For all the glories of Florence today, while meandering through the labyrinth of narrow alleys that open to grand piazzas graced by gorgeous sculptures, I reflect on how time has transcended history here, on the site of an ancient Etruscan settlement that grew into the historic core of Tuscany.

Lingering in the early morning of Piazza della Signoria – watching tourists flood in, jostling for photos in front of David’s statue before dashing into the Uffizi for glances at treasured art and artifacts, or veering toward the Ponte Vecchio for souvenir baubles – I wonder if tourists sense what life was like here, from the flourishing times of Renaissance under 15th and 16th century Medici rule, and through two world wars to the present.