• Home
  • About
  • Services
  • Media
  • Contact
Pollack Consulting
​
​415.508.6008

​ 

Final Thoughts

7/7/2022

6 Comments

 
As originally billed, the trip was an adventure. I had never lived by myself, never traveled by myself, so I was challenging myself at a time in life when that is not a typical thing to do. Add to that trying to learn another language. Meeting and connecting with new people has never been an issue for me, but thinking about doing that in another language, in a different culture, for an extended period of time gave me pause – but none of that was ever a problem. Also, I had a strong support network with dear friends Nan and Mauro and their family, which was a great comfort.

Sandy also had an adventure with me away for so long. She ended up doing things that were typically in my portfolio – and she enjoyed it. Sandy has never gravitated toward driving my car, but she used it all the time while I was away. She also dealt with all the technology issues I usually address. My wife is a trouper and good partner!

While Jessica was not able to "cross the pond' (plus 1 ½ continents) while I was in Italy, she was always in my thoughts and we had some great WhatsApp calls and videos!

And Nan was a lifesaver when dealing with my medical blip. One example was meeting with a specialist and obviously all the discussion was in Italian, and it seemed to go on forever. After some minutes when there was a pause, I asked Nan what she was saying, and while Nan gave me the real answer, I had fun thinking that the doctor was just asking for my name and saying hello.

The first new experience of my adventure, other than the apartment, was starting my Italian classes. I always had an interesting and fun group of classmates, 90+% of whom were 40-50 years younger than me, and again no concern on my part in meeting new people. It was strange to work collaboratively with others in a classroom, something I had not done in many, many years – basically since college. The staff at the school were delightful and I walked to my class near Santa Croce (I think it the most beautiful church in Firenze) and started having nodding relationships with people along the way. Early on a cobbler standing in his shop doorway said simply, “buon giorno” to me and that continued pretty much each day, growing to “come stai” (how are you).

I also met people who were very different than me, but had now become part of my world. I loved walking into the Italian school and having Gianluca and Simone immediately call out, “buon giourno Richard!” My classmates became something of family, and I totally enjoyed partnering with another student on our class exercises – recognizing that I was the age of her grandparents. One day we were asked to write a date on the whiteboard that was significant to us and the rest of the class had to figure out why. One woman wrote a date in 1968 and no one came up with the answer until I said, “Is that the date one of your parents was born?” – and that’s what it was. One classmate told me that her farther was in his 60s, and there was no way he could or would do what I was doing – it made me feel special. And best of all was their sincere, sad reaction to my leaving class.

Another neighborhood connect was with a small market around the corner from my apartment owned by a Bangladeshi guy who was there from 10am to midnight every day. I would buy my morning bananas from him to go with my Ciobar (wonderfully rich and creamy) hot chocolate, and every time I would pass by, we would say “ciao” to each other. I enjoyed becoming accustomed to my neighborhood and did a TON of walking, plus the 3-story climb to my apartment. It was fascinating looking out my bedroom and kitchen windows and seeing what was going on in other apartments, and there were often people hanging out the windows owing to the heat and not having air conditioning. The temperature was cool when I first arrived in Italy, but then the high temperatures came much earlier than usual, but as we know typical is changing with climate change.

There was much time for self-reflection while in Italy, and you have read of my working to accept the slings and arrows of life without my usual approach of getting upset and pissed off. My friend Nan and her son Andrea were instrumental in informing me that all the things I was getting exercised about were not very important. Furthermore, they helped me channel any upset into just accepting the blips as part of my adventure. That started with me being unhappy with my apartment and learning there was really nothing wrong with it – it was just very different from the US. In addition, Andrea was the one who said if you don’t have all the things you need, just go buy them. Think about that for a moment – I would be pissed off about not having extra sheets, or a pair of scissors, and how simple it was to buy them – first-world “problems” that should be cast aside. In addition, the effort to buy the stuff added to my adventure by having to go shopping in stores that are for residents, not tourists – and then having to make myself understood.

