After a whirlwind of classes, Siena and I spun straight into the weekend from our lessons, barely boarding a train for Pisa, then a plane to Valencia. It was a fun Valentine's getaway,
but what was particularly intriguing for me was the way our two days in Spain have become a lens for me to view Florence. I think many things become clearer through comparison, (how would we understand what Giotto really did if we didn’t also see what was being done before and what was able to come after? Or how does a doctor really know how swollen that hammered thumb is without comparing it to the corresponding digit on the opposite hand. I mean, you could just have fat fingers.) anywat, the opportunity to see a place where things are different allows one to question the seeming “givens” of a location.Where Florence feels tight and perhaps medieval in it’s cramped city space, Valencia was all wide boulevards and sprawling sidewalks, terraces and soccer fields. Like many cities, Valencia grew up along a major river, but it is also a coastal town. After a devastating flood in 1957 (16ft high in some places), they decided it was best to divert the river, leaving a wide swath through the center to fill. The entire length of this riverbed, land sunken and flanked with thick walls, has been landscaped and converted into soccer fields, bike paths, fountains, playgrounds, skate parks, and other furniture for active lifestyles.
The western end (inland) features a tall hill where the path spirals up to a spectacular view, and winding converging routes around water areas and swan boats. Beside the river is a small bioparc; (a spacious zoo by European standards.) The coastal end features a host of awe-inspiring modern buildings, housing various museums, but surrounding by twinkling white pools which, coupled with the stunning curves of the architecture, create the sensation of some futuristic existence. In this part of the city, further from the historic center, one finds a playground every few blocks, and trees mingle with pedestrians on almost every street. In the the more dense city center, one still doesn’t feel closed in, because the concrete walls are all bright with "long-form" graffiti, the fanciful full-wall spreads so much more cheerful than the endless black tagging of Florence. Even during the hours of siesta when the stores close, almost every pull-down metal shield is painted edge to edge with some image relating to the goods or services for sale.We had crepes Saturday afternoon at a restaurant where the kitchen was located inside the hull of an old school bus, plates passed to waiters through the ancient windows.
The tables were covered with white paper and cups of crayons beckoned customers to create. The entire city seemed to invite creativity, seemingly willing to divert rivers in order to allow people to move, act, and be. Valencia is a city which understands the need to preserve the past and its story, but even we visited the historic buildings like the cathedral and went up the bell tower, the magnificent view we saw included not only the historic homes, but the daring shapes of these new buildings rising to take their place in the skyline.I would like to see Florence become a city which not only encourages young contemporary artists with shows like the one at the Strozzina, but which becomes a place wholly encouraging to the creativity of all of its residents and visitors, and in its very structuring encourage human beings to celebrate their basic state of being and to engage with their core need to create, and make special. For now, I'll continue to seek inspiration wherever I find it, and continue with the work I've begun.
Valencia:
