Firenza

Two, or two and a half, days to explore Florence is only making the smallest scratch in the surface of this city.

The flat we are staying in is about as central as you can get, being 30 metres or so downstream of the Ponte Vecchio; a basement apartment whose small windows look out over the River Arno. We are in the basement of the reddish brown building, our small windows visible in the stone wall between the sloping pillars

To get to the flat you descend a spiral staircase. This is the view from the bottom, looking like the curled tentacle of a large octopus

The view out of the window, the Ponte Vecchio is reflected in a mirror.

Being underground gives a nice constant temperature, and so long as the river doesn’t flood we will be very happy here

Item one on our itinerary is a visit to the Uffizi gallery. This is the only visit we have pre-booked on this holiday, and requires a relatively early start to hit our allocated time slot. There is a nearby supermarket where I pick up bits of bread, meat and cheese for breakfast and lunches.

The Uffizi is mind-blowingly large. I have seen enough Madonna and Child pictures to last a lifetime, so here is a more interesting self portrait in the self portrait section of the gallery

The ancient statuary is interesting, both in form and history. So many ancient statues are copies of even more ancient statues. The Emperor collection is also comprehensive, apparently people used to try and collect the set, with the shorter lived rulers being rare items difficult to track down.

There is a very relaxing al fresco terrace bar and cafe, where we take a break and soak up a little sunshine and tarte di frutte.

Spent time just wandering the streets. The cathedral looks like an enormous wedding cake. Closed when we arrived, but went back during opening hours to find the stationary queue going across the front and the whole length of the side. I am 63 years old, life is now too short to join such a line. Better next time to try getting there early before the doors open

The Odeon cinema was housed in this bookshop in an old palazzo. Luxurious seating upstairs in the circle while the bibliophiles browsed in the stalls. Bizarre

Our B&B host had recommended the Trattoria Sabino as a place to eat. We arrived just before 7:15, when it opened, to find a long queue snaking back from the door. We dithered, on the life too short principal, but joined the queue to consider our options. The doors opened and most of the customers made it inside. We were only the third group of the people waiting outside, so on the basis that this must be a good place to eat we waited to be seated

And what a good decision. The best, and cheapest, food and wine of the trip so far. So cheap I decided to go for both a primi and secondi piatti. Vera, with her sparrow-like appetite obviously just had secondi. Between us we had tagliatelle with sugo sauce, rosemary infused veal, stuffed chicken, roast potatoes, green leafy veg thing. Absolutely marvellous

When we leave, there is still a long queue waiting for seating

Day two. A lot of choice, but for artistic and craft excellence with historical associations I have opted for the Meddici Mausoleum. We set off, emerging from our basement, across the Ponte Vechio, and towards the Duomo. Vera is a slow walker, but today was slower than slow. She is feeling a bit light headed and with a fast beating heart. Probably the result of the morning coffee. We rest awhile and continue. But Vera is getting slower and weaker. We decide to head back to home, slowly. There is then a slow motion collapse, as Vera has to simply lie down in the street: this is getting alarming. Is she OK, does she need an ambulance a woman asks. Yes please, and an ambulance is summoned, the distinctive musical siren soon approaching. The sound of ambulances is a common feature in Italian cities, this one has our name on it.

Vera is soon scooped onto a trolley and into the back of the vehicle, and off we speed along the bumpy flagstones to the nearby Santa Maria Nuova hospital. Once inside, Vera declares she’s feeling better now and can go. But she is not going to get off so lightly

A&E is very quiet, no three hour waits here, straight into triage and onto a hospital trolley. Various simple tests: touch your nose, focus on a moving finger, lift up your arms. The arm lifting is not to the doctor’s satisfaction, and Vera is whisked away to the emergency room, from which I’m excluded.

It’s a worrying wait. The doctor comes out to tell me that Vera is going to have a brain scan. Again, no waiting for the scan, everything is very efficient.

After an hour or so I’m allowed back. Vera is hooked up with an array of wires and sensors but the readings all look quite normal. There’s no conclusive diagnosis, so they want to monitor her overnight

This was never part of the holiday plan. I bring in some overnight supplies, and I take the one functional phone agreeing to meet at visiting time tomorrow if I don’t get a call earlier

I take bread, cheese, cured meats and wine and head for the Rose Gardens for a picnic. Fail to find the gardens, but have a good vantage point overlooking the city. It is just outside the city walls, an area I have not been to before

A beautiful evening, which would be better for being shared 

Vera meanwhile experiences Italian hospital life. The food is surprisingly poor, but the care is very attentive

I pack up our belongings, strapping the small suitcase to my rucksack. Never leave home without a penknife, and never travel without some rope

I leave the bags in a locker near the station, and go to rescue Vera. Various scenarios play out in my mind in case there are difficulties with a weekend discharge, but when I arrive Vera is ready and waiting. There is a large bill waiting to be paid before they will let her go. This reduces to a small bill on the production of her UK global health card. I am travelling without my card, though it is in the process of being renewed

We take the short walk to the station and get tickets for the local train to Pisa

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