STORY TIME! Well before I go too wild, this bookstore is gargantuan and beautiful and if you're in…read moreFlorence you should absolutely visit. Have a small-ish section for English titles as well. If you stop reading here that's fine I still love you:
I'm big on omens and firmly believe that when you're living right, one thing just leads to another.
The other day, I was walking out of the Uffizi (read that review if you dare) and was just flooded with inspiration for how talented those artists were and how much they got done. In the gift shop on the way out, the book "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius was looking at me so crazy. I remembered a friend, and to be honest I can't even remember which one, recommended it to me saying it was a fantastic read.
I picked it up and thumbed through it. "Hm, maybe this is an omen" I thought to myself. I turned it around and saw the 25 euro price tag and was like damn. My pockets are on featherweight. After spending about 5 minutes debating if I should buy it, I opted not to as I had just spent 60 euro on the tour and had dinners and other tours looming over my Chase account with a scythe.
Big mistake. Over the next 24 hours, I could not stop thinking about that book. I looked into the back story of it more and he wrote it to himself with absolutely 0 intention of ever publishing it. It was like his personal journal on philosophy. I allegedly downloaded a PDF copy from a dark corner of the internet, and read a bit.
Once I read the quote "often injustice lies in what you aren't doing, not only in what you are doing" I was sold. I now needed the physical book in hand.
But how? I'm not going to pay 30 euro to get back into the Uffizi just to pay 25 euro to buy it. I can't imagine bookstores here have a large English selection. I looked up bookstores in the area and saw this place, setting off on a hero's journey.
After weaving in and out of large tourist groups like a prime Reggie Bush, I set foot in here.
This place is HUGE! A vast selection that just seemingly has corridor after corridor. After talking a full lap, I didn't see one book in English.
As I was heading for the exit, I saw one little section for English books. HOPE! After thoroughly scanning for about 20 minutes, I didn't see anything even closely related to "Meditations." Much to my social anxiety's chagrin, it was time to ask for help.
Yeah I could have asked for help earlier, but asking for help in an Italian Bookstore for a book written in English, while not speaking a lick of Italian had my hands sweating. I'm really shy hehe.
Anyways, I pull up a picture of the book and ask if they have it in English. He walks me to the section I was just in for 20 minutes, and scans for a bit and looks at me and shakes his head. Defeat.
I lick my wounds by looking at other titles, as I do want to read something since I have another week out here. I scan for another 5-10 minutes, and don't really see much that gets me out of bed.
I pull "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf off the shelf, and flip it to the back. There is a list of Penguin's Recommended books, and sure enough "Meditations" is #2 of 20. The universe is just teasing me now.
I put the book back and look down at my feet in one last half-court heave of hope before heading out, and there it is. Hiding in plain site this whole time. The only copy left. BABY WE DONE IT!
I ended up buying both books, as I wouldn't be here without my girl Virginia Woolf.
