City Love Companions

I got a good glimpse of Florence in the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs, the one where he eats a guys’ brain and stabs another guy in an artery and leaves him to bleed out on a crowded street. The movie wasn’t as good as the first one, but it showed where a sophisticated psychopath like Hannibal Lecter would live if he ever escaped containment. Florence smells of almond soaps, perfume you can’t buy anywhere else in the world, and pizza. And then there is that characteristic smell of old stuff. You know, that museum smell of formalin and cold, if cold was a smell. Florence, or Firenze as the Italians say, is located in a sort of a focal point between Rome, Venice, and Milan. Compared to the other three cities it has a more small community, village feel to it. It’s strange considering how much of an impact this relatively small city had on the modern world. A world, which would not be the same without the inventions and imagination of the genius Leonardo da Vinci. And the Michelangelo’s iconic David is out on display in the Accademia Gallery among other historical works of art. This genius artist was laid to rest in the Basilica of Santa Croce, also known as the Temple of the Italian Glories alongside other giants such as Galileo and Machiavelli. Tupac Shakur used that name as an alter ego and he’s most likely the one who brought Machiavelli to pop culture. I don’t see a clear connection. Machiavelli was that dick who wrote The Prince; a book that to this day is a tutorial in backstabbing and instructed generations of corrupt politicians.

Located in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria in Florence is the point of concentration of many interesting sculptures – from David by Michelangelo to Judith and Holofernes by Donatello and Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini

The Florence Cathedral (fomally: Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore or simply the Duomo) is a symbol of Florence and mind-blowing. The construction started in 1296 and took almost 200 years to finish. It’s not just a big church, it’s an entire complex consisting of the Duomo, the Baptistery and Giotto's Campanile, everything located on the Piazza del Duomo and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The dome itself is a marvel of architecture, largest bricked one in the world; you can even climb on top of it for the best view of Florence. I love these things, narrow passages, almost claustrophobic but oh so mysterious, makes you think what kind of secrets are buried within the walls of this humongous building. When being in Firenze you cannot afford either to miss out on the Uffizi Gallery, where you can admire the work of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giotto and Botticelli. Also the collection of Greek and Roman sculptures of the Uffizi is overwhelming, both in size and quality.

Stroll around the Ponte Vecchio, the old bridge over the Arno river, world famous and very characteristic with the households and boutiques built into it. It used to be a disgusting meat market, butchers would dump buckets of intestines and blood and everything they couldn’t sell straight into the river. The Medici ruled Florence during that time; they ruled most of Europe really, due to the huge wealth they accumulated thanks to the Medici Bank. I even heard about some tinfoil hat theories how they still rule the world, how Citi Bank is their spiritual child, about the Secret Society of the Illuminati and other conspiracy bullshit. Anyway, the Medici weren’t fond of all that waste flowing down the river, stinking their city up. So they kicked the meat vendors out and replaced them with jewellers who occupy that space to this day. The discovery of perfume is also attributed to the Medici. Renato Bianco discovered it when he was brewing various poisons for that family. I suppose they needed it for “stuff” and turns out that the first perfume in the world was a by-product of murder. If you’re interested in all sorts of heavenly smells then you should definitely visit the 600-year-old perfume store Officina Profumo – Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella (https://www.smnovella.com/) at Via della Scala, 16.

The bridge Ponte Vecchio in Florence: the uniqueness of this bridge is that it has never been changed since its construction in 1345; now there are numerous shops built along this bridge

Florentine cuisine is unique and very distinctive compared to the rest of Italy. One could even say that it’s an acquired taste. Tripe, chicken liver paste on toast or tomato soup made with stale bread, those aren’t universally adored dishes like pizza and gelato. There’s also the Bistecca alla Fiorentina or simply La Bistecca, which is a huge T-bone steak. Nothing special but everyone loves steak. You can taste both of those worlds in Florence’s Central Market. Mercato Centrale consists of two floors; one is your basic market with vendors selling fresh meats, fruit and produce, while the second floor is more of a food court with restaurants and bars. The region Tuscany (Toscana) is famous for its winemaking tradition and you can take advantage of that. Wine tours are all about getting wasted while pretending you’re sophisticated and trying to broaden your knowledge. Drop the appearances; just go get smashed in one of the numerous bars like La Terrazza Rooftop Bar on top of Hotel Continentale at Vicolo dell'Oro, 6.