Notorious Vandal Strikes Again - The Florentine

14
Thursday 20 October 2005
UP CLOSE & PERSONAL
www.theflorentine.net
“Florence
is like a
Sixty-Two
Year Old
Contessa”
Interview with:
Barbara Deimling
B arbara Deimling is the Director
of Syracuse University
in Florence. Barbara, who
is originally from Germany, has
always loved Florence and came
here in 1997 to join the faculty and
then became director. She lives in
Florence with her husband and 3
young children.
The Florentine: What do you love
about Florence?
Barbara Deimling: The people,
the human aspect of people. I
have dealt with many professional
people here, and they give more
of themselves personally beyond
their professional expertise. I love
the urban fabric, the beauty of the
architecture, the food, the light,
the air, the wine. We have a word
for this in German, “Gesamtkunstwerk,”
which means a complete
work of art.
TF: What don’t you like, or what is
the hardest for you?
BD: The ineffi ciency of some public
institutions, too much bureaucracy
that seems to make things
unnecessarily cumbersome.
TF: When you leave Florence for
a period of time, what do you
miss?
BD: People, street contact. To
have someone say buongiorno to
me and mean it.
TF: Where is your favourite place
to get an aperitivo?
BD: Cibreo Cafe
TF: A cappuccino in the morning?
BD: Bar Elia (our coffee bar at
Syracuse)
TF: Go for a run?
BD: Via della Corno toward Marignolle
TF: Go for Sunday meal?
BD: Pane Vino in Piazza Cestello
TF: Go out with your family?
BD: Go to the park at Villa Strozzi
TF: Go for dinner?
BD: Pane Vino
TF: What’s your favourite Italian
dish? And where do you get it?
BD: Spaghetti alle vongole (but I
like it best in Rome)
TF: What’s your favourite romantic
thing to do?
BD: Dinner at Pane Vino
TF: When you have guests where
do you like to take them? Museum,
church, street, store?
BD: The Oltrarno. I love Via San
Niccolò, Santa Maria del Carmine.
TF: What’s your preferred out of
town excursion?
BD: Rome
TF: If you had only one day in
Florence, how would you spend
the day?
BD: I would go to San Miniato al
Monte and get the overall view of
the city, then just go from there.
TF: What advice do you have
about living here and how to
appreciate it the most?
BD: Be courageous to accept the
differences that you are presented
with.
TF: What is the most common
misunderstanding Americans
(English speakers) have about
Florence?
BD: They feel it is a Disneyland,
not a real place where people work
and live.
TF: What is the most common
misunderstanding Italians have
about Americans (English speakers)?
BD: That they are superfi cial and
not cultured. They think that Americans
have nothing to offer culturally.
TF: Who has been the most, or
one of the most interesting people
you have met here?
BD: There are two people. One
is Maestro Tangucci, the director
of Teatro Maggio Musicale. I was
moved by his openness to engage
himself and do something that was
so different than what is expected.
The other person is the former
Consul General, Bill McIlhenny. He
explained to me, so concisely, how
the American community can give
back to the community of Florence.
And he didn’t just talk about it, he
inspired me through his actions.
TF: If you were going to describe
Florence as a person or personality,
how would you do it?
BD: A 62 year old contessa.
TF: What do you think the ‘gift’
is of living in Florence...what has
it been for you? How have you
changed by being in Florence?
BD: It has made me more human in
every aspect of my life. In Florence I
don’t feel I need to compartmentalise
who I am. I feel more fully integrated
as a professional, a mother,
a family member, a friend.