The "About Us" for Florence Journal is bittersweet to write. I dreamt my whole life of living abroad, and the last eight years, the bulk of which I got to spend in Florence, have been some of the most amazing of my life, but in all likelihood 2013 will be the last year spent here as a "most of the time" resident.
As an artist the history of this place, the art, the architecture, the childhood memories of pictures from magazines, PBS specials about Leonardo da Vinci, prints of famous paintings, sculptures, and churches seen in books, the David - all the iconic things that I grew up with - can be overwhelming (see Stendhal syndrome - its real). I caution art and history lovers to be prepared.
As a place to live, it can be hectic, crowded, peaceful, freezing, wet, stifling hot, visually stimulating, frustrating, friendly - and overwhelming (see above).
But - what is Florence Journal about? Mostly I think about sharing our passion for this most amazing city - a city in name only to me - since Florence is surely a village, and beside all the art and history, the people you will meet here and the friends you will make are what you will remember and treasure about Florence in the end.
Still, Florence never fails to excite, and makes me want to share discoveries, large and small - and so this blog. I hope you will find something useful here, something that we have turned up that perhaps makes your trip (or relocation) here a little more easy or interesting.
You can write me (Anthony) at [email protected], and find more about Florence on some of other websites and blogs, starting with Florence-On-Line.com.