Oh the people you'll meet...in Italy

Today was all about exploring places in Italy and being exposed to the different personalities throughout the area.  From the merchants of the Scandicci flea markets to the fans of Florence soccer (football) games people of Italy are quite interesting. 

I went to a Scandicci market where you can find all kinds of items and food.  Everyone was raving about the bambino pastry, so of course I had to indulge myself.  This delicious sweet was similar to a doughnut but filled with nutella and creme covered in powdered sugar.  Yes this probably clogs your arteries faster than you can say heartattack, but the melt-in-your-mouth taste is divine.

After enjoying this, I made my way to a booth with an intriguing machine making a different kind of dessert.  Chips that taste very sweet like cake called Brigidino were being made by some merchants who travel all over Tuscany to sell this secret desert.  With the help of a translator, I discovered that they were very particular about sharing information on the dessert itself saying that it is passed down and is a personal recipe that is not shared outside their family. 

Later that day, I shared a conversation with a friendly Italian man in a Gellato store.  We discussed the fact that many of us were going to the big game that night and how important it was to the people of Florence.

That night at the soccer game between Florence and Juventus, I saw how intense the fanatics of Italian soccer really are!   They took the concept of cheering and chanting to an entire new level.  An important fact to know, whistling at the team is BAD!!! Unlike in the United States where we can whistle and yell and even ring the occaional cow bells at games in support of our teams, whistling is done only at the opponents and in severe distaste.  This is equivalent to boo-ing, and this was done constantly at Juventus' players.

All in all, I had countless oppotunities to interact with the people of Italy today, and it was amazing.  Sometimes I was closer to strangers on bus rides and such than I would feel comfortable otherwise, but that's all part of the experience!