In the more than four years that I have been posting on this blog, I have sung the praises of Firenze. It is a city that fills me with passion and emotion and is a city that I love.
However, on this return visit, I noticed that while I felt the rush of positive emotions I was quicker than usual to note the negative. This really is a good sign as it must mean I am becoming a local and feel at home! After all, looking at our home cities with a critical eye is part of the process that drives improvement.
So bear with me as I list some of the ups and downs of life in Florence that I have encountered this Fall.
The GOOD:
Florence is a small city compared to the cosmopolitan cities of a London, New York or Paris, yet it offers top museums, exhibits and opera and all within walking distance. Within days of our arrival we were able to purchase tickets to the opera Tosca at the Opera of Florence. The city also has done a great job of making seats more accessible to all by offering a range of ticket prices and opportunities for discounts. A very GOOD thing.
Here folks arrive and begin to take their seats in this beautiful contemporary venue.
One of the first museums I visit is the Palazzo Strozzi because their biannual exhibits are top notch. This Fall the Strozzi is focusing on the art of The Cinquecento in Florence. From Michelangelo and Pontormo to Giambologna. Having these masterpieces under one roof and being able to follow the timeline is a treat. The Strozzi Musuem is for sure a GOOD thing.
Not far from the Strozzi is the Salvatore Ferragamo Museum which shows very unusual and worthy exhibits, Yes the same shoe Ferragamo. The title of the show is “1927 the Return to Italy”. It highlights the return to Italy of the shoe designer after spending 12 years in the States. We are literally passengers on the cruise ship and are presented with the artistic expression of the time in the years before Fascism. Italian design of that decade is the focus.
Seeing all the innovative art, culture and design of that era confirmed my belief that Italy has been a leader in these areas since the pre Renaissance right up to the present. The city of Florence continues to be a showcase for the arts. A very GOOD thing.
It is hard to deny that Florence has some of the best vistas in the world. Caching a sunset at Piazzale Michelangelo is a must in any season as well as Piazza della Signoria or any of the other beautiful piazzas in Florence.
(and now for the BAD and the UGLY…)
Did I say Piazza della Signoria? Well it can be your call, GOOD or UGLY (hint many Florentines refer to this temporary work of art as “La Diviana Cacata”).
Speaking of “cacca” as anyone who does lots of walking in the city knows one needs to look down to be careful of where they step. Many dog owners do not pick up after their dogs and do not even use the “Curb”. A BAD thing for sure, however I was encouraged by this warning that one sees on various streets:
Translation: Animal, When you do not pick up…The animal is not your dog, its you! The ticket is from 160 euro.
A GOOD thing! However the city needs to work on getting the “Vigili Urbani” organized and on the streets so they can hand out those fines.
Which brings me to the another very unfortunate and ugly fact, the lack of of the traffic police (Vigili) during traffic jams. Construction of another tram for this city is underway, a GOOD thing, however many streets are blocked especially around the train station. It has become a nightmare for both drivers and bus riders as well as anyone daring to drive or take a taxi. Traffic can be blocked for hours and there is little or no supervision of traffic, especially on a Sunday evening. Guess everyone thinks it is their day of rest!
Graffiti on the walls of the city buildings is also another horror. Yup, more of the BAD and the UGLY.
I will say I am beginning to notice a little less graffiti and have learned that the city of Florence has set up an association “The Angels of Beauty” to help clean up the grafitti as well as raise awareness. A GOOD thing.
I have not gone into cultural differences and sense of territory or space. An exanple: when one is walking on these tiny sidewalks, many locals don’t move; meaning if they are standing in a group chatting and blocking your path or heading at you at full speed, with or without an umbrella, moving to the side or saying excuse me does not happen…but I will save the cultural differences (or just indifference) for another post.
Believe me the GOOD (the food, the food!) and the BEAUTIFUL out number the BAD and the UGLY, but at times I wonder if Florence could use some help from Clint Eastwood…
fondlyfromflorence&beyond 