Venice to Pistoia

Woke up in Venice, took the vaporetto to Piazzale Roma where we rented a car and drove it to the middle of Tuscany, Pistoia to be exact. The drive was smooth, went at about 120 kilometers per hour the entire way on the autostrada. We stopped at Chef Express for a quick lunch, where we saw a cool orange McLaren with gull-wing doors. (For Chef Express, think Stuckey's.) Pistoia is a lovely old town. Patria Hotel is right in the middle of town, which is great for being a tourist, not so great for actually driving up to the town. We stopped to ask directions, used Google Maps, got lucky, and finally pulled up to the cobble-stoned alley fronting the hotel. It was raining heavily, but we managed to offload the luggage and park the car without getting too waterlogged. By the time we'd napped for about an hour, the skies had cleared, and we went on the passagata. Pistoia has a lovely one, streets thronged with people of all ages, walking, chatting, shopping, eating gelato, making out… For a while we sat in a little piazza and had whiskeys while all of Pistoia walked by. There was a demonstration protesting violence against women. They marched around the market with flags and banners and signs and eventually ended up about two blocks away for a well-attended rally.

Ira and I strolled over to Basilica of Our Lady of Humility and discovered a concert taking place inside, flute by Federica Baronti and concert harp by Diana Colosi. Here's a YouTube video of them, but it's terribly cheesy and not at all as beautiful as what we heard. It was lovely to sit in that acoustically perfect octagon and let the notes wash over us. We applauded excitedly, as did the other 50 or so people in attendance. Next, we walked over to the main cathedral, a handsome building done in that black and white horizontal stripe design common to so many Tuscan churches. The paintings and works inside were not by famous painters, but several of them were breathtaking, including one of Mary holding the baby Jesus while John the Baptist points to the future Savior. It's a common theme, but this version was both fresh and formal. I'll take a picture of it and post it later.

We finished the evening off with an expansive dinner at La BotteGaia, one of the more popular spots in town. We can believe that because our meal was so spectacular, we are returning tomorrow night. My standout dish of the evening was an asparagus risotto. Ira's favorite was the soft terrine, with pork and the bitter chocolate dessert. Can't wait to go back. Tomorrow, it's off to Lucca!