I am in Florence for a few days. Love this city. 

Hotels Tonight keeps making magic for us on this EuroTrip in which I refuse to plan ahead. Last minute Europe is easy and cheap using Google search for flights and Hotels Tonight for hotels. I am so loyal to this app and kick myself for not investing way back when I had a chance. 

People have asked me to check in on the mayhem that is the Italian banking system. I went deep undercover today and think I found the problem…

Hopefully your wires get through today!

Let’s be honest … The banks are a mess. The US banks are chasing anything shiny in FinTech and none of it will move the needles for them. I was reading this puff piece in Fortune on Citibank and was pulling my hair out until I read the ending which sums up why we hate our TARPed banks in 2016…they like their bonuses not their customers. 

JC (@allstarcharts) shows you just how relatively bad the banks are (the European banks are ten times worse off at moment)…

(Sorry but not sure how to embed while blogging from my iPhone so am screenshotting stuff). 

As much as I hate the system we have, it is the system and we need it to hold up for now. It’s not pretty technically at a minimum. 

I did get a ride in today in the hills outside Florence and it was fantastic. I rented a road bike and was told to ride to Fiesole. So I did. 

I grabbed a coffee on the ride down and it was fantastic. I made a friend too:

Now off to do a Viator planned tour (Ellen’s fave travel tour site for local goodness) where I will make Gelato and Pizza. 

Ciao!!