Each day I would be back home after a dinner out that started at 8:30, or making dinner at home around the same time. I watched some TV on Roku at the beginning, but then my standard was to sit on the sofa and read and think. My thoughts were on the world situation, the disaster of the war in Ukraine, and certainly the problems in the US – especially SCOTUS.  Because I wasn’t at home, I had some feeling of being removed from the US reality, and conversation with others did not center on US problems, somewhat related to the fact that Italy’s government is easily as screwed up as ours if not more so. What I did feel powerfully was concern for my kids and grandkids as they will have to deal with this absurdity way longer than me.

Firenze is a small city of about 380,000 people and 40 square miles, compared to San Francisco at 875,000 and 49 square miles (actually 47!). The historic center of Firenze is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is only 2 square miles and that area and its immediate surrounding neighborhoods were my stomping grounds. The walk from my apartment to the Duomo, Santa Croce, Piazza Repubblica, San Lorenzo, Piazza Signoria, the Uffizi, Palazzo Vecchio was about 8-10 minutes. One day when Rebecca was in Florence she and I were walking to the Ponte Vecchio (about a 12-minute walk from my apartment) and when we were first on the bridge, she didn’t realize we were on it – but I knew where we were. From there I took her to Santo Spirito which is a church and piazza on the other side of the Arno (Oltrarno).

I thought of my first visit to Florence with my parents in 1967 – and I was very lucky having opportunities like that as a kid. The huge flood that destroyed much of the city’s art and infrastructure was in 1966, and I saw all the mud still on the floors of churches, and I remember seeing a watermark around Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia – and that’s over a kilometer from the river. The rectory of Santa Croce has a pole showing the heights of various floods going back to one in 1333, and 1966 is at the top. No floods during my visit this time, although with their long drought the water might be welcomed.

The trip also reminded me that at heart I’m still a city boy. Sonoma is lovely, but Firenze is loud (scooters and motorcycles), busy, small streets, great museums, and wonderful sights, and I will be making an effort to spend more time in San Francisco, with Rebecca and Bill’s home as my base. I am stimulated by the tumult and love to look up when walking the streets to see what’s above that people do not usually see – typical architect. I may not see the Duomo or other similar sights walking in SF, but it is also a beautiful city with much to offer.

It has been an adjustment getting back into my world, not the easiest thing to do. I realized that part of my reaction was that in Italy no one was specifically depending on me to do anything, no one had the normal expectations of me, and my time was almost totally my own. While I thought about some of the potential impacts of my adventure, this realization of time being my own was not expected. Even with that, I never felt that I was being shortchanged when by myself and I didn’t feel lonely – although sometimes it was hard to motivate myself to do something owing to the heat. I developed new routines that supported my life, for example, never worrying about buying a ton of food at a market – I could get what I needed day-by-day and carry it home in a backpack or bag from the market. There was a bread store (paneria) just across the street from my apartment, and I bought my bread there (the first time doing so he showed me the big loaves, I said those are too big, and then learned that he’ll cut off whatever quantity I wanted). In fact, I looked in my wallet today and there was a slip of paper with “milk, OJ, vegetables, salad, Ciobar (hot chocolate mix)” – it took me quickly back to Firenze.
​
I have enjoyed writing this blog and hope that you have learned more about me and my adventure by reading it. I urge everyone to take a chance and give yourself a challenge as I did – it should be worth it.
6 Comments

Thursday - Day 77

6/30/2022

0 Comments

 
I wake up, look at the clock, and it’s 4:45am!!! Even with my new attitude I completely freaked out and somehow got my 2 bags downstairs by 5:15 – no shower, shaving, anything. I missed my cab at 4:30am and did not even hear when they called. I used my taxi app to call a cab, and one was there a couple of minutes later, and we were at the airport around 5:35am, and there were other people checking still checking in. I was easily onboard for the flight – but I was completely overwhelmed. If I had missed the flight, I would have had to reschedule the entire return trip. So less than one hour from waking up to checking in at the airport.

