#2934 a micro-memory of Florence

I am in my office, putting up a little piece of art that I bought in Florence. It's small, maybe 8" x 8" for the mat and 4" x 4" for the art. I loved the color and the features of the city. I have it in a spot that doesn't really showcase it, but where I can easily see it when I'm sitting at my home desk. 

art by Paolo Lazzerini

Maybe what I love about the little painting the most is the memory of the store from which I bought it, and more specifically, the memory of the man who was working in the shop.

On our first day in Florence, Lizzie found a wine window close to our hotel. (I wrote about it in post #2927.)

Lizzie at the wine window

Across the street from the wine window was a little art shop.

Arte Viae shop

That's it on the right with the arched door, Arte Viae. Lizzie said that maybe we could go back there before we left because she thought she might find a pretty magnet or some other souvenir. We like to buy from small local places when we can as opposed to a kiosk that has the same stuff as the kiosk next to it. I'm actually not sure why we didn't just go in at the time, other than we'd had four glasses of wine that afternoon, and sometimes bad shopping decisions are made when you've had some drinks. (I'm thinking of a particularly tragic souvenir I bought in Puerto Vallarta after waaaaaay too much tequila.)

On our final morning in Florence after breakfast, we went back to the little art shop. It was just opening for the day and we walked in. It was very small and very cute and colorful. Click on the link above to take a peek at the website. The man in the shop explained that all of the art was by a brother and sister who grew up in Tuscany. Most of their art focuses on Tuscany and Florence. Their styles are similar. The piece I bought is by the brother.

I found the prices to be quite reasonable, so I bought a few little things, as did Lizzie. As I was checking out, the man at the counter told me about a special he had on a couple of products, and he said he had already told my friend about them. He nodded his head toward Lizzie. 

"That is my sister," I told him. 

"Oh! Your sister! Yes, I can see now a resemblance, and your voices are the same," he said. He stopped what he was doing and he got a faraway look in his eyes. "My mother and her sister used to travel together," he told me. "I can remember them planning trips, then going for a week or a few days. They were always so happy to do that." He looked over at Lizzie, who I think was still looking around. "It is unusual for sisters to travel together, I think," he said. "It is wonderful you travel together, and share these experiences. And I thank you for telling me, because it makes me remember my mother and my aunt, and it has made me happy." 

Well, I'm pretty soft-hearted about stuff like that, and I could feel my eyes get tight and a lump in my throat. I gathered up my purchases, thanked him for his time and for his beautiful shop, and we left. So, whenever I look at my little art piece from Arte Viae, I will remember the shopkeeper who remembered his mom and his aunt because two sisters from the U.S. came into his shop on a rainy October morning.