Florence

May 28, 2014January 5, 2018

Fun signs

All over the world, street art is making a statement. One theme has grabbed my attention lately. Inspired by an anti-authority message, graffiti artists are turning Do Not Enter signs into creative ways to say no to authoritarianism. You’ll see variations on this theme all over Florence.

May 27, 2014January 5, 2018

Intense, Exciting Florence

Our Best of Europe in 21 Days tour hits all the biggies: and one of those is certainly Florence. With just under two days each in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Paris, ever hour needs to be carefully planned. Hotels are central, restaurants are artfully chosen, and reservations are made for the major museums and sights (e.g. “David” in Florence, Vatican Museum and Colosseum in Rome, Louvre in Paris) so not a minute is wasted. Intense? Sure. Exciting? Absolutely.

In Florence there’s always a long line to see Michelangelo’s masterful "David." With reservations long in hand, our group walked directly in. Tour Guide Reid Cohen covered the context and the story before giving us quality time to be on our own with perhaps Europe’s greatest piece of art. — In Florence there’s always a long line to see Michelangelo’s masterful “David.” With reservations long in hand, our group walked directly in. Tour Guide Reid Cohen covered the context and the story before giving us quality time to be on our own with perhaps Europe’s greatest piece of art.

A big challenge when traveling with groups of 25 people is to find restaurants that enthusiastically welcome groups but that don’t feel like “tour-bus restaurants.” That’s why our guides love Ristorante Giglio Rosso. A pet peeve of mine is a tour that feeds you what’s expedient--oblivious to the region and season. In my early days--escorting groups on big, cheap, European bus tours run by other companies--I was amazed at how the food fed to the groups had nothing to do with where we were. On our tours, we eat what is seasonal--and we eat the regional specialties throughout. — A big challenge when traveling with groups of 25 people is to find restaurants that enthusiastically welcome groups but that don’t feel like “tour-bus restaurants.” That’s why our guides love Ristorante Giglio Rosso. A pet peeve of mine is a tour that feeds you what’s expedient–oblivious to the region and season. In my early days–escorting groups on big, cheap, European bus tours run by other companies–I was amazed at how the food fed to the groups had nothing to do with where we were. On our tours, we eat what is seasonal–and we eat the regional specialties throughout.

As a tour organizer, I feel a real triumph when we connect Europeans who have a passion for their work with appreciative travelers. At restaurants I never let a good dining experience go by without inviting the hard-working chef and kitchen crew to come out for a round of applause and to take a bow. And our groups enjoy personally thanking them for a meal they’ll remember fondly all their lives.

All over Europe, old Industrial Age, iron-and-glass farmers' markets seem to be celebrating their hundredth birthdays by getting a new lease on life as trendy food halls. Here in Florence, the old Central Market has been particularly enjoyable as a thriving local market, and now its long-neglected upper level hosts a wonderful collection of quality eateries--it's as busy as the produce stalls on the ground level. Central Florence has new, extremely restrictive driving and parking laws which keep most locals eating dinner in the suburbs. But Florentines seem to strive for good eating at lunchtime as a result. This new food court is a real hit with the neighborhood's office workers. — All over Europe, old Industrial Age, iron-and-glass farmers’ markets seem to be celebrating their hundredth birthdays by getting a new lease on life as trendy food halls. Here in Florence, the old Central Market has been particularly enjoyable as a thriving local market, and now its long-neglected upper level hosts a wonderful collection of quality eateries–it’s as busy as the produce stalls on the ground level. Central Florence has new, extremely restrictive driving and parking laws which keep most locals eating dinner in the suburbs. But Florentines seem to strive for good eating at lunchtime as a result. This new food court is a real hit with the neighborhood’s office workers.

October 10, 2012November 21, 2013

La Vita È Bella

I’ve been lucky to spend a good part of 2012 in Italy, researching my guidebooks and filming shows for this fall’s new television season (debuting across the USA this week). Several times a week, by chance, I’d run into our tour groups and their amazing guides. Their enthusiasm was contagious. Squinting (I don’t wear sunglasses) at the energy in their smiles, surrounded by dazzling sunshine, it struck me that the sun in Italy seems to have a special glint to it — as though it’s telling visitors: Life is good; let’s embrace it.

Especially in Tuscany (as our guides are experts at revealing), lifelong travel memories are like low-hanging fruit…yours to harvest. At a favorite new trattoria, the chef cut open a cantaloupe-sized rock of aged pecorino cheese, sniffed it like a fine wine, and then passed it to me. The dank, rustic smell took my mind straight to an agriturismo barn I had visited — where random rays of sun cut between the weathered boards, filtered by floating dust from the hay, and bathed the sheep in a timeless Tuscan light. The next day, I returned…needing again the fragrant ritual splitting of the pecorino.

