Donna in Lucca Fall 2012: A Visit to Florence and...another Cooking Lesson!

This post has two parts: a visit to Florence and another cooking lesson.

Our Day in Florence

Last week Jeannie, my sister Leslie and I had a wonderful day in "Firenze". We decided to ride the bus since it was an express bus with no stops, provided pleasant scenery and arrived after only an hour and a half.

Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance is often called the Athens of the Middle Ages. What a remarkable city! We saw incredible sculptures and paintings by some of the great masters. We visited two museums - L'Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery. The L'Accademia Gallery houses Michelangelo's, "David, the 17 feet tall masterpiece! The Uffizi Museum has a comprehensive collection of paintings from the Late Gothic through the Renaissance periods, some of which you may be familiar with.

There is a photography ban inside the museums so I was not able to take photographs of the fantastic art; but, I included some photos available on a virtual web site so that you can "be there with me!"

Another incredible site is the "Duomo, Florence's spectacular Cathedral, named in honor of Santa Maria del Fiore. The exterior is amazingly detailed and intricate with traces of pale green and pink. A beautiful site!

"Sista" Leslie and I arriving in Florence

Beautiful exterior of the Duomo

Michelangelo's David- Uffizi*

The Birth of Venus by Botticelli- Uffizi*

Holy Family (Michelangelo)- Uffizi

Self Portrait as a young man (Rembrandt)- Uffizi*

Madonna and Child (Rafael) - Uffizi*

Madonna of the Goldfinch (Raphael)- Uffizi*

Annunciation (DaVinci)- Uffizi*

Ahhhh....a break for lunch!

Cooking with Chef Eva

Leslie, Jeannie and I decided we just HAD to learn to make Zuppa di Farro, a wonderfully hearty, Luccasan bean-based spelt soup! With the help of Chef Eva who came to our apartment we cooked, we drank wine, we cooked, drank more wine....you get the picture!

It was an absolutely delightful afternoon! Eva was wonderful and the Zuppa di Farro was "perfetto". Yummy, hot delicious......take a look!