Just to remind you, we are in Barberini country! The bees, the symbol of the famous family, appear throughout the building– and indeed the city –to make sure you know where you are!

Francesco gets in the know.

Corradini’s famous statue.

And that concludes this record of my recent visit. I’ll be back soon with more of Rome!

I have absolutely no idea what made me think of this rhyme from my childhood! But recently I remembered some lines from it and looked the rest up on Google. Did you ever recite this poem with your friends in childhood. Maybe while jumping rope? We did! It was fun to almost swear and get away with it!

Maybe because these beautiful spring days are making me remember similar days from long ago!

Miss Lucy had a steam boat

Miss Lucy had a steam boat,
The steam boat had a bell,

Miss Lucy went to heaven,
The steamboat went to

Hello operator, give me #9 and,
If they don’t answer, I will cut off your

Behind the refrigerator, there was a piece of glass,
Miss Lucy sat upon it, and broke her little

Ask me no more questions and I’ll tell you no more lies

Into each expat life in Italy comes the day when you must appear at the Questura, or the police station for immigration. I’ve been waiting since February of 2025 for my Permesso di Soggiorno, or permission to stay in the country. All of sudden, after months of checking the website for information, I got a dm telling me to appear on May 19 at 8:34 a.m., to collect my Permesso.

And away I went to collect it! I arrived at the Questura at 8:27 a.m., showed my dm to the officer in charge at the front door, he gave me a slip of paper telling me that I was F`11. I went inside and waited for my number to appear on the board.

All tolled, I was probably in the Questura for 35 minutes this time. What a break! In the past I have spent hours waiting for my number to come up after waiting hours in line for the opportunity to submit the paperwork.

So, I’m legal now for a couple of years! Arrividerci questura!

Italians do love and always have loved il mare! Here are some photos taken around 1910 to show you just how much!

I don’t see any women!

My next sentence is going sound familiar: I have walked by the facade of this church at least 500 times, probably many more, in my lifetime and had never, until this day, found the door open. When I saw the gates were open, I had to enter.

It felt wrong to take pictures inside, though I couldn’t help taking a couple of this icon of the Madonna and Child with its miniature clothesline of rosaries and votive offerings, which are called offerte votive in italiano (grazie a Francesco). I suddenly felt like I was in Naples, where there are thousands of these items.

I particularly enjoyed the metal halo around the Christ Child’s head. Quite unusual!

Because I have so little to show you or all you about this small ancient church, I am adding what I found on AI (which I personally happen to love, although I know we are supposed to be fearful and hate it!). I’m fascinated by this history.

And because even AI couldn’t say a lot about this small church, I’m also adding AI created information about the self-flagellating company of San Jacopo that was associated with the basilica.

Let’s go! Let’s move again! For the 4th time? Who knows. I’v lost count!

Above of course is a funny riff on Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, below.

On my terrace! Late spring is blooming!

These nasturtiums were planted from seed in April 2025 and they survived the Tuscan winter!

Below, the rose plant I planted barefoot this spring is getting ready to bloom too! Things grow fast here!

I’ve been sick and though I’m better today, I’m not yet 100%. But I’m getting there! In any case, I needed to get some exercise and spend a little time with some nature. Off I went, finally, on my favorite passeggiata.

I adore this view from my walk along the Arno!

I was attracted to the shadow of the Florentine lily on the street. I tried to capture a stunning shot of it, but managed only these. Oh well, better luck next time!

I walked by a pomegranate bush just coming into flower! Love that shade of orange!

The last section, leading home. I love this path!

But today my view was arrested by this strange statue group. Weird or what??!!

I just can’t imagine why anyone would choose to put this statue in a park for families or, actually, any park anyplace! Yes it has a baby and a baby goat, but does that make it family/child appropriate? What theme can this represent? For the life of me of me, I am at a loss to explain this “art.”

Nevertheless, it was good to get out and walk and walk again!

Recently I had the opportunity to experience a beautiful concert of organ music, such as I had never heard before. The musical program was written to show off the wide range of sounds this particular organ can emit, and it was as surprising to me as it was enjoyable.

Not to mention the opportunity to sit for an hour or so, serenaded, in a magnificent Renaissance church in Florence, and the chance to study slowly and with purpose, many of the architectural details that are so easily missed on a visit.

Here is the program for the evening.

How did this opportunity come to be? The Friends of Florence are again to thank.

The historic Tronci organ inside the Basilica of Santo Spirito in Florence sounds again after more than six decades of silence, following a complex restoration made possible by the support of the non-profit foundation Friends of Florence.

The instrument and its decorative structure — including the carved wooden choir loft (cantoria) and case — were formally presented on 23 April 2026, after an intervention carried out under the supervision of Italy’s heritage authority. 

The project involved both the musical instrument and its elaborate decorative setting, restoring not only the physical integrity of the structure but also its original function within the church. The organ, rebuilt in 1824 by the Tronci family of organ makers and later expanded in the 19th century, is a large Romantic-era instrument with 68 keys and 38 stops, designed to reproduce orchestral sounds ranging from trumpets to clarinets and bells. 

Restoration works were carried out by the firm Chichi Organi for the instrument itself, while the decorative elements were restored by a team led by conservator Sandra Pucci. 

Beyond technical repairs, the intervention also revealed the original appearance of the wooden choir loft. Layers of later grey paint were removed, bringing back the walnut surface and gilded details, and restoring the overall aesthetic coherence of the structure. 

The restoration highlights once again the role of Friends of Florence, a US-based foundation that funds conservation projects across the city’s cultural heritage. In Santo Spirito alone, the organization has supported multiple interventions over the years, including works in the sacristy, major altarpieces and sculptures. With the organ project, the foundation has contributed not only to preserving an artwork, but also to reactivating a key element of the basilica’s liturgical and cultural life. 

More broadly, the project reflects the foundation’s approach: combining conservation with public accessibility and long-term use, ensuring that restored works remain part of the living fabric of the city rather than static museum pieces.