http://www.jaunted.com/ The Pop Culture Travel Guide en-us Copyright 2006 - SFO MEDIA 2012-02-11T09:38:53Z Jaunted Jaunted http://www.jaunted.com/images/jauntedw.jpg http://www.jaunted.com/tag/Florence http://www.jaunted.com/story/2006/8/31/122824/624
In New York City, it is said there are two rats for every resident. In Florence, the same ratio is applied to tourists and locals. The high season--which pretty much runs from January to December--clogs the streets with throngs of wide-eyed, camera-toting zombies, most of whom feign interest in Renaissance art just so they can fill the inboxes of their friends and family with blurry pictures of David's ass.

It seems impossible to escape them in the middle of the day, but in truth you only need to walk a few minutes north to Piazza San Marco. It's almost entirely devoid of sightseers.

Grab a panino from a nearby eatery and snag a bench in the relaxing park.  You'll usually find someone on his or her lunch break, or an 80 year old senora flipping through an Italian paper, but the square never gets full.  If the Tuscan sun is a little overwhelming, give Accademia, a tasty fusion restaurant along the Piazza, a try. While the chef's wife is hardly a native, hailing from the borough of Brooklyn, she's the one responsible for the clever twists on the dishes. No need to feign interest here.

[Image via mrfink/Flickr]

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