Cafe Rivoire

This Hot Chocolate is Yummy!!

Its mid afternoon and as usual Rivoire is bustling with locals and tourists crowding the bar to enjoy tasty sweets, hot cappuccinos and Rivoire's signature hot chocolate.  After all our sightseeing and museuming over the past few months Nancy and the girls decided that our trip to Florence to visit my sister Maria and attend Giovanni's birthday party would involve some shopping.  Sightseeing would have to wait until we return for Christmas in a few weeks. 

Posing with David

After a few hours of being the cooperative and patient dad I decide that a visit to Florence wouldn't be complete without a visit to Rivoire which sits on the edge of Piazza della Signoria facing a replica of Michaelangelo's David in front of elegant Palazzo Vecchio.  Back in 1872 when Florence was the capital of Italy, Enrico Rivoire the official chocolatier of the royal House of Savoy, opened a small business offering his chocolate delights to Florentines and ever since the cafe has been an institution in Florence.  Today I decide to wait the girls out by finding a seat by the window looking out on to the square to savor my outrageously expensive but delicious cappuccino.

Palazzo Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio

As I stare out the window at all the activity in Piazza della Signoria I can't help but feel envious at the way in which pedestrians in European cities are able to connect and enjoy their cities.  Unlike most North American cities that seem to be designed for the automobile in an efficient, grid like fashion, European cities large or small appear to have been designed with the pedestrian in mind.  Forbidden to cars, squares and streets dedicated solely to pedestrians are full of people.    

I often thought that our hibernating, indoor behavior in Toronto was attributable to our long cold winters.  While this is undoubtedly a contributing factor, after seeing Berliners enjoying their city and the many Christmas markets scattered throughout the city in sub-zero temperatures, I am much more convinced that our urban design plays a far greater role for this.  Maybe it's because Europeans tend to live in smaller homes or flats and are therefore more motivated to spend time outdoors.  Perhaps its the prevalence of mixed use zoning where industrial, commercial and residential land uses are far more common than in North American cities where we separate such uses and are therefore required to use our cars to go from one area to another.  Whatever the reason, it seems that Europeans are far less reliant on cars and there seems far more opportunities to enjoy their cities on foot.                 



A la prossima,


Sal