A Month in Bella Italia

[Flutterby]

So...continuing from where I left off!

Still at San Miniato al Monte.....the crypt is the oldest part of the church and the high altar supposedly contains the bones of St Minias himself. We weren't supposed to take photos here, but we did.

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This was a side 'chapel' with beautiful wood panelling and frescoes but I can't remember what it was. You can see Lis taking a rest.

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The cemetry.

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Here you can see the old city walls and some lovely terraced gardens.

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We wanted to see the cloisters but apparently they are only opened to the public on Christmas Day. Having finished at the church we strolled back down the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo and rested our weary legs at a restaurant where we each had a beer while taking in the lovely views over Florence.

Getting artsy with the restaurant furniture!

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We then caught the bus back into the centre of Florence where we had lunch. I had some delicious mussels but I can't remember what Lis had.

[Richprins]

Flutts!

Looks like Romeo and Juliet country!

I wonder what those planks against the city walls are for?

[Flutterby]

They are probably holding the walls up!

[Lisbeth]

At their age, they probably need to be sustained

I had grilled vegetables and I also have a pic of Flutterby eating mussels

It is a beautiful landscape and looks like straight from the Middleage

[Lisbeth]

Is this "Basilica di Santa Croce"?

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[Flutterby]

[Flutterby]

I remember the grilled veggies now!

[Lisbeth]

Some more pics of the beautiful frescoes in the Sacristy of San Miniato al Monte painted by Spinello Aretino - 1387 - Life of St. Benedict:

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[Lisbeth]

Flutterby and I had a very pleasant lunch back in town:

Flutterby "Fa la scarpetta" Fare la scarpetta is one of those Italian sayings that doesn’t really have an identical phrase in English. Meaning “make the little shoe,” it refers to the small piece of bread used to mop up the last of the sauce on your plate.
This said there is a time when making the little shoe is frowned upon and Giovanni Della Casa explained it in "Il Galateo", his guide to the rules of polite behaviour and etiquette: it is acceptable to engage in the practice during an informal meal, however, in a formal setting and in public, when making the little shoe you must use a fork and not your finger to move it across the plate. (Being me, I had to add the last phrase )

It was a nice place in the shade in one of the narrow streets, where the sun does not hit very much.

[Richprins]

Funny food, though!