Introduction to Florence
From Rome, we jumped on a train to Florence (Firenze, in Italian) where I finally met Giulia Mazzetti. Giulia and I have been pen-pals for 14 years, but had never actually met one another until today.
How did Giulia and I initially get connected? In her ninth grade at New Westminster Secondary School, my older and wiser sister Krista had briefly visited Italy in an exchange program. During that time, Krista billeted at Chiara’s home. At that time (1994), Chiara’s younger cousin, Giulia, was anxious for an English pen-pal correspond with. And so it began, a correspondence across cultures and languages. A unique experience between two persons where they enter into one anothers’ lives through private readings of ongoings, thoughts, and wonderings carried via pen and paper. Yes, we used snail-mail! There were occasional photographs shared and I do also recall one phone call where Giulia kept asking me to slow down so she could better understand me. Where in the beginning there were many phrases I poured over to decipher in her letters, years later the language proved to be no barrier in our sharings. To talk face-to-face with Giulia, as well as meet those people and places that once where only stories, in the coming days would prove to be truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Giulia and IAfter meeting us at the train station, Giulia took us on a nice long walk around the city center. We began at the beautiful marble Santa Maria duomo, done in typical gothic style, and worked through the streets to get an overview of main attractions such as the Uffizi (once a personal collection of great artworks by the Medici family), Galleria dell’ Academia (home to Michelangelo’s 1504 David which was completed when Michelangelo was only 20 years old and from a single piece of marble – a replica is also on view outside entrance), and Ponte Vecchio (the only bridge to survive WW2, now lined with gold jewelry store after gold jewelry store after the Medici family rid the bridge of its previously lined butcher shops that where apparently rough on the nose). Giulia found us a great place for a meal and then took us into her hometown of Prato, about 20 minutes outside of Florence, for the most delicious gelato.
Santa Maria Duomo, Gothic Style
In the coming week, with a short break to visit the costal towns of Cinque Terre, we would spend more time exploring the various sights Florence had to offer.
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