Daily Life Articles

The Daily Life articles depict life as experienced in Florence by both expats and locals.

Appreciating Florence over Time

by Sophia Khan published on September 29, 2011

A tall, rusticated stone arch embedded in a palace's wall basks in the sunlight emitting a sense of antiquity. These were my first impressions of the backside of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence as seen from my studio apartment. A view revealed through tall windows set below a delightfully frescoed ceiling. What I slowly learned, however, was that while first impressions are often valid responses to places, they need time to develop into something more profound. So it was with my private view of Florence and the city itself.

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In the Seat of Abundance: Piazza della Repubblica

by Cheryl Tucker published on July 28, 2009

If you stay in Florence long enough, you'll find a piazza--one where you feel at home, one that you'll seek out after being away. On my first stay in Florence a few years ago, passing through the centrally located Piazza della Repubblica was part of my daily routine; I thought of it as a "throughway" piazza. The space is quite plain. Unlike Piazza della Signoria, you won't find ornate sculptures of David or Neptune, nor is it bordered by a beautiful Franciscan basilica like the one found in Piazza di Santa Croce. But, as often happens with rituals, I started to like passing through the square. After a couple of weeks, instead of racing through to reach one of the cafés on via Corso, or heading straight for via Calimala toward Ponte Vecchio, I'd stop and sit for a spell on the stone seat at the base of the piazza's only column.