The Italians are warm, expressive and excitable folx: they gesticulate and gesture a lot with their hands, and don't hesitate to plunge into an argument: a very lively lot! People are very stylish: they don't need to don a Gucci, Prada or Salvatore Ferragamo to bring out all their elan and sophistication: it seems inherent. There is also a lot of diversity in dressing sense unlike fashion conscious Hong Kong or Singapore; thus, people watching makes for a good pastime!

Breakfast is adequate and consists of Italian bread and croissants, along with a selection of preserves, and juices. But the clincher is the coffee - a choice of latte, cappuccino, espresso, ... mmm slurp!

Lunch and dinner can be had at any of the pizzerias and pasticcerias dotted around the place. Pizza, in its original home, is clay oven baked, and is completely different from the offerings of Pizza Hut or Dominos. The basic pizza is the Margherita, which was first made by a Napoli baker in honor of the then Queen Margherita, and has a dressing based on the Italian tricolor: green (basil), white (mozzarella) and red (tomato).

Food prices had us rejoicing, especially after horribly expensive HK. For cheap eats, the roadside cafes are the best. We also had endless coffee and fresh fruit gelati (ice cream) between meals at these cafes; they seem to be all over the place in Italy. At one point in Florence, we had an ambition of trying out every street corner café!

Best part about the food of course, was the sheer variety available for vegetarians like us!

We took the fast non-stop Pendolino to Florence. Trains seemed to be on schedule, and quite frequent, running at half hour intervals. On the local trains between Florence and Siena though, we were quite surprised to see graffiti - reminded us of back home! The ticketing system is a little different from what we were used to: time stamping of tickets on the train platform before and after a journey is to allow passengers to break journeys at intermediate stations.

Within the cities, we mostly walked to all our destinations. In fact, in most of the narrow labyrinthine streets of Florence, cars are not allowed. A driving holiday is better done elsewhere in Italy, like Siena for example, where the city center is far away from the rail station. And the ride from Florence to Siena is through the Tuscan countryside.

A very curious and puzzling feature of all airports and railway stations that we saw in Italy: interminable queues for taxis! Beware: it can take you as much as 2 hours to get to your hotel after you arrive at any city - a half hour of travel time and the remainder being the waiting time for the cabs!

Italy is steeped in a wealth of art, history, and a cornucopia of culture. Being witness to all these riches all compressed into a short time capsule can be quite intimidating, and danger of the "Stendahl Syndrome", which ranges between dizzy spells and complete collapse, is high.

Italy is a branded shopper's mecca, with major brands like Ferragamo, Gucci, and Prada making their humble beginnings in Florence or Milan! But there is something for everyone - even people who may not be interested in these brands. The style, material, cut and design of clothes is outstanding. Other shopping possibilities are Florentine leather bags and shoes, silk scarves and ties, fine wines and cheeses, cappuccino and espresso makers, Venetian hand made glass and masks. Some of these handicrafts are expensive, but its only when you return home that you realise its worth as a collectable.

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