You might be surprised to learn about one particular flip side of Firenze. Different to what many people would think, the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, this open-air museum where realness, visual arts and aesthetic beauty mesmerize our senses has, sadly, little shady zones where personal belongings – specifically related to means of transport – are an easy target.
I think we can all agree on something: to have a gelato goes far beyond a culinary delight. It also means to preserve and nourish interaction, conviviality, cultural and social exchange as well as bringing joy, comfort to the soul and freshness to the palate. I vividly remember when my Dad used to take me to the shopping mall’s ice cream parlor during wintertime just because, according to him, a good gelato is meant to be tasted regardless of the weather.
Despite living for less than three months in the everlasting inspiring, gorgeous Florence, the capital of Tuscany, I can’t help but feel as though my wandering instinct had been under the city’s skin for a very long time!
For me, Italy invokes the best feelings we can have in life: the pleasure of food, of a conversation among friends, of the union in a family, of the moment when our skin prickles when we first look at Santa Croce in Florence, of the streets full of clotheslines in Palermo, or the splendid color of the Lago di Como.