Roland

The pics are two of the many which show how the Duomo, Florence's Cathedral is so cool it's almost awesome.  It must have taken even the Borgias a few spondoolies to finance the building of  that.  I wonder if they had heard about rich men and needles.  If so, they must have had a heck of an engineering drawing for needles.
Talking of engineering (what a segue) the Baptistery was designed by Berlusconi and the Bell Tower by Vespucci (or was that Brunelleschi and Giotto?)  They could afford to pay top rates.

Anyway, talking about engineers, do you remember the amiable, cheery engineer in "Galaxy Quest" with absolutely no sense of humour (in a nice way)

Roland the receptionist is one of these lovely individuals.  After he had booked me onto a trip taking in travel in Tuscany, he asked me if I was about to go out for dinner, which I was.

"I can recommend some very good places for dinner.  Do you have your map?"

I replied that I did, and he carefully told me (almost verbatim):

The best places are over here.  You turn left, go down the street, and turn right, they are all down that way.

Roland, you have the map upside down.

So I do sir, I beg your pardon.  

As I was saying, you turn right down the street and then left, they are all up there.

It wasn't until I had walked up the street that I realised that he hadn't actually recommended any cafe or restaurant at all!