florentine

No matter which continent Nina's and Tony Tucker's consulting jobs brought them to, they say they could always find an English newspaper. Until Florence.

The Tuckers are from Southern California but their jobs have moved them throughout the world. They said they had always dreamed of living in Florence, so in 2005 the couple moved here.

Hear from readers of The Florentine on what the paper means to the city's English-speakers
(pictured: Michele Gaeta, one of Italy's top chefs).

Unlike other places the Tuckers have lived, Florence did not have an English-language newspaper. So, instead of continuing to do without, the Tuckers took it upon themselves to start an English-language bi-weekly right here in Florence.

After publishing 83 editions during the past three years, The Florentine newspaper distributes about 10,000 copies to drop sites all over the city.

Audience

"Understanding the size of the Anglo community in Florence is important," said Alexandra Lawrence, managing editor at The Florentine.

Lawrence says that there are tens of thousands of English speakers in the city, with international students making up a sizable portion of the English-speaking community. At any given time, there are about 6,000 American students studying in Florence.

Serving their information needs is one reason The Florentine exists.

The paper "aims to provide the most useful information for English-speaking expatriate living and studying in Florence [and] to make living in Florence as easy as possible for them, while trying to meet the demands of English-speaking tourists who are vacationing in the city," said Brenda Dionisi, who works part-time at the paper as its news editor.

Lawrence said the newspaper interprets and explains news and features as they apply to English-speakers in Florence.

"We cover everything from the changes in infrastructure to city policies and anything that affects the public," Lawrence said.

In practice, this sometimes means that The Florentine digests Italian-language newspaper accounts of issues like infrastructure challenges and re-packages these accounts for the bi-weekly’s readership.

A July 2008 issue provides an example. The lead story covers the city’s plans to meet infrastructure demands created by the crush of tourists that pour into Florence each year, particularly in the summer.

Relying on coverage in Italian newspapers such as Le Nazione and Le Repubblica, the story digests but does not offer any original reporting. The paper’s small, almost entirely part-time staff limits what the paper can do, according to Lawrence.

Even with the limits, however, the paper strives to "offer a fresh, unique and realistic vision of Italy and Florence by interpreting and mediating Italian and Florentine culture and customs for Anglo cultures and lovers of all things Italian -- like us," said Dionisi, a Canadian who has lived in nearby Siena for three years.

The American population is not the bi-weekly’s only audience. The paper also is distributed to Italian high schools as well as to English-speaking Italians.

"We are trying to be of more interest to our growing Italian readership," Dionisi said. The Florentine is intended both for people who are in the city for three to six months, as well as for those who have lived here for years.

To be successful, Lawrence said it is important that the paper keep in mind its vast readership when considering story topics. The paper has done stories on things like construction and curiosities found in the city. The paper also offers listings on events and exhibitions.

Lawrence said the paper also seeks lighter fare, such as a story on George Clooney's house on Lake Como. "We aren't opposed to fluffier things, [stories] that people are going to read," Lawrence said.

Controversy

Lawrence said The Florentine is very careful to be fair, that the writers are careful not to say what they feel. The paper does not, however, tackle stories most U.S. journalistic enterprises would consider a responsibility. And The Florentine does not cover issues that its publisher feels are controversial, Lawrence said.

The sometimes violently destructive relationship between some American students and the city of Florence is a prime example.

Often drunkenness on the part of students leads to violence, both by and against students. A big story right?

The Florentine won’t “touch it with a ten-foot pole,” Lawrence said, even though the situation has “reached a boiling point.”

Lawrence says that, because there are so many students here, they are a source of income for the city, and neither American universities nor the Italian government wants to take responsibility for the escalating number of incidents.

"I don't know how it can go on this way. It is either going to spill over or people will fix it and make Florence better," Lawrence said. "But it's not our responsibility to break open the situation. . . We steer away from anything we have to explain too much about, anything that puts us into fiery discussion. That's not our bag.”

Lawrence said the paper doesn’t cover anything that requires it to go up against the city or American governments, nor does it tackle anything that will be too economically or politically complicated to explain.

On the other hand, the paper covers stories that the staff thinks readers will want to read and that they can't find anywhere else. The Florentine was meant to fill the need for a newspaper written in English.

Even though the Tuckers have since returned to the United States to spend time with their newborn grandson, Dionisi said they are pleased with what they started.

"I think they are very proud that The Florentine has grown and thrived," Dionisi said.

Managing Editor Alexandra Lawrence is living her dream in Florence, Italy

Katie O'Kelley, reporter

She first tried her hand at editing in the fourth grade. Years later, Alexandra Lawrence has found that editing is no elementary matter.

Lawrence is the managing editor of The Florentine, the only English-language news publication distributed in the city of Florence.

Lawrence said when she was in the fourth grade, she read Island of the Blue Dolphins, and found a mistake. Instead of talking about the mistake with her teacher, Lawrence wrote the publishers informing them of the mistake. "I guess it was in my blood to correct. I'm also really bossy and I love to write," Lawrence said, explaining her choice of vocation.

Lawrence is from Birmingham, Ala., and grew up in a family of four. They ate dinner every night together, discussing everything and being encouraged to make their own informed decisions. Early in life, Lawrence developed a love of politics and debate, which spurred her to study political science at the College of Charleston in South Carolina.

During her junior year, she studied abroad in Florence. "I fell in love with it. I thought I'd just die if I don't go back there and live. I didn't want to die, so I came back," she said. Lawrence wanted to go to law school after finishing her undergraduate work, but her counselor at the College strongly discouraged it. The counselor advised becoming a professor, instead.

Lawrence took the advice, but returned to Italy before starting graduate school. While she was in Florence for the second time, she worked as an academic coordinator at a school for American students studying abroad.

She said those four and a half years confirmed for her that she wanted to return to academia. She went to graduate school at San Francisco State University, where she studied Italian literature and language. Today, she combines her experiences with academics, administration, reading and discussion. She is a professor at Santa Reparata International School of Art and, since September 2007, also works full-time at The Florentine.

The paper does not have an editor-in-chief, so as the managing editor, Lawrence coordinates every piece of text.

"Every word is looked at, discussed and approved ultimately by me," Lawrence said. She said her favorite thing about working for The Florentine is contact with people -- with the writers and with the public in general.

"The job at The Florentine offers a good, steady employment and keeps me writing and involved in a lot of different worlds. And I can still teach, which is my most favorite thing," she said.

The Florentine's managing editor, Alexandra Lawrence

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