Inferno

A friend gave us a copy of Dan Brown’s newest book Inferno as a travel gift before we made our trip to the Mediterranean.  DH read the book in the early part of our cruise, but I didn’t pick it up until a few days before our trip was over.  I’m glad I waited.  The book is set in Florence and Venice, and if I’d read the book before we went to these places, I would have missed the significance of the descriptions, but having been, I know exactly where his characters are standing in each of these cities.  He also makes historical references to things I didn’t know about, but having been on tours in both cities, the information shared by our guides has me in the know about Doges and the Medici.  Of course there are also things I’ve read about in the book that now I wish we’d taken the time to see!

When we were in Florence, our time there was limited and a bit hurried, and much of what we saw was from outside the museums.  There is plenty to see around without going into the museums, and the Piazza della Signoria is full of statues and other art work.  When Inferno characters are describe the setting, their thoughts mimic those we had when we were there.  When we left from Florence, I wasn’t in love with the city, but the more I’ve read since we were there, the more I think I’d like to go back for a land-based visit.

DH has re-read the book since we left from Venice and said having been in the cities enhanced his enjoyment and understanding of the book.  I finished the book tonight.