When visiting a fairytale setting, your 35mm camera is your best friend. The instant perfection of digital imaging fails to capture the gritty, surreal beauty of the Ponte Vecchio, or the drug-like oneiric atmosphere of the Giardino di Boboli. Wherever you are, it’s three steps away from where you want to go, and exactly where you want to be.

Firenze feels like a bubble, Alice’s landing place after falling down the rabbit hole, a preserved piece of a Flemish painting – you can almost touch the brush strokes in the air around you. It exudes the atmosphere of dreams and after you step through the main gates of the gardens, surprisingly devoid of any human presence, you’re not quite sure what’s real anymore.

We had tea at Scudieri almost every day and I was happy with the company of my friends. Even though it was a three-day trip, it started feeling like a routine, something I could get used to. I could definitely get used to Firenze. For now, however, I’ll be content if I can visit it again.