Italian Escapades
Part 2 of 3: Florentine leather makes everything better

Story and photos by KAREN SCHERER

After our rocky start in London and Venice, the girls and I needed a smooth stay in Florence to revive our spirits. With the B&B Rota behind us, our imaginations ran wild with the thought that our new hostel could somehow be worse than the last. Another roadblock on this Italian adventure could seriously damage our travel karma, and that is why, after a short walk from the train station, we were all incredibly relieved to find ourselves standing in front of the quaint white door of the Leonardo House.

After checking in, our wonderful host at Leonardo House pulled out a Florence street map, asked a few questions about our interests and marked up all the places we needed to see. Eager to actually get out and experience Italy, we headed straight for the Uffizi.

Florentine travel tip #1: Get in touch with your inner artist. Perhaps the most prestigious of any collection of Italian art, the Uffizi is positively stocked with works by some of the greatest artists of the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Art junkies could spend days wandering the halls of this gallery. Among the more famed pieces adorning the walls are Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Caravaggio’s Sacrifice of Isaac, Gentile da Fabriano’s The Adoration of the Kings, Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck, and works by many other masters of the trade—including Da Vinci, Rembrandt, Raphael, Tintoretto, Michelangelo and Correggio. However, many pieces in the Uffizi are unknown to the general populous of non-art majors. It isn’t like the Louvre, with swarms of camera-laden tourists seeking a coveted photo in front of the mysterious Mona Lisa, hardly bothering to even look at the painting. A higher appreciation is needed at the Uffizi—read up before visiting the gallery, otherwise you might walk right past a plethora of artistic treasures.

Florentine travel tip #2: Eat gelato. After appeasing our appetite for art, we decided to satisfy our other appetites, and made perhaps the greatest discovery of our globetrotting lives: gelato. A close cousin to ice cream, gelato is made with milk or water, instead of cream. It’s impossible to accurately describe the sinful delight that is gelato—it needs to be experienced. The texture is unbelievably smooth and there are an endless variety of flavors from which to choose. It was December when we were in Italy, it was cold; but we sought out gelateries at least once a day for the rest of the trip. We may have been bundled up in hats and scarves, and gelato brought on the shivers, but we were determined to eat as much of it as we could.

Florentine travel tip #3: Be informed. The Duomo in Florence is stunning. Mosaic-like outer walls of rich, pink, white and green marble define the visual uniqueness of this cathedral. I fell in love with it immediately, but was completely unaware of the historical significance the building. For instance, the distinctive eight-sided dome, designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, should have looked familiar, as the same design was later used for St. Peter’s in Rome and St. Paul’s in London. The Baptistry just outside main entrance of the cathedral also holds several claims to fame. The structure is referenced in Dante’s “Inferno,” and has several sets of elaborately designed doors; the most famous of which are known as the “Gates of Paradise,” and were created by Lorenzo Ghiberti between 1401 and 1424. Of course, I learned all of this after returning to the States, and would recommend reversing that order, as it would make the experience of seeing this building all the more memorable.

Florentine travel tip #4: Ask a hostel/hotel worker if there are any strikes occurring during your stay, and plan accordingly. Before leaving London, Erika, Naomi and I set three goals for ourselves: Take a gondola ride in Venice, see the David in Florence, and go to the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Our plane fiasco killed the gondola ride, but we were still shooting for two out of three. Turns out that wasn’t meant to be; a strike of Academia workers prevented our viewing of Michelangelo’s masterpiece. There was a sign hanging on the gigantic wood doors, notifying all visitors that the building was closed because of a worker strike—on that one day, our last day in Florence. While coming to grips with our 0 for two count, a middle-aged American couple came up behind us and added to the depression. The woman was noticeably upset about the strike, and proceeded to inform us that it was a “travesty to come to Florence and not see the David.” We told her that, if that was the case, we were experiencing a travesty, because we were leaving for Rome in a few hours—without seeing the David. To make us feel better, she began explaining how absolutely incredible the sculpture was, how it mesmerized her the first time she saw it, and was located directly on the other side of the doors we were loitering near, The icing on the cake was when she picked up a small poster of David from a nearby kiosk, and held it up in front of the door to give us an idea of what it looks like. I’ve never wanted to punch a complete stranger more than I did in that moment.

Florentine travel tip #5: Leather makes everything better. No David—we were crushed. So we did what any rational person would do in that situation: engaged in a healthy dose of comfort-shopping in the leather markets. With enough bargaining savvy, a trip to the leather markets can be both indulgent and economical. The key is not to look too interested, and work in teams. One person has to be the skeptical one, while the other intrigued—that way, shop owners won’t give up on the deal thinking you truly aren’t interested in buying, but have to work to win over the skeptic, and that’s when the prices start dropping. It also helps to have an idea of what you are willing to spend before encountering something you “have to have.” After the disappointing start to this day, I was forced to enter into negotiations on a mid-length brown coat, and a pink and brown wallet imprinted with a grapevine pattern. The healing power of Italian leather is a wonderful thing; it diverted my attentions away from Michelangelo long enough to hop a train out of Florence, headed toward our third and final Italian escapade—Rome.

To be continued...