The Dream Window on Via Romana

by Eduarda Klaser
Photo Credit to Sandy Swanton ­ globalwanderings.ca

I like the Porta Romana neighborhood in Florence, it feels very local and authentic but it is only 5 minutes away from Piazza Santo Spirito and Palazzo Pitti; and not more than 10 minutes away from the center with all its monuments, life music and people from all over the world. Before I completed my first year living here in Florence I was fortunate enough to move into the Porta Romana area and indulge in all it has to offer, such as an open park area for my dog, lovely local shops and their owners that greet me by my name and know my order; and spiritual walks up Viale Machiavelli towards Piazzale Michelangelo.

What I didn’t expect from my neighborhood, on the other hand, was to fall in love ­ and I mean it ­ with a shop window. This, however, is no ordinary shop window. This is the display of Tuscan Wedding Cakes, where Melanie Secciani makes nothing less than the most delicious, amazingly beautiful, wedding cakes in Italy.

Night after night, I would walk past Melanie’s window and soon I began growing a relationship with it. Who works in this shop? What do those cakes taste like? Which one would I choose for my wedding? I indulged in staring at the shop’s window as I dreamed up my perfect wedding and wondered about this secret bakery that I had never seen opened. Since I don’t have a wedding to plan yet, at least not officially, I was lucky to meet Melanie in the couple of days that she opened the doors of her shop to her neighbors and gave away free salted caramel cupcakes ­ Yes, I said FREE and CUPCAKES in the same sentence. Oh and those were no ordinary cupcakes! They were so perfectly soft and abundant in chocolate and caramel that a single bite took me to a place no troubles could reach me. That is Melanie’s work. She makes a couple’s special date absolutely heavenly with her cakes that are delicious inside, beautiful outside and personal in their design.

This month, however, delicious, beautiful and personal went up a whole notch when Melanie Secciani, wedding cake designer and founder of Tuscan Wedding Cakes, partnered up with, Louise Holm Ferragamo, wedding/event planner and founder of Made by Made, to give us all one more special gift and a whole new theme to dream up on.

Melanie and Louise got together, planned and executed a new window for our eyes to indulge in. So what happens when the best baker in the country partners up with the top event planner in our region? Magic! The window you can now see, at any time of day and night, on Via Romana 98R, is nothing short of a ball, a Masquerade Ball, romantic like Romeo and Juliet, mysterious like Carnival in Venice, elegant like weddings in Tuscany and as unique as the two ladies that put it together. “The cake is the most important moment of a wedding because it’s the moment where you bind everything, the story and the atmosphere, together,” Ferragamo said. “There is so much to tell with the wedding cake and that’s what Melanie does so well; she creates memories that will last forever even though it’s over in a few minutes.” “Louise’s events are so original and chic and her eye for detail is uncompromising,” Secciani said. “She is one of the most incredible planners I know and she infuses fun and a spirit of playfulness into all of her events, which is why this theme is perfect for her.” Alright ladies! All is good and lovely but what do you really think about marriage in this day and age when most people seem to turn their noses at the idea of a happily ever after? I had to ask! Louise didn’t hesitate for a second to tell me that weddings are actually more in than ever, especially the carefully planned, romantic, dream weddings she helps come true. While Melanie brilliantly added a comment I will rephrase for every nonbeliever that ever crosses my path again.

Melanie told me that without a question in her mind she believes in marriage and in the celebrations that involve a wedding. Why? Because weddings are a commitment, they have ceremonies and symbols that materialize the promises lovers make to each other when they are in love. Symbols that remind you of your commitment on the hardest days of your marriage, promises that once materialized give you the strength to go forth another day, even when the weight of long­term commitment seems too heavy to be carried. That rang a bell inside me, that is it! Marriage is a choice to make it work with the person you chose, it is a choice to make the best you can out of every day ­ even the miserable ones.

That is why those words are said: I take you to be my lawfully wedded(husband/wife), to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. A marriage is a society, it has to work for the sake of children if there are any, elder parents, for the sake of our dreams coming true in the support of one another. Jack Johnson said it: “…we are better together”. Never the less, it is a choice made every single day.

So while marriage is hard work, your wedding can be a fairy tale. Come fall in love like I did and when you do, take a picture of your favorite cake and share it with us on Instagram along with your dream wedding theme!

Make sure you also look out for my post! #florenceisyou #TuscanWeddingCakes “Tuscan Wedding Cakes aims to create delicious works of art and specializes in establishing permanent memories out of impermanent things on your most important day with their custom designed, one­of­a­kind wedding cakes, while

Made by Made provides full service and personalized event management with creativity, perfection and passion.” For more information, contact Karly Oristian at koristian1@gulls.salisbury.edu.