Florentine Beauty

By Chris Sarcletti

City: Florence

I remember the day as if it was yesterday. That face. That profile. Who could forget that kind of beauty? Not I. It was our second night of three in the wonderful city of Florence. The bar we were in, Bar Amadeus, was ironically a bar we had also stumbled into a night earlier. Actually, the fact that we ended up at the same venue 2 nights in a row was not so much of a coincidence after all. To start with, we both thoroughly liked the name of the bar. However, that is a very small part of the reason. We were looking to go somewhere and Carlos mentioned that heading back to Bar Amadeus might be a good idea. I quickly nodded and flashed a smile. I was just hoping that the waitress we saw the night before would be working again. As we walked in, I immediately identified her. I had noticed this gorgeous woman a night earlier when, unbeknownst to her, my male gaze was clearly fixed on her and grew more penetrating after a few cocktails. She wasn’t the typical Italian beauty you envision. At least not the one envisaged by an American who has never set foot in the country that claims his heritage. I guess my imagination said olive skin and dark hair and dark eyes. Sophia Loren. This woman had sandy blond hair. She had wonderful features and gorgeous blue eyes. Her eyes were like pools of blue water. She had an innocent look to her that amplified her beauty two fold. It was almost as if she didn’t know just how stunning she was. She had a petite body type and was curvaceous. She was as perfect as it gets from a physical perspective. We weren’t lucky enough to have her serve our table last night. We hoped that luck would turn our way on this evening. The cocktails we had after dinner provided a nice euphoric feeling that ran through our bodies as we sat in Bar Amadeus. On top of our good spirits, the angel we met the previous evening was working in our area and, more specifically, was handling our table. After staring at the drink menu for some time, she arrived and took our order. I felt as if I couldn’t even look at her for that long, as I didn’t want to stare too much. Carlos was in the same place I was as he found her just as attractive although I was much more expressive concerning my feelings. I think we were both feeling quite free and easy on this evening as Carlos decided that he thought it would be a great idea for me to ask our beautiful waitress to have dinner with me on the following evening. I guess I must have been feeling quite elated myself because I actually considered his proposition. I guess that is not all that odd. However, given the fact that the only Italian phrases I could recite would need to be read from a phrase guide, this was not the best set of circumstances to ask the best looking girl in a crowded bar on a date who happened to be working at the time. After another drink or two that were accompanied by some nice smiles from our waitress, Carlos's idea that he wouldn’t let go of began to become quite intriguing. Carlos said that he thought that she might find it cute if I read out of an Italian phrase book, “Will you have dinner with me?” I guess I kind of agreed with him although I was doubtful that she would find it cute enough to actually say yes. As I glanced through the phrase book, she approached our table as our glasses were nearly empty. Without thinking, I read the phrase from the book. I said it and it was cute, if I don't say so myself. She responded with a very warm smile that seemed to want to say yes. It really did. However, the words that followed were not in agreement with her smile. She said, in broken English, “I have a boyfriend, but thanks anyway.” This was certainly not a surprising response given her ravishing beauty. However, the beautiful smile I received in response to my question was gratification enough. In a weird way, I felt a sense of accomplishment in having the courage to actually say something since that is a bit out of character for me. It’s not often when you have the opportunity to be in the presence of such unsurpassed beauty. How I wish I spoke Italian in a city filled with such beautiful women. One after the other they passed me on the streets of Florence during my three days there. In Florence, where the gelato, wine and food are simply divine, nothing can compare to the exquisite beauty of the angel who once served drinks at a venue named Bar Amadeus.