After 32 years, I finally went to Florence — I was saddened by what I saw

Florence is a small and fragile city (Picture: Alice Murphy)

When my mother and I set out on a rail journey across central Italy, the place we were most excited to visit was Florence.

The cradle of the Renaissance, Tuscany’s capital is one of Europe’s greatest art cities, home to world-famous masterpieces.

There are frescoes by Giotto, canvases by Botticelli, and sculptures by Michelangelo — to say nothing of the opera, classical music and culinary scenes that thrive within its anc...