Thursday, November 9 – Fabrizio and Florence

Readers of last year’s journal know that D had an episode of situational vertigo as we arrived in Florence and that we spent 4 hours in the ER of the Maria Nuova Ospidale [spelling optional].  No explanation was ever offered and follow-up tests in Florida also showed nothing in his brain [ba-dum].  We were determined to get to Florence at all costs.

In 2009, we used the services of Fabrizio, a driver recommended by others on Cruise Critic.  He drove six of us from Naples to Positano and Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast.  Fabrizio talked non-stop for the entire drive – in both directions – and led us to a lovely, non-tourist pizza palace for lunch.  At the end of the day, he presented us with a bottle of limoncello made from the local lemons; it is still in our refrigerator and is now fine, aged limoncello.

Because Fabrizio said he does not like Florence, the next day he sent us with Sabrina.  She was not as outgoing as Fabrizio but took us everywhere we wanted to go including the Florence synagogue and, of course, lunch.

In 2011, Fabrizio met us in Rome and took a group of eight to Tivoli and a self-guided tour of the Villa d’Este gardens.  On the way back, we stopped at the Embassy of Malta and peered through the keyhole in the gate to see the dome of St. Peter’s perfectly centered.  It made for an amazing photo.  He let us out for an hour’s free time at St. Peter’s Square where we got gelato and watched the people [especially Orthodox Jews] while the rest of our group shopped.

So it is no wonder that at the last minute we decided to cancel to HAL shuttle to Florence and go with Fabrizio.  When we said, “Florence at all costs,” that referred to Fabrizio’s price.  We agreed upon returning to the ship that we had made a good investment.

The shuttle we did not take left at 7:30 this morning, but we could sleep in [HAH!] for an 8:30 departure.  That was a win right off the bat.  Fabrizio told us later that he had been at the dock at 7:30 and had thought about throwing pebbles at our window; little did he know that we don’t have one.

We drove through the gritty harbor area of Livorno and onto the highway for the 90-minute drive to Firenze.  About an hour into the drive, we left the highway and took back roads through vineyards full of brown, dormant plants and olive groves with trees full of ripened olives.  Fabrizio told us that in addition to his fleet of minivans and buses, he also grows olives for olive oil.  This is the harvest time for the olives, he said, although he is going to wait a bit longer to pick his.  He and his employees also press the olives and then sell the oil.  Prior to this, we thought he was just a driver with one vehicle, not a one-man conglomerate.

Our chariot today was a 7+1 minivan with plenty of room for 7 passengers plus Fabrizio.  Even if full, it would have been more comfortable than the 18-seater we rode to Fatima, Nazaree and Obidos.  With just the two of us, we had more room in the van than in our cabin.  Onward we rode, through narrow cobblestone streets into the heart of tourist Florence, Piazza Santa Croce.

A large open plaza, Piazza Santa Croce is bounded on three sides by merchants and by Santa Croce [Holy Cross] church on the fourth.  The area is used by many tours and tourists as a meeting point and it was here, in fact, that D got sick last year; we avoided the coffee shop where he sat in the gutter and threw up. 

Florence is noted for its leatherwork and MA was interested to looking at some examples.  We have bought things in the leather market not far away, but here were real shops and “factories” rather than stalls.  Fabrizio asked her she was interested in cheap, medium or high-end goods.  Settling on medium, we followed him into one of the stores on the square where MA bought herself a pair of lined gloves.  Another mission accomplished.

Next on our list was a visit to the synagogue.  Florence once had a thriving Jewish population and the synagogue reflects both its size and wealth.  There are seats for several hundred worshippers on the ground floor and more seats for women on the first and second floor.  The women’s seats are behind an open screen.  Similarly, women in mosques are relegated to a separate area.  Even at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, there are men’s and women’s areas.  We think most of the Jews “disappeared” during WWII and we have heard conflicting reports about any remaining Jewish presence in Florence.  One positive is that the synagogue is closed to visitors on Saturdays and Jewish holidays for services. Someone must be coming.

The interior of the synagogue is decorated in mosaic tile and, of course, stained glass.  The architecture is mid-Eastern with lots of keyhole archways.  From the outside, it reminded us of the Great Choral Synagogue in St. Petersburg as well as being reminiscent of some of the mosques we have seen.

When we were here in 2009, cameras were not permitted.  While this is still true, cell phones are now allowed so D took as many pictures as he could.

It was past noon by this time and we had not had breakfast, so Fabrizio circled around town some more, parked illegally and led us to a local eatery.  At his suggestion, we order a pizza and the ever-present Cokes.  Lunch was less than 20 euros including a cover charge which surprised us a replaced the tip we would have left.

We drove some more with Fabrizio pointing out historical sites – palaces, burial sites, birthplaces, etc.  We chose not to visit any of Florence’s famed museums or even the Ponte Vecchio [the Old Bridge] which once housed butchers and now is home to many jewelers and goldsmiths.  We stopped near the Duomo so D could take new pictures.  He took the time to wander through the church and ended up on the side opposite where he entered, so he had a shlep back to the van where he found Fabrizio and MA having a good old time in his absence.

“And that’s Florence,” said Fabrizio.  “Do you want to see anything else or go anywhere?”  We didn’t, so we started back to Livorno with Fabrizio talking with both hands and looking back at us the whole time.  Mamma Mia!  It’s a wonder we weren’t killed on the highway today.  We were “home” at 3 o’clock after a very satisfying day.

TOMORROW – Civitivecchia, portal for Rome