Laughter and Tiramisu

Nothing is better then ordering a sambuca at the end of the meal, and having them simply place a bottle on your table and a few glasses. And then tell you to help yourself. "Have as much as you want," the owner smiled. He had bracelets up to his elbows - heavy silver bangles and skull rings. A harley davidson patch on his leather vest, and a disposition that made you immediately question his dress. Like a kitten in lions clothing, La Giostra, by Santa Croce, lived up to every bit of Florentine hospitality and more.
Walking in, we were greeted with complimentary prosecco and appetizers of chicken liver crostini, marinated vegetables - our big winner was the gorgeously seasoned potato cakes.
The burrata, cows milk cheese decadently injected with fresh cream, made me actually laugh out loud. I have never tasted anything so amazingly rich and addictive before, this soft, ribbony mozzarella-ricotta-joy all in the same cheese. Grapefruit, honey and pine nuts cleansed the palate, but Nat (my roommate) and I actually were dipping everything we could in the rich cream left in the bowl. Tuna tartare with blood oranges, and then a carpaccio of eggplant, zucchini and tomato really cemented the fact that I was not getting up from this meal without someone rolling me out the door.
The pasta followed, homemade and saffron yellow from the farm eggs used in the dough. One, stuffed with pear and peccorino, the other with artichoke and roasted tomatoes. Filet, ruby red rare with a balsamic reduction, then sea bass, flaky and drizzled with soft roasted tomatoes that gave in so easily to the fork. Tiramisu, loosely packed but heavy with mascarpone and worth every bite, unlimited sambuca, and laughter so hard we left tearing up.
The walk back was about 40 minutes, but much needed. Tomorrow is our first "real day" of class. Three lectures then a tour of the famous gardens.
It's so odd to have to sit in a lecture hall in a city like this. Having off again today after a 2 hour lecture was another blessing. Santa Croce never gets old, and as much as Roma has my heart, Firenze is really putting up a stubborn fight to steal it. I'm learning these endearing, twisting streets in this incredibly small and manageable city. Gelato isn't made with unnatural colors that trap your eye, but flavors that make you grin. Pignoli and Cannella? Anice? That's why this city is so famous.
For so long, I held to the contention that, in Roma, you can see everything you ever wanted to without ever going inside. The Colosseum, the Pantheon, the steps, the Navona, Trevi. It's all there and so amazing in its openness. Even a novice can navigate the tiny lanes and old, awkward stone steps.
I had always contended that this was Roma's advantage. In Fireneze, you have to go inside to see everything. Yes, there is the Duomo, Santa Croce, the Ponte Vecchio. Sta. Maria Novella. All breathtaking, but (besides for the Duomo) what I found most impressive was hidden in a quiet, shadowy corner. Even full of tourists, one can get a glimmer of solitude.
What I though was once a disadvantage I am now finding a blessing. It's a small city covered in crevices and dead ends that will get you confused and lose you, then give you just a glimpse of a North Star - a Duomo, a bridge, and again remind you - it may be small in kilometers, but it is so big in so many different ways.