Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 1594

Saturday/Sunday September 18/19, 2004 * Boticelli, Gentileschi, Ruibens, Andrea del Sarto, Raphaello Sanzio, Filippo Lippi, hung in tremendous frames one hanging from the next, 3 rows high…some hanging in dimly lit corners, others high and bold, recognizable by the lovers of art history. The Galleria Palatina, in the Pitti Palace, held my attention for a full 2 hours, with room upon room, antechamber upon antechamber, stocked full of imagery-either wall to wall frescoe, rich fabric, gold and crystal, or walls filled floor to ceiling with various framed images. To see some of these paintings within inches brings them under critique, analysis, adoration. I looked at technique, the softness or vividness of color, the accuracy of anatomy and form, the realistic or idealistic rendition, the folds of cloth, stylized or not, the repetition of symbols, use of ... read more

So we haven't actually left for Venice yet. We've been running around like crazy doing last minute things: neighbors to look after the house and water the plants, shopping for a proper coat for Debbie, etc. But it is finally starting to sink in that we are actually going to do this...we've been talking about it for 10 years now (Debbie is of Italian descent). So my travel agent tells me that I must read "The Agony and the Ecstacy" a biographical novel of the life and times of Michelangelo. I knew of this book and heard it was great, so said "ok" and went down to B&N. So its a 700 page book in small type. And I am on page 3 with about 36 hours before I get on a plane. Got some reading ... read more

A long day travelling today, as we travelled the 300 km journey north up to Venezia (Venice). The weather seemed to change from here onwards really. We arrived in the afternoon. There had been a storm the previous night, and it was quite cool still. The campsite wasn't bad. The cabins were four-share again, and I was with Stu, Tim and Charl. We had an hour to settle in, before we were back off again, and on the motor boat to Venice. This was about a 30-minute journey. It was a lovely sight gradually seeing Venice come into view, and it was just a little disaapointing it wasn't warmer and that the sun wasn't out. It would've looked amazing if there had been a sunset shining onto the city as we arrived there. The city of ... read more

For all of you concerned about my running experience along the curves of the Lungarno (the hazardous street I described in yesterdays journal), you'll be happy to know that I have found a quiet, peaceful park called Parco delle Cascine. Many years ago it was used by the Medici as a dairy farm (it is a long, 2.25 mile oval park with paths layed between trees, flowers, bushes, lined with wider, paved paths for bikes, runners, etc) and is thus called Cascine from the word "cascina" or dairy farm. Later on, from what I know, it was full of dear and became a hunting park and a location for public theater and social gatherings. A friend told me about this place, free from smog and cars. It parallels the Arno, but feels fresh and quiet. I ... read more

This morning we went back into Firenze, where we had another look around. First, we all went to Leonardo Leather Works, for an insight into Florentine leather. Then I went for some morning tea with Bridget, Lauren, Gavin and Charl, before we all split up and went our separate ways. I just went for a walk around the streets soaking up the Florentine life, before meeting up with everyone at the Piazza della Signoria, for the tour of Firenze. Our guide took us through the Uffizi Gallery, which was crammed with artists, and also had some street mimes there dressed as statues. Then we went onto 13th century Ponte Vecchio, the only bridge in Firenze that escaped unscathed during World War II. It is a bridge that is home to many exclusive jewellers, which is one ... read more