How small is Florence?

After I first arrived in Florence years ago, I quickly realized that it was quite small. I found myself walking in centro (downtown) and bumping into people I either knew or saw just recently. Florence can feel almost provincial at times.

Last night, I was at Gelateria de' Neri with my family and a girl I know from my yoga place, Donatella, came in. And then today, I walked down Borgo degli Albizi and she was working at a shop and happened to be looking outside. She ran outside to catch me as I went by. When I go in centro, I generally walk down Borgo degli Albizi and have never seen her before in that shop.

And, Florence is small enough that my sister, who is here for only a week, saw my Florentine ex-boyfriend twice today! The second time, he ran up to my sister to say hello. They hadn't seen him since February 1999, so they were very surprised that he recognized them too.

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