The voice of Mina ... in Piazza Santo Spirito
It must have been around seven in the morning of a Saturday, the first day of August, and Piazza Santo Spirito could not have been more peaceful. There were no plastic cups or beer bottles from the night before and only one coffee shop was open. The square was quiet and the sun shined softly. I had just exited the building with three of the four-legged customers of the pet sitting business I work for, and even them, three terriers, were calm and relaxed, matching the mood of the day.
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Then, breaking the silence, came the emotion that rises from my heart every time I hear the unmistakable voice of Mina Mazzini. She called out to me from a portable radio set beside an old man on the bench across from us. We all stopped and listened until the old man, sensing our presence, turned around. He looked at us with a soft gaze that a person can only hold at that early hour and smiled. I asked him what he was listening to, though I already knew, to which he surprised me replying “Radio Margherita” instead. Smiling myself this time, I thanked him and walked away as I realized I had expected to have a conversation about Mina and her greatness in a moment when introspection was in order for all of us. So as I moved towards the church of Santo Spirito with my three dog friends, into one more beautiful morning, I let the love I have for Florence explode inside my heart, unexpected as it came, making me feel alive – just like in Mina’s song.
