Ahhhhh......we hurried and hustled and had bridezilla moments (to the point where our cab driver told me that I don't know how to hide my "bitchy"), but we finally made it to Firenze, and what a magnificent day it was! We are staying in the most quaint apartment one block from the Duomo, and Shelli and Greg are a 10-minute walk away! We meandered through the city all afternoon, found a cute restaurant on the Arne for a glass of wine, and then walked to Shelli and Greg's flat (we are making believe that we live here) for an appetizer. Then we all headed to my all-time, world-wide favorite restaurant, Osteria Del Cinghiale Bianco.
I ate at this restaurant five years ago when I travelled to Italy by myself for my 30th birthday, and remember my meal so vividly. The host told me he would give me the best seat in the house, right next to the bar. I sat next to two couples and in front of two couples.
I remember writing about these couples in my journal that night. The two next to me were cold and bored and sad. Yet the two in front of me were warm and loving and affectionate. The two in front of me caught me writing about them in my journal, so they invited me to join them. These four Austrians had just run in the Florence marathon that day, and we decided along with Marco, Mauro and Pietro, the three restaurant owners, to take on the town that night. And I swore that the next time I ate at this magical restaurant, it would be with my love.
Fast forward five years. I reached out to Marco to see if we could host our rehearsal dinner at his restaurant, but it was too small and too expensive. Instead, he suggested that I come for dinner before we left for the wedding, and while he wasn't in town, he connected me with Pietro and his father, Massimo. We had the same table that the Austrians ate at five years ago, and they brought out a table full of appetizers, wonderful pasta dishes, multiple bottles of wine and desserts. We ate and drank and laughed for more than two hours, and our bill was less than $50/person!
Then Andrew and I took a late-night stroll through Firenze, walking past the kissing lovers on the Arne and the dance clubs in the churches. We would stop to make out in the streets, as Andrew pushed me up against closed garage doors to "romance" me, waking all of its residents. We came back to our little apartment and made love until the wee hours of the morning.
What more could I want or ask for in a day. Thank you, Firenze! I love you!
