Florence Down Under

Upon arrival in this most renowned city in Tuscany, I thought I had prepared for the sights and sounds.

Within the first hour of being there, I was overwhelmed. The visual appeal exceeded my expectations. Even if I were to spend the rest of my life there, I’d still act like an awestruck tourist.

The sounds were a bit of a surprise. With such narrow streets and stone surfaces, noises take on a dimensionality that is far different than you’d experience in other cities. I was most intrigued by silent hybrid taxis with supplemental beepers to announce their presence to unaware pedestrians.

I’m sure on any given day there are more than a hundred languages spoken by people taking in the atmosphere.

One striking “foreign” language I heard took place during a photography session at a small shoe company in the shadow of Ferragamo. When I first saw my subject, Sam, I assumed he was Italian. That assumption collapsed when I heard his Australian-accented voice.

The language barrier wasn’t a factor. That left me with plenty of cognitive resources to narrow down the hundreds of location options to just the right one.

About the author: I am Stephen Kennedy, an experienced photographer with more than 2500 completed sessions in all 50 US states.