Wed, 24 Sep 2003

author Tim	location Platform 3 Ovest, Bolognia Train Station, Emilia-Romagna, Italia
posted 10:15 CEST 28/09/2003	section Europe2002/Europe/Italia ( all photos )

Pisa, Into Firenze ( 36 photos )
Getting up, we had to shuffle back and forth a bit as we were in separate dorm rooms to have a shower and we share lots of toiletries. Liz jumped the queues for the girls showers by getting in the empty boys one (perhaps my room was so stinky because the boys don't shower here?).
All done and organised, we headed into town on the bus once again. Wandering back past the tower, we booked ourselves into the slightly later tower tour, forked over thirty euros for the entrance (AUD $60. Ouch.), and had some breakfast at a little café which for the closest one to the tower was suprisingly good and cheap.
Once our tour was ready to go, we joined in the queue, ready to work out how our tour guide was going to give us a guided tour, given that everyone in the group spoke different languages. They solve that problem quite easily. They don't say a word. Instead we were escorted by two armed guards up to the top of the tower and back down again. Ingeneous, and a wonderful way to take vast sums of cash of hapless tourists for very little in return.
The ascent was fun, sometimes the steps are very steep, and at other times it is almost like you are walking on the flat ground. We were suprised that it was far easier a climb than Basilica San Pietro's dome had been, reaching the top in no time at all despite having climbed over three hundered steps.
They appear to be doing quite a lot of restoration work on it - people were chisleing away with hammers at strategic places around the middle levels under the belfry. Yes, there are actually bells up there, although we couldn't really see them very well through the scaffolding. It is quite amusing to watch from the ground as a massive crane was in place moving pieces of scaffolding around, but it looks like it is holding the tower up!
At the top, we saw the high end of the crane, heightening the fact that we were infact a long way up in the air. No suprises then that the view was awesome, the weather was great and walking around the circle that is the top of the building is fun whether going uphill or down.
After a good look and a few photos, we had had our fill and descended the staircase, which only seemed like it took a minute or so. We walked back towards the bus stop, stopping only to grab a very cheap and even more tacky little leaning tower model thing. The lady smiled as she handed it over, knowing that no matter how crappy these things are, people like us are still going to shell out for them, keeping her in business.
We jumped quickly onto a train to Firenze (Florence). After another un-eventful ride, we found ourselves at Firenze Stazione di Santa Maria Novella, reading our guidebooks and attempting to work out where to dump our bags. After the completely un-helpful tourist office told us that they couldn't even answer our questions about where to find a hostel, we head off randomly to see what we could find.
Not even out of the station gates, we had been approached by plenty of people trying to get us hotel rooms. Out of our budget, one finally called over his mate who ran a hostel. Sure, we were a little un-sure about whether to go with him as he took us to a private hostel, but his story all matched up and he didn't ask for money, saying we could take a look at the room and then decide.
He lead us across to the other side of the city, passing the huge and impressive Duomo church in the middle, which we intended to explore at a later date. The hostel turned out to be conveniently located, other people were there as well, but we took all of our valuables with us when wandering anyway, locking up the bags tightly.
The guide helpfully pointed out lots of interesting sights on a map of the city, including importantly things we could do for free. After a stop at the post office, we investigated one of these first - the supermarket.
We grabbed a BBQ chook, some just-baked bread and milk and headed off to find somewhere to eat it all. We settled for a spot right on the bank of River Arno which divides the city in half, relaxing in the sun for a while. We intended to do quite a lot of what the Italians do best in Firenze - nothing at all.
Over to the south side of the river thanks to Ponte alle Grazie bridge, we walked east in search of a way up the hill to a look-out point that the hostel guy had recommended. Eventually discovering the zig-zagging sets of stairs which climbed at quite a rapid rate, we were exhausted as we made it to the top, Piazzale Michelangelo. It was a little disapointing to see so many tourist buses and of course their accompanying tourist garbage shops had made it it, but this was more than offset by the fantastic view north over the river, looking at the city with its protruding buildings (note the dominating dome of Duomo).
Having had our fill of the view, but intending to return again for a sunset, we walked back down the hill, in a very chatty mood. We stopped at another litle park to continue our planning conversation, and attempted to work out how to operate the water fountain to re-fill our by now almost empty water bottles.
We settled on a walk to the famous Ponte Vecchio, a bridge across the Arno which by law is filled with silver- and gold-smiths. Being so famous, we had to wind our way past the people, catching glimpses of price tags which were more than a little on the inflated side. Rowers on the river made a nice shot towards Ponte alle Grazie.
Happy just to wander a little through various squares, markets and winding back streets which make up the centre of town, we were however a little dissolusioned by the whole place. It is interesting to note a few different opinions we have heard of the city. Travel writer Bill Bryson has been here (at least) twice - once in the early seventies, and again in about 1990. His first visit he thought was amazing, just getting into museums, palaces, and generally gaping at the beauty of the place. My parent's recommendation to come here echoes this, infact it was their favourite Italian city, even including Venice, from their trip also during the seventies.
However, on Bill's second visit, he just couldn't warm to the place. Almost nobody was speaking Italian, no locals were to be found anywhere - just camera after camera, tacky junk following yet more tacky junk. From our perspective, the last thirteen years since Bill wrote of his visit have certainly not seen things improve. Sure, it is a pretty city, but it seems to have lost its soul.
Another trip to the supermarket found us suitably stocked on pasta, sauce and the local specialty wine Chianti (cheap and comes in huge bottles with cane/wicker around the bottom), and we headed back to prepare our staple dinner. We hadn't been in bed long when Liz thought she felt something crawling on her body. Our best thought on that, and the resulting marks that we both had is that the cute dog of the house, Key, had fleas. He also had a habit of sleeping on the dorm beds. Uncomfortable, yes, but things could have worked out much worse.

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