Florence

Where was I? Oh yeah, we just finished up with Venice. From Venice we headed across Italy to Pisa, stopping along the way in Bologna so that Wade could check out the Ducati factory - I guess he wanted to either drop off a resume or steal a few industrial secrets. Once we arrived on the coast we stayed at Camp Darby - a U.S. Army facility that accommodates U.S. service members on leave in the area. The rooms at Camp Darby were very U.S. Government issue; which means they weren't bad, but they weren't exactly the Ritz, or even a decent Holiday Inn. What they were was cheap, and decently located for trips into Florence and Pisa.

A word of advice if you're ever traveling to Florence, or pretty much anywhere in Italy - don't drive, it puts the whole experience into a negative light from the start. Driving in Florence was like being caught in a game of highway chicken with 1,000 scooters, and finding parking was difficult and expensive.

I think Shelly and I have seen too many European cities. Another square, and another cathedral. The usual glut of people pushing and shoving. And more overpriced average food sold to visitors as "authentic." The problem is that I think we fall into a trap of thinking that the next place we go is going to be different, somehow prettier, and less crowded with helpful locals that are glad you visited their fine city. This leads to heightened expectations that generally come crashing down to reality. Our experience in Florence was no different. I do feel like I should cut Florence a break since we had heard so many good things about the city, and read countless blurbs about how it is the most beautiful city in Italy. As a result our expectations were higher than they should have been. Generally Florence is a great city, there are many squares with fabulous statues and grand cathedrals, as well as abundant shopping. I'm sure if the Italians bothered to clean the squares, cathedrals and statues - not to mention the streets - Florence would have impressed more than it did. The picture here of Shelly, Steph and Wade is taken in Piazza del Doumo with Il Duomo, one of the worlds largest churches, in the background. After viewing the inside and outside (the green and pinkish colored exterior was pretty cool) of Il Duomo, we headed off to Piazza della Signoria. We walked around Piazza della Signoria for a while, taking in the statues and other monuments in what is considered one of Italy's prettiest squares.


Personally, the coolest thing about the plaza is the disk in the ground that marks the spot where a zealot monk was executed in 1498. The friar preached about the fate of sinners and railed against the pope (Alexander IV); for a time the monk struck a chord with the masses but in time his views fell from favor and he was hanged. These are the sorts of things you just don't see in the States.


Sorry, no pictures of the square but here's a shot of Madison relaxing at an Irish pub just off Piazza Signoria. After a couple beverages we ambled over to Galleria dell'Accademia to see the statue of David. One word: L-I-N-E. We were confronted with a line rivaling the lines at the Vatican, and this line wasn't moving.

So we rolled...