Above: The cloudy skies over Firenze
We headed up to Arezzo to visit Simona˙s father, Alessandro. Arezzo is a wonderful (if very bourgeois) Tuscan town, filled with artisan shops of every variety. It also appears to sell an inordinate amount of lingerie. Alessandro was a magnificent host, taking us to a wonderful tratoria where I (Eli) had the pleasure of sampling home-made pasta in a wild boar ragu, while hearing Simona˙s uncle Maurizio recount the story of his run-in with a cinghiale. We had two wonderful family meals with Simona˙s aunt Paola and bonded with Simona˙s adorable baby cousin, Niccolo.
And yes, there was more than food in Tuscany, though at times we wondered. We ogled the stunning, and recently restored, Pier della Francesca frescoes in Arezzo˙s church. And we spent a long day in Florence in the pouring rain. Although queuing up is, apparently, de rigeur in the Italian tourist circuit, we drew the line at the Uffizzi, which would have required a four-hour wait in the cold. No thanks. We did see a number of impressive churches in Florence, the highlight of which was San Lorenzo, with its harmonious, peaceful Renaissance architecture.
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