Paula's Tour Talk

Civilized Shopping in Florence

As soon as I heard about it, I pre-ordered the fantastic Civilized Shopper's Guide to Florence. Happily it arrived just in time to toss in my bag for Time of Your Life Tours' October trip. I think it's the best I've ever seen.

It's tiny enough to fit in your purse and jam-packed with great information. The guide is divided into Walks in all the major neighborhoods in Florence on both sides of the Arno, including Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, San Marco, and of course, the Historic Center.

Each section begins with a very clear map with all the shops marked. Also included are nice amenities like a size chart showing both Italian and US sizes, restaurant and cafe suggestions for the weary, and a gorgeous full color photo of every store.

In each area, you'll find a selection of the very best and most unusual shops in a range of prices. You'll find shops selling buttons, chocolates, powdered pigments for artists, herbal remedies and cosmetics, kitchen ware, sealing wax, gilded picture frames, and tassels to name a few of the more exotic. You'll find shops for leather handbags, belts, shoes, and gloves, and for fancy lingerie, adorable baby clothes and toys, hats, jewelry of all kinds, silks, gorgeous handmade paper, and much, much more.

This is the kind of shopping you hope for when you travel--the marvelous, unique, often handmade treasures, perfect for gifts or to indulge yourself--in a range of prices.

I was delighted to find that I knew over half of these places already, and thrilled to discover some new ones to browse and explore. An Artful Tour of Forence and Venice  leaves next week, and I can't wait to check them out with the women on the tour.

I will try and post when I can from Italy and will have lots to share when we return.

Venetian Scuole

When is a scuola not a school? When it's in Venice.

For centuries only a tiny proportion of the population in Venice had any say at all in its government. Since the 14th century the only people (well, men) who could vote or hold office were descendants of those few families whose names were inscribed in the Libro d'Oro (The Golden Book).  In other words, you had to come from old money. However, this did not lead to social unrest, partly because treason of any sort meant certain and painful death, and partly because the 'non-golden' formed powerful confraternities called scuole (plural form of scuola). The officials of these groups had very high status and wielded considerable influence.

Almost every non-noble middle class male Venetian belonged to one (or more) of these institutions, which were part charitable, part social groups--kind of like today's Kiwanis or Rotary Clubs.  Some were organized by the various professions and guilds; others were formed by groups of immigrants. Their object was to provide material and spiritual succour to members and to do good works. All acted as mutual aid societies and, for example, aided member's widows and orphans and provided dowries to assist impoverished families arrange suitable marriages for their daughters. Each also had its pet charities.

You might belong to a particular scuola because you worked in certain trade, because you shared a common origin, or because you were interested in a particular form of charity. They varied in size and therefore wealth.The Florentine scuola, for Florentines who lived in Venice, was quite small and met in a chapel in the Frari church. Others were rich and they built lavish premises like the one pictured here, one of the six scuole grandi.

The most impressive of the six is the Scuola Grande di San Rocco, whose wealth came from the popularity of its saint, St. Roch, who was invoked in times of plague. Its walls and ceilings are covered with massive paintings  by Tintoretto. But one of my favorites is the lovely Scuola degli Schiavoni, a confraternity of Slavs, whose walls glow with Vittore Carpaccio's great painting cycle telling the story of St. George. Others contain paintings by Gentile Bellini, Tiepolo and other Venetian artists. (As always, click on a photo enlarge it).

Although they no longer are in operation, you can visit many of the scuole, which is much like visiting a church. I hope to return to Scuola degli Schiavoni when we're in Venice with Time of Your Life Tours in a few weeks.

Tour News

Teresa and I can't wait to welcome the fabulous women on Time of Your Life Tours' fall trip.  We'll be greeting them at our lovely hotel in Florence in less than a month. They've all received packing suggestions and other tips to make the tour the time of their lives and the excitement is mounting.

Soon we'll be sharing the pleasures and treasures of Italy. The glorious David, my favorite Botticellis, fall pasta dishes with truffles and wild mushrooms, a glass of Prosecco in a cafe on Piazza San Marco in Venice, the Grand Canal by moonlight, fall colors in the Tuscan countryside, real cappuchino and espresso, great shopping....it's all waiting. I wish we were leaving tomorrow.

Teresa and I always take a few days before and after a tour to do some scouting and to prepare future itineraries. This time we are thrilled to be checking out a cooking class that meets in a villa outside Florence. I think we've finally found the perfect class for our tour members and if all goes well, we will be offering a one-day hands-on cooking class as a free time option for our April 2008 tour.

We're also hoping to get to Montecatini Terme, one of the world's most deluxe spa towns, to see if we can arrange for our tour members to get some real pampering in April.  It's a tough job, but someone has to check things out!

Like autumn, spring is an enchanting time to visit Italy. We've had lots of inquiries about the April tour and a few spots (there are only 15 total) are already filled. One woman was able to use frequent flyer miles for her flight, and if that's your plan, you need to act quickly.

If you're thinking of joining us, please don't delay. We had to turn away some very disappointed women who wished to join our October tour at the last minute.

You'll find all the details at An Artful Tour of Florence and Venice, April 2008 and, of course, we are happy to answer any questions. Just send us an email  at info@timeofyourlifetours.net (include your phone number if you'd like us to call). We'd love to have you join us for the trip of your dreams.

Now I think I'll go and sort through my clothes for the trip and practice with my new camera...Ciao.

End of Summer Tomato Soup

Due to a short growing season, grazing deer, and wacky squirrels--who don't actually like tomatoes, but seem to enjoy taking a single bite from  as many as possible and strewing them on the ground-- I gave up growing my own tomatoes.

Fortunately, I have generous friends with sunnier gardens and several wonderful farmer's markets close by, so I still get (nearly) my fill of luscious ripe tomatoes. Now that summer is drawing to a close, I wanted to share this Tuscan recipe that's great for using the last of the season's bounty.

Zuppa di Pane e Pomodoro (Tomato and Bread Soup)   

1 loaf of Tuscan or other crusty Italian bread

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)

6-7 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

10-12 large ripe (or overripe) tomatoes, peeled and seeded and chopped

1/2 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces

1 cup vegetable stock or water

salt and pepper

Put the bread in a large bowl, cover with cold water and soak quickly. Remove the bread and squeeze out excess water. Set aside. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Tear the bread into bite sized pieces and fry until golden brown on all sides.Add the garlic and cook with the bread for about a minute. Do not let the garlic brown.

Add the chopped tomato and about 2 Tbs. of the basil. Add the stock or water.

Cook the soup over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Use a fork or whisk to break up the tomatoes and the bread.

Remove from heat and stir in all but 1 Tbs. of the remaining basil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour into soup bowls, sprinkle with the basil, drizzle a little olive oil on top, and serve hot.

Serves 4. Takes about 40 minutes to prepare.

Add a salad, a dish of black olives, and bread and cheese for a light supper or serve as a first course before grilled meat or fish.  The taste of summer in a bowl. Buon appetito!