Florence

"What is the fatal charm of Italy? What do we find there that can be found nowhere else? I believe it is a certain permission to be human, which other places, other countries, lost long ago."
--Erica Jong

Forgive me father, for I have eaten gelato three times in one day. Who am I kidding? This is Italy, therefore I have no reason to feel guilt for that. After going by my hostel for a change of clothes, I stopped by my new-found best gelato in the world hangout. I ordered hazelnut and it melted so smoothly and the texture was perfect. The owner's smirk on his face showed his partial satisfaction in his heavenly product. I said to him, "This is so delicious." He shrugged and said, "It is the best in the world." After enjoying it as slowly as I could, I met with my friend Jamie down the street and our mission was to find some post cards, but instead, we gave up early and drifted casually into the same shop. This time I got hazelnut and coffee...what a divine combination. The shop assistant artfully crafted the two flavors on top of the cone for me and smirked as he handed me my second one for the day. I wondered when they would cut me off, but then I realized that this must happen all the time in this shop. This was my justification at least. "What post cards?" Jamie and I said to ourselves. Later on after meeting with more friends, they decided they wanted gelato also. Third time is a charm because hazelnut and chocolate was absolutely perfect.

This is Florence, city of art, Medici wealth, Michelangelo, and Duomo. I arrived with my head in the clouds after visiting Rome, thinking there was no way I could ever "love again."  I was wrong. Florence was a different sort of love. Whereas Rome is the best lover you've ever had, Florence is the best friend you call on a Sunday afternoon for coffee and a good movie. To compare cities in Italy is almost unfair because there is just nothing like one from the other, and the Italians that live in those cities make sure that their individual cities stay distinctly so.

The sunset from the Ponte Vecchio was marvelous. The city quiets down so much after dark that it's hard to believe that bustling crowds of tourists were there just hours before. I walked the nearly silent streets down back alleys that opened into stunning piazzas. My favorite of these was Piazza della Signora where the original "David" stood (a fake now stands in its place). It was famous in its own glory days as the political hub of the city. My favorite thing to do was sit on the stairs and take in the lights of the city and the street performers' music.

On my second day, I had breakfast in my hostel where I met a couple my age from the U.S., Sasha and Jamie. We became instant friends and they invited me to tour the city with them for the day. We first went to the street and indoor markets that are famous for their Italian leather and food. Sasha was determined to find a place his friend had recommended that was an indoor trattoria in one of the markets that had great, cheap Florentine food. This place was fantastic and no one spoke English except for us. Thank goodness for my friend Jamie, at least she knew Spanish which seemed to do the trick. After cramming ourselves into a table that we shared with three locals, we got down to business. We ordered several dishes ranging from chick peas in rosemary to lasagna and eggplant parmesan. Our "table mates" were suggesting dishes for us to try and even scooping heaps of food from their plate to ours and pouring delicious Chianti into our glasses. Needless to say we left well-nourished and ready to move onto our next adventure: climbing the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo. To all who ever decide to take on this task, it is not for the claustrophobic. The stairs you use to get up to the top are the same ones you use to come down. I got to know a lot of people VERY well. The views are completely worth the climb and the structure of the dome is fantastic to observe in the climb. Next we had a date with Michelangelo and David down the street, so we found ourselves seated in front of him, marveling for well over an hour. Eventually, Jamie and I left Sasha and David for some alone time while we sought some gelato.

After the first fantastically exhausting day in Florence, the next day was quite simple and easy. While the others went shopping for leather jackets, I wandered around the city (always dangerous for me) and I got a bit lost and somehow stumbled upon a monastery. The old doors at the entrance were beautiful to take photos of until I was shooed away by an old man in harsh Italian that I did not understand. I was chilly because I stupidly decided to wear a dress on a chilly day in Italy. I had my scarf wrapped around my shoulders and it was not helping. I was in Tuscany for goodness sake! All I packed were dresses. An old woman walked down the street quietly past me, and then suddenly turned to me, looked me straight in my eyes, and started speaking very quickly. I told her in Italian I did not understand, but she kept talking. Then she motioned for me to follow and so I cautiously approached the path she pointed to. After leading me into a cafe, she bought herself and myself an espresso. She said, "stay warm," and then took her cane and left the cafe. This fantastic moment was worth my entire two weeks in Italy.

To finish out the epic three days in Florence, I decided to do a stopover in Bologna where I am now. Let's just say I am a bit in love with this new place and it's a different kind of love. This love is the sneaky kind of love. Venice did not know that I was staying over in Bologna for a day before I got there. I feel like I'm cheating on Rome and Florence by saying I like the food better here and although Bologna does not surpass either of those great cities, I just had Spaghetti Bolognese that completely blew my mind. Now if only I could find a t-shirt that says, "I <3 Bologna."

Ponte Vecchio

River at dusk

From the top of the Duomo

Street performer in the Piazza del Duomo