‘Friendly Florence’
Dear Editor,
From March 19 to
March 23, 2012, I participated in the meeting Domes in the World, held in
Florence. As a Belgian citizen teaching mathematics in Brussels, the capital of
Europe, I was concerned about visiting Italy because of what movies and recent
political events have portrayed.
However, the opposite
of what my prejudices suggested proved true: Florentines turned out to be very
friendly and helpful people. Not only I, but other colleagues were surprised by
the Florentines’ friendliness. For example, I often went to an inexpensive
restaurant, where the meals were served on a kind of conveyor. The staff there
was so kind, and even the restaurant’s cleaning staff-every day, and
until late at night!
My experience in
leaving Florence deserves special mention. At the airport, I was having trouble
finding the place to return my rented car. I started panicking, fearing that I
would miss my flight. I asked the woman at the airport parking terminal desk,
but she was not able to direct me. As I very nervously headed back to the car,
I saw the woman leaving her desk and running towards me. Had I insulted her?
Was she coming to berate me? ‘Follow that shuttle!’ she cried, and pointing to
a bus going to the parking lot for rental cars.
Florence is a
remarkable place, not only because of its well-known history, art and
gastronomy, but also because of its friendly citizens. ‘Friendly Florence’: it
could be a new slogan!
Sincerely,
Dr. Dirk Huylebrouck
Department of
Architecture
Sint-Lucas, Brussels,
Belgium
