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Ahhh, Italia. The land of perpetual difficulty. When I think back on Italy, what I remember most is a completely overwhelming sense of being...well...overwhelmed. Before I departed Salzburg, I tried to watch The Sound of Music and I got stuck on the "Confidence in Me" number, because the lyrics really struck a chord. Being the sap that I am, I remember tearing up, and, since there was no turning back, I just hummed this song for the entire train ride, watching with anxiety as the signs slowly switched from German to bilingual to Italian. Somehow, I convinced myself that I would be fine in Italy.
Looking back, I realize that I was fine. In spite of the terrifying language barrier, the difficulty of navigating, the plethora of transportation strikes, the natural vulnerable look of my big doe-eyes...well...you know... In light of all that, I really was fine. Even in Florence, where everything but the weather seemed to go wrong, I realize it could have been a heck of a lot worse. The major disaster is as follows... Italy, as I've already mentioned, was incredibly difficult for me to navigate. After pacing the length of a street nearly three times, I finally found my hostel. Again, like in Venice, by some stroke of luck, I heard my name called from an unknown source up three flights of stairs. God? God in the form of a matronly woman who can work the oldest elevator known to man without even batting an eyelash? No, unfortunately, but is it very Italian to know the names of your patrons? Because nobody in Germany or Ireland ever addressed me by my name before I'd even checked in.
Well, anyway, I thought that would be the end of my troubles, but it turned out they weren't quite finished working on my room, and they apparently wouldn't be finished until the next morning. So, being expert problem solvers, they moved me to a different hostel (owned by the same people) just across the street. They gave me the Internet password and told me that I could move into my room early the next morning. The Cinque Terra tour I wrote about in my last entry began at 7:30am and wouldn't be over until past 9pm, so I asked if I could move in early in the morning. They said, of course, and I slept easy. Alas! How easily they dream, who know not what awaits!!!
Okay, so it wasn't that bad. They let the room out to someone else for the night and those people wouldn't be out until after noon, so, once again, I had to compromise. No big deal, really. I understand that hostels function best when they're booked to the brim. I just had to take a deep breath and relinquish 95% of my trust to people I did not know to not steal my laptop and emergency cash when I left them behind the desk. Thankfully matronly-God-woman was there and I trusted her more than the rest of the staff. Nothing was taken and my faith in humanity was bolstered. (I won't say restored because, in spite of my overwhelming pessimism, I have a huge amount of faith in human beings to do the right thing.)
After I got my room all sorted, though, Florence itself was a pretty good romp, let's not lie. By the time I'd made it to this point in my trip, I was an expert traveller. I knew what I liked to do, and I knew what really wasn't worth my time. I had an idea of the sorts of souvenirs I was after and the grocery store staples that would keep me from looking feral and abandoned. Not having made any reservations at any of the famous museums, I just sort of bopped around. (Note to future travelers: if you're looking to see the great works of art in person, MAKE RESERVATIONS or know someone really famous, but mostly just MAKE RESERVATIONS.) It was a nice day and I was in the mood for walking, so I stared early, bought some grapes for breakfast, and let my senses just enjoy themselves.
The sights, naturally, were spectacular. You can really see why Florence is considered the artists' city. On tightly-knit streets, modest yellow and beige exteriors mingle with intricate, breath-taking structures, all topped with those warm, orange roofs so familiar to Mediterranean architecture. Above it all rises the Duomo, a wondrous reminder of the beauty of life. Not willing to wait in an infinite line of anger, sadness, and sore feet, I decided to climb the Santa Maria Campanile (correct me if that is not what it is called. I do not know Italian) instead of Il Duomo. Not left disappointed, after a 20-second wait, while they accepted my change and printed my ticket, and 414 steps, this is what I saw:
Just as in every place I visited, I was met with inspiration at every turn. The sun was shining, I was wearing a pretty dress, I was full of grapes and bread, and I had a bag full of tacky souvenirs. I could be anything I wanted. One second I was a Bond girl, the next an errant child in a network of city thieves, the next an artist's apprentice during the Renaissance...and, of course, once I hit on art, there's no way I couldn't pretend to be Caravaggio's nude muse. (Before you call to have me committed, I was alone for an entire month. One learns to entertain themselves in the oddest of fashions, but it works, okay?) I felt like I could conquer the world....just as soon as I figured out how to get back to my hostel.
Honestly, I wish I had written about Florence the instant I found time. Especially when I was in London, I spent way to much time watching Hollyoaks on the E4 Player and doing a fat load of nothing on Facebook. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I've probably given you a good thousand to think on in this blog entry, but none of them quite hold the memories I wish I had retained. Before I duck out and just leave you with a bunch of pictures to speak where my words have proven inadequate, here is a list of things I endorse for cheap (or free!) in Florence:
1) Piazza de Michelangelo
2) Santa Croce
3) Santa Maria Campanile [see above]
4) Ponte Vecchio
5) Piazza della Signoria (fake!David is good enough for me considering it's the original spot. You win some, you lose some. There are other fake sculptures, too.)
6) LOTS OF WALKING & LOOKING
And, also, just to prove I actually was in Florence:
Cheers!
