In Europe there are aspects of daily life that have been Americanized. My brother can attest to that. When he arrived in Paris two weeks ago, the first thing he saw was a McDonald’s outside his exit.
I’ve seen this elsewhere too, like in parts of Barcelona that look like areas of Miami near the beach.
However, Europe is still Europe, and hidden treasures of its past haven’t been completely replaced by conglomerates and fancy, new architecture. In fact, I was reminded just how much a place can embrace its roots with a little perspective from my parents.
The weekend began on a Saturday afternoon when I visited the Pitti Palace, an ancient monument from 1457, built then for the Pitti family. Walking through the first set of doors, I felt the history beside me and the room’s age.
When I stepped outside once more into the Boboli Gardens, I felt as if I had somehow transported back in time to when the Pitti family still lived within these quarters and viewed the same large land before them.
It was the space that inspired Versailles, and from the centuries-old oak trees to the ancient sculptures and fountains, the gravity of what stood before me wasn’t lost on me.
The Boboli Gardens were never ending. We wandered through the space for hours, with corners still unexplored, which wasn’t surprising for a creation that took 400 years to become what it is. Each piece of art, planted or molded, had a sense of purpose that showed its time and place.
After I stepped out of the Boboli Garden, it was like falling out of a vortex and back into present day. The garden had reminded me how much history has been preserved.
It took seeing Florence in the night to remember how well this entire city has preserved its past and incorporated into its present and future.
My father, who once lived in Europe, stood atop the Piazza Michelangelo with a wide view of Florence. He turned to me and said, “ I didn’t think Europe was like this anymore.”
I stared back confused. I asked, “What do you mean?”
He responded, “So connected to its past.”
As we continued to glance out past the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio far into the fading sunset that made the mountains look like shadows, his words became so true.
While Florence has iced coffee and French fries, it still has its personality. The changing ways of living from the evolution of time hasn’t made this city tear down architecture of the past, it instead is what the place aspires to maintain.
We always want to know what’s new, but perhaps there is more fun in simply enjoying what is already there.
apoudrie@indiana.edu
