T's final post on Italy - Impressions and what not.

As I said in an earlier post I really don't like Rome - for many different reasons e.g. dirty, polluted, no greenery, rude people, deadly traffic, etc etc. But I do really like Florence and Venice. And travelling on the train through the Italian country side was lovely. Everything looks so lush and green and beautiful.

In Florence and Venice people were friendly and it's less polluted and dirty. And the traffic doesn't try to hit you, which is nice. It's also well see up for English tourists, which is good for people like us who don't know Italian!

One thing I did really notice though, was that in all 3 cities there are many beggars - often kneeling in front of churches in a prayer position. There are also a lot of people selling things on the streets. And there were flower sellers who would come up to us and shove a flower right in my face or they would try to stick it in my hand saying "flower for you". Their intention being that i would grab the object propelled at me and then they would try and charge money for it. I found keeping my hands crossed or in my pocket worked well. To keep on moving is also a useful tip. Sitting down means they will hold a flower in your face for a longer period of time.