This summer I have had the profound privilege of studying music at the Conservatorio Luigi Cherubini in Florence, Italy. While most hours of my day were spent tickling ivory keys or wailing away some tune, some were spent absorbing the culture and atmosphere that Florence has seemed to develop throughout the years. I'd like to take a quick look at my experience of the mighty culture that Florence has to offer and some lessons it has presented to me.
The People:
To be quite frank, the people of Florence are wonderful. I did not have an experience with a Florentine in which I did not learn something or was not entertained with some sort of story or lesson. Their acceptance of the tourist culture impressed me the most. Turning instances where people were unfashionable in terms of their culture or mispronounced something from what could be offensive into a silly misunderstanding was subtly a habit.
The people developed such a open view of things or for some other particular reason, most speak more than one language. I happened to seem ignorant with my inability to speak French or Italian, etc. This proves just how interconnected Europe is in terms of language and culture. Yet there is another interconnection that is even more surprising. That is, the interconnection between the music and some aspects of culture between the United States and Florence (maybe Europe in general). I was extremely surprised by the amount of people in Europe who knew who Bob Dylan was, or even the band Tool and their superiority to Nickelback. What I thought was esoteric to the United States, became less so -- and this makes sense. The amount of tourist culture in Florence certainly prompts cafés to play Lady Gaga, which is, in my opinion, a negative with positive effects. This leads us to the actual atmosphere that I experienced.
The Atmosphere:
As someone from the United States, the streets that I walk on, the buildings I enter, and the culture I have, are all extremely juvenile. It is specifically for this reason that just walking in Florence was a spectacle. As I walked along those thin, measly sidewalks and crossed pebbled streets, I saw 800 year old frames and architecture and was presented with a portal from the new to the old. From Gucci and Louis Vuitton stores based in buildings founded by the Medici's to 600-year-old frescos in rooms where Jazz was being performed, the history of Florence has truly been restored in an expanding modern society. Additionally, there was a seeming quaintness that I can still liken to my hometown. It must be a human thing -- to know and form close-knit communities that involve the person that works the tables where you eat, etc. However, within this quaintness was a tradition that is much older than any tradition in the States. A prime example is the leather industry in Florence. Though the shops have adopted the retail customs of modern day (modernistic signs, etc.), the techniques of creating the leather are traditional. All Italian leather coats have their zipper on the left-side, which has always been the case. It is a marvelous sight to see, such cultural retainment.
Overall, what made my trip to Florence most enjoyable was the new experiences that I gathered. This includes the people I met, the things I learned, and the different cultural structures to which I laid witness. I recommend all to go to Florence, or to travel to Europe in general.
