The Corner of Via dei Calzaiuoli and Via dei Tavolini

his intersection, as much as any in Florence, illustrates the city's inherent contradictions (see also Florence: City of Contradictions). On the south-west corner, for example, there's the 600-year old church of Orsanmichele, with its squat grace ornamented by recessed pillars containing statues of various saints.

On the other corners, however, commercial Florence screams its siren song. There's one of the city's ubiquitous cambio (change) vendors on the south-east corner; there's a high-end women's clothing store on the north-east corner; and, most jarringly, there's a Foot Locker on the north-west corner.

Thankfully, Via dei Calzaiuoli is closed to motorized traffic (polizei excepted). Add to this its convenient location (it connects the Piazza del Duomo on the north with the Piazza della Signoria on the south; my hotel lies just off this street) anf it's no surprise that this unusually wide street is one of Florence's most crowded. What is surprising, however, is the lack of street vendors. There must be some kind of by-law against it, because all I can see (and hear) are a couple of guitar-playing buskers. (While I've been here, they've played, among others, "Killing Me Softly," "Blue Bayou," and "Seasons in the Sun." Someone has got to get these guys a new playlist!)

Florentine Notebook	Postcard #2	Learning the Lingo

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