On that same trip, in Florence — on the wrong side of the river, in the crusty Oltrarno district — an artisan drew me into his shop as if inviting me on a journey. Under a single dangling light bulb, he hammered gold leaf into a dingy halo, breathing life back into a faded saint that was originally crafted by a neighbor of his… five centuries ago.

A few days later and an hour’s drive away, I was inspired by the simple joy of watching an old man bicycling with his granddaughter atop the wide, fortified wall that once protected proud Lucca from its enemies (and now seems to corral the town’s Old World charm). Then, on rented bikes — with those same energetic smiles, the steady leadership of their guide, and that persistent sun glinting off everything in sight — another Rick Steves tour group frolicked by…embracing life in Italy.

Without ignoring the plight of people in turmoil or who are struggling, for the vast majority of us, I believe it is important to be mindful of what a relatively wonderful, peaceful, affluent, and stable (if not sustainable) age we life in. I’ve produced about 140 TV shows in the last 20 years. Shooting each show is a six-day scramble that ends with great relief when we’re finally done. For the first forty or so, I signed off with “I’m Rick Steves. Until next time, happy travels.” For the last hundred episodes, I’ve finished the show saying, “I’m Rick Steves. Until next time, keep on travelin’.” This summer, on a gondola, surrounded by the watery majesty of Venice, I was moved to change it up a bit. Script covered and show in the can, I looked at the camera and said, “I’m Rick Steves. Life is good. Be thankful. Ciao.”

September 23, 2011January 4, 2018

Docking in Livorno — Florence’s Port

Here are some of my photos of Livorno, along with some tips cruise travelers might consider to save money or time (or both) while visiting a port.

Each morning our ship arrives in a new port — today we’re in Livorno, the port for Florence. I stood on my little deck and surveyed the scene as buses, taxis, and security forces waited for the cruisers to disembark. When you’re on vacation and in a cruising mind-set, it’s easy to be oblivious to the fascinating economic metabolism of the cruise industry.	Aggressive cabbies smell easy money when a ship docks — but it’s still a competitive business and taxi drivers are eager to deal. Plus, more and more local governments are regulating taxis since rip-offs give a city a bad reputation. If you can organize a group from the ship ahead of time, a good plan for a day in Florence is to hire a mini-bus taxi that holds eight people and split the (otherwise high) cost of hiring a taxi. While spending 400 euros for a day trip into Florence from Livorno is costly for two, for a group of eight, it’s just 50 euros per person — which is a steal. While you could certainly go cheaper by bus or train, with a shared taxi you’re dropped off in Florence in an hour (twice as fast as the train), picked up at an agreed-upon time, and zipped back to the port.
While the initial cost of a cruise vacation may seem too good to be true, cruise operators earn their gravy with extra profit centers: mostly drinks, gambling, onboard shopping, kickbacks from shops on land, and excursion tours to places of interest within an easy bus ride from the port. I was struck by how most cruisers are happy to pay the inflated prices ($150 to $200) for an excursion. Anyone willing to hop the shuttle bus to the main square of the port town and survey the options for local sightseeing tours could easily plan their own day trip — and save around 50 percent. Here in Livorno, right on the main square where the shuttle buses drop off passengers going ashore who aren’t taking the cruise excursions, is a tourist info kiosk staffed with an English-speaking person happy to explain your options. In most ports, there are nearly always local buses, shared taxis, and small tour operators offering plenty of good options to those who want to see a lot without spending a lot.	I found that the various ports (Civitavecchia for Rome, Livorno for Florence, and Toulon for Provence) had their own surprising charm. While all three are generally panned as boring industrial ports, I found each had a gritty harbor character, a long maritime history, were substantially bombed in World War II, and are legitimate urban representatives of their respective regions — just without the famous sights. In other words, if you’ve already seen Florence’s famous art treasures, save yourself three hours of bus time and just enjoy slice-of-life Italy in Livorno.
Cruise travelers generally stampede through Livorno to head for nearby Pisa (20 minutes away by train), Lucca, or Florence. But the city of Livorno has a rough charm with a “Little Venice” district that is built around canals. A €10 hour-long boat tour leaves from the port’s tourist info center, right where the cruise shuttle buses drop off visitors.

June 5, 2011December 6, 2016

The Duomo in Florence: A Very Popular Church

There are three or four sights in Florence that have notoriously long lines. The Uffizi (on yesterday’s post) is one, and the Duomo (cathedral) is another. To illustrate how many people are waiting to get into the Duomo, here’s a jog down the length of the line.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.