Firenze Due

That's due, as in do-way, the Italian number two as this is our second assault on Florence. We have changed hotels to the Grand Hotel Villa de Medici that is on the other side of Florence from where we were previously based. I have been staying at this hotel for many years and love to return here, as they act like they remember me and I love the luxurious renovation of this grand palazzo.

We drove around town on a ring road making this the easiest town in Italy to navigate so far. We even took off for the Esselunga, the supermarket that I remember and would swear is located just over yonder. Despite being able to get there, there was no there. I dont know if I got mixed up in one way streets and missed it or if the grocery store is totally gone. Either way, I cannot leave Italy without one more supermarket run, preferabbly with the car.

Tomorrow is market day in Lucca, so we will hit the road by 8AM. It takes a little more than an hour to get there and we are forced to use the same road that leads to the beach. The weather has been extraordinary, so we want to beat the traffic as best we can.

Lucca is another walled, medieval town that does not let you park within the city center, so we want to arrive early and get out as soon as we've absorbed all the charm. Leaving a car with luggage in the trunk in Italy doesn't seem a particularly sharp idea. After Lucca we continue north in the beach direction to spend the night in Rapallo. Then it's on to Cannes!

Today we worked on final address checks for Born to Shop and went different directions. Sarah ended up back at San Lorenzo market so she bought me a raspberry silk tie (under 3 euros) for my hair as well as another felt necklace by Tosca-- this one in two different shades of green. I tried to repay her but she just sighed and said I could pay for dinner. Dinner will be at a restaurant we discovered on our last visit here, a local 'joint' down the street from our hotel where we had memorable pasta. Now to see if memory remains intact when fork meets lips.