Meeting Michel & Roberto in Milan for Their Pre Wedding Dinner

**Such fun visiting Michel & Roberto in Milan!**

On a beautiful, sunny day in June, it was a pleasure to take a nice train ride from Santa Maria Novella station in Florence back to Milan. After checking in to a local hotel I met with Michel, my dear friend and Italian language tutor. Prior to my trip, Michel invited me to a special pre wedding dinner referred to as a “bachelor party,” minus the traditional American all male festivities. I was fortunate enough to be part of a formal dinner consisting of a small group of cherished friends to celebrate the upcoming wedding of Michel and Roberto!

Prior to the special dinner, Michel proceeded to give me a “mini” tour of the local area of Milan. We walked and walked through the streets, eventually arriving at the lovely apartment of Michel and Roberto.

Duomo of Milan

All I can say is “Wow!” Michel and Roberto’s apartment was artful in itself! Michel showed me how he had been responsible for designing all the foliage that aligned the stairwell and pretty little white roses closest to the lower level.

The inside of the apartment did not disappoint as it was displayed beautifully with white furniture and other special designer décor. I especially marveled over one of Roberto’s personally designed light fixtures! After our jovial conversation, we discussed the best way for me to travel from the hotel to the restaurant in the evening since the taxis were on strike.

The next series of events seemed to be a large test of my ability to handle a bit of stress. It began with getting on the wrong underground subway to get to my hotel! Luckily, a nice young man assisted with directing me immediately off the subway and led me to the correct ride back. This cut into my time to prepare for the dinner, which is always manic when a woman is trying to look their best! However, imagine something worse than that….. As I happily made it to the front hotel entrance, my mind was working quickly and I decided to call an Uber. (I thought it would be better than walking in a long dress with heels for a half hour to the restaurant!) I felt relieved for a moment. But, as the Uber pick up time quickly approached (8:30 p.m. and the dinner was at 9:00 p.m.), I realized that I had left my special gift up in the hotel room. It was a painting of the happy couple created by my daughter.

The reservationist was kind enough to promise holding the Uber driver if they arrived. After I rushed back down in the elevator, a message appeared on my phone, saying the Uber had cancelled…at 8:31 p.m. Ahhhh! I immediately called Michel. Thankfully and incredibly he calmed me down and picked me up in his mother’s car!

Do I look stressed in that photo or what?

I must say, whatever unnerving transportation events occurred that day, they certainly left my mind quickly when I arrived at the gorgeous Brera restaurant in St. Mark’s Square. A small group of Michel and Roberto’s friends were waiting outside the restaurant and greeted me as if we were long time acquaintances. Inside, the atmosphere was beautifully tranquil with plants and lights through out the restaurant – an ambience of perfection. The dinner was an experience I’ll never forget. Thank you Michel and Roberto for being who you are and welcoming me into your lives with friends that I will always cherish.

Part II

Francesca Battisti at the Caffe’ Dolce Amaro

The Friendship Journey Continues

I am wishing my Florence friends a better year to come in 2021, filled with happiness and success in spite of this surreal time with the COVID-19 virus Pandemic. As we approach gradual lifting of restrictions for businesses and more relaxed social gatherings, my hope is that a vaccine is approved and that our world will return to some type of normalcy. Unfortunately, at this time, the United States, along with other countries, has been in a terrible crisis with COVID cases. I am glad that Italy rose like the “Phoenix” out of the ashes by being a great success at controlling the virus after suffering through a total lock down for months.

At this time, I am sad to say that my trip to Florence this year has been delayed. I am keeping my fingers crossed and filling my mind with optimistic thoughts of seeing my lovely Italian friends soon. In this latest blog addition, I would like to share more of my delightful moments with Florentine friends during the summer of 2019.

During my two week visit to Florence in the summer of August 2019, after attending language school, I would walk back to Via La Luna (Literal translation:The Moon Street) to take a break in my cozy first floor apartment while passing numerous places to eat. One of my favorite places, which I chose just because the food looked so appetizing, was Cafe’ Dolce Amaro. There I met Francesca Battisti, a friendly, dedicated worker. Francesca could quickly and efficiently deliver whatever food a customer requested. I became hooked on a delicious veggie “panini” that was warm and very tasty. I would ask for it to be “porta via” (To go and the literal translation is “take away.”). Once inside my apartment, I used the microwave to reheat this delectable, juicy veggie sandwich. During one of my trips to Dolce Amaro, I couldn’t resist adding a dessert. Sorry I can’t recall the name of it….I just know it was super creamy and delicious! Check out the photo below. I’m sure it will make your mouth water! Francesca was a pleasure to converse with and enjoyed having her photo taken.