Florence says goodbye to David Bowie
We lost a genius.
A genius in music, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo in art.
David Bowie died but he lives through the art he left, like great artists always do.
The Thin White Duke had an important relationship with Florence, a city he loved very much.
On June 6th 1992 he married the statuary Somalian model Iman in our city at the American Episcopal Church of St. James, a beautiful neo-gothic church erected in 1906 in Via degli Orti Oricellari in Florence.
The ceremony was strictly private and heavily guarded. Imam was extremely elegant in a dress by Hervé Leger, while David wore a tight by Thierry Mugler. Both fashion designers are invited at the ceremony. Very few friends and relatives took part to it, 68 people all together. In order to mislead paparazzi and curios people, David and Iman announced they were going to get married in Mustique, a Caribbean island. They even wrote it on the wedding announcements! In Florence only few good friends were invited: Brian Eno, Bono Vox (who missed the flight but arrived on time for the photos and the reception) and Yoko Ono.
A little curiosity: instead of the traditional ‘Here Comes The Bride’ for the entrance of Iman, the couple chose a Bulgarian folk song called ‘Kalimankou Denkou’ (The Evening Gathering). Why this bizarre choice is not surprising me? The reception was at Villa La Massa, a luxurious resort in Bagno a Ripoli, in the country of Florence (a place often chosen by stars, such as Madonna). The menu included ribollita (bread soup, typically Tuscan) and game. David Bowie often visited Florence during the years. As art and fashion lover how many times have we seen David at the Stazione Leopolda during Pitti fashion events (the fashion week of Florence, which is taking place right now).
But why did he decide to say yes in Italy? David and Iman had sailed down the coast of Italy on a six-weeks cruise the year before and both had a particular fondness for Italy. He always said that he was in love with Italian Renaissance art, but what he liked the most of our country was a quality of life impossible to be found anywhere else. Here, he said in an interview, life itself is much more important than working and get ahead. David and Iman, with their hectic carriers, said they loved this aspect of Italy: a more relaxed approach to life. Furthermore, Iman is from Somalia, for years an Italian colony, and she learned Italian at school when she was a little girl, that’s also the reason why Italy was so familiar to her.
Florence will always remember David Bowie; starting from Thursday January 14.
We can now announce that the Florentine DJ Giulia Presley will be at the Piccolo Cafè, via Borgo S. Croce 23r, for an evening tribute to David.
We’ll love to think of you David, with your music, in a nice club, singing and dancing.
Goodbye Alien, see you Thin White Duke.
