This morning I finally went for a run, and was pleased that the air wasn't yet heavy and humid. Usually at 8:30 am, the summer heat has already blanketed the city and it's impossible for me to run. For a few weeks I haven't gone running because I felt too lethargic with the summer heat and humidity. But these past few days, the temperatures and humidity have both subsided and it's one of the most pleasant times I've experienced this summer.

Some days I wish I could visit my beloved city more often. I'd walk to different piazze and just sit down to watch the events that go on. I love admiring the surrounding buildings and monuments to see if I observe any new features or other peculiarities that I hadn't noticed before. I try to walk down different streets once in a while so that I can discover something new. It's so easy to continually walk the same paths over and over in such a small city, but sometimes it's nice to change.

The beginning of August is the beginning of the holiday season for most. For the last couple of months, everyone that I met up with has asked me the same question, "Dove vai per le ferie? Where are you going on vacation?" My response was always the same: "Rimango a Firenze. I'm staying in Florence." I never had to explain my decision to anyone. Anyone who lives in Florence knows what a dream the city is in August: less traffic and quieter streets. There are, of course, a few disadvantages like, more tourists, closed shops and restaurants, and many friends and acquaintances are away.

I am happy to announce that Cheryl Tucker has just published a new article on Florence from the Heart. In her article, she writes about sitting in Piazza della Repubblica where so much happens at any time of the day. I have walked through it thousands of times to get to different parts of the city or to meet people, and I'm always amazed at all the goings-on: from marching bands and parades that traverse it to people meeting up and sitting around it. I admit that it was never my favorite piazza in Florence because I didn't find it as beautiful and inspiring as many of the other ones in town, but one day that all changed.

One of my favorite joys in life is go to the partite di calcio (soccer matches) to watch the Fiorentina play. I love the energy of the tifosi (fans) and of course the sport itself. Last year Alessandro and I went to quite a few partite, and after going to Curva Fiesole, which to some is considered the heart of the stadio (stadium), I had a desire to get an abbonnamento (season ticket) this year.

At around 5pm yesterday I was already on a bus to go to the Abbazia di San Galgano. It wasn't an ordinary bus, but one that was filled with the coro (chorus) for Carmina Burana. I was invited by my friend Jenufa to come see her perform in San Galgano to take a few more foto (pictures). I was excited to not only see the same performance that I saw in the Giardino di Boboli, but also because I was going to one of my favorite places in Tuscany.

My friend Jill came through Florence to visit me yesterday. She has been living in Venice, her beloved city, for many years, and also loves Florence after spending some time here too. My beloved city holds a special spot in her heart, so she comes when she can to embrace it. I was so happy that we could spend the afternoon together because spending time with a person who loves and appreciates Florence as much as I do is a true joy.

Last night was a hot, summer evening. The sun was about to set over the Arno when Alessandro and I walked over the Ponte alle Grazie. We made our way through the crowded streets down to Porta Romana. The Piazza Pitti is always such a surprise for me after having walked down the narrow via Guicciardini. We entered the entrance of the Giardino di Boboli at Porta Romana an hour before the performance would begin. My friend Jenufa was singing Carmina Burana again this year. I had missed her performance last year, so when I heard she was going to be the soprano for Carmina Burana, I couldn't wait to go.

Today all bloggers in Italy are on sciopero (strike) to protest against a government bill that will introduce numerous laws to limit the freedom of expression on the Internet either in a blog or over a social network like FaceBook. As a blogger in Italy, I too am on strike for the day. May freedom to express oneself never be limited by anyone or any government!

While I was working at my scrivania (desk) this afternoon, I heard a woman's voice screaming. I jumped up from my desk and walked up to the window. I was shocked with what I saw: a young man trying to climb to the top of the monumento (monument) in the piazza below. The woman who was on the back of a motorino (moped) that had stopped in the middle of the street. I heard her better this time when she yelled, "Scendi giù di lì! Get down from there!"

Today I went on my first organized tour in Florence. I was invited by ContextTravel to participate in one of their tours, and I chose the one called "Salvaging Art: Current Restoration Projects in Florence." There is scaffolding all over town and I have watched them clean some of the statues and monuments, but never before had I had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look and meet with the actual master restorers of important works that Florence holds in its treasure chest.

I attended a networking event tonight that brought together a LinkedIn group of Italians with English-speakers in Florence, called FlorenceIN. Along with The Florentine, they were hosting a debate called, "Mediating cultural exchange: facing issues of adaptation and integration in Florence and Tuscany." It sounded interesting and even though I didn't know anyone else who was going, I decided to take a taxi to Bagno a Ripoli to the Together Florence Inn where the event was being held.

This morning the sun was shining brightly, and had I left my house to return this afternoon, I would've been shocked to find that it could rain. It was also humid today, which made me feel a bit groggy. I kept the windows in our apartment open even though the heat bouncing off the stones in the piazza below wafted inside. It wasn't until lunch that I felt the air cool down. The sky became hazy and dark, but still I didn't believe it would rain. Even yesterday I heard tuono (thunder) in the distance, but not a drop of rain came.

I always thought that prendere freddo allo stomaco (getting a cold draft on your stomach) was an old wives' tale. I've heard people say that you should cover up your stomach after you eat because it could cause you digestive problems. I never really knew what happened until we went to dinner Saturday night with my suoceri (in-laws). In the restaurant, the air conditioner was on very high while we were having dinner and suddenly my suocero (father-in-law) wasn't feeling well. He got so bad that we had to call an ambulanza (ambulance).

Each city in Italy has its own festa (holiday), which is based on the day of the city's patrono (patron saint). Florence's patrono is San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) is today, June 24th. I walked around a little bit earlier today and saw that many shops were closed in centro (downtown) even though the streets were filled with turisti (tourists), enjoying the city and its monuments. For tonight's fuochi d'artificio (fireworks), we decided to see them from our place instead of standing along the lungarno (street along the Arno) as we did last year.