The City of….Plants!
After three weeks in Venice, I instantly noticed two very important and refreshing things about Florence: trees and hills. Venice has no trees--its ground is all cobblestone. And it has no hills; its alleys and squares are all man-made, and as flat as the water on which they are built. But Florence--the aptly-named Blossoming City--had poplar trees lining the streets! Wildflowers growing out of stone walls! Luxuriant Tuscan hills, sweepingly visible in the far distance! If Venice was "home base" during the program, then Florence was home-away-from-home. I couldn’t wait to start exploring.

I’m Walkin’…
Florence was my favorite Italian city, partly because it was the only place I traveled all by myself. I got my own train ticket, carried three days’ possessions on my back, hoofed it to the cheapest youth hostel I could find--and even got in without a reservation! Thrown thus upon my own resources, I promptly got lost deep to the south of the city: having gone out for “a walk” in the balmy light before dinner, I wound up fleeing the advancing darkness in a little hamlet that isn’t even on the map. The town had only one street, which inclined at an angle of roughly eighty-five degrees to the ground. Good thing I've always liked walking.

The Rhythm of Florence
Click here to hear about one of the unexpected cultural experiences I had on my last evening in Florence.