I left the wonderful Ristorate Oliviero–the restaurant that had been born the same year as I  had been–with a belly full of amazing food and wine.  I headed back in the direction of my apartment, but I had promised the owners at my little wine bar that I would stop in again and let them know how dinner was.

And that is when I met Angelo.  In the two years since that fateful evening, Angelo and his beautiful wife, Manuela, have become much beloved friends.  I have a photo of the three of us last year on my 51st birthday that I will post later.

Angelo was with his friend Roberto that evening and we instantly all hit it off. They were so full of life and so wonderfully Italian.

I indulged in one more glass of that amazing Brunello di Montalcino and I was ready to go home to my apartment!  Angelo and Roberto had other plans though and they wanted me to go our to another bar with them.  I said “no” and walked home to fall into bed, blessedly overlooked by the Madonna which hung in the bedroom.

She is so beautiful.  In fact, although I am not an overly religious person, I have collected a few Madonnas for my own bedroom since being blessed and protected in my florentine bedroom by this lovely one.  The Madonna to me represents peace, perseverance, grace and undying love.

Angelo and I had exchanged e-mail addresses to keep in contact. We arranged to get together again a few nights later and I was able to meet Manuela as well on that first trip to Florence.

Angelo later e-mailed and expressed that he was concerned as to why I did not want to go on to another bar with Roberto and he that night of my birthday.  Had I been frightened to join them?  I assured him that, no, I was not afraid at all.  I was simply too tired and fairly drunk on that wonderful night of my 50th birthday alone in Florence, Italy!

I don’t know how to express what I felt when I opened that menu alone at Ristorante Oliviero in Florence on the eve of my 50th birthday only to see my birth year printed on that very menu.

I thought, chances of this would be like winning the lottery (if I played it!).  This was my lottery to win though.  This was my sign, my message, my assurance that I was in the right place at the right time and that I was going to find my way out of the lost place in which I had been.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I had absolutely no intention of letting anyone know that is was my birthday, but when I saw that darned menu and almost fell off my chair,  I had to tell someone.  When the host understood what I was saying he grinned from ear-to-ear and welcomed me wholeheartedly.

I enjoyed a wonderful dinner of rabbit leg stuffed with a chestnut and mushroom puree.

After, dinner I was presented with a beautiful dessert compliments of the restaurant.  A mascarpone stuffed baked pear with chocolate and caramel drizzle and walnut shells filled with walnut gelato.  I am not a big dessert person nor sweet tooth, but are you kidding me?!

There was even a birthday candle!  I immediately thought of my dear Mother who was  a bit freaked out about me traveling alone to a foreign country, and being alone on my birthday.  I knew that she would be very happy that I had a candle to make a wish upon and blow out on the evening!

The host poured me a glass of moscato (complimentary again).  I sipped it while indulging in my beautiful birthday dessert.  He poured me a second.  I sipped that one.  Then he went to pour me a third and I said “No Grazie, I have to walk back to my apartment!”  He asked “Is is far?”  I said “No.”  He said “OK”, and proceeded to pour me a third–such a precious moment!

Before I left he gave me a copy of the menu as a keepsake of the evening and of my birthday.

Wow.  That was more than I could have hoped for on my birthday evening, but the night was not over yet!

To rest my eyes once again upon Michelangelo’s breathtakingly beautiful David, residing safely in his relatively new environment in The Accademia was certainly something beyond special on my birthday. I spent over an hour just savoring him from every angle.  The Accademia has benches along the wall of his backside so that one may rest there and “enjoy the view”. I partook in that as well as much lingering while viewing his frontside.

So far, so good in this ringing in of my 50th!

I had assured my friends at the wine bar, Eduardo and Manuelo, that I would stop in for a glass before dinner that evening.

