When the weather is clear and warm, you must take the number 7 bus from the train station out to Fiesole. Fiesole is an old town (it dates back to the original Etruscans that settled before Firenze existed) on a hill that overlooks Firenze. Its small and charming. We ate at Ristorante Aurora overlooking Firenze outside in the sun under a canopy of grape vines; I had a pumpkin gnocchi with nut sauce that was to die for, followed by veal in a green peppercorn sauce. I think this is the most memorable part of the trip for me.

Teatro Romano Ticket

I finished reading Green Hills of Africa (Scribner Classics) and was reminded again of how much I like Hemmingway’s writing (I can thank a professor in an English class at George Mason University for turning me on to Hemmingway). I noticed one interesting thing about the book – normally Hemmingway wrote in short, sturdy sentences, but sometimes in this book he would write in long, run-together sentences when he was recalling or dreaming.