the influence of Florentine design...

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A few glimpses at sketches, designs, ideas primarily inspired by design and decorative styles I've been observing around Florence-an iron gate (the same one in front of the bank, or to the gate of the Medici palace) of intricate, vine-like curls, everending depictions of Madonna and child, iconography on every street corner, window frames high above the passers-by carved with care and interest-styles and symbols repeated all over the city...if only you look UP.

Also, a few more random observations of my Florentine environment:
-In the mornings bars are lusciously profumed of capuccino, the sweet smell of " le paste"- freshly baked bomboli (donut-like), foglie (filo dough crusted with sugar), filled croissants (cornetti di marmelata, crema, riso dolce, ricotta) and other fruit or creme filled pastries. From about 7:00-8:30 am bars (here they are cafe's) are filled with business men and women in ties and high heels, construction workers gossiping, police men, bus drivers, retired Florentines, italian students and early-rising travellers alike-capuccino, cafe (espresso) or cafe latte (claro) in one hand, a sweet brioche of some sort in the other.
My favorite part- Left behind, on the floor beneath my feet, in front of the counter, an abundance of crumbled sugar remnants from breakfast (colazione) having escaped the lather of the capuccino or the whiskers below a hungry mouth.

-Italians point to things with their middle fingers. Who ever said sign-language was universal?

-a local little bird told me about a little-known window of San Lorenzo, through which one might spot the prison cell of Michelangelo and his prison wall sketches. The window is in a blank, inconspicuous stone wall, behind a metal grade and wooden planks in which a small square is cut. On my tip toes, looking quite conspicuous (ah, che straniero pazzo!), I peeked into this little window and greeted by this tiny delight. Why was Michelangelo held prisoner in this church cell I do not know at this moment. But even in this champer, this extraordinary man, displays his fascination with the human form- as the walls are covered in charcoal sketches (some loose gestures, some detailed studies) of arms, legs, neck and chest muscles all superimposed one over another.

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