The Ponte Vecchio

Tonight I'm back in Florence for the first time in many years. I turned 21 here and celebrated by drinking a bottle of beer on the Ponte Vecchio. I used to go there most nights, hanging out with the hippies selling jewelry and trinkets. As I recall, that was just about the only place in town where people were selling items on the street. Nowadays the streets in the historic center of town are mostly closed to traffic and the hawkers and shopping tourists are everywhere. Back in the seventies, I tired of what I perceived was a hostile attitude from the locals and left my summer program after a month and fled Florence to wander to the south and Sicily. As beautiful as the city is, filled with its treasures of art and history, I still get a vibe that isn't there in the less tourist-filled cities. Tomorrow I flee for Siena.