il dolce far tutto: March 16th: My mom comes to visit!

Love my Momma! (photo cred: Juliann Botham)

My mother and I got to experience Italy together yet again, though, this time the experience was quite different as I live here now. My relative knowledge of the city of Florence allowed us to have an insiders advantage. This translates into me dragging my mother to all of the best places to eat in Florence, which I of course, cannot afford. We had a lovely week, enjoying each-other's company as well as plenty of wine and food...emphasis on the wine and food (just kidding mom). It's always nice to have your momma around to take care of you, especially when you're sick with a cold, which I happened to be that week.

At our favorite restaurant, ZaZa, the accordion player who played behind our table for 40 minutes found his biggest fan...not.

My mom arrived on Wednesday, March 16th which began a weekend of festivities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the unification of Italy in 1861. My mom and I ate dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, ZaZa then rounded up Jules and Teague to go observe the celebrations happening in the city center, before going to the Ponte Vecchio to watch the fireworks. The streets were packed with Italians, which seems like a rarity to me due to the amount of time I have spent shoving my way through foreign tour groups to get to class. The city felt energized and alive as people gathered in the piazzas to celebrate with live music and of course, more shopping.

We eventually made our way to the Ponte Vecchio which was beautifully lit up, as usual, with its lights reflecting on the Arno river. This is a sight I will certainly miss. Anyways, we waited and waited for the fireworks, but only ever heard a few crackles several blocks away in another piazza. Deciding that Italy's fireworks probably just don't match up to our elaborate expectations, we headed home.

I unfortunately woke up with the cold of the century the next morning, and was forced to stay in bed all day while my adventurous little momma explored the city on her own. I did, of course, wake up for dinner at another one of my favorite restaurants, Il Teatro.

Piazza della Repubblica

We spent the next several days, in Florence, orchestrating a more in-depth exploration of the city than I had previously done. I had been saving my trips to the must-see Uffizi and Academia for my mother's visit, which I am very glad about. Luckily, she made reservations at these two most heavily frequented museums in Florence, so that we were able to walk right in, rather than wait in the 3-hour line.

At the Academia, we saw Michelangelo's David. I found the sculpture to be spectacular, despite the fact that I walk by its replica, which sits outside of the Palazzo Vecchio, almost every day. As my mom says, you can't help but fall in love with him, as you circle the immense statue. The Uffizi, which houses Botticelli's Primavera and The Birth of Venus, is also a must-see in Florence and I'm glad I got to see it with my mom.

illegal photograph that I snapped from my waist ...no big deal.

It looks like she is touching the moon. Get it? haha

After covering the main sights in Florence, my mom and I decided to take a bus to Fiesole. Fiesole is a quaint and breezy, hill-top city with great views of the valleys it looks out over. A website claimed that Fiesole's Etruscan ruins rivaled those of Pompei so, of course my mom, a fan of anything old, dilapidated or in castle form, wanted to see them. The ruins were interesting, but trust me, Pompei has nothing to worry about. It was just great to get away from the hectic mayhem of Florence on a saturday and spend some time near grass and trees.

My mom missing her good friend and travel companion, Joy.

Fiesole

Etruscan Ruins

Elizabeth-sized door

fun with camera timer

My mom explained to me early on that she only came to Florence so that I could make her a risotto cake, so, in the next couple of days we got to eat my home-made risotto followed by a risotto cake. In return, my mom bought me a beautiful leather jacket. Both of us were very satisfied :)