Back in business

Wednesday, the first of September, will officially mark the end of many Italian's vacations (Ferragosto). This past week shops have slowly started to reopen and we have been noticing fewer Italian tourists flocking the streets, though it seems like the heavy-hitting hot spots are milking their ferie for as long as possible--the I Tatti, the Biblioteca Nazionale, the post offices and other government agencies, and several popular shops and restaurants around our neighborhood. Right outside our door (literally) we are told is the best pizza place in Florence, as well as an amazing theater/club, and also the best lampredotto cart in the city. Lampredotto is a Florentine specialty--it is made out of the last of the four stomachs of cows. What's more is that it is one of the stomachs considered (by those not from Florence) barely edible. Seth is actually really looking forward to trying it, and as much as I love trying new foods, this is one experience I will have to pass.

The more we talk to people who know their way around Florence the more we have been coming to appreciate our location just a 5min walk north of Santa Croce. It seems to be populated mostly by Florentines, though just a turn of a corner throws you in the middle of tourist groups. Sant'Ambrogio is intersected by 6 streets, so it is always streaming with passersby; and besides the pizza place, theater, and lampredottaio, throughout the holiday the piazza has been host to the church and market during the day and a hopping wine bar at night. There also seems to be random outdoor markets that pop up unexpectedly in the next piazza around the corner--this morning there was a massive antiques market that went on for several blocks. Like I said before, never a dull moment. We imagine it will be a total madhouse once those other shops reopen!

However, since Sant'Ambrogio is on the cusp of the central city, the shops and restaurants are able to be fair and of good quality. We are a 10min walk from a large and very cheap grocery store and dozens of low-cost clothing boutiques and stalls. Seth and I have already been taking advantage of the cheap clothes, particularly of the end-of-summer sales (unlike in the US, here it seems like the shops are more season-appropriate and are just now stocking their fall lines). It is nice to be able to live like a local yet be just a few minutes away from museums and historic churches!

A jazz band that sprang up below our kitchen window a couple nights ago. They were actually really good!