Florence - Overrated

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Sorry Mum and Dad but I must say Florence is overrated.

Full of American tourists on tour groups, walking around going "on my god, look at that"... the traffic is well behaved... you dont feel like you could get mugged at any point... attractions close by 5pm (6pm if you are lucky) and cost more (paying to go into a church and then you cannot take pics?)... the local girls arent as attractive... and apart from going to art museums you can see it all in a day. Just doesnt have that feeling that southern Italy does.

The only good thing was a sort of "easter egg hunt" that a local couchsurfer had put up.. a few things to look for that most people don't know about, like the window at one piazza that is left open otherwise the ghost of a girl goes nuts inside the room... or the red circle in another piazza that marks the spot where 2 monks were put to the flame by orders of the Pope of the time. Apparently at the hospital until 1875 mothers that couldnt look after their children could hand them over to be looked after by the church through a small window... today it remains but barred up.

It was funny walking past the Duomo this afternoon as it was closing at 5pm and seeing the looks on the faces of the people in the line who had been waiting lol. I climbed up the campanile earlier, those 400+ steps put some pain into the Achilles. The view was pretty good but it was a bit rainy and windy at the time, the sun came out later briefly but that wasnt for too long.

I'm here another 2 nights then I stop in at Pisa to see the leaning tower then continue on to Levanto at the northern end of the Cinque Terra. So going to catch the bus out to San Gimignano for the day tomorrow, then the train to Siena the day after, hope the rain holds off for those, its currently pissing down at the moment... time to try the dodgy dinner they serve up, hope its better than the ordinary breakfast

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