Tour Reflection

Yesterday, we took a tour around the east side of Florence, where some of the students in our class were able to show us around their neighborhood. The theme of the tour was residential areas in Florence. The guides encouraged us to pay attention to the transition from the tourist areas to the more residential places we were about to visit. In order to help us do so, they provided a handout with four of the locations listed on it. We were asked to write down some of the senses we experienced while at these stops, especially the sights, smells, and sounds. I was excited to see where this tour would lead us, hoping to discover new areas of Florence.

We began the tour at the Basilica of Santa Croce. Similar to the Duomo, it is a basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. However, my experience standing outside of Santa Croce was much different than if I were to be in the proximity of the Duomo. It already felt more residential. Although tour groups filled the piazza, it was much quieter. The guides shared some interesting information with us about the significance of the church. For example, it is the burial place of many famous Italians such as Michelangelo and Machiavelli. I have walked past this church on numerous occasions but never took the time to learn much about it. I was happy to see that it was the first stop on the tour!

The tour continued down the quiet side streets of Florence’s east side. Our next stop was Sant’Ambrogio Market. This was one of my favorite locations on the tour. I had been to the market once before, but for some reason never noticed that there was an entire indoor section. We had around five minutes to explore on our own, so I went inside and got a coffee with Michael (thank you, again!) at one of his favorite bars in town. After a quick cappuccino, we met back up with the group to continue the tour. This market truly felt local. It was obvious that this was a place that almost only residents of Florence went to purchase fresh produce, bargain for a new coat, or grab a quick cup of joe. Opposite from Mercato Centrale, it seemed like very few tourists went there. Once again, we were reminded to pay attention to the senses we were experiencing. I particularly noticed the smell of food and sight of fresh produce. Here is a link to the market’s website if you are interested in learning more about it! http://www.mercatosantambrogio.it/

The last stop of the tour was at the Chiosco Amici della Zecca park. On our walk there, we could see the transition from the residential area back to a busier part of Florence. This park is located right on the river where many tour buses drop off their groups. One interesting observation that our guides mentioned was how the tour groups who get dropped off at this location always walk in the direction of the Duomo and other main tourist attractions, rather than exploring the quieter parts of the city. I thought this was a great example of how this tour differed from the usual.

This tour reminded me a lot of our discussions on place-identity. There are so many aspects of a neighborhood including landscape, architecture, and character that makes it unique. This place-identity is directly related to the significance these places have on its inhabitants. The east side tour was focused was on residential areas and the places they showed us all contribute to the Florentine’s sense of place and identity. Overall, I really enjoyed this tour. I was happy to learn about new places in Florence from the perspective of other students.