5. Buy the Herald Tribune first thing in the morning or they will be all sold out. With so many tourists flocking to this city, the competition for the daily English language newspaper is fierce. Get in early or you will miss your daily fix.
4. Café Society does not exist in Florence. If you linger too long at a café or restaurant they will ask you to leave. Unlike most cafes in the US where one can wile away the afternoon reading and writing, there just is no leisurely afternoon to be had on the Piazzas of this city. This is why private clubs such as Teatro Del Sale become so valuable. If you want a quiet afternoon cup of tea and the chance to read the newspaper without distraction, this is your only solution.
3. When entering and leaving a store, restaurant or any other establishment, be sure to acknowledge the proprietor with a “hello” and a “thank you,” preferably in Italian. Hospitality is an essential source of cultural pride to Italians. They value the gathering of friends and family above all else. You are being welcome into their “home” when you enter a store or restaurant. Be courteous and respectful; it is the least we can do.
2. If Florentines look tired and grumpy it is because they are. Italians don’t sleep. Their day often starts as early as 6 am in order to get their children off to school by 8 am. In the office by 9 am, they do take a long lunch from 13:00 (1:00 pm) to 15:00 (3:00 pm).
Dinner is not until 21:00 (9:00 pm) and bedtime depends on how late they debate the vagaries of renaissance stone masonry or some other overly intellectualized and usually obtuse subject matter. If you decide to do as the locals do, be prepared to become as tired and grumpy as they are. The good news is that you will fit right in.
1. Be careful, you just might never leave. A small city by most standards, Florence with its medieval, winding, cobblestoned streets manages to pull you in like a puzzle you are eager to solve. Or to use another metaphor, an ex-pat who had come for a trip and stayed for twenty-five years told me that Florence is like quicksand, you step in but can never really pull yourself back out.
