Day 3 - Festa di San Giovanni
View of the Duomo from the Rinascente Firenze Rooftop Bar
June 24, 2023: Today was the Festa di San Giovanni (Feast of St. John) here in Florence. It celebrates in the presence of San Giovanni Battista, who became patron saint after the complete conversion of the city to Christianity. There were ceremonies, parades, and final match of an old sport called the Calcio Storico. A tradition that has its origins in the history of the first ball games, from the Spheromachy of the ancient Greeks to the Roman Harpastum. It is a cross between football, rugby and wrestling. The day ended with a fireworks display over the Ponte Vecchio.
We did more walking about today getting a feel for the city down some of the side streets and came upon a little wine bar Il Bussolotto. The owner was very friendly and we were able to get out of the sun and enjoy a nice refreshing drink. Her brother owns the restaurante across the street so she gave us a card to get a discount there sometime during our stay. Did you know that different words are used to describe the type of restaurants and bars in Italy? Trattorias, Ristorantes, Osterias and Enotecas. The trattorias are traditionally family owned, casual restaurants found throughout Italy. Ristorantes are more full service restaurants where a host or hostess seats you. Osterias are wine bars that also serve simple meals and an Enoteca traditionally does not serve food and is only a place to go and drink wine. History lesson for the day!
We are generally finding the prices here very reasonable. Tipping is not common which if very hard to get used to coming the the States. Today we picked up some Nespresso pods for our Airbnb and found they are half the price of what we pay at home.
After a bit of shopping we stopped at a rooftop bar above the Rinascente Firenze department store. The views of the Duomo were amazing (see photos and videos). Jimm tried a new drink called a Hugh Spritz (elderflower liqueur, sparkling water, prosecco, and lime slices over ice) that was invented in northern Italy. Really refreshing. We definitely plan to stop up there again for dinner to hopefully get some nighttime shots of the Duomo..
Before watching the fireworks from the Ponte Vecchio bridge, we had dinner at the Osteria Belguardo. The food was delicious (Jimm had the pistachio crusted tuna filet and I had the Risotto with prawns). Sitting next two us were two couples from the UK. We had fun chatting with them and sharing our travel plans. All in all, a great day here in Florence!
Jimm Rating for the Day: *****