Day 25: Parma via Fiesole

Boo hoo.  I cant believe it's over.  We are devastated to be parting ways after such a gorgeous trip together.  I feel so blessed to have shared my first trip to Italy with the familia.  The kids have loved being with their grandparents and it feels a little lonely and empty thinking about the coming weeks without all of them.  We also said goodbye to our luxurious haven.  The Hilton has been good to us and I will miss the comfy bed and fresh towels each day.  We enjoyed a final breakfast together in the snazzy lounge before heading to Fiesole, a quaint town on the hill 9km out of Firenze.  There were markets in the square selling produce and we happily sampled some porchetta, pecorino, tartufo and nougat.  Sandra and I bought hats from a gorgeous milliner, my first purchase in Italy.  The milliner recommended a lunch spot for the last supper and it was a delightful way to end what has been a pretty good culinary experience through Tuscany.  I had my first ever Carpaccio of Veal covered in rocket and parmesan and drowning in olive oil (I cant help myself).  It was sublime.  Sadly it was all a little hot, so we didn't linger as we both had a two hour drive ahead of us.  The time came to say goodbye and it was all a little surreal.  There were tears and long embraces.  There was silence and sad faces as we drove away wondering when, if ever, we'll get to spend that much time together again.  It has been magic and I wish they just lived down the road and we could all hang together when we wanted.  I cursed living in Sydney and romanticised about relocating to Italy and opening up a B&B that the whole family could run. Sadly reality bites and I was brought back to earth by fighting kids on the drive north to Parma.   Farewell Garbino's and Nanna and Nonno T. We will hold these special memories in our hearts and be thankful for the wonderful adventure together. So, the countryside is really changing now. The roads are impressive and we glided through tunnels and bridges built over massive valleys and mountains. We passed the famous Barilla factory along the way where employees use bikes to get around because the site its so huge.  Sadly we didn't stop at Bologna or Modena or Reggio, as it was all too late. Parma is delightful and our accommodation is great albeit small.  We headed out for a walk around the town, a gelato and then on to dinner.  It's Sunday and the clothing shops were closed, but there was plenty on offer for dinner including much parma ham and parmesan cheese. Pizza's for the kids, which were pretty good as was my Scallopine al Funghi.  The Pannacotta was delicious (best yet).  After dinner we headed for a walk to the piazza and stopped at a church hosting an evening mass.  It was very emotive and special and I wanted to stay and reflect on the important things in life, but sadly Rick wasn't in the same space (is he ever?).  On to a free jazz concert under the stars in the piazza, it was all very mellow and beautiful with the setting and spotlights (and drink tent) I had imagined for the Opera all those days ago with Sandra in Sienna.  I missed them already and felt a wave of sadness.  It was late and it had been a big day, so we headed off after a few songs and were very happy to hit the pillow.