The Quest for Villa Favard

            No really, it is a quest. Quests, like the ones of King Arthur’s time, are filled with perils, and danger lurks around every corner. Going anywhere in Florence is similar to a quest, and instead of dragons and creatures, our perils and dangers are the bikes, cars, buses, and Vespas that zoom through the narrow streets.

            In Florence, there is a hierarchy as to whom has the right of way when crossing the street- and we always lose. First come cars and buses, then bikes and motorcycles, and then us lowly pedestrians must fight our way among them to get to the other side of the street. When we cross the street, we sometimes do not know whether we will make it to the opposite sidewalk. In New York, although the motorists and taxi drivers are aggressive, they usually stop when you are crossing the street, even if you technically don’t have the right of way. In Florence, this is not the case. If the little red man is there in front of you, cross at your own risk, because they will NOT stop for you. Although we all consider ourselves honorary New Yorkers, we have finally retreated back to the sidewalks, and waited our turn.