Firenze

 

Even after walking by the Duomo nearly every day for 4 months when I studied abroad here (albeit 20 years ago), I still can't get over how impressive it is every time I see it. 

The internet tells me that Filippo Brunelleschi's dome was an architectural marvel of its time, and it remains the largest masonry dome ever constructed. It was completed in 1436 and was built without any scaffolding, a feat that had never been accomplished before. 

It is perhaps most impressive from far away where you can see its scale compared to the surrounding buildings and mountains.

The photo above is from the Italian Dual Citizenship website where you can read more about its history and then presumably apply for dual citizenship.. not that anyone would be curious about that though...

I'm pretty sure I took this same photo 20 years ago and all these bicycles were scooters.

While the styles may have changed, Florence continues to be a vibrant hub for clothes shopping and high fashion.

And amazing restaurants and pasticcerie.

On our second day, we escaped the crowded city and headed to the quiet green hills of Fiesole where Harvard owns a villa, I Tatti.

We were greeted by one of my colleagues who gave us an amazing private tour of the gardens and villa followed by coffee with more colleagues. It was really great to meet my Italian colleagues in person, two of which I'll be working with to build a digital collection website of I Tatti's collections. I assured them that if they preferred to meet in person, I would be more than happy to come back anytime!

Back in Florence in Piazza della Signoria. On the left a life-sized replica of Michelangelo’s David and Bartolomeo Bandinelli’s Hercules and Cacus on the right.

Enjoying a quiet afternoon at the Uffizi.

We might have enjoyed the ceilings the most...

..maybe because they were the only thing the other tourists couldn't block the view of.

View of the Uffizi from inside the Uffizi.

View of the Ponte Vecchio from the Uffizi. The Arno is still the same greenish brown color I remember.

A delicious and creative vegetarian dinner in a bookstore featuring dishes inspired from all over the world.

The Ponte Vecchio at night.

Basilica di Santa Croce (outside pictured above, inside pictured below). Santa Croce offered some much needed peace and serenity from the busy streets. It also offered a warm place to sit on a cool rainy day (the sunny picture above was taken on a different day). 

Not only is it beautiful inside, but many notable people are buried here like: Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and Rossini along with elaborate memorials for people like Dante and Cosimo de' Medici.

Santa Croce was also my old neighborhood. In the days before Google maps, I'd figure out how to get to Santa Croce using my trusty paper map and then I knew how to get home to Via dei Macci, 24 (pictured above).

My old neighborhood is also home to Sant’Ambrogio Market which the internet describes as a more traditional and intimate atmosphere compared to the larger Mercato Centrale. The market is very popular with locals and offers a genuine taste of everyday Florentine life.

We visited my favorite museum, Museo Galileo, which has all sorts of fascinating and beautiful historical scientific instruments. While I wish it had a little more description about what the objects are, it is much less crowed than the Uffizi making it a much more enjoyable experience.

Did I mention the crowds of people everywhere? Ma dai!

We were only in Florence for two nights, but honestly that was plenty for us. Aside from spending a semester there 20 years ago, Tristan and I visited Florence on our honeymoon 14 years ago, pretty much to the day. We were both very grateful that we got to see the city many years ago before it seems the rest of the world discovered it. The food, culture, art, and shopping are still incredible but the crowds are just too much for us now. We met a fellow American who studied abroad at the same school, around the same time as I did, and we both agreed, much to our dismay, that we could probably never live here again. Maybe because we are too old now... or maybe because you can never go home again.

The highlights of Florence were meeting colleagues at I Tatti, learning about strange scientific instruments at Museo Galileo, the serenity of Santa Croce, walking around my old neighborhood, and thinking you were lost then catching a glimpse of the Duomo when you turned a corner and instantly knowing where you were.

The best highlight though was visiting my old café, Caffè Canto Alla Mela. The owner and his barista, Fabrizio (who I saw most often) were not there, but we got to meet the owner's daughter. She didn't speak any English, so in my broken Italian I explained that I used to come here often and I learned that they owned another café where her father was and she was helping out at this one. When I asked about Fabrizio, she said he hadn't worked there in over 12 years and did that name bring back memories. Molto carino! (Very handsome!) she exclaimed making a heart with her fingers and holding it to her chest. Exactly, I said, that's the one! I'm including a special bonus photo of him for those you who read all the way to the end. 

Florence never ceases to amaze me in its ability to create a feeling that one has somehow been transported to a time far back in the Renaissance and yet is still also very much in the present day. It marries the two worlds seamlessly and acts as if the rest of the world is absurd for letting go of its past so quickly. Florentines are the normal ones, we are the ones who forget. 

However, I fear even the Florentines are starting to forget. To my surprise, you can now walk down a street with a restaurant that has been there for over 50 years serving traditional Florentine dishes and across the street get a poke bowl or a burrito. Some of this change is probably good, but I can't help but wonder what this means for the locals and how long they can live between these two worlds; preserving their culture and history and satisfying the growing demands of the tourists.

Fabrizo, 2004