One of the first things I noticed upon arriving to Florence was the difference in the architecture and design of buildings. Walking the streets, I am surrounded by varying shades of tan and gray, textures of stone and brick, and blurbs of bright colored shutters and doors. This is really different compared to back home in Wisconsin. Therefore, even after three weeks of being here, I catch myself looking around at the beautiful buildings, taking in the new view.
Not only did the exterior architecture surprise me, but also the interior spaces. Interior spaces tend to go unnoticed unless you are a professional whose job is to make a space beautiful and practical in use, such as an interior designer or architect. For those of us who do not have professions such as these, interiors usually have to be different or unexpected in order to catch our eye. For example, in a famous church one might notice the colorful stain glass windows and the intricate woodwork of the pews. A bright colored wall in a café might attract the attention of someone else. Another person might notice the unusual layout of a restaurant. Either way, something was peculiar, catching the eye.
An article by Harold M. Proshansky, Abbe K. Fabian, and Robert Kaminoff, called Place-Identity, describes the idea of place-identity as a “cognitive sub-structure of self-identity.” The feelings, ideas, attitude, memories, etc. all relate to the physical setting and vice versa. This article led me to think about the differences between interior spaces in Florence and Wisconsin and how these differences relate to the community’s culture.
One of the first differences I noticed about interior spaces in Florence is the size. Shops, cafés, and especially restaurants in Florence are much smaller. The tight quarters emanate feelings of intimacy and acceptance. I think this is quite telling of the Italian culture. I have consistently noticed strangers (from what I could tell) stopping to greet each other and quickly chat before going about the rest of their day. Back in the US, it is pretty rare to stop on the street or in a coffee shop to have a short conversation with someone you do not know. This is something I really admire about the Italian culture.
Additionally, establishments in Florence seem to be built for a purpose and used solely for that designated intent. For example, you hardly see an Italian studying or working on their computer at a coffee shop. A café was built as a place to sip coffee or snack on a croissant, not a place to work. In Wisconsin, it is more rare to see a coffee shop filled with people strictly drinking coffee than it is to see one filled with people occupied by laptops, books, etc. Not only does this further explain the traits I mentioned earlier, but also the leisure lifestyle Italians embody. Days seem to be filled with a series of events, one after the other, rather than trying to accomplish a million things at once. Being a busy body, this lack of multitasking is something I am still not used to or comfortable with. I am hoping that by the end of this semester, I can learn to slow down.
All in all, the spaces in a given location portray more information about a culture than what simply meets the eye. Not only has this given me insight into the Florentine culture, but also into my own.
Here is a link to a short YouTube video about place identity!
Sense of Place 
Hi Hannah! I really enjoyed your article and found it super relatable as I almost wrote about the size differences of places here compared to the US for this week’s blog post and relate it to personal space. You pointed out some very interesting differences that I have observed, but never really thought about like the Italian’s purpose for a coffee shop. In America, we see a coffee shop as a place to get work done and here in Italy it is not the same. I sometimes almost feel uncomfortable when I go to a cafe to do homework as I feel like I am being judged by the Italians so finding a place to do homework is going to be the next thing on my Florence Bucket List. Let me know if you have found any good places!!!
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Hannah,
As a design major I totally agree with your observations of the interior spaces in Florence. In the US many of these small compact buildings wouldn’t necessarily be to code. The juxtaposition between the old stone facades and new modern interior spaces is something I found interesting. A challenging aspect for me too is definitely how the cafes are used here compared to back home.
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Hey Hannah!
I loved your post. One of the first things that came to my mind when reading the title of your post was the difference in the pure size of establishments. I feel as though every time I enter a cafe or bar I am always in someone’s way! I think this also relates back to the ideas we spoke about last week in class about personal space and what that can mean to different people and cultures. I definitely can say here that personal space is less of an idea, even when I am walking down the street or standing in the interior of a building I feel as though I am always “touching” someone.
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Hi Hannah! I really enjoyed reading your blog! I actually decided to use it as a departure point for my own! I agree with what you mentioned about differences in the design, size and purpose of many places here (compared with similar places back home). Each of these aspects seem to be very telling about the Italian culture and contribute to our own development of place-identity here in Florence. I too have gone into Ditta Artigianale and even noticed a sign asking customers not to use laptops, unless they were in a specific location! It definitely is a big change, living this slower-paced lifestyle. However, I feel that once we return home we may find the opposite phenomenon taking place.
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Hey Hannah! I loved reading your blog because it was super unique and provided a different insight than others. I have also noticed how small a majority of the restaurants, cafes, and shops are here! At first I thought it was crazy, but now I agree with what you said about the feeling of intimacy and acceptance. The small restaurants and cafes make me feel so cozy and as if I belong there. I’ve also noticed that I have come across a few cute, well decorated spaces as well as a few not so cute establishments. I think this is a big difference from American culture, where I believe Americans place a large importance on the atmosphere and decor of a restaurant, whereas Italians are only focused on the food served.
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