Finding Community in Richmond, Virginia, and Florence, Italy

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence, Italy

Years ago I left a visit to Richmond, Virginia in my senior year of high school with a beaming smile on my face. I remember the delicious Mexican food I indulged in with my mom at a local Mexican restaurant, and an adorable dress I left with from a small boutique. I've since graduated high school, enrolled as a full time student in VCU’s fashion department, and spent my young adulthood here in Richmond, Virginia. 

Carytown, Richmond, Virginia

In my Junior year of college, I began preparing for my semester-long study abroad program at Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy. Embarking on that journey had been a dream of mine for as long as I'd known studying abroad as a college student was a possibility. I am going to refrain from going on about the life changing aspects of my study abroad experience to focus on one of the things that really struck me about it. I was shocked at the similarities I felt between Richmond and Florence. Before I first arrived in Florence, I expected a small bustling city of art, architecture, and full immersion in a rich history, which all remained to be true. What I did not expect however, was to feel that same small town sentiment that is carried in Richmond. There is a sense of community that both of these cities cultivate which I found to be driven by the emphasis on small, locally-owned businesses that fuel them. 

Florence and Richmond operate on a city-wide collaborative level to uplift a culture of true craftsmanship in the form of small business. Everywhere you go there is a plethora of talent when it comes to the arts, fashion, cuisine, with a focus on curating community rather than business related growth. These businesses have such an immense impact on their respective communities on a basis of loyalty, support, and emotional connection. Seeing this sentiment displayed in two separate environments across the globe has instilled a permanent personal interest in supporting the work of locally crafted businesses. Everyone I’ve met in Richmond, and in Florence refer to them under the correct term of a city, but no one can argue that these two vastly different places breathe the same small town feel. Whether it be walking down the street to see the same people standing on the same corner every morning, studying with a hot cup of coffee at your locally owned cafe, or browsing the mom and pop shops that fill the streets, there is a closeness that is present in both places. To me, these two cities will never truly feel like their given name of a “city”.