Five nights in beautiful Florence! I met a friend from college for a long weekend of shopping, sightseeing and wine. I had been there several times before and she had not, so I played tour guide for the time. To me, it is always a great honor to see something twice and three times that most will never get to see at all. I thank the travel Gods every time I walk inside the Duomo or peer up into David’s eyes. It was easy to locate favorite restaurants and return to stores to pick up things I had already purchased and wanted again.

     My friend simply wanted the highlights, so I did not have to immerse myself in my usual 5 museums a day, feeling that I needed to see it all. I was able to pop into some smaller galleries that are always overlooked the first visit. One to recommend is the Cappella Brancacci. Located in the Santa Maria Del Carmine down the street from Santo Spirito, these are both fabulous visits to the history and art of Florence.

     The city is small and can easily be walked. We had only taken taxis to and from the airport and were able to safely walk everywhere at anytime. We had stayed at the Hotel Pierre, located very centrally by the Ponte Vecchio. The hotel was nice, but missed a few amenities which I always like. I have two other favorite hotels there Beacci Tornabuoni and the Bernini Palace Hotel. These hotels are all in the same price range and locations; I would highly recommend the newly renovated Bernini. We had four great dinners to recommend Cammillo Trattoria and Trattoria Anglino both in the Oltrarno area five minutes from the Ponte Vecchio. La Giostra for upscale fun and fine dining, and my favorite Trattoria La Carabaccia near the Santa Maria Novella.

     Florence always a beautiful and magical City was very expensive this time. I could blame it in the Dollar about 1.30 to the Euro, but the prices seemed very high all across the board. Even buying a pair of gloves at a street market seemed to cost more than it should. The prices of clothing and a cup of coffee for the residents appeared to reach new levels of inflation. After chatted with a few local realtors, I was told the cost of renting an apartment in one of those cute Palazzos in the Central City are far more out of reach than they used to be. Residents are now forced to move……to the suburbs!! Who knew there was Queens, Itlay!