This was one of my favorite days in Italy! I woke up, ran the 5K loop, ate breakfast, and then it was off to Arezzo! SMS and I had plans to meet our friends John and Grace. John was the best man in our wedding and Grace is his super-cool wife. If you ever need Instagram-magic advice, she’s your woman!
We drove into town and met them on their train platform. It worked out perfectly, timing-wise. We stopped for an espresso and caught up. Then we went to La Bottega Del Cuoio, a cool leather shop, where I bought a handbag which was influenced by (unwanted but apparently needed) crowd-sourcing of the others’ opinion that my first bag selection was “too old lady.” Pony rude (the origin of this phrase comes later in the trip)!
We walked up to Duomo and went inside to check out a few of the frescos. Afterwards, we walked in the park behind the cathedral and took in the views over the old wall.
We started to get hungry so we walked to the Grand Piazza. We chose Ristorante Logge Vasari after scouting around and being won over by the fact that there was a woman making the “fat spaghetti” right there outside of the restaurant.
It was delightful. We ordered three Aperol sprtiz and one white wine to start. Next, we were given amazing bread and bread dough sticks, followed by an appetizer of veery cheesy zucchini blossoms. Then, we shared four main orders: two spaghetti with tomato sauce, one boar with amazing crispy puffy polenta and one gnocchi. The boar was exceptional but really, all of the food was incredible. It was a perfect meal: delicious food, great friends, perfect weather, and outdoor seating in a gorgeous setting.
After lunch, we walked towards the Basilica of San Francesco to see the famous Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross frescoes. We had to buy timed entrance tickets into the Bacci chapel. While we waited, we walked through the museum next door. The exhibit featured stereoscopic photos and viewers from the late 1800s-early 1900s of the main stops of the European Grand Tour. There were old pictures of Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome, Athens and even a few of Cairo and the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. I learned that even in the late 1800s, a young man would pose in the triumphant, arms-over-head posture that I thought was more modern. Wrong!
After 45 minutes, it was our turn to enter the Bacci chapel. Only 30 people are allowed in and although there is an incredible amount to take in, I lasted about 15 minutes of the allotted 30. The artistry was amazing and each panel had rich detail. Of course, my immature mind noted the unfortunate example of “One Nut Chuck” whose wardrobe mishap of shorty shorts and a not-long-enough tunic is immortalized in one of the scenes. Don’t worry, I pointed it out to the other three.
After the Bacci chapel, we headed over to Casa Vaseri, owned by the artist and decorated with his frescos. We stopped for an espresso and the shop had a cute charging station for phones. The house museum had beautifully preserved frescos. The rooms were mostly empty of furniture but the artwork was pretty awesome.
Afterwards, Grace social-media’d us to the best gelato place in town- Gelateria Cremi. SMS wasn’t hungry but the rest of us ordered delicious cones that we ate as we walked down the street.
SMS and John took the car for a spin in the parking lot (and fortunately, not into the parking lot’s brick wall). We parted ways. Back at the villa, we had a chill family dinner- thin fillets of chicken with pasta at the house. It was a delicious meal. Afterwards, we packed up since it was our last full day at the villa (boo hoo!).
