Here we go again….up at 5.00am for the big trip into Firenze (Florence) for our cooking class. Ruby got us to the train station ok and off we went for the 2 ¼ hour train trip. Arrived in time and set off to the meeting point. Unfortunately our inner GPS’s are not as good as Ruby! The positive from that is that we are getting plenty of exercise. We still managed to get there right on the dot and as it turned out were not the last….a loud mouth Cuban American and her husband were.
As soon as we got to Villa Pandolfini we were into it. The menu we were preparing consisted of Brodo, Risotto Zucchini & Zafferano, Ravioli Ricotta & Spinach Al Burro & Salvia, Pollo All’Etrusca, Flan Patate Etartufo, Panna Cotta Con Salsa Di Fragole & Aceto Balsamico which translates to very very yummy. Basically there was a vegetable broth to be used for the Risotto (Zucchini & Saffron), Ravioli that we made the pasta for, Chicken dish with onion, olives, etc. with a potato flan which contained truffles and Panna Cotta with strawberry sauce. As an added bonus our chef Mauritzio thought we’d also do some bruschetta for an appertiser which wasn’t on the menu. We did the traditional with tomato & basil and another with zucchini & parmesan. Sensational. We had a great day and were laughing heaps with Mauritzio. Every dish was delicious with the exception of the Potato Flan which contained truffle. Now I know it is very expensive and I am usually keen to try most things but I surely don’t know what all the fuss is. It had, to me, a disgusting taste which very nearly came up as quickly as it went down, I should’ve known from the smell! My apologies to anyone who has a taste for them but quite frankly they can leave those suckers in the ground!! The American’s were a pain in every one’s arse, always telling us how they do things, etc. etc. We didn’t let it spoil our day though and as there were only them and us it was a small group and we were thankful for that. I was drinking wine which most of you will know I don’t usually drink but I found it quite nice. I think it was the whole atmosphere of cooking in Florence and with Italian music playing in the background, a wonderful experience. We finished an hour later than the course said, I think because he kept getting us a drink. He went and got Kim and I some Vin Santo wine and was making us (twisted our arms!!) try that as well.
We got our ride back into Firenze to have a look around and do some shopping. We went down to Ponte Vecchio where there are a heap of jewellery shops that just dazzle. We shopped around and looked at the sights a bit more but knew we had to keep an eye on the time for we knew the train we had to get was at 6:53pm and it was a 2+ hour journey home. We finally found our way to where the Statue of David was that Kim was very keen to see but didn’t have a lot of time left at this stage. We walked into the entrance and stood there a little confused as there were scanning devices like at the airport. A man who could obviously see our confusion came over to tell us to put our bags through and walk through ourselves. Before we went through Kim then said to the man ‘We don’t want to miss our train, how far in is David?’ to which he replied ‘just around the corner’. He also told us it was a 10 euro entrance fee but as I wasn’t that fussed in seeing him and as Kim and I had already discussed that, she started handing me her bags to hold and then said ‘I’ll just duck in and get a photo’ to which he quickly responded ‘no no no, no photo’s in museums’ to which Kim responded ‘then I won’t bother going in then’. It was all quite funny at the time in our rush and we just left him standing there open mouthed. We managed to get back to the train station and after much confusion with their signage finally got the right one. Unfortunately for us though it stopped somewhere through the trip and sat for about 20 – 30 mins. Everyone starting moaning, in Italian, to which we had no idea what was going on. A guy could see this and said they have turned off the airconditioner. Boy they carry on when that happens!! We’re not sure then why it just sat there for that long but it made for very long day in the end, home at 9:45. Whew!! No dinner required for obvious reasons so it was a cuppa and a little bit of tidy up and packing ready to leave Bocca Di Magra in the morning. We are going to miss this lovely little town as well as Mirco & Paola who have been so helpful. We didn’t have any accommodation booked until next Thursday so will be booking as we go from now until then. For the next 2 nights we have decided to stay in Padova near Venice and found a hotel, Best Western Premier Hotel Padova Galileo Wellness Spa very cheap on the internet and from there we can catch the train into Venice.
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