We landed in Munich (Monaco in Italian – causing confusion in Italian class when German speakers kept saying they were from Monaco – In Italian the country name is Monte Carlo) and I had about 3 hours before boarding the non-stop flight to San Francisco. I was still pretty freaked and thought I didn’t pack my charging cables for the flight, didn’t bring my Kindle, etc., etc. I started going to various stores looking for cables, which involved going through passport control another couple of time owing to different terminals, but there were no good options to buy. I went back to the Lufthansa Club, settled down, really looked through my backpack, and all cables and the Kindle were actually there – oy vey.
​
When we boarded the flight, the captain asked if there were any flight enthusiasts interested in seeing the cockpit, so I went up there, sat in the left chair, wore the captain’s hat, he said to put my hands on the yoke and throttles and he took several pictures of me – what fun. The flight was good, minimal turbulence, it was a United flight so not the level of service one would get with Lufthansa – but I was on the way home after an interesting morning. The flight landed 40 minutes early, and Sandy was there when I walked out with my luggage and we headed home. My adventure is over.
0 Comments

Wednesday - Day 76

6/29/2022

1 Comment

 
Today was packing, with a last lunch with Nan and Mauro – she made my favorite vitello tonnato (which was originally from Piemonte). It is cold, sliced veal covered with a creamy, mayonnaise-lie sauce flavored with tuna – it may sound odd but it’s wonderful! After lunch my last walk home from their place, to continue packing.

I had everything pretty much together and made an omelet for dinner with prosciutto and swiss cheese, then to bed around 9:30 with my alarm set for 3am for my 6am flight. I had a taxi reserved for 4:30am.
1 Comment

Tuesday - Day 75

6/28/2022

0 Comments

 
Focusing more on my trip home and starting the packing process. For lunch I went to Ristorante Caesar where I had a wonderful dinner previously, and had a nice lunch today with a starter appetizer then gnocchi with shrimp for my main course and a beer. My server was the same person I had for my dinner, and he recognized and greeted me. This evening there is an InterNations event near Parco delle Cascine at Manifattura Tabacchi, an old tobacco factory.

I took the bus over to the event, directions had me get off further away than necessary, but that also gave me the chance to see the park. The Parco delle Cascine (Cascine Park) is a monumental and historical park covering an area of 395 acres, and has the shape of a long and narrow stripe on the north bank of the Arno River – this is where Mauro often goes on his daily bike rides.
​
The Manifattura Tabacchi is a building complex of rationalist architecture with 16 buildings spread over an area of ​​approximately 25 acres. It was designed and built by Giovanni Bartoli and Pier Luigi Nervi. There is a glass tower that recalls the Marathon Tower of the Florence Stadium by Nervi himself, and he and Bartoli were the owners of the construction company that built it. Part of the complex was turned into the Puccini Theater and Cinema and this evening there was an outdoor cinema showing a movie. Construction began in 1933, with the first building used for making Toscano cigars, and the site was also where there were severe clashes between the Fascists and partisans during WWII. The cigar factory finally closed in 2001 and the complex was sold in 2016 for € 200 million with the intent of creating new uses, but that’s clearly still in process.
0 Comments

Monday - Day 74

6/27/2022

0 Comments

 
It was going to be super-hot today so I left the apartment at 7:45am and hiked up to Piazzale Michelangelo on the other side of the Arno for the spectacular view of the city. It was about a 35-minute walk and almost a straight shot from my place to the bridge, Ponte alle Grazie, and then a winding path up to the Piazzale. I passed Porta San Niccolò, which is one of the old gates to the city. It was built in 1324 and is the only gate in the old city walls that retains its original height – the others were lowered in the 16th century – and remnants of more of the old walls can be seen from the Piazzale.

