Even though it is still quite chilly in the mornings, Spring has started to show her gorgeous face with lots of sunshine, new flowers in bloom and new season fruit & vegetables in abundance!  People just seem to be happier too, walking around smiling as they soak up the first rays of the warmer sun.

Here in Florence there is a spectacular magnolia tree in Piazza Beccaria that will stop you in your tracks if you happen to see it in full bloom.  It’s incredible how it is in bloom for such a short time and in fact, I noticed yesterday that the flowers have already started to fall.  I sent Emiliano out last week to take some photos of the tree as soon as it stopped raining so I could share them with you – such beauty!

 

As my boys are getting bigger, they are now too heavy for me to carry both of them on the bike and so this past weekend, we let Matteo ride his own bike into centro for the first time.  I put Thomas on the back of my bike and Emiliano ran alongside Matteo to ensure that he didn’t wander into the middle of the road.  (Emi got more of a workout that what he bargained for!)  I was actually pretty impressed with how well Matteo did although am still a bit nervous about letting him ride along behind me.

This past weekend there was the TASTE festival on and so many bars and restaurants were offering special menus and tastings.  As the weather was so gorgeous, it was a great excuse to get out and experience what was on offer.  On Sunday, we went to Riccardo Barthel, known for his gorgeous kitchen and bathroom designs and also brocante.  A few years ago they added a cooking school, DESINARE which is not only offers great courses but they are also a lot of fun!  I have done quite a few of their classes and always learn something new!  The DESINARE chefs prepared the food for Ortobello (translated means beautiful fruit & vegetable  garden).  We bought some delicious pork with apples and prunes from Vignoli butchers and incredible vegetables from the Orto del Borro.  The food was delicious and it was a lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday.