As temperatures soared and more visitors arrived this month, I found solace in Florence’s embrace. In these anecdotes, I navigated down shaded streets and into wide piazzas, basked in the cool air flowing over the Arno at sunset, and settled under the pergola surrounded by leafy wisteria vines.

In April, the pace in Florence was peppy. Tourists zipped around town, wide smiles on their faces, basking in the mild temperatures. Now that the air is heavy with languor, school kids, cruise ship passengers, small families, and groups of friends stagger through piazzas and down narrow streets. They take breaks to drink cold beverages that they sometimes splash on themselves to cool off.