Also, today was my first day of class! I had my Intermediate Italian lesson at 3pm and the rest of the day was free to do some shopping at the market and work out at the palestra (gym). The class is going to teach me correct grammar and really take my language skills to the next level - hopefully to where I can become sociable with the Italians here! They really seem to respond well when I ask about things in Italian, they at least think its cute that I'm trying. Also, about the market, its fabulous. The Mercato Ambragio is just around the corner from my apartment. There vendors have fruit, veggies, meat, cheese, pastries, bread, clothes, take away food and even a little restaurant. Mostly I have gotten my veggies for dinner and my fruit for breakfast and snack there. Its all very fresh and flavorful, better than the supermarket (which is slightly less than super). Today, just for you, I decided to get something I've been seeing in many venues to find out if I was missing out on something. I still don't know what its called because the man spoke no English and after I paid I practically ran home to try it. See below...
Okay so here it is. My eye wants me to believe these are blueberries perhaps but no, they are figs. The texture of the fig was great with the sweet bread and I enjoyed that. I could also tell that this was fresh because the honey/sugar syrup that's on the bread hadn't saturated all the way through. It was good, but not my new favorite treat. But I'll tell you what is...
Gellateria dei Nieri! Okay this place is so good that I have yet to try another place since. The first night when we got gelato we didn't look up any reviews and went to the 2nd closest on the block. Mistake. This place is the real deal. We've even had a local tell us it is also one of their coveted spots. My favorite flavor so far is Ricotta e Fichi (fig). And I've tried quite a few flavors at this point seeing as how they have these little 50 cent cones and over 30 kinds. SCORE!!
Here is a pic of the Mercato Ambragio where I buy my produce.
There are also lots of other markets around the city that are everyday like mine or just on specific days. This formaggio (cheese) is from the Marcatale di Firenze in the Piazza della Repubblica. This market is only there every first Saturday of the month. If you're going to get a food gift from me while I'm here it might be from here, they had fantastic samples.
I think I will post some pictures on FB today or tomorrow, they are adding up quickly. One love, VA.
