Cold Hard Cash

Before coming here I found  it odd that the damage deposit for the apartment and the balance of some tours which I booked, were requested in cash.  After doing some research, I learned that the complicated accounting system combined with a bureaucratic taxation system, has resulted in a strong cash based economy.  A lot of places will discourage credit card use by adding a certain percentage to the bill.  Because of this, people haven't embraced plastic like we have.  I noticed at the supermarket that everyone was paying with cash.  I'm guessing that this might explain the thriving pick pocket industry.

This morning, we finally went to visit the the big church at the end of the Piazza Santa Croce which we can see looking out our living room windows.  Its  very impressive from the inside.  Within the church are the remains of many of the great Renaissance fathers.  We saw the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and many others. We visited a leather making school which is right next to the church.  I was amused by a picture wall that they had of famous people who have visited them.  Who would have thought that Ozzy Osbourne and Barbara Bush shared a common interest?

For lunch we went to the Trattoria Anita which isn't far from here but is tucked away down a narrow back street away from the tourists.  We got there a little after noon and there were very few other customers.  Within 15 minutes, the place filled up with regular working people on their lunch break.  Local people equals great food and good value.  Thank you Rick Steves' for the tip.  Btw, I really love spaghetti pescatore!

I learned about the differences in quality of leather belts. Do not buy them from the street vendors.  They might claim to have Italian leather but many of them are made in China.   I bought myself an authentic Italian, good quality leather belt.  By the end of this trip I may need to buy another one, six inches longer.  In another shop, we met the owner of The Leather Factory.  He showed us leather work being done at the back of his store.  I saw lots of uncut leather hanging, waiting to be transformed into something pretty.  I asked him where he gets his raw leather and he said he gets it from his uncle who owns a big tannery in Tuscany.  Ann bought herself a beautiful leather jacket that looks so good on her.