I had a hard time loving Florence. Maybe it’s a fulfillment of the prophecy, or maybe it was that when I arrived, the city was gray and chilly and constantly on the verge of rain. And crowded. So very crowded.

After Venice, where there were no cars, no mopeds (gah, the mopeds!), the congestion of Florence’s streets was jarring. Crossing the road to get my first peek at the Ponte Vecchio (literal translation: really old bridge), gas fumes burned my nostrils, a rogue moped tried to shorten my life and I thought, “This can’t be Florence.”

Things picked up a day or two later when I got locked out of my hostel (2AM curfew. Who knew?) and wandered the streets at 5AM taking blurry photos of the lights on the Arno. But at the moment, I was pretty disappointed.

Then things picked up. The sun came out. I explored the Boboli Gardens, met some great people in line at the Uffizi and… ate. The food in Florence was outstanding. I’ve already raved about the soups. Though Florence was not my favorite, I can understand why people love it.

May I offer a couple tips? The Uffizi (along with most everything else) is closed on Monday. The rest of the week, you can either wait in line (first thing in the morning, I waited less than 30 minutes), or buy a reservation to come back at an appointed hour to see the museum. Don’t miss Michaelangelo’s David at the Academia. Climb the campanile at the Duomo. Climb the cupola at the Duomo. Climb anything that begs climbing. The view is always worth the effort and the Euros.

Missing your American sports and related conversation? Head to Lion’s Fountain on Borgo Albizi. Flat screens and lots of American students make for a lot of fun, if you’re missing the familiarity of home.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 | general