Allora oggi . . . it is not my intention to sound like a whiner so I will skip the Roma Termini drama. Suffice it to say that I missed the train. After purchasing a ticket for the fast train, I finally arrive at the correct platform only to watch the train pull away. If you have not previously read the post “Lessons Learned” read it now, it provides insight into my apprehension with the Roma train station and in particular, needing assistance from an actual human being.
Ultimately, I arrive in Florence about 8:00 pm. The bed and breakfast has provided excellent instructions related to finding their location via a bus. Honestly, at this point, I am not interested in using public transportation with a heavy suitcase. I make my way to the taxi queue, which looks a mile long through my sleep deprived eyes. In fact, it was probably a 30-minute wait before I was in a cab. In Italian, I tell the driver where I need to go he repeats the address to me and away we go. Okay, for the record, 78 and 68 sound a lot alike in Italian. The Bed and Breakfast Leopoldo Florence where I have a reservation is located at Via Fabbroni 78 and is in a neighborhood that I recognize from the last trip to Florence. After paying the fare, I hop out of the taxi and am so grateful to have finally arrived at the bed and breakfast, I want to drop to the ground and kiss it, but I don’t. Instead I search for the button that reads Leopoldo Residences and ring for directions to register. No answer. Do you see where this is going? Yep, apparently this is the WRONG LOCATION, which I do not discover until receiving assistance from a saint of a young woman who made at least a half a dozen phone calls on my behalf.