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Florence
By Betty B.D.
Gelato a day keeps the Be-Tay happy. Ah, Italy. Nothing like sitting on the balcony of your hotel room with a piece of cheese in hand, staring out at those gentle rolling hills of Tuscany, to truly be at peace. I personally spent a week over spring break unlocking their secrets and exploiting their riches. Oops did I say that out loud?
Three days I devoted to Florence alone. The city is filled to the brim with culture and it is always filled people bustling around. From the famous statue of David, created by the master Leonardo Da Vinci, to its grand Medici chapels Florence is perhaps one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Palazze Vecchio, the majestic town hall located in the heart of Florence is the center of all activity. The Duomo of course, the main cathedral of the city, is a must-see. If you have the time, I suggest climbing to its dome to look out at all of Florence sprawled beneath you. However, the line to climb the Duomo is usually unbearably long, whereas the long to climb the nearby Campanile is short. The Campanile is a bell tower created by Giotto which if climbed, ascends to about the same height as the Duomo yet the sight is still impressive.
The intimidating Medici Chapels house some of the tombs of some of Europe’s greatest leaders. The cool interior of the hall fills you with awe as you stare up at the magnificent marble. Across the street there is a quaint little boutique called Betty Florence which I would suggest you stop by. (wink wink).
And this of course brings us to the food. You can easily find a great gelato place on every street corner. My advice is to look for signs that say that the place is recommended by Trip Advisor so as to avoid chemical tasting American style gelato. And the pizza. That thin crusted deliciousness that doesn’t need to advertise that it’s “real cheese”. As your teeth puncture, the surface, a delightful explosion of flavor erupts in your mouth leaving you thinking that American pizza is junk.
A piece of advice- give yourself a budget on how much to spend because if given free rein you might just buy the whole town. I personally had to unglue myself from windows as I drooled over the most beautiful shoes made of the finest, most comfortable leather, and the most chic elegant that screamed my name. Of course, a leather purse or two is needed to flaunt back at home, and you simply cannot leave Italy without buying at least one pair of shoes. The Italians seem to have outsmarted us all when it comes to shoes; their genius combination of beauty and comfort, a rarity here, gives you a reason to paint your toenails when wearing those beautiful handcrafted sandals. My do those Italians know how to work with leather.
Italy is the place for everyone, food lovers, artists, culture snobs, fanatical shoppers; anyone can unlock their inner Italian. Chi la dura la vince- he who perseveres wins at last.