Story Telling

Our story of this experience is one that will be told for the rest of our lives. Being able to live in a city where so many famous artists and writers have lived makes you appreciate and relate to the stories they have told for generations. For instance, a tale that many children grow up hearing and watching, the story of Pinocchio, took place in Florence. Walking down the streets of Florence you see these shops and can imagine yourself in the pages of the story. Around the corner from our apartment is "la casa di Dante Alighieri" which is where the literary genius, Dante Alighieri lived. Dante is the writer of "Dante's Inferno." The interesting fact about Dante is that he was actually exiled from Florence, so the people he wrote about in "Dante's Inferno" were actually based off of his enemies in Florence.

This past week I have learned a lot of history about the city as well as the small places I work. Through visiting Santa Croce, a Franciscan church where Michelangelo's tomb is located, seeing the statue of David in the Accademia, and learning about the history of Reale_Firenze, this week has been filled with stories both new and old. Santa Croce is the home of beautiful Giotto Fresco paintings, tombs of both famous and local people from ages ago, as well as amazing oil paintings. After visiting the Statue of David, I was surprised how breathtaking it was even after seeing it for the second time. The David is a great symbol for Florence because he represents the underdog. Florence is small in size but is the birth city of so many intellectual geniuses. We are lucky to be a part of a city with as rich a history as Florence. Aside from the old history of the city, I learned at work that the location in which Reale_Firenze is located was actually a home for a king at one time. While working an event one night, I was able to see more of the building including the Congress Room and some of the back rooms. Learning this made their marketing and slogans make so much sense. For example their logo is in the shape of a crown.

With Reale giving us more and more responsibility during our internship, I am lucky to be working in such a Royal atmosphere that I am sure contains more stories than I will ever know. The fact that three American girls are working in an Italian restaurant and bar there is a story in itself. Ciao for now.