I remember the day I took this picture of the Florence Cathedral (Duomo Di Firenze) from Michelangelo Plaza (Piazzale Michelangelo) at GPS Coordinates: 43.7629314,11.2650559. I took a day trip from Naples, Italy to Florence, Italy to buy a special gift for a dying friend.
How It Started
I volunteered for a work assignment in Naples, Italy in June of 2011. My company selected me to go to Naples, Italy for two months to help out another office. I was super excited to see the world on my employers dime. I couldn’t wait. I was reading about Naples on the internet and trying to find out everything I could. I was even planning trips to neighboring countries. I was all over it!!! Then I was told another person was going with me…
The second person was an older lady that was very high up on the food chain. I was asked to share my itinerary with her so she could match hotels. I didn’t think much of it because she was arriving a few weeks after me. I didn’t anticipate any problems with her being in the same hotel as me. I could easily keep my distance. Everything was fine until management told I had to pick her up at the airport. And by the way, we would be sharing a car the whole time!!!
I didn’t know her so I had no opinion of her but I also didn’t want to get to know her either. I like to keep my distance. Discouraged is the first word to come to mind.
It Started Off on the Wrong Foot
My first impression was that she was high maintenance. She soon proved that to be correct when she couldn’t be ready in the morning at the agreed to time. I’m an early bird that loves to take on the world as soon as I can. She was a late riser and very slow moving in the morning. She wasn’t rushing for anything!!! When I expressed this concern, we agreed to meet in the middle and get out of the door at 0800. I don’t think she ever made it to the car before 0830. The first thing she said to me everyday was “I need coffee”. I wanted to jerk the wheel into oncoming traffic on the way to work.
As time went by, we got closer. We hung out after work. We had dinners together, walked around the cities, went to some wineries, explored and much more. She turned out to be a pretty awesome lady except she was very emotional. She was very sad and missed her son. Plus, the dream trip to Naples was turning out to be a nightmare. We quickly learned why the office we were supporting temporarily was in need of help. Plus, some of our coworkers weren’t friendly to us spies from the California office. Her emotions got the best of her and she cried a lot. She was crying all the time. She would get set off by the most simple things. She quickly called me out as “being ghost as soon as the waterworks started.” That was a good laugh and started our bonding.
Battlefield Bonding
We started to bond after spending a lot of time together. I learned a lot of corporate perspective from her in a short period of time. Our experience reminded her of how essential the little people are to her success at the top. Not that she didn’t appreciate the little people but she’d been at the top for a long time and may have forgotten what the little people go through on a day to day basis. Witnessing me negotiate some crazy issues with Italian contractors reminded her of the working level’s skill set.
There’s much more to be said about my time with her in Italy which I may share in a future post but for now let’s say we finished our job and went back home. While I had a great time in Italy (much more to share down the road) during this two month trip, I was most thankful for the new friend I made. We stayed in touch when we returned back to California.
My Heart Gets Broke
One day out of the blue, she calls me and asks to see me. We talked regularly on the phone but hadn’t seen each other for several months. We set a lunch date and I drove to see her. We didn’t make it to the restaurant because she was crying when I arrived. Her tears were big and she was hyperventilating. I thought I was going to take her to the hospital. It was bad. I almost started crying just watching her in pain. I was able to hold back my tears until she told me she had cancer and was dying. That’s when I lost it. I gave her a hug and we talked for a long time. We made jokes and tried to make the best of the situation. There was only so much we could do in the moment.
She knew I was going back to Naples for a 3 year commitment within a few months. It was a sad realization that she was going to be dead before I returned. In short, I would not see her again once I left the country. This thought haunted me for a long time.
What does this Backstory Have To Do With This Post?
She bought a Pandora type Statue of David charm for her bracelet when we were in Florence, Italy that she lost. That charm was one of the most important pieces of jewelry she had. It reminded her of a miserable 2 month work trip she took to Naples where she had the best worst time of her life. She used to call me at work to tell me she was having a bad day but would look down at the charm and smile because it reminded her of better times.
My Mission To Florence
After I arrived in Naples, Italy, I made it a point to go to Florence, Italy the first chance I got to go back to the store where we bought her charm and look for a replacement. The store didn’t have one but I found something similar. It’s pictured below with the salesman she bought the original one from:
My Solo Day Trip Journey
I woke up early in the morning in Naples. I took the 0615 AliBus from Capodichino Airport to Girabaldi Station (Stazione Girabaldi), the central train station, in downtown Naples. The ride is scenic and takes about 30 minutes.
From Girabaldi, I took a train to Florence, Italy arriving around 1000. In Florence, I jumped on the Florence Hop On, Hop Off bus which is always a recommended tour in any city to see the main spots and get oriented with the city. It was nice to tour one of my most favorite cities in the world again. After seeing 55+ countries, Florence, Italy is definitely still one of my favorite places. I took the picture at the top of this post when the bus stopped at Michelangelo Plaza. After doing the Hop On, Hop Off route, I went to the jewelry store. I purchased the closest thing to a charm I could find. Then I headed to the Florence train Station and back to Naples.
Mission Accomplished!!!
I was back home in Naples by 1700 on the same day. I was exhausted and a little sunburned but it was worth it. I mailed the charm and the picture of the salesman to her the next day. She called me crying a few days later when she received it. She told me I was crazy and that she was so thankful for what I did for her. She told me she had been reflecting on her time in Italy and was very sad that she lost her original charm. She said the new charm was even more special because of what I did to replace the first one. My eyes teared up when she told me she was going to be buried with it.
She died three weeks later and her son told me the charm was buried with her.
Not Meant To Be A Downer…
I miss my friend so much and I can’t think of Italy without thinking about her.
I didn’t think this post would be such a downer. That wasn’t my intention. I shared this story mostly to point out that life is too short. You will die full of regret if you don’t live life to the fullest. Seeing the world isn’t for everyone but you won’t know what is special until after you’ve experienced it. Have all the experiences you can as soon as you can. An additional take away from this post is how awesome Italy and Europe are. It’s amazing that you can go from Naples, Italy to Florence, Italy and back to Naples in one day on public transportation. That’s amazing and it’s very affordable. You will cherish the memories you make when you see the world and never forget them.
