Meet Marradi — Alessandra Samori Owner of Florilla (Flower Shop)
Living the Dream with Tuscany Easy Travel
“Meet Marradi” … the people, the town, and the spirit of a special village in Italy. This is the place where I live, work, and play.
When I am asked about my story and how I arrived in this small town of Marradi, Italy, my response is always, “Marradi found me!” When I say that, I most certainly mean “I.” There is no other way to put it into words.
My goal in this blog entry is to give you an idea of how truly lucky I am to be part of this community; not only because of the people, but also because of the beautiful area. It is a way of life I have fully embraced and cannot imagine my life existing anywhere else.
In this segment of “Meet Marradi,” I want to introduce you to my personal flower lady! Alessandra (Sondra) is 100 percent Marradese (from Marradi). She is the owner of Florilla Flower Shop.
I admire Sondra for so many reasons.
Sondra left Marradi to attend school in Florence. After finishing her schooling, she came home to Marradi and started helping her mother in the floral business. She eventually made the decision to stay and take over the family business (oh, and I would guess the decision was made a bit easier since her future husband, Bruno, was in Marradi). Sondra and Bruno have two sons, and the apple of this flower lady’s eye is her grandson Leonardo.
In 1990, Sondra got an opportunity to move her store to the main street in Marradi, where she continues to operate her business today. Sondra carries seasonal flowers and creates arrangements for weddings, funerals, and special events. Check out her Facebook page to see her one of a kind work:
https://www.facebook.com/Florilla-di-Alessandra-Samor%C3%AC-549833741744744/
What I appreciate the most about Sondra is that she always has an exceptional array of seasonal flowers. She always lends an ear, helping me through my English/Italian, whether we are in her flower shop or out for dinner. Sondra also helped me become familiar with the customs of Marradi. She always has an encouraging word and keeps telling me to, “Keep speaking Italian.” Sondra and Bruno were among some of my first truly Italian-speaking friends. I am so grateful for the friendship that has developed and the level of comfort I feel while speaking Italian with Sondra. The effort and attention she gives me, even on a busy-with-clients days, as I try to speak her language, is genuinely generous!
I feel Sondra is one of the many reasons I enjoy my life here in the town we both call HOME!
