Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Everyone sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.
Niccolò Machiavelli
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Traveling with my parents through Italy has taken on a rhythm of its own after four days; a continuation of my pilgrimage where each day sees a different city, but adapted to their preferred mode of transportation- the high speed train!
Standing in front of a red ticket kiosk at Roma - Termini, luggage in hand, we took a decision.
“Firenze- That’s Florence, Dad!”
I have really been showing off my expert knowledge of Italy to my family these past few days...
It is my second one-day visit to Florence. The first came at a moment when I was still very much in the middle of my pilgrimage to Rome, a rebellious detour. I remember the feeling of seeing the Duomo for the first time and thinking that Florence must be the grandest, biggest city of Italy.
Visiting Florence after Rome, the size perspective is wildly different, but I still find Florence beautiful.
Instead of walking this time, I decided to take a bike.
I remember meeting cyclists on the Via Francigena that said they envied walkers for having a pace conducive to thinking. I don’t why this is, but I found the opposite! The pace of the bike seems to flood my brain with happy feelings and revelations.
Like the place my pilgrim friends had showed me to find an excellent gelato in Florence, behind the Ponte Vecchio.
This combination of flavors is banana, a rich Nutella sold under a different name, and whipped cream.
Afterwards, in the quiet shop, I learned about gelato from an artisan. The first lesson is that a good gelato is one that makes you happy. But it can be like a fine wine too, where different elements of taste and color show the work of the gelato maker.
Things are always more than what they appear.