Two weeks after returning home from Italy, still in the afterglow of a stunning European adventure, I met a couple at a local wine bar. Over glasses of Argentinean Malbec, we started talking animatedly about Florence: stunning apartments with views of the Duomo, small trattorias with exquisite cuisine, little bars for the afternoon macchiato and of course, all the museums! My new friends recommended 'Dark Water' by Robert Clark, which chronicles the flood of November 1966 that devastated much of Florence. He begins,
"There is Florence and there is Firenze. Firenze is the place where the citizens of the capital of Tuscany live and work. Florence is the place where the rest of us come to look. Firenze goes back around two thousand years to the Romans and, at least in legend, the Etruscans. But Florence was founded in perhaps the early 1800s when expatriate French, English, Germans and not a few Americans settled here to meditate on art and the locale - the genius of the place - that produced it....The Florentines are here, as they have always been, to live and work...We are here for the view."
Elisabetta near the Ponte Vecchio
Robert Clark's observations confirmed a feeling I had while in Italy: that there is more to a place than what we imagine or see. Florence, upon reflection after days of wandering, is not so much about appearances. I didn't see or visit a green city park, yet it's the contents of the buildings and churches and cathedral that reveal layers and depth to the soul of the city. It's not about the surface, but substance. Firenze only reveals herself to those who seek ardently! This is the essence of the Rick Steves' travel philosophy: crossing the boundaries of Florence to experience the tastes and sounds and sights of Firenze.
I hope you enjoy the sights of Florence and the glimpses of Firenze in my website!
Grazie,
Elisabetta
