florence. città di fascino.

Florence is one of the most beautiful cities of Italy. In my opinion, anyway. Some of the best memories of our trip were made there.

To be honest, I was not excited to go to Florence. I just put it on the itinerary because everyone does, you know. Sure, I thought before my departure, there might be some interesting things to see... but I wasn't that enthusiastic about going. But once I was there, I realized that there are too many ways one can fall in love with Florence.

#1. You can enjoy the top half of David.

 

#2. You can revel in the grungy parts of the city (perfect for photographs!).

 

#3. You can observe and analyze all the paintings in the Accademia.

 

 #4. You can get used to knowing that you're going to get harassed at every major sight, including the Ponte Vecchio.

#5. You can embrace the fact that you're going to have to climb about 1,000 steps (oh wait, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration) to see the best view of Florence ever.





(AND you've gotta love those close-up pictures of yourself that other people take for you!)


And... all the other things that didn't get pictures, too.

We stayed with some wonderful people that lived right outside the city center (10 minutes by bus). We got to actually interact with some real Italians - and hear their views on their country's politics, healthcare system, and religion. What an education! Our hostess also took the time to teach me to cook some of their favorite Tuscan dishes - panzanella and carbonara - which I thought were delightful!

One of the most memorable adventures we had in Florence was when we got to experience a real Florentine rainstorm. Near the end of the day, we were busy gazing at the exterior of the Duomo, when suddenly rain began to come down in torrents. Those accustomed to these unexpected storms calmly unfolded their umbrellas and placidly sought shelter under an overhang. Those of us non-accustomed to these unexpected storms unglue-edly (wildly, frenziedly, passionately, violently, excitably, agitatedly) did not unfold our umbrellas and pantingly (and semi-unsuccessfully) sought shelter under an overhang.

We did get quite wet despite the fact that we pantingly (and semi-unsuccessfully) sought shelter under an overhang. Because lots of people try to share those small spaces, some get left out in the cold. Guess who was part of those left out in the cold? Yes. Instead of looking forlorn, I decided to look like I really enjoyed the rain, and got soaked to the bone "enjoying" it. After the rain let up a little bit, we began looking for the bus ride home. Then the thunder came. Tremendous, booming rolls of thunder.

That's when we invaded the €.99 store and sought a little more substantial shelter.

In order to keep our almost non-existent dignity as "greenies", we shopped. Oh yes, we did! We really did need that shampoo, we just weren't planning on buying it that day! Plus, we got a few nuts for sustenance. Which, we highly recommend, please skip this step in the process. I personally didn't taste them, but Mom did. I guess they weren't really awful, because she munched on them for a few days afterward, but it made me sick to even look at the bag.

Well, after the rain subsided, we scurried home. Our hostess sympathized with our plight, and we got changed and prepared to settle down for the evening. That is, until we heard the word "gelato".

Now, gelato. Oh gelato. It's one of the parts I miss most about Italy. Gelato gets a special place in our hearts. Please, USAers, please don't think that you've ever tasted gelato here in the states! You must go to Italy to eat the real thing. To be honest, we just about starved while we were down there. The food (anything that wasn't gonna break the pocket-book) was really awful. So, we survived on gelato a lot of the time. There are about a billion flavors to choose from. Pistachio, almond, tiramisu, coconut, chocolate, stracciatella, fragola, mint, and so many others that I can't even remember. But that's beside the point... So, when we heard (in our minds) the word "sustenance", our ears perked up.

Our hostess recommended the best gelato place on earth - which was just a 10 minute walk from her house. We set out, at 9:00 at night, and braved the underpasses, unfamiliar territory, and the dark to go get our prized gelato.

And boy, was it ever worth that walk. Yes, we did get lost, and we almost gave up, but that was a gelato worth walking miles for.

The best part about it? Being treated like an Italian. I think (if my memory serves me correct) the gelatier spoke to us in Italian, and I just felt a different Italy in that little gelato shop in the heart of Florence. It was a warmth. Something we hadn't sensed from the people in other towns. I'm actually just realizing this as I'm writing. That yes, I think we missed that comradeship of feeling like we belonged somewhere, and that's probably why it made such an impression on us.

Our time in Florence? Amazing. The city I was least looking forward to turned out to be one of the biggest delights of the trip. If I were to ever visit Italy again, Florence would definitely be on the list.