Tony D'Onofrio
Retail
Page 17 of 18
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It is a Small World
Continuing to learn something new, we travel to Florence Italy. It is not just the birthplace of the Renaissance, but also the place where the piano, opera, and gelato were invented.
America is named after the Florentine Amerigo Vespucci. The story of Pinocchio was written in this city. The famous luxury fashion brand Gucci was founded Florence by Guccio Gucci in 1921 and you can still visit the first store located here. It’s also where you will find the world’s oldest pharmacy established in 1221.
Florence’s cathedral, Santa Marie del Fiori or Il Duomo, is the 11th largest church in the world, was built with over 4 million bricks and took 140 years to complete Michaelangelo’s statue of David was created between 1501 and 1504.
Dante Alighieri, the father of the Italian language, wrote “The Divine Comedy” in a Florentine dialect that eventually evolved into modern Italian. The city is also credited with establishing one of the first medical schools in Europe, the University of Florence School of Medicine.
In a 2017 personal article titled “Reflective Moments that Change your Life,” I reflected on the Florence experiences of three quintessential Renaissance men. The biographies of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo clearly illustrate, there is no perfect life. As humans we all make mistakes and fail at times. How we react and where we go next is totally up to each of us. What we think about, we will become.
You are not alone. Focus on the possible, ignore the impossible, for the glass is always half full. Be endlessly curious. Find your special place (as I did when I wrote 2017 Florence article) and have that quiet conversation with history to build an amazing fulfilling successful life.
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