Florence, Francesca’s complaint: “Assaulted on the tram because she was Jewish. I’m scared”
Francesca Rachel Valle, tourist guide, art historian and author of several volumes on Florence, tells the episode of racism: “I wore a star of David around my neck. That man came to hit me. The weather has become heavy, there are those who have canceled an appointment with me for my faith”
Francesca’s story: “It was mid-September, I was returning from a check-up at the Careggi hospital and I was traveling on the tram, at the height of the Fortezza da Basso”
“All of a sudden he slapped me”
“It was mid-September – he says – I was returning from a check-up at the Careggi hospital and I was traveling on the tram, at the height of the Fortezza da Basso. I was standing, near the door, with my hand on the handle, thoughtful. At a certain point a man, who spoke Arabic, approached me and suddenly slapped me. I dropped my glasses, I was petrified. A middle-aged man intervened, then the doors opened and I ran down. I was shaking”. Francesca wears the star of David around her neck, a symbol of her faith and her family roots.
“He looked at the star, then he came to hit me”
“I wasn’t staring at anyone, I hadn’t said anything – he explains -. He looked at the star and, cold, came to hit me. He said something in Arabic, I didn’t understand what, maybe an insult to my religion. It was a chilling gesture, which I can’t explain. I locked myself in the house for three days, I was afraid to go out, every time I heard footsteps behind me I turned around suddenly”.
The letter to Giorgia Meloni
A few weeks later, Francesca wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to report what happened. “I just wanted to tell my experience – he says –. It seemed absurd to me that, in a city like Florence, so welcoming and open, something like this could happen. In twenty-four years as a tour guide, nothing like this had ever happened to me. I have accompanied visitors from all backgrounds, and I have always believed that knowledge was the best way to unite, not to divide”.
“Sad to have to hide”
Born and raised in the Jewish ghetto of Venice, Francesca has lived in Florence for many years. “I have never had hostility towards other faiths, on the contrary – he explains -. I have a second degree in theology, I am curious and respectful of everyone’s religions. But since the conflict between Israel and Hamas broke out on October 7, 2023, things have changed. The climate has become heavier, not only for me but also for other Jewish acquaintances. There are those who avoid exposing themselves, those who no longer wear religious symbols. It’s sad to have to hide a part of yourself.”
“It’s not the first time”
It wasn’t an isolated case. “A little over a year ago it also happened to me that a lady gave me a guided tour as soon as she found out that I was Jewish – she says again -. It hurt me deeply, because my work is made of dialogue and knowledge. Florence is a city of art and culture, it cannot leave room for episodes like this. Greater sensitivity would be needed on the part of everyone, to openly condemn these behaviors and protect those who are victims of it”.
Francesca has returned to work, but the bitterness remains. “I don’t want to generalize, I know it was an individual gesture, but it’s a sign not to be underestimated. I will continue to do my job, to tell the beauty of Florence, because culture is the only possible response to hatred. Art teaches to recognize the other, to look with different eyes. And I, despite everything, will continue to believe in it”
