Isolotto fence

Tourist are affraid to go further than what guides indicate as main. I always loved to loose myself on parts where people live, it is the heart and the soul of a city, for me more than monuments you can see on photos or films... or in situ in the middle of human herds...
HFF Annalia, grazzie mille

I also explore the unknown but interesting areas - I get to see some amazing places. HFF

I learned from my husband to visit the "forgotten! neighborhoods and they do tell you so much more about a place and, above all, about the people.

Thank you both, Isabel and GoSloMo, for the visit and the comments.
Have a great weekend!

Just another interesting aspect of Florence. It' s a good idea to quit the tourist paths. HFF, wish you a fine weekend, Annalia !

Thank you, Percy. Very true. In Florence, especially. People are so much more authentic and pleasant!
Have a great weekend!

Love this ordinary place - much more interesting than the tourist paths. HFF

In its own way it is and the people are ... well, real people! :)

Thank you GoSloMo. Have a great weekend!

HFF, Annalia ! Enjoy your weekend !

Thank you, Ulrich. You too!

HFF-Annalia Mooi en Gezond WE

Thank you, Fred. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

HFF and a safe and happy weekend, Annalia!

The same to you, Berny, and thank you for the visit.

Definitely worth exploring!

HFF and have a nice weekend!

Thank you, Marta. Hope you are enjoying your weekend too!

Some lovely textures and colours here. HFF, stay safe and have a great weekend, Annalia.

Thank you, George. Hope you are having a nice weekend!

Flowers make all the difference to an area Annalia. Someone takes pride here. HFF.
Wish you a good weekend.

Yes, flowers make a difference and people do take pride here. It is almost like a town within the town with a character of its own.
Hope you are having a good weekend!

Thanks for the interesting information!
HFF

My pleasure, Poly. Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Gotcha'.... on the information thanks... Annalia'...// Keep well and a ''HFF'' from David J'.

Thank you, David. Hope you are having a pleasant weekend!

Nice textures and colours Annalia.
HFF have a great weekend.
TOZ

Thank you for the kind comment, TOZ, and a nice weekend to you too.

Sicuramente ! La vera essenza, quella quotidiana oltre che storica, di una città si trova anche e forse soprattutto in quartieri come l'Isolotto, andando oltre la parte monumentale -artistica e il centro storico.
Amo molto questa tua foto e ne ammiro la composizione.
HFF e buon weekend da bea

Grazie, Beatrice. Ci sono quartieri come questo un pò in tutte le città, eppure ... l'Isolotto è nato come "progetto sociale", con l'intenzione di farne un'area con una sua autosufficienza e ancora oggi si vede. Qui, a differenza di altri quartieri periferici e altri complessi di case popolari, c'è un senso di identificazione più forte. La gente dell'Isolotto si riconosce nel suo quartiere ben più che come "fiorentini". Io non vivo qui, ma ci lavoro da anni e nel tempo ho scoperto un orgoglio di appartenenza di quartiere che in altri posti si vede solo alle partite del calcio in costume.
Grazie mille del tuo generoso commento e buon fine settimana!

I totally agree with you, Annalia
In Portugal similar neighborhoods are treated with a very special affection
Very different from band buildings
Excellent note, too

Thank you, Judite. Unfortunately, I have never been to Portugal, but in the photos you and other Portuguese Ipernians post I perceive a sense of belonging in the people that is very similar.
Have a great weekend!

Yes indeed Annalia many times we have come to Italy for our holidays and seen houses where the outside appears to be un-cared for, paint work dried out and flaking, broken brickwork and so on, yet if you see an open front door inside the home they are like a palace and spotlessly clean. For me it adds to the character of the place. Have a good weekend and be safe.

Thank you, HappySnapper. I think that what you say is true. No matter where they live, Italians tend to be house-proud, in the good sense of the word. A characteristic that cuts across social strata and that one can see both in urban and rural contexts.
Thanks for the visit and have a great weekend! Hope the weather is nicer this time!

bello come risaltano i fiori rossi
buon fine settimana

Grazie, Annemarie. Anche a te!

