Florence is the most romantic city I have ever been to.
I'm serious.
Paris was great but something about Italy, Florence, the food, the buildings. It seeps with life, love, passion, and that key word, ROMANCE.
On Saturday I had some surreal occurrences happen in a strange sequence. I slept in, too tired from Pisa, and then met Richard with my roommates at 1:45 to go on a personal and free Uffizi gallery tour! Which was simply wonderful. Not only did Richard offer perspective as a tour guide, history geek, friend or local but also, since he in in fact a painter and artist himself, his own take, inspirations and adoration of centuries worth of fine art. Though he still loves modern art and its influence more directly on his life, he also really appreciated those that painted before. Botticelli, Da Vinci, Micheangelo to name a few of the more famous.
My main reason for going was to make sure I saw the Birth of Venus and Spring by Botticelli but as we got into the thick of exploring paintings I realized how many others artists I loved were located in the galleries. Such as the first painting in existence that we know Da Vinci painted on. I also fell in love with Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child which took my breath away at the beauty portrayed as Mary. We soon wound our way to many more beautiful paintings by dutch masters and French genius. I loved every inch, and would have stayed much longer had the closing time not ticked nearer and nearer.
At the end of the museum Helen and Charlotte went to do their own thing. I settled on wandering the city, where I found myself in two very different realms. The first meant going down a strange new street I had not before, and finding myself in a small but elegant cathedral which was having an organ recital. I love music, so I made sure to pop my head in and listen for a while, as the sound echoed and moved off the walls, it was lovely. The organ is such a unique sound and to be able to experience it live was an absolute treat.
After twenty minutes of resting my feet I left, deciding I needed food and other entertainments. Which is almost exactly what I found. I had decided in the morning that I would stay out of my top-floor, un-air-conditioned apartment until the evening, when things actually cool to a reasonable temperature again. So I meant to just find a cafe, take my journal and pen out about my day, my thoughts, I felt like writing, and photographing. The later failed when I forgot to put my SD card back into my camera, but I had my journal and was determined.
Then I heard drums. I knew that there had been events for this big 16th century style blood-bath of a football game they hold. I thought maybe it was a parade or something, so I followed the noise to find nothing 16th century but instead a celebration of Krishna.
I walked right into a Hindu festival, with a group of Italian versions of the Hare Krishna's in the states. Which was surreal considering this was all at the base of the Duomo, the massive catholic church of the city. There had to be at least 200 people dressed in Saris and traditional tunics and robes. It was strange but a happy crowd, they were welcoming giving me a flyer to join their sunday gatherings of vegetarian food. We have all of these preconceived notions of what a nation is, its people, its religion, ideas, philosophy, prejudices and everything in between. So, when it is challenged by a group that is not in our stereotype bubble our brain has to catch up. My mind eventually did, but I am still in awe of the spectacle of such a thing. It was as if I had gone from one country to another and it was a great feeling.
Only in Florence can one go from walking through Renaissance paintings to an organ recital in a Catholic Chapel and then to a Hindu festival all within an hour.
I'm serious.
Paris was great but something about Italy, Florence, the food, the buildings. It seeps with life, love, passion, and that key word, ROMANCE.
On Saturday I had some surreal occurrences happen in a strange sequence. I slept in, too tired from Pisa, and then met Richard with my roommates at 1:45 to go on a personal and free Uffizi gallery tour! Which was simply wonderful. Not only did Richard offer perspective as a tour guide, history geek, friend or local but also, since he in in fact a painter and artist himself, his own take, inspirations and adoration of centuries worth of fine art. Though he still loves modern art and its influence more directly on his life, he also really appreciated those that painted before. Botticelli, Da Vinci, Micheangelo to name a few of the more famous.
My main reason for going was to make sure I saw the Birth of Venus and Spring by Botticelli but as we got into the thick of exploring paintings I realized how many others artists I loved were located in the galleries. Such as the first painting in existence that we know Da Vinci painted on. I also fell in love with Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child which took my breath away at the beauty portrayed as Mary. We soon wound our way to many more beautiful paintings by dutch masters and French genius. I loved every inch, and would have stayed much longer had the closing time not ticked nearer and nearer.
At the end of the museum Helen and Charlotte went to do their own thing. I settled on wandering the city, where I found myself in two very different realms. The first meant going down a strange new street I had not before, and finding myself in a small but elegant cathedral which was having an organ recital. I love music, so I made sure to pop my head in and listen for a while, as the sound echoed and moved off the walls, it was lovely. The organ is such a unique sound and to be able to experience it live was an absolute treat.
After twenty minutes of resting my feet I left, deciding I needed food and other entertainments. Which is almost exactly what I found. I had decided in the morning that I would stay out of my top-floor, un-air-conditioned apartment until the evening, when things actually cool to a reasonable temperature again. So I meant to just find a cafe, take my journal and pen out about my day, my thoughts, I felt like writing, and photographing. The later failed when I forgot to put my SD card back into my camera, but I had my journal and was determined.
Then I heard drums. I knew that there had been events for this big 16th century style blood-bath of a football game they hold. I thought maybe it was a parade or something, so I followed the noise to find nothing 16th century but instead a celebration of Krishna.
I walked right into a Hindu festival, with a group of Italian versions of the Hare Krishna's in the states. Which was surreal considering this was all at the base of the Duomo, the massive catholic church of the city. There had to be at least 200 people dressed in Saris and traditional tunics and robes. It was strange but a happy crowd, they were welcoming giving me a flyer to join their sunday gatherings of vegetarian food. We have all of these preconceived notions of what a nation is, its people, its religion, ideas, philosophy, prejudices and everything in between. So, when it is challenged by a group that is not in our stereotype bubble our brain has to catch up. My mind eventually did, but I am still in awe of the spectacle of such a thing. It was as if I had gone from one country to another and it was a great feeling.
Only in Florence can one go from walking through Renaissance paintings to an organ recital in a Catholic Chapel and then to a Hindu festival all within an hour.
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