After the break, Don gives in, and he and Nick roll up their sleeves, although Don still thinks that having a permanent marking on your body "plays with your mind a little bit." Nate and Jen ask an English-speaking local for directions, who obliges them. Christina directs her guy to go along the river, so she's presumably on the right track, but TK is getting psyched out as he laments to himself, "What am I not getting?" Man, a setup like that, but he's just kind of too nice for me to bring it on home. Although I suppose "first place in this leg" isn't too mean, and has the added virtue of not being subjective. Christina does, in fact, see the clue, and gives her pilot the thumbs-up. TK freaks (for him).

Deedle-deedle-deedle music plays as the tattoo artists work. Don notes that the tattoo is forever ("This is forever, now" -- episode title alert!), but Nick opines that it's a good investment. Also a good investment is an alcohol disinfectant, because your arms are going to get pawed something fierce at TARcon. Nate and Jen get out of their car and look at a posted map, and decide to...leave their car and run three kilometers? Maybe they really caught lightning in a bottle with all that time they saved before. Christina comes in for a landing and gets her clue, to Rachel's dismay. In the car, Chris tells Ron that TK needs to go along the river. Kynt and Vyxsin have made it to Emboli, and Vyxsin interviews that "it's comforting that with each passing hour, we're getting a little bit closer." I'd point out that they're continuing to get a little bit closer to something that's not the airfield, except that's not comforting at all. To them, at least. Nick and Don finish getting their tats, and that didn't seem to take long at all, nor does their skin look overwhelmingly sore, so that's good, at least. The clue tells them to go directly to the pit stop, which Phil VOs is the Boboli Gardens in Florence. The last team to check in...may be eliminated. In an episode that may or may not be this one, just to push the disclaimer a bit further. In the car, Don says that not many people are getting tattoos on The Amazing Race. "Where'd they think the [blurred and silent "fuck"] up with that thing?" The ensuing rattlesnake sound seems to be tsk-tsking Don, but in fairness, you have to admit that salty language is another seafaring tradition. Nick just grins at Blue Streak Grandpa.