Art and culture don't just pour forth from Firenze, it inhabits every street, every building, even the air itself in this town of the Medici's. The place where Leonardo, Galileo, Michelangelo, and even Machiavelli forever altered our way of looking at things. It is a place where things aren't always what they seem, and most of all, a place where explanations are necessary to bring understanding to the sensory overload you experience.
How does Rick Steves tie the culture of renaissance Florence to a former Appalachian country girl? Here's one way, put her in a wire cage up above the city. Well, maybe this wasn't on the official guided tour and we did it on our own, but it is one of those things that you are, oh so, glad that you did.
Ben's desire to lead us into interesting experiences knew no bounds. Take this little restaurant in Florence where our group ate one evening. As each course was presented, Ben explained what it was and gave us small pointers on how to best enjoy it, When the dessert cart was wheeled in, the level of enthusiasm he displayed definitely increased. And as he waxed poetic over each carefully crafted delectable, we realized what his favorite course was.
Florence where we gazed on towers soaring to the heights where eagles fly, helped a restaurant chef celebrate his birthday and stayed, of all places, in the Hotel California