Watching outside sweep by once more, my four hour train journey to Florence dealt me a hefty dose of Italian countryside. Choosing the 'slow train' by mistake (I would love to blame bad language translation but the transaction was completed in English) left me seeing a LOT of what it means to be a farmer in Italy (and grass, mainly grass.)
By the time I was pulling up to the train station in Firenze, I had worked out that not only did the train take almost 3 hours longer than it should have, it also left me at the wrong station.
Having no option but to get off anyway, I headed straight for the information counter where it was... closed. Apparently no one needs travel information after lunch in Italy. Assuming I was somewhere on the outskirts, there was a serious lack of people about and my ability to read another's bilingual skills had me feeling I wasn't in the the right area for a conversation 'en Englisho'. Luckily while walking around like a twat trying my best to look like I wasn't lost/confused/stranded, I managed to catch my eye on the departures board just as the station I was after, Santa Maria Novella flashed up. A scurry to buy a billetari from a slow ticket machine victimised by the financial crisis had me on my toes and sprinting for a train I had just paid 1,50 euro for and had 4 minutes to catch.
Running through a foreign station and up countless flights of stairs is not something I would volunteer to do with an 11kg life on my back but I was able to make it between the doors before they smashed close and blocked any option of return. The Italians may have looked at me with the conceited eye roll and sigh of disdain that they have mastered so well but I was on my way to a destination I had much more knowledge of.
A long day of travel had me in Firenze with a couple hours of daylight still to spare and I couldn't wait to walk around the streets and explore the authentically European ancient town. Armed with a map and with little intent to use it, I followed my feet along bustling cobblestone pavements through markets and shops; following my will and stopping where I felt like it.
Gazing up at what I assumed was the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the grand church of the town, I rounded a corner mere metres later to find the actual Cathedral and it literally took my breath away. The skill of the artwork that adorns it's outer layer is amazing and like nothing I've ever seen before. So much work had been put into the outside of the building with so many places to look at once, a nice change from the usual cathedrals of Europe which focus much more effort on their inside. I went inside and was able to ogle the intricate painting under the giant dome which even Picasso must have smiled at, but it is the outside that is most stunning and which I couldn't remove my blurry eyes from. Beautifully imposing and visually stunning, it dominates the square and remains the heart of the town.
I wouldn't say Italians are the friendliest folk I've met travelling but today a number of people seemed hard set on getting to know me. Or at least offering their skills as guides, listeners, translators or personal shadows. I'm not sure if I look lost, dumb, incommunicado or dearly in need of a companion but I sure got all kinds of offers on my roaming today.
I made it safely (and accidentally) to the water just in time for sunset and although it was a little too cloudy to have the picturesque colours of a setting sun that Italy does so well, it felt magic being lined up with every other tourist and their dog, child and tour group along the bridge as the sun dipped away.
I walked back through the streets as the sky was turning a myriad of colours before settling on black and suddenly realised that I hadn't eaten since my kidnapped breakfast slice on the train hours ago. The restaurant underground in this giant hostel serves every Italian dish you could imagine and for my second night viva Italia I ordered a funghi pizza all to myself.
Tomorrow I have Firenze all day where the sun is supposed to shine and there won't be the aftermath of a marathon to leave the streets quite as crowded as this afternoon.
I am also hoping my bowels don't continue to be my early morning wake up call. This pizza better do the trick.
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