Statues, stockings and stomach

Yesterday I think Seth had a fun birthday, even though we had originally wanted to go to Siena for a weekend trip. This was postponed, however, due to threats of rain, but at least Siena is close by (and hour and fifteen minutes by bus) so we can go whenever, really.

We started the day off with a special lunch, though from two different places. I bought a döner kebab for myself--these are really popular here and in Australia, and since I had never had one before I was really excited to try one. They basically take shavings from a big pile of slow-roasted mixed meats, then wrap this up with salad, sauce, and apparently french fries...

Where we bought the döner kebab
The "kebabaiuolo" in action

After picking this up, we went to the famous Lampredotto cart at the corner. Recall that tripe is from cow stomach #1, cow stomach #2 and #3 are rarely eaten, and lampredotto comes from cow stomach #4, which is inedible to all but Florentines. It is such a local specialty that even those living just outside the city don't have access to it. I can't imagine why. Actually, most people here really, really love it, and certain visitors acquire a taste for it and go completely mad when they leave and can't get it any more. We pass the cart every day and the salty, saucy smell is actually pretty nice, and Seth had been waiting every since we arrived to try a sandwich. So, he had one for his special day. I even tried a tiny piece, even though I didn't think I would (I don't 'do' organ meat). It wasn't very chewy, but did have a distinctive taste. At least it was extremely salty and pretty oily from the sauce, which probably masked some of the strong flavour. Ironically, after our lunches both our stomachs were a little uneasy--not because of the unusual meat, but more likely from having so much meat in general (Seth has meat sometimes for lunch at I Tatti, but I have had only trace amounts since we arrived), and moreover having so much salt and oil.

The lampredottaio. He is surprisingly elegant, yet fast--it is his art! Watch him chop the meat then dip the tops of the buns in broth. (Seth is to the right, talking to a guy from Arezzo who has apparently become addicted to lampredotto.)

The lampredotto father and son team in action
Seth with his long-awaited paninoTaking a bite......thinking...
...so far so good...
...uh oh, is something wrong?...
...he likes it!

totally disgusting
I think I prefer my kebab

In the afternoon--with the help of Seth's nifty pass!--we recovered by treating ourselves to the Bargello, a prison-turned-museum of Renaissance statuary. We knew it was going to be good, but we didn't expect it to also be quite so large. We didn't make it all the way through before getting kicked out for closing time. We will have to go back asap to finish it up! Besides, I want another good look at Giambologna's bronze turkey! A special treat was found in the special exhibit--Leonardo's St. John the Baptist (on loan from the Louvre). It made my jaw drop.

Leonardo, St. John the Baptist (1513-1516)

A South American themed shop we pass regularly--it always makes me smile!

We returned home and found some weird event going on below our kitchen. They were celebrating Firenze Park(ing) Day--different groups and organizations used art to turn parking spots into tiny parks to raise awareness for public parks and sustainability. It was a whole different type of art than what I'm used to at this point, but at least there was music so there was something to listen to in the apartment.

Park(ing) Day. Kinda weird if you ask me, but a good message nonetheless.

For dinner we had yet another treat--PIZZAIUOLO! I convinced Seth that his stomach was good enough to eat out again (otherwise he was going to make lentils for his birthday dinner!), and we lined up outside to wait for it to open. Florence isn't known for its pizza, but everyone claims this is best pizzeria in the city, and being just a few doors down made it the obvious choice for dinner.

Waiting for Pizzaiuolo to open

We wanted to eat inside, but even though we got their before it opened the seats inside were already booked up until 10pm. We were able to get seated right away outside, and now I know why--as soon as our prized pizza was brought out, it immediately started to pour rain! The waiters told us we couldn't come inside, so I threw them my credit card while Seth boxed the pizzas, we grabbed the glass of wine, and trotted home, all 72 meters of the way. Figures, we almost NEVER eat out, and when we do, we end up eating in! Also, it is ironic that while I typically go with meatless pizzas, I couldn't resist trying the Diavola with spicy salami. I was expecting some sort of hot prosciutto, but to my surprise it was basically like American-style pepperoni. At least it was very nostalgic of childhood birthday parties with pepperoni pizza! The night was topped off with cake (no gelato, unfortunately), and presents for the birthday boy :o)

AWESOME pizzas! (Just before the rain)

The best part about eating in, I suppose, is that you can do it without wearing pants.

Cake!

'Socks' for Seth (aka 'ladies stockings'???). I swear I bought these in the men's department!