It’s amazing how we are drawn to some things in life. Like for instance, when I walked about Florence yesterday on my way to the Uffizi Museum, I was immediately drawn to a corner bakery, Gilli,  simply because of the picture above.

I had seen the photograph throughout most of my adult life and wondered where it was taken? I knew it was somewhere in Italy during the 40s or the 50s but wasn’t exactly sure where in Italy. Well, it was apparently taken at the very corner of the street where a delightful cafe, simply referred to as Gilli, is located in Florence or at least that is what I was told.

As I sipped on my cappuccino and nibbled on fresh baked  butter cookies at the coffee bar inside, I stared out the window at the corner where the photograph was taken in an attempt to interpret the contents. I wondered was the picture an authentic reaction of a women, while being aggressively propositioned by the men of that era or was it an act to capture the true essence of a  time period?

Within minutes I was tapped on the shoulder to make room for others so that they may stand at the counter while drinking their coffee, and with that I was immediately forced to mentally return to the 21st century and see with my own eyes  that nothing has changed in Italy. The baristas at Gilli’s (in this case) carry on the tradition of flirting with any woman that crosses their paths, but mostly inside the cafe.