This piazza was designed by architect Giuseppe Poggi and built in 1869 on a hill just south of the historic center, during the redevelopment of Oltrarno, the South (left) bank of the Arno River. In 1869, Florence was the capital of Italy and the whole city was involved in urban renewal, and in Oltrarno the Viale dei Colli was built, a tree-lined street over 8 kilometers long ending at the Piazzale Michelangelo, which was built as a terrace with a panoramic view of the city. The square, dedicated to the Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo, has bronze copies of some of his marble works found elsewhere in Florence: the David and the four allegories of the Medici Chapel of San Lorenzo. The view captures the heart of Florence from Forte Belvedere to Santa Croce, across the lungarni (river walks) and the bridges crossing the Arno, including the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and Palazzo Vecchio.

Beautiful photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/LVwNP8PBjzR52hXT6

I took a bus back to near my neighborhood to pick up something at the pharmacy and then walked around the city center, Duomo, San Lorenzo and Central Market – and it was getting way too hot. I was lagging and got on a bus back to my place, turned on the A/C, and at 3pm it was 103° but was said to feel like 107°. I had originally thought of going out for dinner tonight but that’s not happening – I’ll make pasta!
0 Comments

Saturday / Sunday - Days 72 / 73

6/25/2022

0 Comments

 
Today was a slow day for me with no more additions to the COVID ward in London and they have rescheduled their flight home from today to next Saturday, 2 July. I was supposed to get home after them, now it will be before, so I won’t spend Thursday night in San Francisco at their home, and Sandy will pick me up.
​
I hung out with N&M for some time in the afternoon, and then walked to Bar OK for what turned out to be a hamburger and fries, then home and a much earlier bedtime than Friday! The ristorante is on a street that points right at the Duomo.

They were setting up for a performance at Piazza della Santissima Annunziate and the video walls were being assembled. This piazza is a block away from my apartment and is named after the church of the Annunziata at the head of the square. In the center of the piazza is the bronze Equestrian statue of Ferdinando I and two Mannerist fountains with fantastical figures, all works completed by the Late Renaissance sculptor Pietro Tacca.

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/mtTXjHVb9DfQWPTK7

26 June – Day 73 – Sunday
I’m working on the blog this morning, then lunch at N&M, dinner at home. I started getting stuff together for packing in a few days.
0 Comments

Friday - Day 71

6/24/2022

0 Comments

 
Today was a very full day and it is the Festa di San Giovanni – the patron saint of Firenze. Many local stores are closed, but the tourist area shops are open. I have not bought anything for myself so far, and had seen some cool T-shirts while strolling around with my family earlier in the week, so I set out to find the stores. I bought a shirt at one store near the Duomo, but the one I wanted with a bicycle on it was at their other store, just across Ponte Vecchio. Walking back toward the bridge I passed the Duomo and a small celebration of the Festa with a number of priests and people dressed in Renaissance-period clothing. While continuing along there was one of the priest walking in front of me. I caught up and wished him “Buon festa di San Giovanni” and he replied “anche tu” (you also). I found the other T-shirt store fort my second shirt and headed back to the apartment before calcio storico this afternoon, in Piazza Santa Croce. Andrea had purchased tickets for us and we met near Sant’Ambrosio at 4pm.

Calcio Fiorentino or calcio storico (historic football) is an early form of soccer combining soccer, rugby, boxing and wrestling that originated during the Middle Ages and is thought to have started in the Piazza Santa Croce. Today, three matches are still played each year in Piazza Santa Croce in the third week of June, and a team from each quartiere (quarter) of the city is represented:

Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues)
Santa Maria Novella / Rossi (Reds)
Santo Spirito / Bianchi (Whites)
San Giovanni / Verdi (Greens)


After playing each other in two opening games, the two overall winners go into the yearly final on June 24. For decades this violent match has resulted in severe injuries, including death. During the early decades, in order to encourage wagering and achieve a bettable winner, there were times when bulls would be ushered into the ring in hopes of adding confusion and inciting victory. The modern version of calcio storico has not changed much from its historical roots, which allow tactics such as head-butting, punching, elbowing, and choking. However, due to sometime fatal injuries, sucker punches, hits from behind and kicks to the head are currently banned and it is only one-on-one fighting.

