Since 2005, when I first came to Florence, it has been a pedestrian city, with many streets blocked from traffic. Now, Mayor Renzi has expanded the pedestrian zones even further! This is fantastic for tourists and pedestrians, but not so good if you have a car. I have never understood why someone would bring a car into Florence, but they do. Parking is expensive, and hard to find. The city is small and the old buildings cannot withstand the emissions of cars, and the pollution costs the city lots of money for cleaning.

The large areas that are now pedestrianized are Tournabouni Street, and the street in front of Palazzo Pitti. Thankfully, with these changes, I am able to keep my pedestrian road rage under control!

Sunflowers are my favorite. I guess it all started when I discovered Van Gogh paintings. When I saw them actually growing by the thousands in a field, I was hooked. Now, I take special trips solely for the purpose of seeing the sunflowers growing wild in the countryside.
This was my first excursion this summer for this purpose, and I was a little afraid I was too early, but wasn’t disappointed. The photos aren’t great because they were taken from the window of a speeding train, but you get the sense of what it is like. Incredible!