A Day @San Lorenzo - Traveling with Anima

At the San Lorenzo Flea Market today with Ani. Just a quick walk through because it was so hot I started feeling a bit wilted, had to head back to the hotel. Not of course without first getting a bite to eat at the inside market,

Porcchetta

where the meat, fish and vegetable vendors are. It's Ferragosto, so there were slim pickings as far as open stalls but there was still plenty of produce for sale for tourists and housewives alike. Meats (Mortadella, Prosciutto di Parma, Finocchiona Salami)

are always a source of hunger inspiring recipes. I noticed some of the vegetables stalls were really popular with the Chinese restaurant guys (well, I assume Chinese restaurants but maybe they ran Italian restaurants - I really don't know) picking out eggplant

and fish

Ani had a big breakfast at the hotel but I was starved and our Florentine friends suggested we had to try the Porchetta sandwich and the Lampredotto, which is a type of trippa with special sauce.

At the Leather Market, Ani had fun buying trinkets for her friends with the lily symbol of Florence and for herself, a lovely leather purse. It's her first (and it cost a whole lot of euro)...and very beautiful, hand crafted leather in  luscious cow eye brown with a long strap and gorgeous stitching.

Lunch @San Lorenzo

Of Cats & Fish

Walking around Montalcino the other day, looking for a particular agency I needed to get to, I spotted this minuscule shop selling fish. I know I have passed that way before to get to the "Why Not" Gelateria at the end of the corner, but I had really never noticed this door before.  It's underneath Piazza Garibaldi, built right into the wall - and apparently very popular when it is open on Tuesday mornings. Elderly towns women gossiping up a storm and sharing information and some feline admirers as well...

Strange Light

In Pisa for the day at the magnificent Cathedrale at Piazza dei Miracoli (unesco hs) we danced around the tourists and the dark feel of the Medieval stone and marveled at the folds and sighs carved into the marbled statues. The black angels with their swords seemed avengers more than protectors and with the inferior light, were impossible to photograph properly.

Then, this beam from the highest windows, Ani captured it with the cel phone...just beautiful