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Florence may be one of the few cities to be at the origin of a psychological syndrome. In the 19th century, the French novelist Stendhal came to Florence, and upon seeing the beautiful Santa Croce church and Giotto's frescoes, he fell into a state of anxiety and panic at such beauty. In the 1970's, doctors noticed these symptoms of anxiety in other tourists who had come to Florence and had been overwhelmed by the city. Remembering Stendhal, they named this state

Florence
Florence may be one of the few cities to be at the origin of a psychological syndrome. In the 19th century, the French novelist Stendhal came to Florence, and upon seeing the beautiful Santa Croce church and Giotto's frescoes, he fell into a state of anxiety and panic at such beauty. In the 1970's, doctors noticed these symptoms of anxiety in other tourists who had come to Florence and had been overwhelmed by the city. Remembering Stendhal, they named this state "Stendhal's Syndrome." So far, I don't think I've succombed to Stendhal's syndrome, but I have been overwhelmed by all of Florence's treasures. Art and architecture from the great Renaissance masters are all to be found here. What I like most particularly about Florence are its statues - Michaelangelo's David, the fountain of Neptune near the Palazzo Vecchio, or the statue of Hercules next to the Uffizi museum. Florence's statues are powerful and dramatic, enough to give you Stendhal's syndrome

Rome is a chaotic mix of modern and ancient. Fashionably-dressed Romans talk on their cellphones while whizzing past the age-old monuments of their Ancient Roman ancestors on their scooters. There's traffic everywhere in Rome, and you'd better be quick-footed if you want to cross the street and avoid becoming part of the pavement. That being said, I found a lot of charm in the details of Rome - the fountain statue in front of the Pantheon where someone had stuck a rose, the deep purple blue evening sky, or a priest briskly walking through Saint Peter's square on a sunny morning. Rome may be full of cars, scooters, tourists, and scam artists, but that's because it is also full of life.

Rome
Rome is a chaotic mix of modern and ancient. Fashionably-dressed Romans talk on their cellphones while whizzing past the age-old monuments of their Ancient Roman ancestors on their scooters. There's traffic everywhere in Rome, and you'd better be quick-footed if you want to cross the street and avoid becoming part of the pavement. That being said, I found a lot of charm in the details of Rome - the fountain statue in front of the Pantheon where someone had stuck a rose, the deep purple blue evening sky, or a priest briskly walking through Saint Peter's square on a sunny morning. Rome may be full of cars, scooters, tourists, and scam artists, but that's because it is also full of life.

I intially resisted going to Venice. I had seen so many images of Venice that it seemed like I had already been there. The romantic gondolas, the pigeons on the Piazza San Marco, the small charming side streets - these were images that were already engraved in my head. Fortunately, my wife insisted that we go, and since she is very persistent, we did go, and I have to admit that she was right to persist. Even though I did see and take my own pictures of the romantic gondolas, the pigeons on the Piazza San Marco, and the small side streets, I found out that there was a whole other Venice, another less-visited side of Venice, which was not too far from the main tourists sights, but just far enough so that you felt like you were finally seeing a bit of where Venetians themselves lived. Walking around the Canareggio neighborhood or taking a vaporetto on the Canale della Guidecca (the canal on the lagoon side), I was happy to soak up the atmosphere of Venice, and my wife was happy, too, because she could say that she told me so.

Venice
I intially resisted going to Venice. I had seen so many images of Venice that it seemed like I had already been there. The romantic gondolas, the pigeons on the Piazza San Marco, the small charming side streets - these were images that were already engraved in my head. Fortunately, my wife insisted that we go, and since she is very persistent, we did go, and I have to admit that she was right to persist. Even though I did see and take my own pictures of the romantic gondolas, the pigeons on the Piazza San Marco, and the small side streets, I found out that there was a whole other Venice, another less-visited side of Venice, which was not too far from the main tourists sights, but just far enough so that you felt like you were finally seeing a bit of where Venetians themselves lived. Walking around the Canareggio neighborhood or taking a vaporetto on the Canale della Guidecca (the canal on the lagoon side), I was happy to soak up the atmosphere of Venice, and my wife was happy, too, because she could say that she told me so.