After a seemingly endless layover in JFK and overnight flight to Pisa (air travel is no longer fun in case some of you have not had the opportunity to fly for some time) we finally touched down at the Pisa Airport. Flying into Pisa, which is on the Tuscan Coast  the cargo ships were visible floating on the Mediterranean Sea making there way towards harbor. It was about 11:00 am Italian time. Our plans were to meet our driver at the terminal once we landed.  The original plans were to take a car from Pisa to Florence but  we were told by those in the know that we should avoid renting a car until we were ready to leave Florence because of the crazy traffic. (Think NYC without the grid system) So we hired a driver. His name was Enrico but he went by Eric. He was a professional piano player (like I used to be) but did the chauffeur gig to pay the bills. His English was good and was very helpful getting everyone acclimated to Italy. Once we got into the city I could see why a car would have been a nightmare. Tons of people everywhere with no place to park or drive.

 

 

 

After a lot of wrong turns and experienced maneuvering we reached our destination, Hotel Davanzati. Hotel Davanzati is a three generation operation with the grandfather and working half time and the grandson running the show the remainder. Tomasso, the grandson spoke perfect English which would account for the large number of Americans staying there. I asked if he had spent time in the States. He said no but that he had watched lots of television and American movies with Italian subtitles. Contemplate that for a second if you will... All of the Davanzati staff were very friendly ( Even the bartender at happy hour although I had my doubts after returning for the 4th  free refill of Chianti. Hey I've got to help keep up the Ugly American reputation somehow right?) We unpacked, freshened up and hit the streets to get  a feel for the city. The city was alive with energy, people going to and fro with the kids just getting out of school. (Yes children go to school on Saturday in Italy.) We made our way down to the Piazza delle Republica where the Romans had first set up shop a few thousand years ago. Lots of street vendors and people were just working through lunch. We realized that we had until 2:30 to get some food or we were out of luck. Like Spain, most Italians close up shop for a couple of hours in the afternoon to relax and rest for the second round of retail. (Why can't we take a lesson from them?)  We grabbed a table at an outdoor cafe near the hotel and ordered some food and a bottle of wine. I couldn't get over how fresh the porcinni mushrooms were on my pasta and the bottle of wine we chose, a 2004 Rocca di Montegrossi Chianti Classico hit the spot. I knew I was going to be in for a time... We had plans for dinner on Sunday night with my friend and Brunello producer, Riccardo Campinoti and his wife Jenny but it was Saturday and we were on our own tonight. We had lots of recommendations from friends in the wine business and so I ran them by our host, Tomasso. He said that those were good choices but if we really wanted something "fantastic" we should go to one of his recommendations. He lived there so what the hell? We made our plans and he called in the reservations. What service I thought...

  After our lunch I could have used a nap but chose instead to do some more sightseeing. The girls (lI know "ladies" but just doesn't sound right...) were ready for some serious shopping so we hit the streets again. Everywhere was wine, cured meats, great fashion and just about anything you could ever want. I found myself wishing that Charlotte could be a little more like Florence. Everything was more alive and people seems to enjoy life. The pace was brisk but not crazy. Once you got rid of the car everything made a lot more sense...

After happy hour and some serious mood lighting and Buddha bar trance music from Tomasso we made our way to our dinner reservation. It was not too far from our hotel but with high-heels, the girls found it a bit of a challenge. Once inside the trattoria I began to notice that it was filled with Americans. My BS detector began to go off. We ordered wine from a decent but not outstanding wine  list. The menu was well chosen but didn't have the feel of authenticity. i wanted real Tuscan food and I felt like we were being pushed along a cattle call. Don't get me wrong the food was good but not great. After more wine I began to relax and the food turned out to be alright, just not memorable. I made a note to myself that I would go with the recommendations of my friends over the hotel professionals from that point forward.

We made our way home stopping at an Irish Bar (yes in Florence) called The Old Stove which made up for the dinner. Good beer in good quantity. Cool people working there (musicians of course...) Tomorrow we would start fresh. Shopping in the market, lunch at the Obika Mozzarella Bar and dinner at Trattoria Ruggero with Riccardo and Jenny. Then a visit to our friends at Piaggia in Carmignano. Things were looking up. That night I slept well.

 

To be continued...