There’s a little town on top of a hill on the outskirts of Florence called Fiesole. The view of Florence from up there is supposed to be great. We’re going to go to Fiesole, have some lunch, and check out the view. C’mon!
This morning we went to the Galleria dell’Accademia to see Michaelangelo’s famous statue of David. I think that when many people see Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa in the Louvre, they come away thinking, “OK. What’s the big deal?”
But when people see Michelangelo’s David up close and in person, my guess is that most people come away thinking, “Wow. That was something!” David is pretty awesome.
Hop-On, Hop-Off
We walked out of the museum and into the sun. It was a beautiful day. For a change of pace, we decided to visit the little town of Fiesole and find a place there to have lunch.
To get to Fiesole, we took a “Hop-On, Hop-Off” tour bus. If you’ve traveled at all, you’ve seen ‘em. It seems like very major city has their version of this service.
Hop-On, Hop-Off busses follow a more-or-less circular route all day. After buying a ticket, you get on board and ride a bus until it stops at someplace you want to visit. Then you hop off. When you’re ready, hop back on the next bus that comes around.
Or you can just ride around, see the sights, and listen to someone tell you about what you’re seeing. Some of the drivers are entertaining. Others, not so much. Either way, it’s a quick way to get a feel for whatever town you’re in.
Other than having a nice view of Florence, Fiesole’s main claims to fame are its Roman ruins and Etruscan finds. Roman ruins can be seen all over Italy and southern France. There’s a lot of ‘em. But that’s not the case for anything Etruscan.
Who Were the Etruscans?
The Etruscans were people who lived in central Italy 2,500 years ago – way before the Romans came along. Etruscans are kind of like the Minoans. (Remember the Minoans?) Their artistic capabilities were way ahead of their time.
The Estruscan civilization was centered around Tuscany. The root of the name, “Tuscany,” is related to the word, “Etruscan.” Fiesole, in particular, seems to have been a major Etruscan settlement.
Numerous Etruscan artifacts have been excavated from the area around Fiesole. Judging by what I’ve seen in guide books, they’re really something.
We hopped off the bus in a central square in Fiesole, then walked around town to get the feel of the place. With the exception of having a number of museums dedicated to all things Estruscan, it’s like a lot of small Italian towns.
Any good tourist would have gone into at least one of those museums. But we are not good tourists. We are hungry tourists. Besides, we spent this morning wandering around in the Galleria dell’Accademia. We want some lunch!
Lunch in Fiesole
We found a nice-looking restaurant not far from the square where the bus stopped. Umbrellas shaded tables in an outdoor eating area overlooking Florence down below. The smell of garlic wafted through the air. Perfect.
Ahhh… There’s nothing like settling in for food and refreshments after hiking all over the place, walking around in museums, and trudging up and down hills.
There were only a few other customers in the place. The wine was good, (of course). The beer was cold. And the view of Florence from the patio was great.
We ordered a small pizza and a sandwich to share. When the food came – I get a little choked up just thinking about it – it was beee-ooo-tee-ful!
These Italians — they know how to eat. A simple little pizza. A modest panini. And it’s one of the best things you could ever eat in your life.
Pizzas in Italy are ultra-simple. Italians don’t like to load ‘em up with a lot of stuff. First-timers think they’re going to be disappointed. Then they take a few bites and a new world opens up – if they’re open to it.
Wow — look at that view. No, not the one of Florence. The view looking down at that panini and that little pizza! Mamma Mia!
To be continued…