I did so and I treated myself to a glass of Brunello di Montalcino.  It is my absolute favorite wine.  I often say that the moment that I fell in love with wine was the moment that Brunello first passed my lips. Ironically, that moment occurred in a fabulous Italian restaurant in Chicago many years ago.

Next, off to Ristorante Oliviero for dinner.

I walked across the Arno, found the little street on which the restaurant was located, and walked in.

The host welcomed me, seated me and handed me a menu.  There I was in a foreign country, alone, at a restaurant that I had found by chance.  I did not know why I was there, what had brought me there nor compelled me to be there, but there I found myself. I then opened the menu and nearly fell off my chair.  This is what the menu read.

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Think about it.  What on earth are the chances of being alone in a foreign country at a random restaurant alone on your 50th birthday and seeing YOUR birth year on the menu???

OK-not arguing with anything at that point.  I was meant to be right there at that moment.  Whatever happened after that moment I was simply open to. Fate it was.

Eduardo and Manuelo at the wine bar gave me a couple of suggestions for good “non-touristy” restaurants for my dinner on Thursday night.  I wanted to make a reservation and I truly just wanted to have an amazing dinner alone to ring in my birthday.

Eduardo recommended a place called Ristorante Oliviero.  He told me that it was not touristy, that it had excellent food and service, was not overly expensive.  It sounded perfect!

The next day in the midst of my wanderings, I found the place on a tiny side street on the opposite side of the Arno from my apartment–only about a fifteen minute walk. I stopped in and made a reservation.  For some reason, I did not look at the menu.  In retrospect, that is strange because I normally would.  I was just a bit nervous making dinner reservations in Italy for myself and myself alone.  I suppose I just wanted to seem confident and asking to see a menu would not contribute to that allusion!

November 8th, 2012 arrived.  I was 50 years old now. Whew–made it! Something about that number is transformational.  I had so much unexpected change thrust upon me in my life before that 50 year dawn even arrived, that turning 50 for me seemed to have even more significance than if my life had still remained in cushy, crushing corporate America as it had been since I was 22 years old.

November 8th, 2012 was a beautiful day in Florence, Italy.  I always feel blessed when the sun shines on my birthday, and it definitely was that day.  That was a double score since Florence can be quite cloudy and rainy in November.

I hiked up to the Piazza Michelangelo that day.  It was quite a hike, but well worth it.  The Piazza Michelangelo presents to one the classic view of Florence that is perpetually seen on calendars and tourist brochures. The photo on this post is one that I took that day.

I  sipped a lovely glass of wine while I savored this amazing view and then I was ready for my next birthday stop– a long hike to see the real David once again at The Accademia.

There I was in beautiful Florence. My 50th birthday was approaching in a few more days.  What to do, where to dine? How to make it a special day in a place in which every moment seemed special? I still was not even able to believe that I was in Florence, Italy, and that I was free to do as I wished.

I knew one thing for certain–I wanted to see Michelangelo’s David on my birthday.  I had seen him before and it had been love at first sight.  If you have seen him-you know.

If you have not, I must tell you that every person that I have ever witnessed viewing David has had a look of awe and appreciation of unbelievable beauty upon their face. It does not seem to matter whether it is a student of art history or some dude who is being dragged along on a tour with his wife.  They all have a certain look on their face when they behold the David!

There is so much history and lore about David.  I would love to tell all that I know, and I would love to know more than I do, but I will highlight a bit here so as not to write a tome in a blog post!

David created a sensation when he was unveiled over 500 years ago. For nearly four centuries he resided outdoors in the Piazza della Signoria, in front of the Florentine city hall. Weather and hostility against government threatened The David, and since the late 19th century he has resided in a protected environment in the Accademia in Florence.

I knew that going to see David again would make my day special.

I had a few other plans for the day, but none for the evening thus far. The only people that I “knew’ in my first few days in Florence were the folks at the little wine bar that I had discovered on my first evening there.  I figured that they would know some good “local” restaurants that would be nice, and so I ventured there to enquire.