In Italy,  the 31^st of August summer officially ends at the close of the day. September opens the fall season and everything in and around Florence shifts. Students arrive for their autumn studies. Shops and businesses reopen after Ferragosto, the August holiday. Already there’s a crispness in the air that wasn’t there last week. To celebrate, we went  into Florence for dinner and then on to a concert—Leonard Cohen performing in Piazza Santa Croce. An outdoor concert in a beautiful, historic square. What could be more inviting!?

Before dinner we walked to the Piazza to snap some photos. Wow. It was unbelievable. The piazza had been converted into an arena with risers flanking “floor seating.” The church loomed behind the stage to make the scene even more surreal. To the left of the church is a statue of Dante Alighieri, the father of modern Italian language and author of La Commedia Divina, The Divine Comedy. His posture looked as though he might be listening in on whatever was about to happen on the stage. We felt that it would surely be a night to remember. But to begin . . . dinner.

We read some reviews about a trattoria nearby Santa Croce, so decided to give it a try. The Trattoria da Que’ Ganzi was a real find. Even though the seacoast is only about 1½ hours from Florence, finding seafood can be a bit of challenge. The trattoria serves fish—several types. They also offer traditional Tuscan food, especially Florentine, so there’s bistecca fiorentina, T-bone steak, plenty of pasta dishes, lamb, and fiori di zucchine, crispy fried zucchini flowers. Dinner was amazing. Our 7:30 meal concluded at 9 pm with 15 minutes to meander over to the Piazza.

Just outside the restaurant, within a block or two, we encountered a rarity in Italy: a huge line. Italians are not known for their willingness to stand in line. Instead, typically what you’d see is sort of a crowd, slowly moving toward a destination. But here was a line. Not to worry, we thought. It’s still 10 minutes before the show will start and nothing has begun on time, to the best of our knowledge, since we arrived here 10 years ago.

At precisely 9:15 the show began! No warm up performers, no band working its way up, paying its dues. No. From the velvety tones reverberating through the night air, it was clearly Leonard Cohen.

“In orario, in orario. Il concerto comincia adesso! On time, on time. The concert is beginning now!” frantically cried a fan. His frenzy underscored the assumption that nothing was expected to happen until 9:30—the “normal” hour for evening beginnings.

The line suddenly became a crowd. We were 20 or so abreast. The ticket takers sweated as they ripped the strip from each ticket.

Once seated, we could hardly believe the show. Leonard Cohen was phenomenal. His ultra bass voice soon hypnotized the crowd and everyone swayed, nodded and snapped photos of the legend, being legendary. The band was absolutely synchronized with him. When each musician was introduced or highlighted, the ever-classy, dapper, Mr. Cohen removed his signature hat, as an expression of courtesy and bowed to them, holding his pose with reverence and dignity.

At 10:30 the band took a 15 minute break. They were led offstage by a skipping Leonard Cohen, who seemed to be totally “in his element” with his performance. At 10:45 the band resumed and played until nearly midnight, when Mr. Cohen apologized to the crowd, saying, “We’d play all night, but there’s a curfew.” Still, we stood and clapped until the band surrendered, doing not one, but two encore performances that were absolutely wonderful Although they technically violated the midnight curfew, they did so with grace and probably the full knowledge and approval of those who would enforce such a rule.

Posted on September 2, 2010

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