Matches last 50 minutes and are played on a field covered in sand, twice as long as it is wide (approximately 100m × 50m or 109 by 55 yards). Each team has 27 players and no substitutions are allowed for injured or expelled players. The teams are made up of four goalkeepers, three fullbacks, five halfbacks, and 15 forwards.

There are 7 officials including the referee, and he is responsible for making sure the game runs smoothly, stepping into the field only to maintain discipline and reestablish order when major fights occur. The game starts when the ball is thrown and kicked toward the center line, then at the first whistle as the ball first rests on field, 15 forwards begin fighting. It is a wild mixed martial arts match - punching, kicking, tripping, hacking, tackling, and wrestling with each other in an effort designed to tire opponents' defenses, but which often descends into an all-out brawl. They try to pin as many players to the ground as possible so they can’t participate in moving the ball forward. Once there are enough incapacitated players, the other teammates come and swoop up the ball and head to the goal. When a play is happening at the goal line, the fighters take a break to watch that action, then go back to pummeling each other.

From that moment on, the players try by any means necessary to get the ball into the goal. It is important to shoot with precision, because every time a player throws or kicks the ball above the net, the opposing team is awarded a half point. The game ends after 50 minutes and the team which scored the most points wins – this year the final score was 11½ to 7½ and Blue (Azzurri) won.

After the game we stopped for a drink before Andrea drove to Tonfano for a concert. I headed home before meeting some InterNations people at the Arno to watch the holiday’s fireworks from 10-10:45 – great fireworks, but it sounded like a war zone. We all then went for a very late dinner (11pm) at Ristorante Boccanegra and I got home around 1pm.

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WcqsgGoFxjvNLPUQ8
0 Comments

Thursday - Day 70

6/23/2022

0 Comments

 
I learned today that Ben has tested positive and has joined Bill in the “COVID ward”, but still not Rebecca or James.

Nan had asked if I wanted to take a drive with her to Tonfano today so she could see the construction progress. I walked over to their place and we headed out around 10:30 for the roughly one-hour drive. The house had more done than from our previous visit, but there’s no way it will be done by the end of June as promised by the contractor. Then off to a great lunch at Ristorante Sale Sciocco on the beach in Camaiore. I had pasta with small clams, and the clams come from the sea nearby, with tiramisu for dessert.
​
Back to Firenze where I walked to Farmacia Donatello on my way home to order some additional pills since I’ll be out by 5 July. After the big lunch, I made a turkey sandwich for dinner!
0 Comments

Wednesday - Day 69

6/22/2022

0 Comments

 
I heard today that Bill tested positive for COVID in London (their last stop), so he’s isolating in the one of the two bedrooms in their hotel suite, but that means they won’t be able to fly home on Saturday. He’s not feeling bad, just a cold, and the question is will anyone else get the bug. Rebecca, James and Ben had COVID previously, but not Bill. They were at a restaurant where a server was coughing constantly without a mask, so either from that, or the air travel, or who knows.

I had finally scheduled a visit today at 11am to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo’s David – I always need to go see Jessica’s boyfriend when in Firenze. As you’ve read, I’ve been to many museums and seen many sculptures by wonderful Renaissance artists such as Donatello, Della Robbia, Botticelli, Brunelleschi, Vasari, etc. during my time in Firenze, but this sculpture is extraordinary. Even the perfect copy in front of Palazzo Vecchio pales in comparison, as the marble in the Accademia is so clean and bright. Michelangelo spent months in the Carrara quarries to personally select the brightest marble.

When you get up close, the scale and detail of David’s torso, legs, hands and feet is almost overwhelming. It feels like he is going to walk off the pedestal and stroll around the gallery he seems so real. Then there are the unfinished sculptures by Michelangelo in the Hall of Prisoners (or Slaves or Captives) leading up to David.

