First, a brief note of apology to my followers: It has been five weeks since my last post, and we are coming to the end of our trip. I would have liked to be more reliable in my postings, but I did keep a steady stream of them in a Word file, and I will try to release them in the next few days, one or two at a time.
Last night was a singular experience in my life. I mean wow. Totally unexpected, and completely fabulous. Christie and I were heading to our usual pizza-and-a-litre-of-wine place around the block from our palazzo when we decided to pop into a little corner restaurant. The place turned out to be fairly crowded, which we noted was unusual for the tourist spots which stand empty most nights this time of year. We sat and ordered risotto con gorgonzola e martini(yum) and rare beef tagliatare with an orange sauce over arugala and foccaccia. That, the dessert after and the charming owner were all amazing. He spoke to us, sort of adopted us and as is the culture here allows, was very handsy, pinching my cheeks, rubbing my shoulder, being very friendly and telling us about his restaurant. It was a wonderful experience, but then it got better.
As we said our good-byes and promised to return shortly, we stepped out, turned towards home and observed a group of six heading down the street towards the restaurant. They gathered outside the restaurant as one went in to arrange a table. The oldest among them was taking a picture of the Full-Up Club which had not yet opened for the night. He was wearing a polo shirt similar to ones I had seen at the Harriman Cup this year, so I asked him about it. No, Ma-Ma had not been to the polo match, nor had he ever set foot in Connecticut he said with a giggle. He proceeded to tell us about the fabulous time they had at the Full-Up Club with all the ‘bi-boys’ the previous night. Ma-Ma is a famous (they all agreed this was so) hairstylist from Honolulu, who had flown with his 'familigia favalosa' from Hawaii over to tour Italy and NYC on this, their 5th annual getaway.
By this time, Stephano, the one who had checked on a table informed Ma-Ma that it would be an hour wait before the tables would be ready. They began to head back to their palazzo for drinks while they waited and insisted we accompany them since we did not have plans. The palazzo, which turned out to be a Ferragamo residence, had spectacular 20 foot ceilings with hand-painted beams and rafters displaying various medieval floral motifs. At our level, the apartment was appointed in primo, Italian style with a heavy Eastern influence. Ma-Ma had laid out for it so he and his entourage would have a “comfy home base.” Again, it was a stunning four-bedroom apartment. They broke out the drinks and we took turns introducing one another.
Among them was Ma-Ma, the leader of the pack, who was eager to help Christie with her hair and get her into the best salon here in Florence. He is married to a German man who was in Bangkok on business for a while, and he was taking his annual two week vacation away from his salon empire, established some twenty years ago. To say he looked after and cared for his friends was an understatement. I remember few people in my life so concerned that those around them were comfortable, tended to and happy.
The empire itself was run with the help of a private equity manager named May, who looked fabulous in here spiked, elegantly-styled hair and fab Fendi shawl. She donated her spare time to running the day-to-day books of M. Matori salons.
Young, gorgeous and gorgeous upcoming-model Joy (Phillipino and Swedish descent) was sporting the shortest skirt I ever saw covering the most beautiful legs I ever saw. She had been a client of Ma-Ma's since she was 6 years old, was charming, graceful and loved showing off her assets to the bi-boys, apparently. She was also case girl #6 on Deal or No Deal, according to Rusty.
Rusty is a tennis pro on Waikiki. Straight as the day is long, he was handsome and trying very hard to impress Christie with his romantic side. This, all the while proclaiming a 'Prosecco emergencia!!' every time flutes were running low. I do not know how long he knew Ma-Ma, but they seemed to be old friends. He grew up on Honolulu as did most of the others present.
The other eligible bachelor eyeing Christie was Johnny. He's a scuba and surf instructor in Hawaii and another longtime friend of Ma-Ma's. He was in a bad mood for part of the night, though I am not sure why, and his attention towards Christie ran from hot (at one point licking spilled prosecco from her wrist) to being preoccupied with some other drama to which we were not privy. There seemed to be an issue he needed to discuss with the third woman, Jody.
Jody is Ma-Ma's biological niece. She was friendly, lovely and obviously along to enjoy the ride without an agenda of her own. I didn't get much information about her except she and Joy seemed to get along well and mingled on the other side of the table most of the evening.
Lastly, there was Steven, an architect and clearly the mother hen of the group, who managed the gin consumption of Ma-Ma by diverting him regularly with Coca Lite (Diet Coke) He confirmed, head-counted and consulted at every stop, and seemed stressed whenever something was not moving smoothly, but on the whole, he seemed to enjoy himself. He was a friend of 8 years who often travelled with Ma-Ma when he wasn't busy with his West Coast consulting firm. He lives in San Fran, but said he travels 200 day out of the typical year.
With this group we returned to Acqua all’ Due (the restaurant at which Christie and I dined an hour previous) and they ate while we drank and the conversation continued. The sheer number of snapshots being taken was overwhelming. When the menu did not offer spaghetti Bolognese or Diet Coke for Ma-Ma, chaos ensued; coke was retrieved from their palazzo down the block and ultimately, we determined to move on to another restaurant, a beautiful and celestial place named La Giostra, after the carousel the space once housed in the off-season. The owner of this place was an Italian prince, a famous chef and a friend of Ma-Ma. The group found out a few days before that he had passed away last March. This news affected the group deeply when they heard it on their first visit for dinner, earlier this week. One of the prince's twin sons runs the restaurant now and they re-opened it for us at midnight, when we arrived.
We finished off their store of prosecco, passed around delicious pasta dishes (I highly recommend their Golden Truffle pasta) before their amazing desserts were unveiled. All of this was the setting for stories of their shopping trips, sightseeing and other adventures. We were doted on by the owner, Sadji, the head waiter, and Miri, another member of the staff who came back to the restaurant when he heard Ma-Ma had arrived.
Ma-Ma had told us many tales, advising for and against various experiences, in out short hours together. While we were introduced at the palazzo, he had given us a copy of his own city map and tricked-out agenda (he's wildly OCD.) One of the best tips we received during dinner was to head to the outlets 45 minutes outside Florence where Prada and D&G suits can be had for $400 (not euros, $400) Christie’s eyes sparkled and her jaw, ever so slightly, slackened at news of fur-lined boots and designer bargains. This trip would be added to our own agenda, I was sure.
After dinner, we strolled back the few blocks to their palazzo, with Sadji and Miri in tow, to have a nightcap and see who could hook up with whom. By this time, Christie had three suitors, with the addition of Miri to the party. She had put up with a lot, though, including a force-feeding of pasta, boob-grabbing and many kisses from Ma-Ma. She began to wrap things up, and since the group was due to depart early this morning, they started loading her up with their leftover groceries so they would not go to waste.
I got to know Steven a bit more, talking about our education, design experience, and travels. He seemed very impressed that I'd up and moved to Florence, and I think it got him thinking about doing something similar, and closing his consulting contracts. By this time, it was nearly 4:30 and time to go.
I am out of breath writing this, and I hope it does justice to the wonderful, charmed, hilarious and head-spinning time Christie and I spent with our new friends. I hope it is fun to read, and gives you an idea of our experience here. It was unexpected, out of the blue and began with a casual hello.
