Day 13 - Fiesole

We were able to take our time getting ready this morning and loved
being able to sip and enjoy the warm, foamy cappuccinos at our B & B.
 Donna's aunt, Silvia, had suggested spending time in Fiesole
(pronounced fee-AY-zoh-lay);  it is a small village 5 1/2 miles
northeast of Florence.

The curvy road up to the town was Donna's greatest driving challenge
here so far.  Most of the road was so narrow that only one car could
fit, and much of it had brick walls on both sides.  It was an
experience driving there, but it was so worth it!

Fiesole sits on hills above Florence, so you can imagine the fabulous
views.  Etruscans settled areas like these from 800 to 400 B.C. and the
Romans moved in around 400 B.C.  It fascinates us to think who walked
here before us!

We wandered around the Roman amphitheater and baths that date back to
the 1st century.  They were surprisingly well preserved.  We snapped
goofy pictures while attempting to mimic the positions and facial
expressions of some of the statues!   A couple of us tried out the
amphitheater's acoustics by singing at its bottom.  We were impressed
by how the voices carried.  Donna was in her glory taking pictures, and
Brenda couldn't get enough of the ancient ruins.

The village's museum had excavation findings from both Etruscan and
Roman times.  Beth and Mary were fascinated by the relics.  We went in
thinking that people from 500 BC were unsophisticated, and left
realizing that they were crafting bronze and glazing pottery that we
couldn't even do using a machine!  

We moseyed up a steep hill for breathtaking views and San Francesco, a
small church.  We climbed spiral stairs to see tiny rooms where the
Franciscan monks lived.  Each room had a wooden slab bed, desk, and
chair.  The largest room was about 6' x 6'.  Inside the church was a
fresco of St. Elizabeth.  Beth had her picture taken by it.

We meandered down the hill to view a public garden.  As we crossed the
street Mary felt a splat on her forehead.  She had been baptized with
luck by a bird flying overhead.  We saw  the 14th century Town Hall
decorated with several coat of arms and the small Church of Santa
Maria.  Santa Maria is thought to be the 1st Christian church in
Fiesole, already in existence in the 900s.

We headed back to Art B & B mid-afternoon, and this time recorded a
video of our GPS exiting us to our village of San Casciano Val di Pesa.
 We did this for memory's sake, knowing it will make all of us laugh
later.  "Vera" not only sounds Asian when she pronounces it, but she
also sounds like she has a mouth full of marbles.  No wonder we still
can't pronounce our village without locals grinning!

We took a final drive around the the village since we will be leaving
tomorrow morning : ( and stopped to look at a tiny church on the
outskirts of town.  We were able to take brief naps before dinner.
 Elisa had made reservations at a favorite local restaurant.

Cinque di Vino proved to be everything Elisa had said it would be.  The
owners, Marco and Silvia, are passionate about the Tuscan food they
serve and just as passionate about pleasing their guests.  We started
the meal with a local Chianti and an antipasti sampler that included
six unbelievable delicacies... everything from polenta to marinated
pork over chickpeas.   

Marco recommended artichoke lasagna (which was out of this world) and a
moon shaped truffle pasta stuffed with cheese and pine nuts.  At this
point Donna commented, "If we have dessert, it will have to be some
kind of liquid so that it can seep into the cracks."  Soon after this,
the waitress walked in with a marinated--then breaded and deep-fried--
Florentine steak.    This put the kibosh on ordering dessert, even if
those being brought to others looked heavenly.

The owner insisted on taking a picture with us near his wood-burning
grill.  Silvia brought in the hugest bottle of Limoncello we've seen on
the trip.  Sadly, we were so seriously stuffed that we only sip down
about a tablespoon each.

Whereas it took less than two minutes to walk TO the restaurant, it
took us longer to uncomfortably waddle our way back.  Our last night in
San Casciano turned out to be a wonderful one.