the best ride in Florence

OK, that's what I said just before the other bike "taxi" driver took our picture.

Mom and I are in the hotel room cooling off a bit and organizing our suitcases (a big job for my mom) before we head out for the last tour around Florence. We took part one of the city bus tour earlier today and the highlights:

Fiesole was great - it is a town on the hillside above Florence and we spent several hours there.

Etruscan/Roman ruins and museum - in Fiesole and very interesting

Lunch - the best meal and the best price so far this trip. We ate in the little museum restaurant with one of the employees from the museum mom befriended (while I went through the museum, she rested by his post and talked about world politics and the economy).

Losing my hat - an unhappy highlight. I bought a cool cap in the market and, while sitting atop the double decker bus, a low hanging tree branch nearly took my head off!! I came out with a small scratch on my cheek and my hat was in the middle of the road behind us :(. I went back and bought one like it but a different color - so sad.

Back to yesterday evening and the bike "tour" - This, we agree, was the highlight of our trip. If we had met this guy before pre-booking the bus city tour, we would have hired him for a tour of the old town. He reminded me of my little brother, John!! After the Ufficci Gallery, mom couldn't walk another step. We were standing in the middle of the plaza discussing options - she saying she just wanted to hire a taxi and me pointing out a bus stop just across the square (I was armed with a day bus ticket and a map so I thought I could win). But my mom, like my sister and grandmother, won't budge sometimes (sigh). Alas, Mario Gesu to the rescue. Because the bike guys are not sanctioned by the tourist bureau (yet) and they can't break the mafia's hold on the taxi service - he couldn't quote us a price or really charge us at all. After a lengthy discussion about what a service like this SHOULD cost, we hopped on. He so wanted to take us on a tour of the city and explain all the sights but settled on taking us back to the hotel on a route that included many points of interest.

I think the main reason we loved this "tour" so much is Mario's personality (of course) but also because we didn't die!!! There were several times where mom and I winced and braced for impact (when he darted through a busy intersection, when he turned expertly into the path of a speeding ambulance with sirens blaring and then quickly darted out of its path, when he threaded right through the middle of the busy market and never even bumped into any of the people). I think we were so giddy with our amazing survival that we would have paid almost anything when we stepped out at the hotel safe and sound!!! The most amazing part, he did all this while talking nearly the whole time and turning around to point out buildings, etc. We would have hired him today if we hadn't already paid for the city bus tour - seriously!!

I highly recommend him for a tour of the old town - mariogesu@gmail.com!!