School day today, with new people this week. I ended up sitting between a dermatologist and thoracic surgeon and across from an orthodontist – all my medical needs were covered. I wanted to see the Donatello Renaissance show at Palazzo Strozzi and walked that way after class. I came across a nice ristorante on the way, Trattoria del Chianti on Via della Condotta. As I was looking at the menu in the window, a guy was there to entice people in, and did just that to me. There was no one else in the place and the food was great – lasagna alla bolognese, beer, bread and a gifted limoncello at the end.
Then on to the Donatello exhibit which was extraordinary. I’m looking at bronze castings from the mid-to-late 1440s and the detail is exquisite. There were also terracotta, marble and wood sculptures along with drawings in ink and pencil – they looked as if they were done yesterday. On the ground floor there was a site-specific digital installation by Refik Anadol called Machine Hallucinations – Renaissance Dreams. I had to sit and watch it for at least 15 minutes, and was trying to decide if there was any real depth or if it was all achieved digitally. It was a single surface video screen, and the shadows of forms and the non-existent frame knocked me out.
After leaving Strozzi I headed across the Arno as I had not yet been to the church and neighborhood of Santo Spirito. There was a group 10-year-old boys playing soccer (calcio) in the piazza in front of the church and I enjoyed watching them for a time. It was now around 5:30 and I walked back across the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, through Piazza Signoria (Café Rivoire) and headed to the apartment. Tomorrow I’ll have lunch with Luisa (N&M’s daughter) and Marco (son-in-law) at their home, and Marco will pick me up on his scooter at Santa Croce after my class.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DpS2EoyETFDS2Ehq7
Then on to the Donatello exhibit which was extraordinary. I’m looking at bronze castings from the mid-to-late 1440s and the detail is exquisite. There were also terracotta, marble and wood sculptures along with drawings in ink and pencil – they looked as if they were done yesterday. On the ground floor there was a site-specific digital installation by Refik Anadol called Machine Hallucinations – Renaissance Dreams. I had to sit and watch it for at least 15 minutes, and was trying to decide if there was any real depth or if it was all achieved digitally. It was a single surface video screen, and the shadows of forms and the non-existent frame knocked me out.
After leaving Strozzi I headed across the Arno as I had not yet been to the church and neighborhood of Santo Spirito. There was a group 10-year-old boys playing soccer (calcio) in the piazza in front of the church and I enjoyed watching them for a time. It was now around 5:30 and I walked back across the Arno via the Ponte Vecchio, through Piazza Signoria (Café Rivoire) and headed to the apartment. Tomorrow I’ll have lunch with Luisa (N&M’s daughter) and Marco (son-in-law) at their home, and Marco will pick me up on his scooter at Santa Croce after my class.
Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DpS2EoyETFDS2Ehq7