1936 On the Continent

excellent, and the opportunities for sport adequate; but amusements! There are hardly any, and there is no night life to speak of. This is, of course, not entirely accidental. The political regime at present in power does not favour light amusements for the people, and lovers of such amusements will find no facilities in Italy. But whereas in many Italian towns it is difficult, or even impossible, for the foreigner to secure an invitation to private houses, one or two letters of recommendation are sufficient in Florence to introduce you to a company of charming people. That is why Florence is so attractive to foreigners.
    Thus, if you wish to spend a long time in Florence you will do well to arm yourself with letters of recommendation.
Restaurants
    The men and women of Florentine society take their aperitif at midday and their tea in the afternoon at Doney’s, Giaco’s or Pieri’s on the Via Tornabuoni. Among the restaurants we recommend Doney’s, among the
osterias
Bucadi S. Rufillo near the Pza. del Duomo, the Trattoria Paoli on the Via Calzaio, the Pozzo di Beatrice in the Palazzo Ferroni, and the Buca del Lapi in the Palazzo Antinori. All the above supply excellent Florentine specialities and delicious wines from Tuscany which have a characteristic, slightly bitter-sweet taste.
    Florence offers many excellent opportunities for sport. You can row on the Arno, play tennis, watch football matches at the Stadium and obtain accommodation for indoor athletics. The new course of the golf club, which also has a swimming pool, is excellent.
    Those who are in a hurry are advised to book the conducted charabanc tours of one of the tourist traffic organisations. This will afford you no opportunity for reverent solitude, but it will enable you to see all that you
must
see in Florence. We have already expressed our view in this matter, and we can only reiterate it here—it is better to see fewer works of art and, instead, to getacquainted with the town, its atmosphere, its inhabitants, than to “do” the museums and the like in a tearing hurry.
    I have seen foreign tourists who arrived back at their hotels in the evening dead tired, and went to bed after a hasty meal in order to resume the chase early the next morning, instead of enjoying a beautiful evening by walking on the banks of the Arno or between the jewellers’ shops on the Ponte Vecchio towards the Pitti. Collecting the titles of pictures and statues is not worth while. You should sit down in the Dome, stop at the door of the Battistero. You should devote at least a whole morning to the Piazza della Signoria, the Palazzo Vecchio, the Loggia dei Lanzi, the sculptures of Donatello, Bandinelli, Cellini. Do not even enter the Uffizi Gallery unless you are prepared to spend a whole morning in it. The Bargello and the Museo Nazionale, the S. Croce church, the collections of S. Ambrogio, S. Marco and the “Oltrarno,” the picture collection of the Pitti Palace, and all that the city of Florence has collected in works of art throughout the centuries, will absorb anyone who has succumbed to their fascination, not for days, but for years. The Giardino Boboli, one of the finest parks in the world, fits excellently into the framework of lovely Florence.
Pisa
    If you are travelling with a great deal of luggage you will do well to establish your headquarters at Florence, taking trips to the neighbouring towns. Leaving the bulk of your luggage at your hotel in Florence you can visit Pisa, Umbria and Siena, carrying only a handbag or a single suitcase. If you are going on to Rome, I advise you to go to Pisa for a day, return to Florence, then make your choice whether you will reach the Eternal City via Siena, Perugia, Assisi, Foligno, or straight through Arezzo. Pisa is 50 miles from Florence. From Pisa Station a tram No. 1 will take you to the Dome, which was begun in the year 1063. The church contains pictures, mosaics, pulpits and other masterpieces by Cimabue, Del Sarto, Pisano, etc. Behind the Dome is the Battistero, and behind it the Camposanto, the world-famous cemetery, with, frescoesby the various masters. Opposite the entrance of the Dome stands the most famous ancient monument of Pisa, the Leaning Tower. The tower was begun in 1174 by Gerardo. When it was 33 feet high one side settled in the loose soil. Building was continued and an unsuccessful attempt was made to correct the inclination. The tower was then taken in hand by William of Innsbruck, and later by