There’s this recurring question from friends, audiences, even strangers: “You moved to Florence? Why Florence?” Well, because it’s Florence. All this art, beauty, the fresh air, the golden hour colors, the history, the food and the place where opera and the piano were invented. Of course, Florence! And then you come across someone here that embodies who and what Florence is. And while laughing as you wipe away tears, for all of Florence’s beauty, you come in contact with its heart, and you are in it, hook, line and sinker.
Here’s what happened. A month ago in September, I opened the season at Teatro Niccolini, our oldest theatre in Florence, established in 1648, with the Italian premiere of Caligula: The Ultimate Cut, the fully reinvented story as imagined by Tinto Brass, starring Malcolm McDowell and Helen Mirren. I asked both Malcolm and Helen, who are friends, to come to Florence for the premiere and to be interviewed after the screening by another friend, cinema director, Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Ray, Devil’s Advocate, etc.). Added to this was live translation by The Florentine editor in chief, Helen Farrell.
When the presentation was over, the theatre’s executive director, Lilla DiFlorio, who is nothing short of a brilliant dynamo professionally and an exceptional human being personally, told me that a certain Zia Caterina and her taxi would be picking us up. All Lilla told me was that Zia Caterina is “very famous in Florence”.
As we gathered in the theatre’s lobby under the left arm of the Duomo after all the patrons had departed, a lady with a lovely face appeared, crowned in a massive floral hat, a colorful superhero cape, a pair of wild glasses that would put Elton John’s specs to shame, a pink taxi handbag and a talking rubber chicken. I looked at Lilla: “What on earth?” I wondered if my serious artist guests would be all right with such a flamboyant display. Then Lilla whispered the story to me…
“In 2011, Zia Caterina lost her partner, Stefano, a Florentine taxi driver, to cancer. He left her his most precious belonging, his taxi cab called Milano 25. Caterina committed to doing something meaningful in her partner’s memory. She had the cab painted like a festival, decorated its interior in pastels and outfitted with games, and devoted her time to taking sick children free of charge to hospital for their appointments and cancer treatments. All these years later, Zia Caterina is still bringing smiles to everyone’s faces, young and old.”
We got into the car: Helen Mirren, Taylor Hackford, Malcolm McDowell, Malcolm’s son, Beckett, who is a wonderful singer-songwriter, and myself. It turned into the nuttiest clown fest ever, with the entire group singing along while Beckett played on the ukulele he found in the clown taxi: “Oh me…oh my… I hope the little lady walks by…” The group was having so much fun. It was like theatre on the road, the taxi all lit up, alive and thriving. At a light stop, we actually bumped into Florence’s mayor, Sara Funaro, who popped her head into the vehicle for a smile and a hello. The whole experience was surreal!
We arrived at our destination, and Zia Caterina popped out of the vehicle, opened our passenger door, and we all got out and thanked her for what can be the most remarkable travel experience ever, complete with squawking chicken. Zia Caterina thanked us for being her musical passengers and said she would be happy to transport us anytime, anywhere.
And then she coughed.
I felt my heart sink. That wasn’t a cough to clear the throat. It was something much deeper, and—I could see—much more painful. Having had a mother who suffered terribly from cancer and died when I was 13 and she was only 35, I felt that open wound suddenly very present. Instinct. When you grow up with that sound and that pain, you recognize it immediately. I asked Zia Caterina if she was all right. Perhaps it was the way I asked, or perhaps she is just so naturally warm and giving, but her answer was more about not wanting to worry me. “Some days it’s all right and some days it’s not. But I do the best I can and I continue on my mission because that is what you must do when you’re alive.”
Two years ago, Zia Caterina was diagnosed with Antisynthetase syndrome, which affects no more than seven people in a million. It is a rare autoimmune disorder that, in the case of Zia Caterina, seems to have manifested itself as interstitial lung disease causing coughing and shortness of breath. Yet Zia Caterina carries on. So much so that she has created a foundation, Milano 25 ODV, which furthers her mission to help children with illnesses, as well as supporting those wanting to become doctors.
You might ask “why Florence?” The reason is clear: because time and again one encounters people like this who are the beating heart of Florence. Florence is not just about the beauty one can experience from artists long gone, but the humanity one can experience even by just grabbing a taxi. Florence is the most beautiful city in the world.
