Italian Renaissance : Guidance of go in Florence and Siena.

300km south east from Milan, Florence which is a capital of culture and art developed by the Italian Renaissance is called `the flower capital' which is worthy of the name and whichever season I visit, it is a beautiful city that makes me feel excited.

It was nearly St.Valentine's day and heart shapes on the show windows stood out, I went to Florence and Siena, 60km south of Florence, to teach Go with Mr.Isamu Oka (Iza), the president of Italian Go Association (FIG). Let's take this opportunity to introduce my wonderful friend for more than 10 years, Iza, whom I really rely on not only in Go but also in Italian life.

Iza runs an export company of leather products in Tuscany (the state where Florence and Siena are located) and at the same time he manages agritourism business and has been living in Italy for nearly 20 years. He loves Go (Italian 1 kyu) and Snoopy. Even though he is busy traveling around Asia and Italy for business, he is very enthusiastic about teaching Go to beginners at the local Go club and he organizes Go events with agritourism and supports Go in many ways. Also, wherever Iza goes, everyone knows Go (!?), for example, of course, people working at his company, people who have business relation with him, some customers and owners of the cafes and restaurants that he usually goes to and many more. He talks about Go and introduces Go by showing his 9X9 Go board if his time allows. I respect him. Well, both places I visited were Judo Dojo (school). The members and teachers were all Italian and most of them were students and young people. They take part in activities in various fields, not only Judo but also Kendo, Kenjyutu (fencing), children's classes, Yoga and so on.

At the Florence Dojo, some Go lovers who do martial arts were already there and I played and taught Go to them on Italian tatami mats. Siena, on a small hill surrounded by castle walls, is an old medieval city. Inside the walls, cars are not allowed in and the only transportation is mini city buses. On both sides of the road, there are tall heavy brick buildings and a winding road like a labyrinth goes on. While I was dreaming that it is not strange to see a knight on a white horse, the scenery suddenly lit up and I came across the center of the city, piazza del Campo, which is the shape of a shell.

I like the city of Siena the best in Italy. (I don't know much about other areas except the Go club but) the air and the sunshine of this city fit me well. Actually, I fell in love with this city, when I first came here with my girl friend and since then I started to be interested in Italy. That was more than 10 years ago but if I hadn't come here on that day, the impression of Italy and my life would be different now.

Before the night Go club began, at this square, I played pair Go with Ms. Federica and Mr. Leo, members of the Florence Go Club and Judo players, and Iza. The good thing about Go is that you can enjoy playing anywhere as long as you have a Go board. We were shouted at by a group of people who looked like Chinese tourists `Weiqi! Weiqi!' so, it is fun to play Go outdoors. Under the blue sky, I was refreshed. At the Siena Dojo, nearly 30 Italian people who are mostly beginners were waiting for us. This Dojo, started 3 years ago, and was built by them from the foundation to the design, from the wiring of the electricity to the tatami mats - everything. Japanese would be amazed because we think convenience and speed are good but I like this Dojo which is full of love because a lot of time was spent building it. In an instant, when I realized the time, it was after 1 am. Even though it was their first time to play, everyone played 9X9 board with enthusiasm. I thank Iza who helped me with my poor Italian and Federica and Leo who came to help. The first Go club was very successful and it was a night that teachers and participants all enjoyed.

One of my aims for this year is that I was thinking of putting effort into teaching Go to beginners in Italy and in many ways, those visits were happy steps for me. I will keep the relationships as my treasure and I am thinking of the 2nd trip to teach Go this coming warm spring. I will let you know the future progress and development. Ciao!

This "GO Friends Report " started in February ! CLICK!

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