20: Florence and Tuscany in .NET

Encoder Data Matrix ECC200 in .NET 20: Florence and Tuscany

Information The tourist office, APT, Via A Manzoni 16, 50121 Firenze (% 055-23320; Fax: 055234-6286; wwwfirenzeturismoit), maintains three tourist info points in town: at Via Cavour 1r (% 055-290832; open Mon Sat 8:30 am 6:30 pm, Sun 8:30 am 1:30 pm); at SMN rail station, Piazza Stazione 4/a (% 055-212245; open Mon Sat 9 am 7 pm, Sun 8:30 am 2 pm); and at Borgo Santa Croce 29r (% 055-234-0444; open Mon Sat 9 am 7 pm [until 5 pm in winter], Sun 9 am 2 pm) Internet Access and Cybercafes The Internet Train chain has several locations, the most convenient being Via Guelfa 24a, near the train station (% 055-214-794; open Mon Fri 9 am 11 pm, Sat 10 am 8 pm, Sun noon to 9 pm); Via dell Oriuolo 40r, near the Duomo (% 055-263-8968; open Mon Sat 10 am 10 pm, Sun 3 9 pm); and Borgo San Jacopo 30r, near the Ponte Vecchio (% 055-265-7935; open Mon Fri 10:30 am 11 pm, Sat Sun 11 am 11 pm) EasyEveryThing has a shop near the Duomo in Via Martelli 22 (open daily 9 am 8 pm) Maps The tourist office hands out a free map You can buy a more-detailed one at any newsstand or bookstore Pharmacies The most centrally located 24-hour pharmacies are Farmacia Molteni, Via Calzaiuoli 7r (% 055-215472); Farmacia Comunale, inside SMN train station (% 055-216761); and All insegna del Moro, Piazza San Giovanni 28r (% 055-211343) Police Dial % 113 Post Office

The main post office is the Ufficio Postale in Via Pellicceria 3, off Piazza della Repubblica, open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 6 pm, Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm Restrooms Museums have public restrooms; otherwise, your best bet is to go to a cafe or the Rinascente Department store in Piazza della Repubblica Safety The historic district is quite safe; your only major worries are pickpockets and purse snatchers because of the huge concentration of tourists Avoid deserted areas after dark (such as behind the train station and the Cascine Park), and exercise normal urban caution Smoking In 2005, Italy passed a law outlawing smoking in most public places Smoking is allowed only where there is a separate, ventilated area for nonsmokers If smoking at your table is important to you, call beforehand to make sure the restaurant or cafe you ll be visiting offers a smoking area Taxes See Fast Facts: Rome in 19 for details Taxis For radio taxi, call % 055-4390, 055-4798, or 055-4242, or 055-4499 Telephone See Fast Facts: Rome in 19 for information on making calls and callingcard access codes

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Getting to Venice Exploring the city by neighborhood Discovering the city s best hotels, restaurants, and attractions Side-tripping to Padova and Milan

uilt on water and marshland, Venice is not just an amazing city it s also a feat of engineering and determination The city s famous canals serve as its main streets, traveled by a variety of boats, including the famous gondole Centuries of political stability and wealth allowed Venice to create a rich urban and cultural landscape (including hundreds of churches such as the Basilica de San Marco) and to nurture such great late-Renaissance artists as Titian and Tintoretto Every year, more than 7 million tourists join the city s 70,000 residents, and in high season the crowds can be overwhelming And yet Canal Grande after sunset, Piazza San Marco early in the morning, the Gallerie dell Accademia, the lagoon, the Canaletto skies, and the stillness beneath the hubbub are sights you just have to experience And Venice s famous serenity (the republic was called La Serenissima, the serene one ) is as seductive as ever If you had the time to stay a week in Venice it would be well spent, but you can see the highlights in two days