First Week - diary filling up

It was a good end to our first week.When you stay in Firenze for only 2 or 3 weeks getting the supplies in is very different; you are always thinking of the leaving date and what you will need to use up. For the first few days of this longer stay we went round the familiar local shops and markets buying just what we needed in the short term. 

By the Wednesday we were ready for a bigger shop and headed across the city to our favourite large market mercarto San Ambrogio which sells everything on the stalls outside and in the large covered area. Not as famous as the more well known mercarto Centrale we actually prefer it - not as "touristy " and somehow friendlier. 

As we walked the familiar route that leads across the Piazza Santa Croce I started to feel "at home" with that feeling of belonging I always get in this beautiful city. In the covered bit of the market there is what I can only describe as an old fashioned grocers. There we stocked up on dry goods like rice, beans, lentils & the essential coffee - freshly ground. It was a bit of a heavy load but good to be buying in bulk and practicing our Italian. 

On Wednesday evening we met our friends from America who we first met here in Firenze a few years ago and we always have a catch up over Aperativo. We met in the caffé Notte (where else) and as we are living above it we just hung out of the window until we could see them coming! 

Friday evening found us heading towards Porto San Niccoló and a bar called Gecko for a meet and greet event organised by a Facebook group foreigners in Florence. It was a fun evening and we met some nice people but on reflection it would be better to meet with people for language exchange.

By Saturday I had managed to catch a head cold but it didn't stop us going to the local Festa in Piazza Santa Spirito in celebration of the Bianchi's winning this years Calcio Storico. Free food & vino at 1€ a glass what's not to like ( we did put a donation in for the food).