Sometimes life is just too good to be true. (And sometimes it’s the reverse.) Case in point: the British Institute in Florence hosts a weekly bridge game for new and somewhat experienced players once a week. If I had sat at home in the USA and tried to dream up something in Florence that would make me happy right this minute, it would be this bridge group!

The fearless leader is Gustavo de Santis, who is wickedly intelligent and equally funny. His dry humor can catch you unaware. I enjoy him immensely. You see him showing his students how to bid a game below. He is a professor at a local university.

The British Institute in Florence is a haven for long-term residents who speak English. It has a long and storied history in the city and is housed in a magnificent palazzo. Just going there makes me happy. Just look at it, sitting proudly on the left bank of the Arno!

We are so lucky to play our bridge games in the Ferragamo room at the library. I didn’t have a chance to get any good shots on this day, but I snapped a few of the beautiful ceiling.

In the long hallways are hung pictures of notable Brits. I love this juxtaposition of William and Elizabeth. You know the last names, right?

It’s possible to visit Elizabeth’s home in Florence. Just thinking about her here is a romantic exercise. She has a beautiful white marble monument marking her gravesite in the English cemetery in Florence, which I recently posted about.

Here’s the exterior of the palazzo she lived in. I’ve visited it and the interior is just about what you’d expect for a 19th century ex pat to decorate in Italy.

And William needs nothing said by me.

Sigh. Life is very very good. Alla prossima!