A typical day with getting it together and heading to my school (a nice warm day), then lunch near Santa Croce (hamburger), menta gelato (mint chocolate chip) and meeting in front of the school at 2:15pm to walk to the Museum of the Opera del Duomo. I walked with the owner of Parola, Simone Cioni, and he was explaining that he was born about 35km north of Firenze, and as a younger man he would be called out by Florentines who would say, “You’re not from Firenze are you?” One advantage is that his last name is a prominent one in Firenze, not that he comes from that family. His minority owner partner is Gianluca Donati (he’s at the front desk) and our usual teacher is Sara Rossetti.
I had been in the museum on a previous visit to Firenze shortly after it was dramatically renovated in 2015, and it is still an amazing place. The bronze doors on the Baptistry by Ghiberti are copies, with the originals here. Part of the reason for moving them was degradation from air pollution. Yesterday on the doors at the Baptistry Simone pointed out small busts of Ghiberti and his son – and today we saw the real ones. There are many sculptures by the Renaissance sculptor Donatello, including the Penitent Mary Magdalene. It is a white poplar wooden sculpture created around 1453–1455 and probably commissioned for the Baptistry. The piece was received with astonishment for its unprecedented realism, especially the hair. Amongst all the amazing works, there are three of Michelangelo's pietàs and if you zoom in on my photo of the diagonal sash across her chest you will see Michelangelo's "signature."
After 90 minutes or so at the museum we all separated and headed our different directions. I took a stroll through Piazza della Repubblica on my way toward the Mercato Centrale, then rented one of the public e-bikes and headed back to the apartment. It was a challenge on the bike as it does not start quickly, and I had to get off frequently owing to whatever obstructions were around, and then had to push to get it running again - and all my organs were moved around owing to the street cobbles. I am definitely tired back here at the apartment. Tonight I’ll go to a nearby place (L’Osteria dell’OK, also known as the OK Bar – okbarfirenze.it) that I’ve been to before – good people, good food, good wine.
Photos from today: https://photos.app.goo.gl/atBmnSsYzatmTqSP7
Tomorrow I will pack for a three-night excursion (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) to the Marche, a region of Italy east of Firenze. I’ll drive with Nan and we’ll meet her friend Pam and her husband, the latter a retired neurologist, and they make wine at this, their country place (primary residence is Roma). Marche (MAR-kay) is one of the twenty regions of Italy (in English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches (MAR-chiz)). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the west, Umbria to the southwest, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly.
I had been in the museum on a previous visit to Firenze shortly after it was dramatically renovated in 2015, and it is still an amazing place. The bronze doors on the Baptistry by Ghiberti are copies, with the originals here. Part of the reason for moving them was degradation from air pollution. Yesterday on the doors at the Baptistry Simone pointed out small busts of Ghiberti and his son – and today we saw the real ones. There are many sculptures by the Renaissance sculptor Donatello, including the Penitent Mary Magdalene. It is a white poplar wooden sculpture created around 1453–1455 and probably commissioned for the Baptistry. The piece was received with astonishment for its unprecedented realism, especially the hair. Amongst all the amazing works, there are three of Michelangelo's pietàs and if you zoom in on my photo of the diagonal sash across her chest you will see Michelangelo's "signature."
After 90 minutes or so at the museum we all separated and headed our different directions. I took a stroll through Piazza della Repubblica on my way toward the Mercato Centrale, then rented one of the public e-bikes and headed back to the apartment. It was a challenge on the bike as it does not start quickly, and I had to get off frequently owing to whatever obstructions were around, and then had to push to get it running again - and all my organs were moved around owing to the street cobbles. I am definitely tired back here at the apartment. Tonight I’ll go to a nearby place (L’Osteria dell’OK, also known as the OK Bar – okbarfirenze.it) that I’ve been to before – good people, good food, good wine.
Photos from today: https://photos.app.goo.gl/atBmnSsYzatmTqSP7
Tomorrow I will pack for a three-night excursion (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) to the Marche, a region of Italy east of Firenze. I’ll drive with Nan and we’ll meet her friend Pam and her husband, the latter a retired neurologist, and they make wine at this, their country place (primary residence is Roma). Marche (MAR-kay) is one of the twenty regions of Italy (in English, the region is sometimes referred to as The Marches (MAR-chiz)). The region is located in the central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the west, Umbria to the southwest, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east. Except for river valleys and the often very narrow coastal strip, the land is hilly.