HistoryDude

At the Fontana di Trevi, have the anannas gelato.

Near the Palazzo Barbarossa, sit under the umbrella pines, look straight up, and just, “be.” Imagine Cicero doing the same thing.

When you visit Pigale, remember to stay on the middle sidewalk. Seriously.

Visit Chopin. Skip Jim Morrison. Eat lots of cheese.

Take the local train from Firenze, not the express. Visit the grocery store at the last stop, and pick up a bottle of local Chianti.

There are one-hundred and thirty nine steps to the top of the tower, and they are not hewn evenly of the marble. Be cognizant of that, and also that it’s an adventure walking down. Avoid making jokes about dominoes when there are elderly people walking in front of you.

Eat the stuffed olives.

After visiting the opera house, make sure you take the pretty girl for a walk in the orange grove outside of town. Kiss her without worrying about the consequences.

Stand on the Ponte Vecchio at 5 A.M. in late November, looking toward il Duomo. The sun will come up at your back, and you can watch the waves of Tuscan morning light seep over this waking dream of a city.

I met a little boy named Taj, who flew kites. He crashed one over the embassy wall one day, and I taped Tootsie Rolls to the ribs before handing it to the guard to get thrown back to him.

-Maybe all of our lives could be a lot easier if we focused more on giving back the little things.

It’s as close to 1955 as one can safely get, while being polyglot, transnational, and inspiring all at the same time. Visit.