Shade - as in a shadow, not an insult. It rules our life right now. We cross the street to be in it; we change our walking route to find it. We aren’t the only ones. Masses of people in Tuscany seek it, like moths to a flame-no wait, the opposite.
It is unbearably hot in Florence right now. The temperature reaches 100-103 in the afternoon, without the heat index. The smell of melting asphalt recently prompted me to check my weather app for the “feels like” temp; it was 118!
While planning our itinerary, we knew it would be hot. We had no idea it would be this hot - something experienced by many throughout the globe this summer. We envisioned enjoying the city in the morning and cooling off in museums as needed during the early afternoon. Ha! The joke is on us.
Not even the priceless art gets the benefit of AC here in Florence (with a few major exceptions at the Uffizi and Accademia). Sometimes it’s even worse inside. You have shade but absolutely no air movement. It’s stifling. When there is AC, it is wholly inadequate. A unit that sized for the room of one, is being used in the Hall of 500.
Art directly across from these undersized units gets more attention than might be warranted. Visitors discretely linger and pretend to be engrossed.
So what can we do? Adapt! The locals show us the way. We buy and carry cheap fans that we whip out of our purses after exclaiming “molto caldo!”. We spend the early afternoon hours inside (thank God our apartment has AC). We take trips out of the city to the coast and the Tuscan hills. We dine alfresco and cool down with vino and spritzes. We move slowly and accomplish less. It’s just too damn hot to get much done, and that’s ok. We still manage to marvel at the history, culture, and architecture but in smaller doses. And if all that fails, we just lay in the grass and give up.
Thanks for reading! Wishing all of you an ice cold glass of your favorite drink (with the recommendation that you make it an Aperol Spritz). Chin chin!
Love,
Steph
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