Before we go on to the events of the day, I thought I would tell you a little bit about our Hotel Paris. It was built in 1599 and was a palace for the Doni family and then the Venturi family. We enjoyed exploring the various nooks and crannies, and I appreciated many of the decorative pieces.
The girls are staying in the Boticelli room, which is interesting because Laura is a fan of his work.
Ok, on to today’s events. We joined a tour group from Walkabout Tours today which was headed by chef Isaac from Seattle. He has spent many years learning cooking and working in Italy. He took us to the central market where we purchased food for today’s meal.
Tomatoes
We purchased pork loin and ground beef, but I also found these interesting things including rabbit.
A light post that squats.
We took a bus out of the city to a Tuscan farmhouse where we began creating a 4 course meal. It took a few hours, but we enjoyed the process including making our own pasta by hand.
Bread with pesto
Bruschetta
Pasta with pesto
Pasta with ragu
Pork loin and oven roasted potatoes
Tiramisu and espresso
We left feeling very full!!
We had our bus driver drop us off at the edge of the city close to Michelangiolo Plaza where the replica statue of David stood in place of the real one.
From here we went up to the San Miniato cathedral and monastery where we explored the church and an ancient graveyard. We were treated to a service by Benedictine monks singing Gregorian chant!
Down the hill and over the river we went to find some gelato before settling in for the night!
Tomorrow we head to the Amalfi coast and pray that the forecasted rain does not appear!!
garyandpearl 
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