I heard that Chicca, who lives at the teacher’s house, doesn’t appear in public very often, so I’m glad she showed up! Chicca means “cute” in Italian. The teacher’s playful smile was also Chicca ^^
先生のお宅のキッカちゃん🎵「あまり人前に出ないのよ」と聞いていたので、姿を見せてくれて嬉しい！ Kikkaはイタリア語で”可愛い”だそうです。先生のお茶目な笑顔もまたKikkaでした＾＾

After finishing the lesson and taking a nap at my apartment, I had an aperitivo with a local friend in the evening! The menu at the wine-based bar near Ponte Vecchio is “Crostone con lardo di colonnata, pomodoro e origano” = Crostone with fresh tomatoes and oregano is absolutely delicious. The cheese and ham platter is also irresistible! I enjoyed it slowly while chatting with spumante.
レッスンを終えて自宅アパートでシエスタ（お昼寝）の後は、夕方頃から現地の知人とアペリティーボ！ヴェッキオ橋付近にあるワイン主体のバルのメニュー”Crostone con lardo di colonnata, pomodoro e origano”＝フレッシュトマトとオレガノのクロストーネが最高に美味しい。チーズとハムの盛り合わせもたまらない！スプマンテと合わせてお喋りしながらゆっくり味わいました。

The next morning, I went to the Tuesday-only open-air morning market in Piazza Cassine with my friends from the home cooking course! The market street, which is said to be 2km long, has a wide lineup of fresh vegetables and fruits sold by weight, panino stalls, clothes, accessories, and cooking utensils! Most shops in the market accept credit cards, which is a blessing. Around 8 a.m., there aren’t many people on the streets, and there are still many shops that are still getting ready.
翌朝は家庭料理コース仲間とカッシーネ広場の火曜限定青空朝市へ！全長2kmと言われる市場の通りには、新鮮なお野菜や果物の量り売り、パニーノ屋台、洋服、アクセサリー、調理器具まで幅広いラインナップ！市場はほとんどのお店がクレジットカード利用OKでありがたいことこの上なし。朝8時頃は人通りが少なく、準備中のお店がまだまだ多い。

I found some of my favorite “Lampredotto” stalls! Choosing a food stall run by grandpa and grandma is a great choice! The flavor of the broth (broth) in which the “gialla” is simmered, the Italian parsley sauce (“salsa verde”), and the chili pepper sauce (“piccante”) are also delicious! The bread is a little smaller than other stores, making it easy to eat while walking! The next day, I talked to the teacher and he told me that this Lampredot was the best at the Cassine market. Thank you for the meal! By the way, when grandpa and grandma are in a good mood, they will serve you red wine!
大好きなランプレドットの屋台を何軒か発見！おじいちゃんとおばあちゃんが営む屋台をセレクトして大正解！ギアラを煮込むブロード（出汁）の味わい、イタリアンパセリソース（サルサヴェルデ）、唐辛子ソース（ピカンテ）も美味しい！パンは他店と比較して少し小ぶりで、食べ歩きもしやすいサイズ！翌日先生に話したところ、カッシーネ市場ではこちらのランプレドットがイチオシとのこと。ご馳走様でした！ちなみに、おじいちゃんおばあちゃんの機嫌のいい時は赤ワインをつけてくれるとのこと！

A hardware store in the market. This is not a wholesale store, but a direct sales stall from a factory that actually manufactures knives. You can get quality knives at affordable prices. The salesperson will check the sharpness of the knife you purchase by cutting a strip of newspaper. Furthermore, she gave me some kind advice, such as, “The wooden handle is nice, but after about 20 years of use, the clasp will deteriorate over time and come loose, so if you want to use it for a long time, I recommend a plastic one.” I was very happy to be able to purchase a knife with a curved tip and a “mezzaluna” (a moon-shaped two-handed knife) that I had wanted before my trip!
市場の金物屋さん。こちらは卸売ではなく、実際にナイフを製造している工場の直売露店。質の高いナイフをお手頃に入手できます。購入するナイフは販売員さんが新聞紙をスパッと切って切れ味を確認してくれます。さらに、「木製の持ち手は素敵だけれど、20年ほど使うと経年劣化で留金が浮いてくるから長く使いたいならプラスチックがおすすめだよ」などと丁寧な案内をしてくれて安心。渡航前から欲しかった先端がカーブしたナイフとメッツアルーナ（月の形をした両手持ちの包丁）も購入できて大満足！

