Hearts Were Not So Gay

The article, “Cozy Hotel in Florence Has Rooms With a View” (Jan. 31), by Rod Cockshutt, amused me greatly. On our first trip to Florence, Italy, in 1969, having read and been charmed by the book, “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay,” we visited the Hotel-Pensione Quisisana e Pontevecchio, where I requested a room with a view of the Arno River. I was put off a bit by the dirty Arno, but never mind.

The thrill of being in Florence is what counted. When we went to bed the disenchantment set in. The roar of the traffic in the street below was never ceasing. A room with a view is a romantic notion indeed, but not worth the sacrifice of weary travelers’ sleep. The next day, at our request, we were moved to a rear room with a view of a lovely little garden.

E. M. Forster’s novel, “A Room With a View,” was of a more tranquil time when motorbikes and cars were not roaring on the streets of Florence and the Arno was not polluted.

JUDITH KANE

Santa Barbara