Great views of downtown Florence abound from the various overlooks near Piazzale Michelangelo.
THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME
If I ever disappear from St. Louis, look for me in Florence. Written and photography by Craig Kaminer
What better way to celebrate key milestones in life such as a 35th wedding anniversary and our 60th birthdays than with our kids and dear friends in the place where it all began for us in Florence, Italy? While there is no shortage of love stories told about the Tuscan countryside and cuisine, ours started in 1985 — and is still going strong. And to share this place with adult kids and great friends was a dream come true…truly an unparalleled experience. For many, a once-in-a-lifetime trip takes them to faraway places they have never been before and are unlikely to ever see again. But for us, we returned to where we first met and have returned many times since. This time, we stayed in a well-appointed three-bedroom apartment on the Arno, and we and our guests lived the lives of Florentine locals. Feeling like a native was the best feeling of all and by the end of the trip we referred to Florence as our city, just as our tour guide did about her beloved Firenze where her family had lived for hundreds of years. Florence is just that kind of place. Walking the same streets as the Medici, following in the footsteps of Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci, Galileo, Dante, and many others who had the vision to change the course of history through the patronage of the arts and to pack a city with visitors as the envy of the world to this very day, is unlike any other experience I have had. Some cities have great war histories, ancient ruins, citizens whose names we all know, or wild animals roaming the tundra. Florence has it all: the foothills of the majestic Tuscan
country, the Chianti wine region, and small hill towns one more charming than the next, and each chock full of truffles, porcini mushrooms, wild boar, and vineyards as far as the eyes can see. I first visited Florence in 1984 as a senior study abroad student from the University of Michigan. I was eager to complete my studies and become a restoration architect. Fifty students and our professors lived in a fabulous villa near San Domenico on the outskirts of Florence and a few minutes by car to Fiesole, the small Roman and Etruscan hill town from which Florence was born. Our classrooms were either in the villa or on-site at the many landmarks we studied. This time, our home was at Sonderini Lugarno 1 which is right on the Arno, two bridges down from the Ponte Vecchio known for its jewelry stores which have catered to tourists and locals alike for hundreds of years. In fact, it was the only bridge in Florence the Nazis spared when they occupied the city during WWII. Our location was across Ponte Carraia in the Santo Spirito area known for its artisan workshops and the Augustinian church designed by Brunelleschi – who also designed and completed the great Dome of the Florence Cathedral (Duomo) – and today is best known for its quintessential Renaissance design. We chose this spot to be out of the centro where crowds of people congregate at all times of day and night, and to be closer to one of the more authentic parts of Florence where the artisans still work and the restaurants cater to the people of the neighborhood. And it turned out to be perfect. slmag.net
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