While Rome has the antiquities and much of the history - Florence holds the art.
It is a bustling city of many inhabitants scurrying around on those noisy scooters - it is a city of quiet beauty. The most famous of which is Michangelo’s masterpiece "David". If you see no other art in Europe - do not miss this one. It is fabulous! Even the pieces that Michangelo did not like or use - you will not believe.
I was living in Guam at the time, newly promoted to Assistant Buyer for Leather goods, when I was asked to accompany the Buyer on a Buying” trip. Most leather goods for our company were designed, manufactured and sold to us from Firenze or Florence, Italy. Ferragamo, Celine, Gucci were some of the brands we carried but all of our buying was done in Florence. All Leather Buyers met in Italy four times per year to review product lines, edit product lines and buy product lines. Florence was our headquarters for Leather, Ready to Wear and Scarves. I became fairly familiar with the city during my visits over the years and developed a sincere fondness for everything Florentine.
By suggestion, my wife and I hit Cinque Terre last summer on a European excursion I’m sure I’ll write more about, but first I want to mention the most magical part of our trip: our days at Cinque Terre. First, do a Yahoo search on the word "cinque terre" to see pictures of this amazing place, as nothing I can write will aptly describe these perfect villages nestled into the Italian seaside. Then picture yourself starting at Monterroso and hiking through the hills (if you’re fit, otherwise take the train or boat), through the vineyards and carved hillsides, seeing little pieces of Old World Italy in the cliffside farming, and then walking down into a pastel colored fishing village built into the rocks and hills, over an emerald green-blue sea. Now imagine doing this four times in a day. Because you can, you can walk to all five in a day and it will be one of the most magical experiences of your life. You see, "cinque" means five and "terre" means land and these "five lands" are right out of a storybook. This is the place Italy has been in your dreams, and it delivers in every way without feeling touristy. Although, we did "hear" a lot of English there. But even in July, it wasn’t crowded.
Fiesole is one of those little Italian towns that personifies the tourist’s view of Italy. It has a loverly view of Florence, an old Roman stadium that you can explore, and green hill and vineyards. It’s a short bus ride from Florence. When you get off the bus, it’s like a whole new world. You can actually breathe the air and there is no smog to be seen. The people are friendly, and there are no pushy tourists shoving you out from behind to get the "perfect shot" of the duomo. It’s a vacation from your vacation. Take a picnic lunch and explore this quaint town. When you leave, you’ll feel refreshed and recharged, and ready to take on the Uffizi.
Many people go to Italy, check out the major central and northern cities and jet off to other places equally popular. However, the best places in Italy to go are in the south. Of course everyone knows about Sicily and it’s treasures, but a trip to parts of the southern part of the boot are equally as exciting. Best of all is Matera, a small city in the Basilicata region (southern in-step). The old city consists of cave houses, carved into the side of the ravine where Matera is situated. Now, the majority of the people live in the new section (by the 1940s, the cave house were overcrowded (10 people in a one room cave, plus farm animals), without electricity and subject to outbreaks of malaria and other nasty diseases). If you want a great description of the area before Italy became richer, read Carlo Levi’s "Christ Stopped at Eboli."
Tuscany, one of the most favorite destinations for travelers around the world and especially Germany. With the season starting in July, I managed to get there just before — avoiding Italians becoming a minority just a few days after my departure. Well it’s not that bad, but I found it very pleasant to travel Tuscany for 2 weeks in July.
If you want to know details about all the specific sights and attractions … get a book. (just kidding) But in all honesty, I don’t want to bore you with details that you probably read way too often already. So this was supposed to be a budget trip and camping worked very well the year before in France, and was the ‘accommodation of choice’ again.
Madrid is a town which has to be experienced to be believed. It’s one of only four cities in Europe, the others being Amsterdam, London, and Sevilla, that I would consider abandoning life as I know it here in the U.S. for. And as a matter of fact, of the four cities I mentioned Madrid is the frontrunner. Every aspect of the city is amazing, from its wonderful, world-class museums to its fabulous food and nonstop party atmosphere.
While on our European trip, we stopped in Florence (Firenza). We only had five hours to shop and sight see. It was probably a good thing I didn’t have more time because I spent a lot of money in that amount of time. I hate to think of how much I would have spent if I was there longer. I must confess, it wasn’t all for me.
We got the sightseeing out of the way first. We started at the Baptiseri, Il Cuppolone and the Duomo. The outside of Il Cuppolone and the Duomo were beautiful–probably my favorite buildings of all we saw. We wanted to climb the Duomo but the line was too long.
If you plan on traveling to Europe anytime in the near future you should set some time aside to pick up some of the culture. Some of the most breath taking sites in Europe are in Italy. Most people focuss on the artwork in Paris or the many chapels but most overlook Italy. Italy is mostly known for its sculptures and scenery. Michaelangelo’s David is one of the greatest sculptures I have ever seen.
Florence, meaning city of flowers,” is a fascinating and colorful city. It is not at all a city in the modern sense with modern buildings and high rises. In fact, in many ways it is still much like it was in the Renaissance. It is relatively small with shops and houses pressed one upon another. The streets are narrow with hardly enough room for two vehicles to pass each other going in opposite directions. Early in the morning venders line the main streets to sell their wares. Other than having to tolerate modern transportation, it is not difficult to imagine yourself living back in the 13th century.
