Cameron in Disguise with Buttons/I Me Murse

Walking through Florence every day, I never cease to find something unique and gorgeous. Everywhere the age shows through in a thoroughly beautiful way, as Florence seems to be a remarkably well kept look into the past. The architecture, art, and numerous museums convey sense of history, which attacks the senses as strongly as the large collection of dog shit on the streets during a warm day.

Yes, though the city is undeniably impressive (see previous post), the amount of animal feces leads my personal list in detractors. Indeed, I have developed a sixth sense for avoiding this rather impressive collection of decaying matter lying about the narrow sidewalks. I'm happy to report that my feet have successfully dodged an unpleasant surprise left by one of the many quadrupedal members of Florence, but regretfully inform all that my nostrils have not been so fortunate.

But fecal matter does not stand as the sole depreciation of Florentine grandeur. Tourists are inescapable this time of year. Like the plague, i turisti brutti surround the city and cause locals to flee to the countryside. Indeed, to examine the Doors of Paradise near the Duomo near midday during tourist season, one should be prepared to wade through 300 Americans, 200 Germans, and maybe 2 or 3 Italians who only wanted to take a shortcut to the park (joke credit Marcello Bellini).

As such, I've taken it upon myself to look as local as possible in the short time I've been here. Some basic rules are easy: Don't speak English loud enough for everyone within 50 meters to hear, avoid "I <3 Firenze" t-shirts, don't travel in large groups, etc... But perhaps the most effective and simple solution to looking local involved less effort than usual.

My style of dress isn't uncommon here. Jeans and a button up shirt seem pretty standard fare. On closer inspection though, nearly every Italian man wears their shirt unbuttoned at least two buttons. Additionally the murse is quite the accessory in Florence. Nearly every man in Florence has one. I have adjusted appropriately and now proudly a carry a totally masculine and pragmatic man-bag. So, by simply leaving one more button undone than I normally would and slinging a bag over my shoulder, I have succeeded in fooling more than a few people (commencing ego building). Several people now have approached me for directions, usually speaking Italian. This includes tourists as well as other Italians (realistically not from Florence). Sure, I've only been able to help two of these people, but the fact that they believe in my Italianness up until my "Non capisco" or "Non lo so" serves as a point of pride for me. 

 But enough words, here's some photos from my recent trip to Siena (Photo credit Georgina Coffey):

Il Duomo di Siena from a distance

The tower of il Palazzo Publico in Siena from il Campo

Il Campo

The facade of il Duomo di Firenze

Some of the floor art from the usually covered floor in il Duomo

More floor art

A pulpit inside il Duomo

A view down a street in Siena

Overall, Siena is smaller and less grand than Florence, but it's distinct lack of tourists and poop combined with a picturesque verticality unknown in Florence make it worth seeing.