Today when I walked down a narrow, and less frequented, street near our apartment to go to the mercato (market), my mind began to wander. It happens a lot to me when I am walking alone. I become mesmerized by the rhythm of my footsteps, the stone streets, and the buildings around me. This morning, I found myself thinking about how beautiful Florence is even though it’s not perfectly clean or orderly. I would love to see my beloved city be cleaner, but I can easily look past its apparent blemishes to perceive its true and natural beauty.
I have always imagined Florence as a woman. Today while I was walking down the street, I got an even clearer picture in my mind. That of a woman whose beauty is so natural that she doesn’t need anything, like jewelry, to enhance it.
Florence is beautiful externally, but I feel that the majority of her beauty is tucked away. The buildings in Florence aren’t ornate, signs don’t call out to passersby, and spotlights aren’t placed on every corner. Much of Florence’s beauty can be found in the museums, churches, and buildings where it is persevered and can be admired in tranquility.
Another aspect of the city’s beauty comes from Mother Nature. Besides being blessed with wonderful traits, like rolling hills, distant mountains, and a river, Florence also benefits from amazing light that just can’t be rivaled.
Florence’s beauty is a gift. You can capture it in a photo, but that glimpse never recounts the depth of her beauty. The city’s beauty is like the beauty of a person: it’s not just what you can see, but it’s what is in that person’s heart and soul that renders him/her beautiful. Florence is beautiful, not just because of her attributes, but because the city’s soul is vibrant and passionate.
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