Joanne O?Sullivan lived and worked in Florence as an English teacher and educational travel program planner. She now lives and works in Asheville, North Carolina. You can read her writing about traveling with children at http://thewanderlists.com.
Legend has it that on St. Reparata's Day in the year 405, the Goths had Florence under siege, and the city was failing badly. Suddenly, St. Reparata appeared in the midst of the fighting, holding a blood-red banner emblazoned with a white iris, and with that, the fortunes