Whenever possible, I choose the less traveled roads as I traverse this fascinating city. Without a car or a bike–or even a Vespa–I walk a lot. Every day. Every place. And, I love it.
Recently I wandered down a street that is less than 5 minutes from the touristic center of Florence, where the streets are well washed and no litter survives a few hours, let alone a day.
And this old street, with its decrepit buildings, spoke to me. Does it speak to you?
Today in Rome (no snow in Florence):
They are everywhere! This one is much better cared for than most of them. I love the random nature of this picture; I shot it through a windshield of a motorcycle, not even realizing it at the time!
An occasional window shopping expedition along Florence’s “Rodeo Drive” is fun from time to time.
Valentino objets below:
Ferragamo next:
The Ferragamo shop is housed inside a Renaissance palazzo. The building itself is more interesting to me than the goods for sale.
In this episode of the quite good PBS series “Dream of Italy,” you will shop in food markets, cook with a professional, admire some of Rome’s many architectural masterpieces, learn to create mosaics, appreciate gelato, meet a renowned street artist and dance in a quadrille. Whew, that’s a lot! But it’s an enjoyable video.
Bittersweet moments seen in Florence yesterday:
A temporarily abandoned Curious George:
And a poor, little evergreen tree, still dressed up for Christmas, but with no place to go!
Walking through the well-worn streets in Florence, I am often entertained by the signs I encounter. I like to walk slowly and take in all the wonderful messages all around me.
For example, the following sign below is very, very clear about their products. It is outside the butcher shop and says, “Fresh meats, cattle, sheep, pork, poultry and game.” Wow, that’s a wide ranging offering!
The lower sign (in picture above) expands the offerings slightly. It reads “Meats for sale, fresh meats, cattle, sheep, pork, poultry and rabbits.”
The bicycle shop below caught my eye for the colors and fonts. I sometimes think of buying a biciclette here, but fear it would be stolen and so I doubt I will buy one.
get back, lauretta! 
You must be logged in to post a comment.