My favourite thing about living in Florence is how even a banal activity like going to our weekly play group is done against a backdrop straight out of the Renaissance.

The warm and enthusiastic Pastor Alison runs the “Coffee and Chaos” play group out of the Methodist Church of Florence

– the latest incarnation of a heavily remodeled 11th-century church down the street from here

(the church of Santa Croce).

We live on the opposite side of town, south of the Arno river across from Florence’s main park, the Cascine. We try to make it every week because it’s a great excuse to come downtown. We usually take the new tram, which travels from the southwestern suburb of Scandicci, passing through our neighbourhood and snaking its way through the eastern part of the park, to the main train station. Then we either walk through the centre or change to a bussino (mini-bus).

These are some of the things we see along the way:

The play group is mainly attended by English-speaking expats, which makes it a great way to share anecdotes and information as new mums in a foreign land, not to mention to have our kiddies meet fellow bilingual pals.