I think that the true Florence is hidden. Tourists see the architectural and artistic beauties of Florence but are biased against Florentine folk because of their experiences with Florentine tourism. Even I have unfortunately gotten used to the occasional cold reception by many shop keepers and the rigid, insensitive and sometimes arrogant responses by Italians working in the public sector-bank, post office, police station, tourist information booth, photo store, leather shop… (This is less so now for me, now that I speak Italian decently well and frequent the same bakeries, bank [View Full Entry]

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March 11, Visited the great floating city. The train from mainland to island is tailed eerily by heavy, grey, looming clouds. Venice, however, is magically colored and today the sun is somehow alive. Absent are the buses, motorinos and noise of Florence. Filled with tourists no less. Every small street and I feel like I’m in everyone’s back yard, or front door step. Literally. I visit a private Italian school which I am interested in attending next year, called Scuola Internazionale di Grafica. This is the 4th academy of art I’ve visited, and other than the main Accadem [View Full Entry]

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I know well the streets that lead me to work, to school, to the center, to the bakery and to the market. I can give directions to the Italians and the Americans. I’ve stepped up a level. I know shopkeepers and we nod through windows. One bakery knows which bread I want and how much. So starting out this morning with my high heeled-boots and deciding to loose myself in Florence wasn’t the best combo, but highly successful the same. I truly had no idea where I was, where i was going, never having been there before, but certain the [View Full Entry]

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You have to wait in lines at the bank, post office and supermarkets. Sometimes the women behind the counter don’t pause their vivid conversation, even to hand you your change. They leave it on the counter, hand moving habitually from cash register to receipt, with no eye contact whatsoever. If you don’t specify how you want something, you may get simply the minimum. If you don’t demand exact change or a better price, you may end up the sucker. And yet. I am still greeted by endless amounts of rich history and intriguing stories about Italian history. The Duomo’s b [View Full Entry]

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* It is customary to call your mother-in-law “Signora”, keeping it formal and respectful. * Fur coats are VERY popular among woman (older than 30), and make them look even more elegant than they already are! Also, red, orange, gold, blue and burgundy hair color does not apply just to the young, hip crowd. In fact, I’ve seen more older, mature women with these colors and bold highlights than I see with the younger trendy crowd! Fur coat, heels and all! * Honey and cheese-miele e formaggio (pecorino o ricotta) a popular sweet treat. * When you leave one of [View Full Entry]

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February 12, 2005 San Bonaventura-Roma Hill overlooking the Foro Romano Central, gorgeous, ancient Tourists take turns peaking in the church minutes before the ceremony, curious and full of romantic thoughts Chilly, light rain Elegant young guests Family in fur coats and radiating smiles Alessia is 8 months and shining, expectant Zia Chiara is nervous and proud The groom is greeting his guests Flower tucked in the label Brothers-in-law Peers, childhood friends, aunts, uncles And Zio walks his second graceful yet humble daughter down the aisle…Z [View Full Entry]

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Saturday February 5, 2005 Ospedale Careggi-Pronto Soccorso Walk-in clinics, on-call doctors, nurse practioners, private doctors that attend to private needs. Although in Florence, with a pharmacy on every street corner, I have found all of my medications without prescriptions and a medical remedy or a bit of advice for just about any thing...I have had my first encounter with the socialist organization of the Italian emergency room. A Saturday evening. Bus 14 drops me off in front of the hospital. I wander around the dull-lit grounds. The muscles of my esophagus have been spasming for 5 [View Full Entry]

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A few glimpses at sketches, designs, ideas primarily inspired by design and decorative styles I've been observing around Florence-an iron gate (the same one in front of the bank, or to the gate of the Medici palace) of intricate, vine-like curls, everending depictions of Madonna and child, iconography on every street corner, window frames high above the passers-by carved with care and interest-styles and symbols repeated all over the city...if only you look UP. Also, a few more random observations of my Florentine environment: -In the mornings bars are lusciously profumed of capuccino, the [View Full Entry]

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ARTE FIERA-Bologna, 28 January 2005 4 football fields full of contemporary art-displayed by galleries from Australia, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Sweden, United States and individual arts dealers/collectors. Walls filled with young, new and controversial artists working in mixed media, paint, film, metals, neon light. And then we come upon rooms displaying Andy Warhol next to Giorgio DiChirico, not to mention pieces by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Cy Twombly, Giorgio Morandi, Joseph Albers, Mark Chagall, Roy Lichtenstein, Chuck Close, Nan Goldin, Carlo Carra, Mario Sironi and Jea [View Full Entry]

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FIERA DEL CIOCCALATO ARTIGIANALE, January 21st, 2005 A friend accompanied me to a chocolate fair, for which we paid 8 euros to visit and to…taste. We were tempted by each stand, with chocolates artfully placed and seductively layed out in heaps, on platters or in careful stacks. We tasted (assagiato) several different types of FONDANTE (one at 50% cacao, 75% and indeed one PURE at 100%!). I was impressed not only by the quality of the chocolate, but also of their artistic creations! We saw colorfully detailed Carnivale masks in pure chocolate, as well as a 3D representation of an [View Full Entry]

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