qui per un breve periodo

the next-to-last supper

Well, this is it. Yesterday I said a tearful goodbye to my beautiful one-speed bike (with bell and basket), wandered aimlessly around the San Lorenzo market, ate my last pizza quattro formaggio and had my last yogurt-and-cioccolato-fondente gelato, mailed packages home, and cleaned out the refrigerator in the apartment.

This afternoon Katherine and I will be in London, where I will use up the next four days- hopefully not spending money- before heading home.

I have had terribly mixed feelings about living in Florence. I still believe it is a much better place to be for a short time- say, 2 weeks- and would rather have lived in a city like Torino, or Rome, or Bologna. But Florence is magical, and the last few days it has re-cast its spell on me. I will miss it.

So, things I will never forget about Florence:

1. the afternoon sunlight on the façade of Santa Croce.
2. the Simon and Garfunkel impersonator at the Uffizi, who played the “Greatest Hits” CD in its EXACT order every night for a week.
3. gelato from De Neri and GROM
4. Panino numero uno from Antico Noe
5. running along the Arno around sunrise, eve though the Arno stinks.
6. the markets
7. the wine
8. piazza santissima annunziata
9. the homeless woman who mopped the steps of the Ospedale degli Innocenti every morning
10. Elia, the owner of the school café, who always called me “cara” (dear), and always gave me a piece of chocolate with my cappuccino.

And, of course, on the opposite side, things I hope to forget about Florence:
1. dog poo in the streets
2. stepping on dog poo in the streets
3. the smell of urine in every alley
4. the cold, cold rain
5. watching Florentine men eat tripes (stomach lining)
6. not being able to communicate with anyone (which is not really Florence’s fault, it’s mine…)
7. mosquitoes
8. tourists
9. men who say “ciao bella”
10. vendors who try and sell roses or CDs inside a restaurant while you are eating.