I have something to admit. Sometimes, when the desire to be in my favourite city is really strong and I don’t have the cash to finance a visit, I log on to Google Streetview and take a virtual stroll. Past the apartments we’ve stayed in before, past that gelato shop, the barber, the leather market and the Duomo. It feels like home.
It didn’t take a return visit to Florence to make me fall in love with the city. By the third day of my first trip, I was hooked- I didn’t want to leave our 15th century apartment to visit Venice, ancient hilltop towns or Sienna. Florence grabbed me, refused to let go, and still has me firmly in its grip 3 years later.
I’ve tried to figure this out and unpack the feelings to understand why I feel like I belong in this particular city when it is so different to Cape Town, where I have lived all my life. More than feeling like home, it feels more like finding that your soul’s match is a city, not a person.
An Italian acquaintance once remarked to my Mom (a fellow lover of all things Florentine) that Florence seems to have that effect on many people, but particularly women. Romance? Style? I can’t say for sure why that might be, but here’s what I love about Firenze:
Everything is so OLD. Coming from a country that had our first settlers show up in the mid-1600’s, it blows my mind to think that the first apartment I stayed in was built 200 years before that. Which is still reasonably modern to the locals. The tumbled columns in the garden where you’re having a quick coffee? From 1 BC. Wrap your head around that.
It has some serious style and class. Obviously, as it’s an Italian Renaissance city. But like a classy lady of mature years, this isn’t the spiffy shine of superficial perfection; it’s letting a little bit of wear and tear add to its character. And who doesn’t love someone with character?
There’s a mix of old and new that works so well. A city that is thousands of years old but that is an absolute delight to visitors of all ages. Schoolkids and great grandparents both stand in awe, staring speechless at the Duomo. Hipsters abound in the old but somewhat recently renovated Mercato Centrale. New craft breweries tucked behind tiny doors in the historic centre of town…I love this seeming contradiction that works so well.
The food is good. You know it, I know it. No need to discuss.
The way of life seems slower. This could be an Italian thing but did seem particularly evident in Florence; more so than Venice, definitely. So I could be wrong, but Florentines seem to have TIME. Even when they’re rushing to work or the supermarket, you get the feeling that they’re happy to be alive, that they’re looking forward to their day. They’re present, enjoying the moment and life for what it is, not grumpy and preoccupied with how rushed their day is going to be, which is a problem that so many Capetonians have.
The people. Ask anyone about the residents of any city in the world and you’ll get conflicting opinions. But I found the locals to be some of the most open, approachable, friendly and helpful people I’ve ever met. They CONNECT with you. No matter that you don’t speak Italian; every person I asked for recommendations, directions and help treated me like a friend, giving me their full attention and doing all they could to give my ignorant ass a hand. Human connection is what it all boils down to, right?
So if you’re going to Italy, please give Florence a chance- especially if you’re a woman! Two gelatos per day are mandatory- three if you walk up the steps to Piazzale Michelangelo. Buy that classic leather handbag/jacket in every colour they have- or you’ll regret it two years down the line. Take time to just stand and admire your surroundings every now and then- think about what someone might have been doing on that very spot 1000 years ago.
Have you been to Florence? What are your thoughts? I’m interested in sharing experiences!
(I’m not a travel writer or a historian, just a humble civilian sharing my opinion)