Weekend in Firenze

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I woke up the next day feeling more than a little befuddled. Now, I admit that it could have been the result of the Killians from the previous evening but I remember a time when I could stay out all night party like a rock star and still be able to function the next morning. Yeah, those days were in my 20's which are long since gone. Befuddled or not I got up the next day looking forward to seeing my friend Giovanni.

Here's a little background history. I met Giovanni on a international pen pal website when I was traveling abroad last year. Giovanni was looking to learn English and I in turn was looking to pick up some more Italian. Giovanni and I managed to meet up last year when I was in Florence. We'd emailed back and forth and decided we'd hang when I got to Florence. I remember the day so clearly because I'd lost my bag on the train. Lost or taken? Even to this day I cannot tell you because I don't know.

I'd come to Florence by way of Rome and I'd made a mistake by booking a ticket for a regional train not one of the faster ones. When I'd realized my mistake there was nothing to be done so I just had to sit and wait for the train to get to Florence. Needless to say I saw a lot of small towns in Tuscany which I hadn't planned on seeing but as always you live and learn. When I got off the train station at Santa Maria Novella I'd realized my bag was gone along with the train. I blamed myself because I'd stowed the bag in the compartment above me, I was tired and not paying attention so given how many people got on and off the train anything could have happened.

I got to the Hotel Lorena with nothing but the clothes on my back and I was pretty dejected. So much for being the clever traveler. I got to the Hotel Lorena feeling pretty down on myself but when I got there the family was so awesome. That right there did a lot to make me feel better. I have a tendency to beat myself up over stuff but if there was one thing I wasn't going to do was mope around. After all, I was in Florence! It was in the middle of that minor debacle that Giovanni showed up at the hotel. Now bear in mind that I'd never met Giovanni before that day so I had no idea what to expect at all. Turns out that in the middle of what was truly a minor crisis in the scales of life I'd just met a new friend. Seriously, how could I get so lucky? I told Giovanni what happened and he took me for a walk. I know that in our previous conversations Giovanni had said that his English wasn't all that good but honestly we got along just fine.

I know from my own forays into learning Italian is that a lot of language has to do with your own particular mindset but it goes deeper. It doesn't matter where I've traveled I always treat anyone I encounter with respect. After all, I'm not traveling in my country I am traveling in theirs...cultures, social expectations are going to be different from what I know. Not just that I'm there to learn so the only way I can do that is to dive in and experience as much as I can firsthand as I go. Giovanni took me to this pub over by Santa Croce and he ordered us up a couple of beers and we just sat down to talk.

There was so much to talk about! I suspect that the excellent beer we were drinking helped also. I learned that Giovanni was recently married. Both he and his wife Genny were the same (26 at the time) but he'd said that folks thought they got married to young. I wasn't there to make judgment calls and I told him so. I have no business judging anyone on their actions and I certainly would not appreciate anyone judging me. Long story short, we only go to hang out for one afternoon last year and we've been friends ever since.

Seeing Giovanni again was really cool. I mean seriously, a whole year went by and we were able to sit down and talk like it was only yesterday. Giovanni also echoed the sentiment that other friends of mine have expressed to me. Namely, I have to go back to Italy in summer but I have a very strong feeling that if I make it back for the summer then I'm just probably going to stay there. Right now, my heart is either in moving to Tuscany or the Veneto but my heart lies with the sea so it's likely no contest. Giovanni couldn't stay long we hung out for about two hours but that was enough. We said our goodbyes until next year.

I was able to get to the Uffizi this year. I got there late in afternoon and there was a crazy long line as I expected. I didn't go last year because of the long line but I was determined to tough it out and go this time. While I waited in line I struck up a conversation with a family who were also from the states. Interestingly, the father was born in Pittsburgh one town over from where my Dad grew up. The wife was from Texas and here they both were in Florence with their sons. Their boys were funny. I could see them running poking each other and running behind their parents for protection. I was reminded of my own antics with my brother and that brought a smile to my face. I'm hoping that my brother will come to Italy with me one of these days because that would be really cool.

I got into the Uffizi after what seemed like not too long of a wait (a little over an hour) which is probably really good. The previous times I'd been in the Uffizi I was on lecture with Delph so to be here on my own and take it all in was really awesome. Sections of the Uffizi were closed possibly due to renovation and some of the rooms in the upper floor where closed I guess for the same thing. Needless to say I took my time and enjoyed every moment of it. I made my way out to the cafe above the Uffizi and stood out on the balcony from where you can actually see the Piazza della Signoria. The last time I was here the weather was grey and dismal. That was back in winter break 2008 with Delph. This time however the skies were clear and the sun was already fading over the rooftops in Florence. A beautiful sight that will stay with me until I make it back again.