Hi Annalia

A very nice picture,and nice that even the proletariat have some pride.. but I do wonder of the industrial bourgeoisie and their houses!

Best Wishes, HFF, a nice weekend, and stay safe!!
Peter

Hi, Peter. I think this pretty much cuts across income and social status. What changes might be the exterior manifestations of it. People with lesser means might do it with flower pots, the wealthy with marble and wrought iron work, but it seems to me it all comes from the same sense of pride in one's home and I absolutely did not mean to say that the working class does not have its pride. Only that it seems stronger in this particular neighborhood than in others I know, including the one where I live, which has two large government housing "projects" of its own, but where I do not sense the same pride of belonging as I do in Isolotto.

Thank you for your always interesting and stimulating comments, Peter. Hope you are having a nice weekend!

Lack of wealth doesn't mean the inhabitants don't have pride in their home. Tourists mainly want to see touristy things. It's the same on here you see pretty images of the UK you rarely see the other side, I occasionally post an image of the grotty side usually if I'm in a bad mood !! I hope you are having a HFF Annalia and that you have a nice weekend

Completely agree. Isolotto is only "different" from other areas on the outskirts of town (like the one where I live, that has two large government housing "projects" of its own) in that it was purposely created as a self contained, self sufficient neighborhood, almost a town within the town, with the highest density of green areas in the whole city, a proper market place of its own, the only library in town that still runs a successful itinerant book lending service. To me, Isolotto is just a bit special because of its people's stronger sense of belonging and pride in their neighborhood.
P.S. Thanks for the word "grotty", that I was not familiar with. I love it when people "gift" me a new word! :)))

Thanks for your very interesting comment and have a great weekend!

Tienes razón, pero he de complementar que estuve en Florence y tuvimos un guía local para ver la ciudad, aparte de la guía que nos acompañaba en todo el viaje y si no fuimos a este lugar fue porque él no nos llevó. Queda disculpado porque de visita es imposible ver todo y se ha de establecer un orden de prioridad. Gracias por mostrarlo y que tengas buen sábado.

Hola, José Manuel.
Creo que ninguna guía va a llevar turistas a este barrio de la ciudad. Incluso hay muchos Florentinos que no lo conocen y los ancianos todavía consideran a Isolotto como un barrio "peligroso" aunque desde hace muchos años no hay mas crimen allí que en otros barrios de la ciudad. Para mi es interesante. Fué pensado y construido como una pequeña ciudad dentro de la ciudad, tiene su propria plaza del mercado, muchas mas areas verdes de los demás barrios de la ciudad, asociaciones de voluntariado que proveen servicios medicos, de ambulancias y servicios fúnebres. Isolotto es el unico barrio de la ciudad que todavía tiene una biblioteca con servicio itinerante de préstamo de libros. Pero sobre todo es el carácter de la gente que me gusta. Son muy orgullosos y tienen un fuerte sentido de pertenencia a su barrio.
Muchas gracias por tu comentario y a ti también un buen fin de semana!

Comme quoi leur dignité reste intacte avec une grande fierté.... Bon weekend.

Yes, you said it very well, Malik. Thank you and have a great weekend!

Einen verspäteten HFF, Annalia, und ein wunderschönes Wochenende!

Thank you, Trester. Have a nice Sunday!

Belated HFF

Thank you, Karin. Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

I would have guessed the wall to be older but yes, some structures age quickly.
Nice to see other parts of Florence, not just the tourist spots. (That's what I try to do in San Francisco, the part where we live has very few visitors, especially now ...)

It may be that the wall itself is older. The land where Isolotto was build was originally mostly fields, but there were some older rural structures that might have been incorporated in its design. I can well imagine that there is more to San Francisco than the downtown part that most visitors (including myself) get to see. I did not travel extensively in the States even when I lived there, but of the cities I did see, it was the one that gave me the sense that European cities give, of having "layers" and discrete bits that overtime got incorporated into the urban make up as the city grew.
Thank you for your comment, Sarah. Have a nice Sunday!