On Florence’s Streets

in which i take one last look at florence, the city

Here be the last of Florence pictures; that is, aside from the Radiohead show at Parco delle Cascine that we were able to catch. That was an experience in itself—both good and bad—but I won’t get ahead of myself.

The thing about Florence is that it knows that it attracts tourists like moths to a flame. It also knows that it is a very, very small city, with only a handful of major attractions. Like I mentioned earlier, Florence is usually a “day trip” type of city, where people take the train there for the day (or the night?), with the bigger cities as their main stations. As a tourist, you want to maximize your short stay by hitting the “major leagues” of Florentine attractions. Understandably, of course.

But therein lies the problem, because everyone else wants to do that, too. Which explains why we did not get to see the actual David. The line to buy tickets and go inside the Galleria dell’Accademia barely moved. We waited for about two hours before giving up. (It was our last full day and we were not able to explore the city so much yet.)

We waited for an hour and a half to get inside the Uffizi Gallery (aka, the Botticelli motherlode), and we were not allowed to take photographs. They offer “reservations” for tickets that come with a price tag. Sadly, in euros, everything is more expensive.

Even eating out is more expensive. At a café, it’s the norm to be charged 4 euros for a cup of coffee if you opt to sit a table, as opposed to the 1.50 euros it usually costs if you drink it at the bar, standing up. Everyone knows that it’s better to explore on foot, which makes most tourists tired. Which makes them want to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee in the company of their friends. Which means that you have to pay more than double for the coffee. Che peccato!

But anyway, enough of that. Florence is still lovely, and that is how I would like to remember it. I guess that was just sort of a warning for anybody who plans to go there.

On this journey, I have acquired a newfound love for sculptures and installation art. Though I have no idea if I will try to venture out into this medium, I can at least glean some insight and inspiration from them.

Like I said, Florence is beautiful. I really love looking around and seeing small stone (?) sculptures and engravings mingled with contemporary brands and stores, as well as artisanal shops. Though I don’t have pictures of the markets, Florence had the best ones I’ve been to in Italy.

Dead bird a little outside a minor piazza.