I made it to the Bargello this year also. I was not so lucky last year but I made up for it. I remember going through the security check point and I was taking all the change out of my pockets. The guard started to laugh and asked me where I was from. I replied "sono di Detroit." The guard smiled when I replied back in Italian. The guard started talking in Italian but too fast for me so I said "parli piu' lentamente per favore!" The guard laughed wished me well and I made my way inside. During Renaissance times the Bargello was home to the Council of Justice and the Florentine police. Anyone who was unfortunate to pass into the Bargello during those times didn't usually make it out alive again. Today, the Bargello is now a national museum that houses a great deal of art that will quite simply take your breath away. All the same I feel it's important to remember what the Bargello used to be when I walk through it's courtyard and what it is now. I recalled when I was here two years ago that some works of art where not on display, notably Donatello's statue of David slaying Goliath. Donatello's David was back out in his normal spot this year but surrounded by students who were listening to their teacher give a lecture. I watched the crowd and thought of my own note taking days when I was here last. That made me smile.


Since this was my last official night in Florence I decided to go to dinner at Nerone's. I discovered Nerone's totally by chance when I was studying abroad in Florence back in 2008. Nerone's is a trattoria that is located further down the street from where I was staying on this trip. The last trip we were all supposed to stay at a different family run hotel that is on Via Faenza but on the other side of Via Natizionale. The hotel was overbooked so the guys on the trip were able to stay in a hotel next door while the girls all stayed at the hotel we'd originally booked. It didn't matter too much to me, I mean after all I was in Florence and as long as I've got a place to rest my head I'm good. I think I was walking with Mike, Pam, Katie and Jenny when we discovered Nerone's but we hadn't gone inside yet. If I'm not mistaken it was Pam, Mike, Kelly, Grant and I had that dinner at Nerone's the first time around. If any of them are reading this and remember something different I'm going to count on them to remind me how it really was.

Jumping back to this night I decided to go back to Nerone's because the food is quite honestly amazing and the wine just happens to be delicious. Busy at the place was I was able to get a quiet table where I worked on the journal that I'm still in the process of writing. I ordered up a full plate of lasagna and a flagon of wine. I'd been frugal so far eating out but I feel that when you're traveling you owe yourself one awesome meal in every city that you visit. I mean after all why not? I've always been impressed with Nerone's because it doesn't matter how busy the place is the folks that work there have the place covered. I didn't have to wait long for my food nor the wine. I like to people watch no matter where I go and tonight was no exception. I'm glad I got there when I did because within about thirty minutes there was a line waiting outside and I would have been bummed if I couldn't get a table. It seemed that everyone knew somebody that night as I saw families, young people and old greeting each other as they entered and left the premises. Again, I was struck on the differences between Italian culture and American because you'd never see this type of welcoming attitude at home. People are in way too much of a hurry at home, stressed out so they lose sight of what's important which is to sit back and just enjoy the moment. It's so simple for me. Oftentimes people will mistake my "relaxed" attitude for one of indifference or that I don't care about what's going on around me. That's not actually the case because I know no matter how bad it may get "this too shall pass." As it stands I have it pretty good and I'm big enough to admit that.

I ended the night making my way back to the Hotel Lorena for the night. I ran into the same guy I met last year who works there on the night shift. I never did catch this guy's name but he's always so chill and relaxed. I'm just going to have to ask his name when I go back next year. I made my way back up the stairs to my room threw myself down on the bed and went to sleep right away.


When I woke up the next day I already made up my mind what I was going to do. No matter what whenever I visit Florence I feel compelled to walk along the Arno and visit Santa Croce. I had to clear out of my room by 10 am but I still have plenty of time before I had to get to the train station. I had already bought my ticket the previous morning and I ended up getting a ticket for later in the afternoon. The lady at the Trenitalia office told me that there were problems in Roma so all trains had been cancelled for earlier times. The family let me put my bags in their waiting room as I was going to walk through Florence just one last time on this trip. It's been a tradition of mine for years so I saw no reason to stop now. I didn't go into Santa Croce this time as church was in session so I wandered along the Arno enjoying the sunshine but I did make a point of sitting in the piazza eating a healthy dose of gelato.

There's always something to see when you sit in the piazza over by Santa Croce. There's always somebody trying to sell you something or ask you for cash. This time things were a little different. There were a few guys who specialized in writing your name in what I think was Chinese. I'm not sure. These guys were persistent because they had little mobile stands that they had set up and could move quickly so they could catch any prospective customers. I'm long past the point of buying stuff to put into my suitcase. My pictures serve as my memories and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

By this time, I was on my way back to the hotel where I grabbed my bags and made my way to the train station. I was on my way to the next leg of my journey which would take me to Bologna and from there I was off to Germany.

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