Noi non potremo avere perfetta vita senza amici. We cannot have a perfect life without friends. These words of wisdom come from the father of Italian literature, Dante himself. The value of friendship–a universal currency–is coveted and invested in with a unique endurance throughout Italy.

As a foreigner who moved to Florence in my teenage years, I was struck by how different the nature of friendship was between my hometown and my new town. Growing up, most of my closest friends were made in high school and university. But the group of Florentine friends which I made had known each other practically from birth.