I've been studying in Florence, Italy for just over a month now, and so far, this city is unrivaled. Florence is many things, but glaringly, it is a city of incredible dichotomy, managing to be simultaneously vibrant and vivacious,
and yet, still so... old.
And in this sense, "old" couldn't be more of a compliment. We're talking about a city which was founded in 59 BCE, developed further all throughout the Middle Ages, and thrived exponentially, above all other cities throughout the Renaissance, with major players, now practically immortalized, such as da Vinci, Dante, Michelangelo, Donatello, Machiavelli, and Massaccio, to name a few.
And what's especially remarkable (perhaps because it's in such stark contrast to every American city) is that the deep-rooted history--the architecture, the infrastructure, the very glue of the city--remains, for the most part, utilizzato, intertwined with the modern way of life of the Florentines. Florence never allowed its history to become obsolete. Rather, it wears its age on its sleeve, embracing, protecting, and celebrating its history. This entire city is antico.
I walk across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge first built in 996, every day, mindlessly. How casual it is, how natural it is, to be walking from my apartment to a friend's and pass through the Piazza del Duomo, which contains the massive architectural masterpiece of the Duomo cathedral, built in the 13th century.
As beautiful as New York and other big American cities may be, none can claim to have this same elaborate history, beginnings near contemporary with Jesus Christ, running parallel with Dante and da Vinci, and still, today, functioning modernly.
Florence may be old, but she wears her age well and remains, as she always has been, in style.
A presto, amici! More Four Months in Florence to come!
Natalie
And in this sense, "old" couldn't be more of a compliment. We're talking about a city which was founded in 59 BCE, developed further all throughout the Middle Ages, and thrived exponentially, above all other cities throughout the Renaissance, with major players, now practically immortalized, such as da Vinci, Dante, Michelangelo, Donatello, Machiavelli, and Massaccio, to name a few.
And what's especially remarkable (perhaps because it's in such stark contrast to every American city) is that the deep-rooted history--the architecture, the infrastructure, the very glue of the city--remains, for the most part, utilizzato, intertwined with the modern way of life of the Florentines. Florence never allowed its history to become obsolete. Rather, it wears its age on its sleeve, embracing, protecting, and celebrating its history. This entire city is antico.
I walk across the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge first built in 996, every day, mindlessly. How casual it is, how natural it is, to be walking from my apartment to a friend's and pass through the Piazza del Duomo, which contains the massive architectural masterpiece of the Duomo cathedral, built in the 13th century.
As beautiful as New York and other big American cities may be, none can claim to have this same elaborate history, beginnings near contemporary with Jesus Christ, running parallel with Dante and da Vinci, and still, today, functioning modernly.
Florence may be old, but she wears her age well and remains, as she always has been, in style.
A presto, amici! More Four Months in Florence to come!
Natalie
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