Yesterday, I wrote a long blog about the end of our Lake Como trip and on to Florence, but my fat finger hit the wrong button and it erased.  So I’ll try again.

One day we went to a little cemetery in Curate Urio where the villa was.  You can almost always spot a cemetery in Italy because it will be surrounded by tall thin cedars…maybe  Cedars of Lebanon?  This had a very large Pyramid with a man’s cameo in marble, his name and date in Roman numerals which left my mind years ago…maybe by 4th grade!  Almost every tombstone had a picture of the deceased in a little frame.  Some of the stones have little areas built in to,plant a live plant, others have vases for live or silk flowers.  A lot of the photos were of men in Tyrolean uniforms and death dates corresponding with WWII, so they could have been part of a military unit close to the Swiss border.  I just love the Italian cemeteries for their chaotic beauty and the greenery surrounding them.    We had a wonderful last meal at Hotel Posta and a good nights sleep.  The next morning, I took the boat to Como, a short walk to the train station and I went by train to Florence…to meet the group when they arrived by car.  After checking into our Hotel Alba Palace, I ate dinner down the street…not very good.  It wasn’t very good the last time I ate there either…so don’t know why I went back.  The girls arrived and we walked down to the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy that is always a feast for the eyes…and nose.  I noticed walking by outside that you get a burst of perfumed air on the sidewalk…to lure you inside.  If you ever are in Florence and need an elegant, but somewhat expensive gift, this is the place to shop.  Now if you want a lovely, but inexpensive gift that is 100% Florentine, here’s where…go away from the Duomo over the Ponte Vecchio and turn on the first street.  Walk down a bit and you will see an Ivy covered tower apartment on your left.  Across the street is a tiny paper shop where they sell the hand painted Florentine paper.  You can buy rolls of the paper…good for dollhouse wallpaper, or crafts.  And they have small boxes of various shapes and sizes covered in the paper.  Good for little earrings, rings, trinkets or paperclips.  Practical and pretty and won’t break your pocketbook.  The next 2 days, Andy and Suzanne did day trips to Pisa, Siena and San Gimignano and I wandered the streets, popping into shops and churches.  I had a two hour lunch at a favorite place…Cinchiale Bianco..the White Wild Boar.  Evan took me there for my birthday dinner in 2009.  I love the wild boar sauce on pasta and this place makes the best and gives the heartiest serving of the sauce.  I took my time eating the pasta and then dessert…biscotti and vin santo…holy wine.  I left when it became obvious that my table was needed.  The Italians will never rush you from your table, often hard to even get them to bring the check.  They will never bring it until you ask for it.  That night, I found a new place for dinner around the corner from the hotel.  The waitress brought me a complimentary plate of foccacia bread with rosemary to start…hot and fragrant.  I had half a perfectly grilled chicken with more Rosemary.  New great place to revisit!  The next day, the girls did the museum tours and I again wandered the streets and visited with my artist friend, Masri and his family.  They are closer to getting a visa to live in Dallas where he will open a studio, a gallery and teach painting.  I will take lessons from him to learn how to paint dogs and cats.  We headed for home on the train the next day by train and started the washing machine as soon as we got home.  Real life in Rome resumes…til the next adventure.