The Via Veneto was made famous in Fellini’s film “La Dolce Vita”.  The Via Veneto came to symbolize the “sweet life” of Rome in the 1950’s and 60’s.  Today it is the long winding street known for its luxury hotels, cafès, restaurants, shops and in some key places wild traffic.

I love the Via Veneto.  Dr. Seuss wrote a book “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street”.  That is the way I feel about the Via Veneto.  Sit in a café on the Via Veneto long enough and you will see enough to fill your travel journal.  Italian business men wander by in their designer suits with their jackets swung casually over their shoulders, elderly men and women stop by and order strange looking drinks (no ice please!), tourists zoom by rushing to the next Roman ruin on their “to do” list, vespas almost hit pedestrians, taxi drivers shout at other drivers and pedestrians and all up and down the street people are talking to each other as if they are about to burst with all they have to say.

Florence, Italy is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It is known for it's art and architecture and the thousands of tourists that traipse through the city each year. At first glance the city appears dark and gothic but there are a number of green spaces and of course the Arno River. Touring churches, art museums, palazzi and visiting stores both expensive and not so expensive are favorite activities of vistors to Florence. But the thing I like best about Florence is that there is so much free entertainment from listening to musicians perform near the Uffizi or on the Ponte Vecchio to watching the people in one of the many Piazze.

Pages: 210

Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.7 inches

Weight: 9.6 ounces

Maps: Detailed street maps of Florence and Siena

Pictures: Good pictures of most major sites