On my recent trip to Italy, I visited two of it’s cities. The first was Florence, a romantic and charming city that birthed the Renaissance. The second was Rome. Known as the Eternal City, it is the capital of Italy and sees millions of tourists every year. These are how they compared during my stay.

1. The streets of Florence had cute little garbage trucks that asked us to please keep the city clean. The streets of Rome were covered with a layer of dirt and graffiti.

CUTE!

2. The David. Before seeing him in person, I thought he was just another statue. Obviously, I was wrong. Seeing David triggers a spiritual awakening of sorts, as the observer is seeing something so beautiful, so perfect. There is nothing else like it in the world. I especially liked the backside of the statue. Yum.

In contrast, Rome showed us only slivers of the Trevi Fountain from behind a layer of construction fencing. My long-dreamed of Lizzie McGuire moment was stolen from me by this city.

Oh hey, construction!

3. Florence is small enough to navigate by foot. In Rome, I almost got trampled trying to enter a bus. And then the elderly lady next to me had to make a sudden exit because she started having a claustrophobia attack.

4. I had no expectations regarding Florence. I expected Rome to amaze me. Perhaps this is the root of my disappointment.