Palazzo Te, in Mantua, should be high on any art lover’s list of places to see in Italy. I finally got to see it a few months ago, when Covid restrictions were very light. Ah, the good old days!

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The photo above shows the main building of the Palazzo Te, as see from inside the complex and at the far end of the grassy courtyard.

The picture above is taken from inside the arcade within the main building, looking across the grassy courtyard to the far end.

The Palazzo Te complex is a glorious work of art and the paintings inside are beyond belief.

At the far end of the grassy courtyard of the complex, there is a beautiful little grotto:

There is so much more to see, I’ll be back soon with more pictures from Mantua and Palazzo Te!

You want to see an “ideal city?” Head about 20 miles outside of Mantova and there you will find a made-to-order small city, created in full during the 16th century by the local Gonzaga ruling family.

One thing I can say for certain, horses and Mantua are an age-old combination. The Gonzaga court was known for its equine speciality and some frescoes and sculptures from the age speak to this love affair.

Ironically, at least to me, I saw this butcher shop in Mantova, specializing in horse meat. I found it funny. Sorry.

It’s the bleak month of February during a pandemic and I need all the beauty I can find!

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And now I don’t feel so bad…

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I need one of these, adult sized please!

A couple days ago I posted part 1 on the lovely little village of Borgo San Lorenzo, not far from Florence. I still have a lot to share!

Below, the pretty town park, with its monument to the fallen dead of WWI.

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The Borgo still has parts of its 13th century city walls:

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Every town needs a pleasure cafe, doesn’t it?

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Miscellaneous sights:

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The building below is the commune’s library. I wonder if it also serves as a town hall, based upon all the commemorative plaques:

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Below, a few shots of some interesting architecture and details:

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Next I arrived at the Pieve di San Lorenzo, the parish church.

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Above is the church’s baptismal font:

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When I am in these old churches, I almost always spot something unique about them, or at least something I’ve not encountered anywhere previously. The next few pictures above and below show little boxes set in the wall in which a parishioner could insert money for a specific cause: one seems to be having to do with purgatory and the other is dedicated to necessities that the parish church needed.

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Outside the church, on the right side of the facade, sits this incredible tabernacle dedicated to St. Francis. It has coats of arms of a lot of famous Tuscan families all around it, as well as images of more faithful dogs and primitive but delightful birds listening to St. Francis preach. The ceramics in this gorgeous work of art speak to the sign I saw near the Borgo’s train station, saying that this town is the town of ceramics.

The picture above shows a ceramic plaque that speaks to a “Liberty Itinerary” which is tied up with the town’s history with ceramic art. As I mentioned above, I’ll discuss this in a future post.

And, finally, some shots to close out this post. I am always interested to see how the fabric of the walls of buildings are formed. So often there are traces of prior buildings, which the Italians, ever aware of their incredible history, are wont to save. The next photos tells this story in the Borgo.

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I loved my brief visit to the Mugello and will go again soon! Hopefully this Covid scourge will be under control within the next few months, with the vaccine becoming more widely used. Speriamo! There is so much to see and do in Italia!

Last Saturday, when Tuscany was still in the yellow zone and such travel was permitted, I jumped on a train at Stazione Santa Maria Novella in Florence and took a ride up into the Mugello. My destination was the small town of Borgo San Lorenzo. It was a sunny but frigid morning in Florence when I departed, and I saw my first (and probably last) snow of the season on the way.

Once in the small town, I knew I had reached someplace different than the usual Tuscan villages found in Chianti etc. Each of these places is special, but this felt different.

I gazed around and saw the Appenine mountains surrounding this bowl of the the Mugello.

This map of the town greets you at the train station:

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The sign tells me that Borgo San Lorenzo is the “city of ceramics.” That may be true, but I saw no shops or workshops or ceramics as I wandered around the town, much to my disappointment! Postscript: I’ve since looked it up and the Borgo has a rich ceramic history, which I’ll discuss in a future post.

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There’s a small park near the train station, commemorating this local couple, shown above.

I found my way into the historic center of the little borgo and was richly rewarded with sights and sounds of a small but lively Tuscan town on a Saturday afternoon.

Fido (1941 – June 9, 1958) was an Italian dog that came to public attention in 1943 because of his demonstration of unwavering loyalty to his dead master. Fido was written about in many Italian and international magazines and newspapers, appeared in newsreels throughout Italy, and was bestowed several honors, and this public statue was erected in his honor in Borgo San Lorenzo.

Above, the bus stop near the Fido statue pays contemporary homage to the fine and famous local dog.

Moving across the street, I happened upon this handsome structure, the Misericordia of the town. “Misericordia” is the name given to pious, voluntary institutions, founded throughout Italy by as early as the middle of the 13th century. They were dedicated to providing free assistance to the sick and wounded, including their transport to hospitals, and the burial of the abandoned dead.

Despite the fact that I had just seen snow on my train ride to the town, I saw more signs of spring in Borgo San Lorenzo than I have seen on my recent visits to Pisa, Lucca or Livorno. Maybe because it was a week or two later? Who knows, but it surprised me to see flowers breaking into bloom at this altitude. But, I’ll take signs of spring, wherever and whenever I can find them!

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As I began to wander through the winding streets of the historic section of town, I started noticing these decorative swings placed above the commercial streets. I suppose they were in honor of St. Valentine’s Day, which was the next day. They are very sweet and some people went to a lot of trouble to decorate their village.

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As in Pisa, Lucca, and Livorno, I saw the boards with death notices in the Borgo. The one below was near the Misericordia, as you might expect.

I believe these notices were more elaborate than the others I’ve seen. Both of these signs had flowers printed on them, which I’ve not seen elsewhere. Arrividerci Bruna, age 95 and Anna Maria, age 82. RIP.

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Below, the street sign which tells us that this little arched alleyway is called Vicolo Ghibellino, reminds me that this Borgo was a key player in the battle between the Guelphs and Ghibillines in Tuscany’s medieval past. The sign also says “gia Il Chiassuolo,” which simply means this was its former name. I wonder when the names changed and why. You see these kinds of signs all over Tuscany, with the former name written under the current one, and I always wonder when and why the names were changed.

I noticed these next interesting signs in a butcher shop. “Maile, Norcineria Senese” which means, I think that they do Sienese style butchery on pork. “Cinta Senese” is a specific breed of domestically raised pigs. How many Americans choose their butcher because of the type of pork they sell? A pig is a pig is a pig to Americans. This specialization, of everything having to do with food, is one of the most fascinating aspects of Italian culture.

The other sign, “Castrato,” along with a picture of a sheep, tells us, I believe (? not sure), that they sell sheep meat butchered from castrated males. What detail!

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It’s surprising even to me that I can find so many things to photograph in a small bourg like this one. But, I need a second post to show you all I noticed and so, in the next few days, I’ll do a second post. Until then, arrividerci!