It all started from this picture posted by a friend while having breakfast in my quasi hometown and everyone’s dream Florence.

An ocean in between and six hours later I was having breakfast and saw the picture. And it was a call. Love at first sight.

What is it that the color of the sky or the roofs take you back to your youth? I could smell my Christmas holidays when we were wearing Clarks and corduroy and fight with snowballs, girls vs boys.

You may know, or not, it doesn’t matter, but this picture is taken ‘Oltrarno' which means from the other side of the Arno, the river. Who decides what’s this or the other side of the river?

I Medici and their aristocratic and egocentric way of thinking: this is where they lived and the other was where the rest lived.

L’Oltrarno is our Rive Gauche this winter.

Just think Musee d’Orsay, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria d’arte moderna, some Renoir, Degas, Monet and our Macchiaioli the Tuscan, or better Italian version of the French Impressionists, such as Gioli or Fattori.

(image from www.FirenzemadeinTuscany.com)

Add the magic of Firenze as the picture frame and les jeux son faits.

This is just not because I need to brag more about my home country, since we are born with that and it’s in our pores and genes.