Honie Briggs

First, A Brief Reality Check

Life is beginning to slip into my extended stay vacay fantasy. This morning I realized I cannot have a slice of chocolate cake with my coffee. That made me sad.

Yeah, I ate cake for breakfast in Italy and it was goooood! Of course, my husband also had the breakfast meat platter. His reality and mine are obviously two different realities; mine a bit wider than his. So unfair!

My desk is looking like some kind of bomb went off and my writing o.c.d. is starting to suffer from lack of organization. Plus, did you know that the FDA shut down the makers of Theraflu? I’ve been taking the knock off, Wal-Flu made in Canada for Walgreens Pharmacy. Is it possible the shut down happened a decade ago and I am the last to know? I rarely get sick enough to resort to drugs, but I can’t shake this typhoidian sadistic army that is trying to break through the fortress of mucus protecting my brain.

So, if you’ve discovered my blog due to the enormous collection of photos I have posted, please note that it won’t last. My world will eventually return itself to the full and upright position, but hopefully you’ll stick around for the…um…writing. If not, I still love ya. You can check out my gallery here.

I’m not in there because I obviously have no will power.

Now On With The Show

We arrived in Florence late in the afternoon. I had no expectation, and if I had, it would have been blown away. The driver called ahead to our hotel, the charming Residenza Del Moro, to let them know we were about to arrive because the hotel is located on a narrow street, hardly wider than a sidewalk really, and we would need to exit the vehicle quickly so as not to block traffic. He did come to a complete stop, but our goodbyes were brief.

The young woman who greeted us, like we were returning from a long day at work, made us feel right at home. Then we saw the room and were truly blown away by the opulent space. Floor to ceiling grandness made me catch my breath and I was certain I would never want to leave. Pure luxury was ours for the next four nights in this unassuming hotel that felt more like a private residence. We were treated like old friends. Breakfast was served every morning in a nicely appointed room just off a lovely secluded garden.

The first evening we ventured out a bit toward the Santa Maria Novella.

Then we had dinner at a place recommended to us by the young woman at the hotel. Porcini mushrooms are now in season. Peperoncino’s delivered the goods with a hearty vegetable soup followed by some divine earthy goodness of porcini mushroom risotto. Florence is my kind of town.

The next day was a walking tour with another fabulous guide, Sabrina.  Like our guides in Rome, she too was passionate, knowledgeable and funny. We toured the market. The pictures speak for themselves. We saw everything there was to see in the streets of the once capital city of Italy.

We dined at La Loggia at the Villa San Michele. It was amazing. They knew it was a special occasion, no doubt thanks to IC Bellagio who made the reservation.

The next day we had a cooking lesson at Apicius Culinary Institute, where we enjoyed preparing lunch with our expert chef Sylvia. She took us to the market and we discussed the importance of choosing fresh, local ingredients that are in season for optimum flavor and nutrition. Imagine that! Think global – buy local, what a concept.

I couldn’t eat another bite!! How about a drink instead?