It Is Just The Italian Way

     

     Living in Italy has meant adjusting to a whole new way of life.  So much is so very different here.  Of course there is the challenge of dealing with a whole new language.  That is for another blog.  Then there are the people; the wonderful Italians.  They are so warm and friendly.  Whether I am out for a run, or Libby and I are making our way through the city, I am often stopped by a very friendly Italian just for a chat.  At first I was guardedly taken back by being stopped for a chat, but now it is just part of my day.  Can you imagine walking in Toronto and being stopped for a friendly chat?  No!!!  In Toronto we go from point A to point B barely making eye contact with those around us and hoping, really hoping, that no one bothers us.  You would never even think to take a moment to chat with a stranger, and if a stranger tried to stop you the first thought that would come to mind would be how do I get away from this person as quickly as possible without incident.

     While so much about Florence is wonderful, there are times when I shake my head as there just does not seem to be any sense to the way that they do some things here.  Let's just say that clarity and efficiency do not seem to be priorities for Italians.....and I am told that it has been that way for a very long time, so I am thinking it is just one of those things that one has to accept.  I have wanted to work on being better able to "go with the flow", rather than needing everything to go just so.  Let me tell you that Italy is turning out to be the perfect place for me to work on this bit of personal growth.

     Last week I headed out looking for a business.  With the address in hand, and my trusty map, I headed out with confidence.  I was aware that Florence has, lets just call it, a unique address system.  Business addresses have red numbers, private homes have blue numbers and each numbering system is independent of the other.  That means that, for example, there could be a 6 (red) Via Guelfa and a 6 (blue) Via Guelfa and each address could be a 10 minute walk from one another; they most certainly are not side by side.  Because I was going to a business I thought okay I am looking for a red number.  Off I went.  I found the red numbered address no problem, but it was a clothing store, not what I was looking for.  Then I thought, okay maybe for some reason it is a blue number.   Ten minutes later I found the blue numbered address; it was apartments.  Then I thought, well maybe it is above the clothing store, but still the same red numbered address.  So, back I went.  Nope.  While I would not say that I have the mouth of a trucker, I have been known to utter a profane word here and there if frustrated.  This was just such a case.  There I was standing on a street talking to myself, no doubt with a confused look on my face, not able to find an address, but not wanting to call and look like a "stupid" North American.  Yes, I turned into a man and refused to ask directions.  However, after another 15 minutes of wandering up and down the street I was forced to call.  It was then that I learned that I needed to be looking for a black number.  I immediately said to myself, "What the hell, where did black numbers come from.  No one told me about them".  Good thing no one was following me that day because with all the talking to myself I am sure I would have been locked up for a psychiatric evaluation.  Searching for the address drove me so crazy that I almost felt like I needed one.   

     When looking for a business address you also have to keep in mind that businesses do not have signage from the street like they do in Canada.  Unless it is a retail store, or a restaurant, the signage consists of a small half inch by two inch plaque on a door, along with other small plaques.  And I have come to learn that these doors are often just facades, so while you think that there is no way that a business could be located there, indeed it is.  Behind the doors is often a whole other world.  When opened up they can reveal a beautiful courtyard with apartments or businesses above.  Opening a large door can reveal a concealed parking area, with apartments or businesses above.  Although if the buildings are not equipped to vent dryers I am left wondering how all the carbon monoxide is vented out.  Behind the doors could also been a concealed lovely public green space.  You just don't know until the door is opened up. 

     I did find the business that I was looking for, and came away with what I thought was an understanding of the Florence address system - red numbers are for commercial businesses like shops or restaurants, blue numbers for residences and black numbers for non-commercial businesses.  No problem.  I had it down pat.  Never again would I wander up and down a street with a dazed looked on my face, talking to myself, looking for a particular address.  It didn't take long for this sense of understanding to be shattered. 

     This week I once again headed out address in hand.  This time for a gathering that was being hosted at a non-commercial business.  No problem, I thought to myself.  I am looking for a black number.  Well, on that particular street there was no black 21, and red 21 was a retail shop that was closed.  Once again I was left wandering up and down a street uttering not very lady-like words to myself.  Just as I was about to give up and go home I saw several people approaching blue 21.  We all with hesitation looked for a little plaque with the business name and yes, it was there.  But what the hell, now I see that some businesses can in fact be located in what are also residential buildings, hence why the address is a blue number.  But keep in mind that there could be a blue and black address of the same number on another street.  It just happened to not be the case on this particular street.  This address system had to have been invented by a man, because there is no way a woman would have come up with such a confusing system.  We women like simplicity and clarity.     

     As I told my story at the gathering, people laughed as they have all experienced the same frustration.  As I searched for input that would help me to understand the address system here in Florence one man said to me,  "It doesn't make sense, it is just the Italian way".  He then went on to offer me a glass of wine, which is also very much the Italian way.  I don't know, maybe years ago it was after several glasses of good Italian wine that some man came up with this Italian address system.  That would explain why it is so confusing.  We have all had nights where after a bottle of wine something seemed to be totally reasonable, but in the light of the next day we wondered what were we thinking.  And you know how men don't like to admit when they make a mistake or are wrong.
     I accepted the glass of wine, and I have also accepted that when I need to get to a particular address at a particular time I am going to have to leave myself extra time to figure out just what colour address I am really looking for.  While the Italian way often not not make sense to North Americans, clearly they are doing something right as they seem to out live us.  Maybe it is just that they have accepted that after years and years of dealing with things that at times simply don't make sense, they just don't get upset  about things that they cannot control and they carry on with their day.  Perhaps there is something to be said for the Italian way after all.