"There's no mistake"

A stop by the Pitti Internet Cafe, in Florence Italy, on any given afternoon, will bring you face to face with Cristiano Papi. At 34, Cristiano- a mix of both Italian and American roots- could not be more helpful in getting a better sense of his hometown. "I was born here", Cristiano told me, " when I was little we played soccer and went to Church. It was tradition." Though he doesn't attend regularly now, Cristiano still looks back with respect for what he considers an integral part of Italian history, the church. And its not just the churches he eagerly describes to you. It is a understanding of Italian culture in general. Something many tourists tend to miss in a brisk summer vacation.
"What is the one major mistake tourists make when they come to Italy?" I ask him.
"There's no mistake." He tells me.
Crisiano understands that most tourists idolize a country they may only have one chance to visit. They tend to become overwhelmed by the beauty, the wine, the museums, and to expect that this is everyday life for the average Florentine. Cristiano laughs. For he knows its not. The average day for a resident of Florence is spent waking up a five a.m., hassling through traffic, parking, and maybe packing a sandwich for work. Certainly not a pizzeria by the Ponte Vecchio every day. And Cristiano says the last museum he's frequented has been at least fifteen years ago. But he understands. As do most residents of this Renaissance city. For Cristiano, he is able to equate it to his visits to California, as a child. His family and himself would frequent Disneyland, Universal, and the beaches. But this is quite certainly not how the average Californian lives. I don't think I need to explain the traffic obstacles and pollution by-products of working there.
So for Cristiano, and other Florentines, dinner with friends and a nice walk might be an occasional treat, but for the tourist it is an everyday occurrence, and subsequently a financial necessity for the actual city to thrive itself.
Florence runs on tourism and their compulsive spending habits. And every time I walk into a store, I'm always surprised at the ability of the shop vendors to speak English with no reservations. Take Cristiano for example. Though he grew up with an Italian mother, his ability to simultaneously switch back and forth from English to Italian to meet the need of the customer is astonishing. He will even attempt to help those whose language he doesn't understand. He claims that he still struggles with English, his second language, sometimes-though I can find no evidence of it, and shares his desire with me to perfect his English speaking to what it should be. I look on in amazement and know it is a good as mine.
Upon my final inquest into whether the general tourist bombards the Pitti Cafe shouting their native tongue expecting immediate results, he says "No not really. The stereotype exists, because there are a few who have acted that way" But generally they make the attempt." And Cristiano cannot be more insistent about the need to make an attempt. He is a firm believer in keeping an open mind about a culture and being willing to try anything.
"Nine out of ten time Florentines will help you," he says smiling,"If you're willing to make the effort, there will generally be a Florentine on the other end willing to do the same.