We had been pre warned to expect some form of precipitation upon arrival in Venice but whereas in fact it remained largely dry. The same fortuitous clear skies were not on hand to greet our arrival in Florence however.
Stepping out of the bustling Santa Maria Novella train station and we were immediately soaked. Not just wet or damp, but thoroughly drenched. We scoured the side streets hoping in vain to discover our hotel before finally stumbling across the building. A 200 metre walk had managed to take half an hour due to the hotel directions confusion between left and right.
Fortunately the skies lifted slightly for our first full day and we managed to remain largely dry. Once again we analysed the map of the cities sites and concluded that they were spread well across the area, on both sides of the river that runs through the centre, so we hopped on a reasonably priced tour bus parked just across from the Santa Maria Novella station. The beauty of these hop on hop off buses are that the ticket remains valid for 48hours, so even once the sights have been visited the tour ticket effectively acts as a public transport pass for the remainder of the allotted time.
Florence is a beautiful looking city that was once the capital city of Italy before being displaced by the current capital Rome. The cities Renaissance architecture and beautiful buildings help to cement the city as one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The River Arno acts as a barrier between the cosmopolitan metropolis around the Duome and city centre, and the greener wealthy suburbs on the other side. Our tour took us up to the Michelangelo statue and from this point we looked out across the most amazing panoramic view across the city, a view that photos struggle to do justice. Orange roofs dominate the skyline.
The following day we took the short hop over to neighbouring Pisa to visit the famous Leaning Tower or Pisa. The streets of Pisa, much like those of Florence, ooze both Italian architecture and stereotypes in general. The shutter windows of the coloured buildings overlook the cobbled street where motorcycles zoom by and street tradesman sell umbrellas and bags amongst other tings.
The tower itself is just as imagined. Flanked by other glorious but straight buildings, the peculiar slant looks like it could tip the remainder of the way at any given second.
Just from strolling the streets of the various Italian cities that we visited, there can be no mistaking where you are. Italy has the most recognisable and iconic streets and the people are just as patriotic and passionate as stereotyped. Italy is a truly unique country with such a strong personal identity that helps make it one of the most famous countries and cultures in the world.
The food it Italy was much as one expects it to be, divine. The carbonara sauce has an authentic taste that cannot be obtained by simply stirring in a packet of pasta sauce as I so frequently do at home. The carbonara here is a complete different kettle of fish with egg far more prevalent in the flavour of the sauce.
The subject of food here brings me onto my next rant, tipping and service charges.
Much like one of the characters from the film Reservoir Dogs I disagree with tipping and service charges. They should not be expected by the staff, let alone compulsory and only given when deserved. A meal we had in Venice was followed by a compulsory service and cover charge (another piss take I’d happily eat off the floor) when the service was actually quite poor. All restaurant staff are paid above the minimum wage, more so than can be said for many other jobs where tipping doesn’t even enter the equation. Finally on our final night in Florence I happily tipped at a Chinese restaurant where the service was excellent, just for the record!
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