Monday, April 08, 2019

Northwards

Amalfi is a simple little village at heart, with one main piazza and one main street. This configuration means that despite the overwhelming number of idiot tourists and shops selling idiot crap to idiot tourists, the Amalfians are still there, going about their business, occupying the same space. If you stay there more than a few days, you start to recognise the individuals – the inflexible-haired matriarch in the blue vintage Fiat 500, the weird guy with the man bun who works on the wharf, that carabiniero who is never without his iPhone clamped to his ear, and even that excitable and apparently ownerless ginger dog who keep photobombing the tourists’ pictures in front of the cathedral.

It’s quite an abrupt change to go from that to Florence. There are more tourists in Florence as it’s a much larger city, but they’re concentrated in the old town. This means that the Florentines have largely abandoned the old town, turning it into one vast heritage precinct full of museums, restaurants, papieries, leathergoods stores and shops selling more shoes than there are human feet on the planet. If you want to buy a bright orange leather tote bag or an oxblood brogue, you’re in luck. If you want to buy an apple… not so much.

At least it was a comfortable ride there, whisked along by the Frecciarossa at nearly 300kph.

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home