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I recently spent a very pleasant few days in Florence. The Tuscan capital is, of course, famous for its history, art, architecture and music, but there’s much more to the city.

It’s cleverly introduced the trappings of modern life – designer shops, night clubs and fast food outlets, for example – without compromising its status as the cradle of the Italian Renaissance.

The world-famous Uffizi gallery draws people from all over the world, and if there’s one tip I’d offer it’s to book an organised tour. In this way, you’ll avoid the long lines of visitors paying on the day, while also being given some context to the paintings you see. Also, it seems that the later the tour in the day, the less crowded it is and the easier to move around the displays.

Also impressive was the Basilica of Santa Croce, which is the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians in history, including Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli. It’s vast, so allow plenty of time.

And when your feet can stand no more walking, head for the sprawling Boboli Gardens, an oasis of calm from the constant traffic of vehicles and tour parties. As well as the formal 16th century gardens, there are sculptures, Roman antiquities and, if you’re up for a climb, great views of the city.

by Andy Moreton

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The perils of buying counterfeit designer label goods in Italy (which I’ve written about before) have been brought sharply into focus in an incident in the resort of Jesolo near Venice.

A pensioner from Austria, Ursula Corel, was fined 1000 euros (£825/$1,195) for buying a fake Louis Vuitton handbag from a street vendor.

She was spotted handing over seven euros (£6/$8) by police officers as they scanned crowds with high-powered binoculars from a lifeguard’s watchtower.

Hotel owners, worried that tourists will be put off visiting Jesolo on holiday, have clubbed together to help pay Mrs Corel’s fine.

A spokesman for the Jesolo Hoteliers’ Association said: “We understand what the Mayor is trying to do, but at the same time there should be more communication with tourists explaining the risks they run … there are no signs warning they face fines if they buy from street vendors.”

The Mayor, Francesco Calzavara, said: “If it takes fines of this level to stop this sort of thing taking place then so be it. Tourists coming to Jesolo should think twice about buying fake goods from street vendors.”

by Andy Moreton

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The palm trees that offer welcome shade along the sun-drenched coasts of Italy are being attacked by voracious bugs.

Up and down the country, tens of thousands of trees are being eaten by an army of red palm weevils. Parks, gardens and seafronts have been targeted in some of Italy’s best-known tourist destinations, including the beach resorts of Tuscany, Sardinia and the Adriatic.

Palms are not indigenous to Italy, but were introduced in the 18th and 19th centuries by wealthy collectors and aristocrats keen to give their estates an exotic look.

“It is really a disaster, there are tens of thousands of palms which are dead or dying,” said Valeria Francatti, an entomologist who is researching ways of combating the weevils. “The weevil gets right into the heart of the tree, so by the time the damage becomes apparent on the outside, it’s already too late.”

In Rome, the bug has caused severe damage to the capital’s historic parks, many of them formerly private gardens surrounding sumptuous private villas such as Villa Sciarra and Villa Torlonia.

A scientist in Rome said it was not possible to use chemicals because many palms were planted near beaches or in towns and cities, where insecticides would pose a risk to human health.

Researchers in Sicily have found they can capture the bugs using traps laced with pheromones, but deploying the contraptions is time-consuming and costly.

by Andy Moreton, with Nick Squires in Rome

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Italy’s national railway, Trenitalia, is hoping to tempt people away from flying by the introduction of its high speed Milan to Rome service.

The new Red Arrow or “Frecciarossa”, which can reach a speed of 186 mph, covers the 300 miles between Italy’s political and financial capitals in three-and-a-half hours, shaving an hour off the standard time. There are eighteen services a day.

With the turmoil surrounding the state airline, Alitalia, the air service between Rome and Milan has been uncertain recently and Trenitalia has enjoyed the benefits. It’s now hoping to attract 60 per cent of the 3.7 million passengers who fly the route every year.

However, analysts say it won’t really start taking a significant bite out of air travel until the journey time gets under three hours. That’s expected at the end of 2010 when the track between Florence and Bologna is improved.

by Andy Moreton

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The vast cultural differences between East and West were highlighted by an incident in the Italian city of Florence in the summer.

Tourists – including Italians – have, for some years, written their names and messages on part of the panoramic terrace of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore. The Florentine authorities have, for the most part, simply shrugged and used a small team of graffiti cleaners.

But when it was reported that some of the work had been done by Japanese visitors, the reaction in Japan was one of shock and horror. Something equivalent to a manhunt was organised in the media there and the perpetrators - several students and a teacher - were unmasked.

A Japanese expert told an Italian paper that the students, but above all the teacher, had made the Japanese lose face abroad. “They offended their hosts – that is to say, Italy – and this, for the Japanese mentality, is unacceptable.

Two students were suspended from their studies and the teacher is to face disciplinary action. One 19-year-old fashion student flew back to Florence at her own expense, apologised and gave the Cathedral authorities 600 Euros (£472/$865) in compensation.

The reaction in Italy was said to be a combination of bewilderment and admiration.

by Andy Moreton