Florence

"I never wanted this for you. I work my whole life - I don't apologize - to take care of my family, and I refused to be a fool, dancing on the string held by all those bigshots. I don't apologize - that's my life - but I thought that, that when it was your time, that you would be the one to hold the string. Senator Corleone; Governor Corleone. Well, it wasn't enough time, Michael. It wasn't enough time."
--Vito



I don't know what you've heard, but the David surpasses all expectations and hype. I'm an art idiot, but this sculpture even took my breath away. But probably the highlight of the Florence leg was a little restaurant you won't read about in Rick Steves called "Il Latini." Unable to make reservations, we arrived to find a mob scene outside the front door of this establishment. It became clear rather quickly that there would not be anyone taking our names or handing us a little buzzer like you get at the Olive Garden, so I did my best Johnny Fontaine impersonation and walked to the front of the group like they should have been expecting us. Within seconds we were sitting down and embarking on a 7 course meal that involved several dishes I had never even heard of. During the evening, my Italian vocabulary tripled (meaning I could now say three words) as we conversed with the locals in this incredible joint.