I inherit some of that gene.