From an early morning stroll through the market to a home cooking course lesson. Even though we were attacked by drowsiness along the way, we all had fun cooking; doing our handicrafts while chatting about the happenings at the market and our plans for the afternoon. The photo shows a large platter of potato salad that I make when my family and relatives get together! We had fun decorating to our heart’s content!
早朝の市場散策から直接家庭料理コースのレッスンへ。途中途中で睡魔に襲われながらも、みんなでワイワイ楽しく調理🎵市場での出来事や午後の予定について、お喋りしながらの手仕事。写真は家族や親戚が集まったときに作るポテトサラダの大皿料理！思い思いにデコレーションを楽しみました！

It has been about a week and a half since we arrived in Florence. Dinner time with course mates, roommates, and local friends! Since each of them traveled to other regions and neighboring countries while in Florence, it was a fun exchange of souvenir stories. Of course you can eat at a restaurant where my beloved Lampredot is on the menu! “The Antico Ristoro di Cambi” is located just after crossing the Amerigo Vespucci Bridge from the city center, and the service provided by the staff is very good, so we highly recommend it!
フィレンツェ到着から約1週間半。コースの仲間やルームメイト、現地の友人を共に囲むディナータイム！それぞれフィレンツェ滞在中も他の地域や近隣国へ旅行していたりするので、愉快なお土産話の交換会となりました。お食事はもちろん、私の愛してやまないランプレドットがメニューにあるお店にて！中心街方面からアメリゴ・ヴェスプッチ橋を渡って間もなくの”The Antico Ristoro di Cambi”店員さんのサービスもよく、おすすめです！

It’s finally time to show everyone the first Lampredot made in Italy! My friends on the home-cooked course, my roommate, and a Japanese person living in Florence also ate it and gave us their comments. As expected from all the meat lovers out there, they said it was delicious and devoured it. Among them, we received feedback that the taste was simpler and gentler than we expected, so we decided to try to bring out the richness and umami in our next prototype!
いよいよイタリアでの自作ランプレドット第一号を皆さんに披露！家庭料理コースでご一緒の皆さんや、ルームメイト、フィレンツェ在住の日本人の方にも召し上がっていただき、コメントをいただきました。さすがお肉好きの皆さん、美味しい美味しいと仰ってペロリと平らげてくださいました。その中で「思ったよりシンプルな味わい、優しいお味」というご意見があり、次回の試作ではコクや旨みを出せるよう挑もうと決意！

First time participating in Art Visit! On this day, we will take a walk through historical buildings such as Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Pitti, as well as explanations about their historical background and human behavior at the time. There were approximately 15 participants, accompanied by a Japanese interpreter. Explanations are available in Italian, English, and Japanese. It was a very satisfying activity as even simple questions were answered carefully.
Art Visit初参加！この日はシニョーリア広場やピッティ宮殿など、歴史的建造物やその時代背景、当時の人間模様などを解説していただきながら散策。日本人の通訳さん同行で、参加者は約15名。解説はイタリア語、英語、日本語で聞けます。素朴な質問にも丁寧に答えていただけて、満足のいくアクティビティでした。

Over the weekend, I reunited with a friend who came from Germany for the first time in 10 years! To the “Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino”! The harmonies played under the direction of Zubin Mehta, a leading figure in the classical world, will give you goosebumps. It’s a joy to be immersed in this space where musicians who respect him gather together, as well as classical music fans who love them all! ! Outside the performance venue is a collaborative display with Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy. During a short break between performances, I enjoyed the elegant fragrance and gorgeous decorations to my heart’s content.
週末はドイツから遊びに来た友人と10年ぶりに再会！フィレンツェ市立劇場Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentinoへ！クラシック界の重鎮Zubin Mehtaの指揮で奏でられるハーモニーは鳥肌もの。彼を敬愛する演奏家が参集し、これまたそんな彼らを愛してやまないクラシックファンが集うこの空間に浸る幸せ！！演奏会場の外はサンタ・マリア・ノヴェッラ薬局とのコラボディスプレイ。演奏の合間の小休憩に、上品な香りと華やかな装飾を心ゆくまで楽しみました。