Would you like to join me at a gorgeous concert in an amazing location? Well, feast your eyes and ears on this post.

Last night was a magical evening. I must start by saying that we had a tremendous thunder storm on Sunday, during which I almost did a dance in the rain on my terrace, so grateful was I for the relief in the temperatures! We cooled off 20 degrees and Monday was a delightful day here: sunny and mild. The relief is palpable, so that any event would be impressed with good feeling. Last night was the concert in a magnificent palace in the city and here are my shots.

I like to arrive early at these events not only to get a good seat but to take in the surroundings. I believe you can see why. This smallish room on the ground floor of the palace is known as the Sala Donna Elena, or the Lady Elena room. It is quite something and the acoustics are marvelous.

Above, this lovely woman in her golden metallic sandals welcomed us and explained a bit about the program. The evening was a fund raiser for seriously ill people in Florence. The music was provided by a stringed quartet from the Netherlands, about whom you will find more information below in this post.

The music began and I was a bit timid at first about filming, but as the evening progressed I became more comfortable and felt free to video.

As I listened to the music and watched the movements and faces of these talented young musicians, I was overcome with emotion, especially as I allowed my gaze to skim the surfaces of the incredible frescoes in this room. With a little imagination, I could feel what it must have been like to be entertained in this way several centuries ago, when candlelit evenings were spent like this instead of watching screens, at least among the most fortunate. Just for an evening I can feel like one of them.

See below for English explanation of these pages.

Above is the evening program.

An Italian woman and a man gave short recitations between the musical numbers, which dealt with different kinds of loss and sadness. It was very moving.

Another magical evening in Florence. The walk home, in the cool summer air, was equally thrilling, as I walked by illuminated monuments in the historic center. How lucky, I thought, am I tonight?