Cassandra – Thank you for so eloquently expressing my feelings.

I had exactly the same experience. I could not understand why I felt this way. My sons couldn’t wait to leave and I kept trying to find the magic again.

I loved the museums. Florence is a particularly wonderful place to see the work of Michelangelo: the Accademia,the Museo del'Opera, and the Medici Chapel all have wonderful scuptures he created. Another great place is the Bargello Museum, which has a terric collection of decorative arts.

But aside from the museums, I did not like Florence at all. It was my least-favorite city on a vacation that also included Rome, Naples, and Venice. Yes, that's right: I enjoyed even Naples more than Florence.

I think my main problem with Florence was the traffic and huge crowds. The streets in the historic center are too narrow to adequately accommodate so many people, most of whom are not Italian.

And the traffic! In most places in the world, such an historic center would be a pedestrian-only zone, which traffic allowed only for deliveries and essentials. This was most definitely not the case in Florence.