Sucker Punched in Paradise

The other night...I think it was Monday...I stopped in at one of my local Florence pubs that's no different from the local I head out to most nights back in New York after work. Since I've been frequenting the place for over ten years consistently, lots of people know me there and it's a nice atmosphere. Anyway, after speaking to a few folks whom I haven't seen in some months, I turned to reading the new texts on my phone when I feel a locomotive slam into the side of my head.

Next thing I know, I'm on the floor on my back, and I'm watching this dude stomp out of the bar. Stomp is literal since he stomped on my eyeglasses just to add insult to injury. I wish I could say I did the heroic thing and bounded right back up and went after his cowardly ass, but things being the way they were, I could hardly see straight I was so stunned (also, my head hit the back of a solid wood bench on the way down). My guess is I passed out for a second or two.

CCTV vid shows proof positive that the psycho dude who did this was waiting for me. What beef he had with me is anyone's guess since I'd never met him before, although I believe I might have seen him a few days before and even briefly exchanged some small talk while I ordered a drink and then proceeded to speak with some friends. Word about this man surfaced later, and apparently he's been drifting through Europe, bragging about getting into fights. If that's the way he fights--sneaking up on people while they are reading their texts--I imagine he wins a bunch of them.

I did the right thing and reported the incident to the police who picked him up the next day when he stupidly showed back up at the bar. I'm told there will be a trial at some point. I also shared the CCTV footage with the state department who are monitoring his actions since his face has no doubt been recognized by now along with his ID. I'd show you the footage here now, but I made promises to certain professionals that I would keep it under wraps until the time is right. When the time comes, I'll spring it here. It's creepy.

The point of all this is not to lick my wounds in front of my readers, but to send out a word of caution to all those who, like me, live to travel. Even in a place like Florence, Italy, an artist's paradise, significant dangers exist. You must be vigilant at all times. If I had eyes in the back of my head, I might have seen this creep closing in on me. But I don't and he got the best of me. But it won't happen a second time, believe me. That's why I keep lifting all those heavy weights everyday, day in and day out. It's why I do the cardio. It's why I engage in target practice at the range consistently. 

Traveling at present? Be safe and watch your back...always.

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM