I decided to find a ring today. I had been window shopping for days. I went to the Ponte Vecchio and looked again. Finally ending up in a place called The Goldsmith, appropriately enough.

I had them bring out all of their amethyst rings and they even went to neighboring shops. It was funny, though, the first one that caught my eye was the one I bought.

It was going to take an hour or so to have it sized so I headed to a wine bar Megan had told me about. The name was Le Volpi e l’uva – which means the Fox and the Grapes from the fable by Aesop. I am not familiar with the fable so will have to do some research.

It is a wine bar with no kitchen but they do have cheeses, salumi, tostones, and a few vegetable type dishes like salads and crudités. It is off the beaten path a little, over the Ponte Vecchio and through one piazza to another smaller one. They had excellent directions on their website or I probably would never have found it.

It was a small place, like so many here. It had 6 tables outside in a covered area and a small bar with stools that had a couple older men already inside. I was the only one at the tables outside, but not for long. It filled up within about 15 minutes.

A woman came out and I asked if they could do a mixed plate of salumi and cheese, since the menu had plates of cheese or plates of salumi. Once again I put myself in her hands regarding the wines. She suggested the Fattoria do Petreto. A Tuscan wine made with Sauvignon and Semillon.

The plate had Tuscan ham, salami aged in Barrolo wine, Parmesan and a sheep and cow milk softer cheese. A good brown bread with nuts and seeds that was the best bread I have had in Italy.

The next wine was a Vernaccia di San Gimgnano. More minerally and all I could think was that I wished they had raw oysters too!

Next wine was a Sicily Catarratto. I liked the Vernaccia the best.

For some reason I find it funny to see people smoking Marlboro’s here. One woman smoking them and the guy with her had roll your own. They also had a stupid dog who barked several times when other dogs went by.

I really enjoyed myself and spent 2 hours there. The waitress was very animated and definitely knew her wines.

I went and picked up my ring and headed back to the apartment to read. I researched restaurants for dinner and found one that had fairly good reviews and was close by, Buca Poldo.

Florence is known for their Bistecca Fiorentina, which is basically a T-Bone steak. You see big hunks of it in restaurant windows and at the butcher shops. I had been wanting to try it.

Buca Poldo is in a basement. They also have outdoor tables but I was seated inside. There were two other tables of Italians there before me!

I ordered fresh made Fettuccine with Porcini Mushroom Sauce. It was steaming hot and tasted creamy and mushroomy.

The steak was huge, flavorful, and way too much. The potatoes that came with it were hot and crispy, just the way I like them. If I had known the steak came with potatoes I would have skipped the fettuccine.

One of the things I really like about Europe is that you can order small bottles of wine, instead of a big one. I ordered the Villa Antorini, since that was the wine conglomerate that Megan worked for.

Another reason I had chosen this restaurant is that I could make a reservation online. It said I would even get 20% off the bill, which I did. I don’t think they even looked at the online reservation system, just asked me if I had one after I was seated.

When I was done with the meal, the waiter asked if I would like a dessert wine for free! I said I would have the Vin Santo since I had not had any yet. It was good, not too sweet. He said it is usually served with biscotti.

Overall, it was a pleasant dinner and rather a charming little place. The service was good, even though they seated a couple with a one year old next to me. The kid was well-behaved mostly because she was stuffing her face the whole time!

When I got back to the apartment, my friends, Marilee and Yvonne, FaceTimed me from the yacht club. They were there getting read for the annual Marine Swap Meet on Saturday. It was fun seeing them. Then Marilee took me on a tour of the place so I could say hi to friends that were there. Made me a bit more homesick, though.