We strolled over to the other side of Florence to the Strozzi Palace. It is a museum that is hosting an exhibit of paintings by DeChirco, Ernst, and Magritte. The exhibit was very well done and the descriptions were in English. These painters excelled at examining the psychology of the human mind. As usual the museum was staffed by model-like young men and women. We have been finding that to be quite common here in Italy.
After a cafe we happened upon the Ferragamo museum, as in Ferragamo shoes. Since it was only 5 euro to get in, we tried it. On display were the shoes of such stars as Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Nicole Kidman, Audrey Hepburn, and Ava Gardner. It was a very good history of Ferragamo and an even better display of the shoes he has produced over the years.
We then took the 30-minute bus trip to the hilltop village of Fiersole. On the bus we met a wonderful young lady who is a student at Vanderbilt University. It seems as if Florence is just loaded with American students studying here. Fiersole overlooks Florence itself and like so many times before, we took in a stunning view of the Tuscan countryside. We decided to take a 45 minute hike down the mountain and went past Etruscan tombs, artists studios, and groves of olive trees.
After getting back into town we stopped by a ceramics shop that we bought some things in a few days before. We chatted with the owner and he was more than happy to show us around his place. We wound up purchasing about $375 in ceramics that he discounted and happily shipped back to the U.S. at no charge. We have been looking for ceramics for the last few days and found that dealing with the artist was the best. You can see some of his work at http://www.riccericeramica.com
We were not that hungry so around the block from our apartment we stopped in at an Enoteca. The deal here is that you buy your first glass of wine for 6 euro. There is a spread of food out that would satisfy a king - salami, cheese, artichokes, sausage, and other unique Tuscan dishes - all for free. Then your second glass of wine is only 3.50 euros. But the best part is the social scene. We met a couple from Germany, an Italian, then a little bulldog called Constantino, and his human companions Anatoly and Lola. Anatoly is a charming young French/American living in Florence with his cute Italian girlfriend Lola. We chatted with them for about 40 minutes and had just a grand time. For me, episodes like this, are all what travel is about - meeting and chatting with the "locals", enjoying their food, and just soaking up the whole experience.