The fame of these four powerful statues – named by scholars as “The Awakening Slave”, “The Young Slave”, “The Bearded Slave” and “The Atlas” – is due above all to their unfinished state. They are some of the finest examples of Michelangelo’s sculpting, referred to as “non-finito” (or incomplete), magnificent illustrations of the difficulty of the artist in carving out the figure from the block of marble. Another thought is that Michelangelo deliberately left them incomplete to represent the eternal struggle of human beings to free themselves from their material trappings.

These sculptures were begun by Michelangelo for a grandiose tomb of Pope Julius II. The first commission dates back to 1505, before Michelangelo’s assignment to paint the Sistine Chapel (1508), and it was meant to be the most magnificent tomb of Christian times, composed of more than 40 figures. The four Prisoners were carved to be the pillars on the lower level of the tomb, which was to be placed in the grand Basilica of St. Peter’s in Rome.

Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kQVdz8Rn9mm8B4Xw7

After the Accademia I went to L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele recommended by Rebecca for some pizza as it is made in Napoli. I had a Napolitano pizza that I had to fold over twice to eat owing to its very thin crust - I refused to eat it with utensils. Then a leisurely stroll back home. I was invited tonight for a BBQ dinner at the home of architect Phillip Johnson (mentioned previously) who I met through the InterNations group.

At 7pm I headed over to Phil’s house, which is right around the corner from Piazza della Santa Croce, at Borgo Allegri, 4. He has a nice apartment on the first floor with a small backyard garden where the BBQ was ready to go, had a beautiful table set, and put out some appetizers (antipasti) of crackers and pate. I brought a bottle of reserve chianti that I bought on my Tuscan winemaker’s tour some time back, and he fired up the BBQ for two good-looking steaks. Conversation was fun, learned that he was born in the Midwest, moved to Berkeley and started at Cal in architecture but then got into the construction program. Later he moved to Maui and lived upcountry for 30 years, has been divorced twice, and thinks he will stay in Firenze.

He told me about a holocaust memorial that is at the head of track (binario) 16 at the Santa Maria Novella (centrale) train station. It was from here that almost 300 Jews were sent to Auschwitz and Birkenau during WWII. There are also brass plaques inserted into the sidewalks around Firenze that commemorate those individuals, by name. They are called stolperstein, literally 'stumbling stone' (metaphorically a 'stumbling block'), and are 10cm square inscribed with the name and life dates of victims of Nazi extermination or persecution. The project was initiated by the German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, and aims to commemorate individuals at exactly the last place of residency before they fell victim to Nazi terror, euthanasia, eugenics, deportation to concentration or extermination camps, or had escaped persecution by emigration or suicide. As of December 2019, 75,000 stolpersteine have been laid around the world, making the stolpersteine project the world's largest decentralized memorial.

Photo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WxmaxBR2kTm6L82p7
Photo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/m8NeSmHGcAmmHSKD8
0 Comments

Tuesday - Day 68

6/21/2022

0 Comments

 
Somewhat lazy morning today enjoying the A/C and it’s supposed to only be a high of 88° today and the next few days. I’ll meet Nan and two of her friends for lunch today somewhere downtown.

The friends didn’t show, but we had a nice lunch in Piazza della Repubblica at Café Galli – whose placemat says ‘Since 1733’. Nan was getting her 2nd booster today, so we cabbed it back to her doctor, then strolled back to her place, and I asked to see the famous gloves that she had mentioned she still has for over 50 years, and here’s that story:

Nan was in Italy with her friend Lynda after they graduated from the University of Wisconsin. When they were in      Firenze, Nan bought a pair of gloves from this guy, Mauro, who was working at a leather stall in San Lorenzo market during the summer to make money. She was smitten by him, and asked him out – she actually asked him to meet up later that evening to go to the opera. He balked initially, but she persevered and they ended up connecting. She left Europe to come home; they corresponded for two years, and finally got together for good.
 
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/xNbXT1GeGd67mNup9 
 
Nan asked if I wanted to go to Tonfano with her on Thursday – and you betcha!
0 Comments
<<Previous

    My Adventure in Italy -  2022

Sales, marketing, strategic and tactical business consulting for the Architectural, Interiors, Engineering, and Construction professions.