Florence is not the problem. Florence is extraordinary — one of the densest concentrations of human artistic achievement in the world, a city that justifies every superlative applied to it and earns every visit it receives. The problem is what Florence does to a Tuscany trip when it becomes the entire Tuscany trip. Most visitors…
Most travel guides to Cortona were written by someone who visited for a day, walked the main street, photographed the view, and left. This guide was written by someone who lives here. The difference matters. Not because the obvious things are wrong — the views are genuinely extraordinary, the food is genuinely excellent, and the…
Let’s start with honesty: Florence is extraordinary. The Uffizi. The Duomo. Michelangelo’s David. Brunelleschi’s dome. The Ponte Vecchio at golden hour. These are not overhyped — they are genuinely among the greatest achievements of human civilization, and if you have never seen them, you should. But here is the question nobody asks before they book…