A Traveler Doesn't Do A Place --- Can you Do Florence and Be Done with It? No, You Discover and Experience Great Places Again and Again

I cringe when I hear someone say "Oh I've done Rome or I've done London."

But it was only a few weeks ago that someone said to me as I was effusing on Florence...."Oh I've done Florence"....and I finally stopped short and looked straight into her nonchalant eyes and asked what that meant.

"You know I've seen David, the Uffizi.."

I thought for a moment.....well David was a good answer....seeing David in Florence is a very defining moment...a moment a true traveler never forgets.  When I first went to Florence I wandered endlessly around David gawking at his magnificence from every angle...and still I think of that moment when I first caught a glimpse of him with the awe of a child first seeing a snowflake.  The Uffizi wasn't a bad answer either...I thought...as I recalled climbing its magnificent staircase and floating from room to room marveling at the original Botticelli's Birth of Venus, the one I'd seen duplicated everywhere, gaping at the DaVinci's, roaming the Uffizi's sculpture galleries and, from it's windows, beholding one of the most incredible and recognizable sights in the world -- the view of the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio with the fading backdrop of the rooftops of Florence.  Ah perspective!

But doing Florence...is Florence ever done?  Couldn't it's Renaissance streets be wandered for endless hours.  What about the food markets with redder than red tomatoes, more varieties of pasta than I've ever seen anywhere, and the luscious looking meats. And shopping -- window along Tournabuoni and then discovering little shops everywhere with amazing things like incredible paper and leather concoctions and perfumes.  And oh let's not forget the food...and wine.  Tiny little cafes, gelato shops, pizzerias, wine bars abounding.  One night a cheap pizza in a cute bar in the Oltrano on the other size of the Arno....another time, a dish of unspeakable pasta in little cafe on a back street near the Medici Chapels just visited, and then of course, a Florentine steak, reminiscent of the "Old 96er" that  John Candy devoured in the "Great Outdoors" only I am certain much, much better, at one of the many impeccably designed, chique ristoranti.

And Florence has neighborhoods and piazza after piazza with their own distinct charms and interests.   Of course, I personally could explore the art of Florence forever...in its countless churches and tucked away in unexpected places, and the city itself -- a work of art.   Specific places to visit...read my blog...I've already covered some...more to come.   But Florence as any great city in the world is more than about places to see, its about exploration, discovery... it's about being somewhere where great people who contributed much to the way we live and enjoy life today walked and lived their lives.

Would Galileo, daVinci, Michelangelo, the Medici, Fra Angelico, Giotto ever have said "Oh, I've done Florence."  Of course, the realities are you may not have the time or money to spend as much physical time in any one place that you might like to...but realize that even if your time is brief...you need to take it in.. absorb it and experience it again and again through reading, film art whatever.....

And please, don't tell me that you've done Florence.  She is never done, I am sure of that.