Our taxi driver was traditional Venetian and somehow was able to maneuver the motor launch through the little canals and around all the traffic. At the train station, we said Ciao and went off to find our high speed train to Florence.
The Italian railroad press was very proud of the fact that the high speed rail system was running efficiently – not as other things work in Italy. The train actually left on time, traveled quickly through the Italian country side and arrived in Florence 2 minutes early. Nothing like that in the States!
In Florence, we grabbed a taxi to the Lungarno Suites Hotel, a wonderful little hotel on the Arno
river at the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. The bridge is still standing – from the 11th century - after the destruction Florence experienced in WWII. Hitler actually met Mussolini in a room above the bridge and was so moved by the view of the Arno that he ordered his Army not to destroy any part of the bridge. There is a long walkway on one side of the bridge, above the shops that allowed Lorenzo De Medici to walk from his home on one side of the Arno to the political offices on the other without being confronted by ordinary citizens. It’s quite ingenious – much as the US House and Senate have their underground subway system to avoid the common taxpayers.
We walked through a lot of neighborhoods before heading out for drinks at Harry's Bar of Florence. This Harry’s is much larger than Venice and we had a great conversation with Fortunato, a Sardinian bartender, relatively new to Harry’s. We’re going back tomorrow night to talk more to Leo, who’s been with Harry’s for 51 years and has ALL the stories.Dinner was short and uneventful at a small café next to the Hotel – and we got to bed early, in preparation of a long walking tour of the Art Museums of Florence, tomorrow. Till then, Ciao!
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