Florence has beautiful outdoor spaces and it uses them well. This historic piazza is used to host the annual Christmas markets, the calico storico games every spring, and, on the weekend the still photos below were taken, it was about to host a visit of Pope Francis.

The date was Feb. 26, 2022 but the Pope canceled the day before because of knee issues.

Regardless of the visit of Pope Francis or not, the piazza is worth a long gaze:

Taddeo Gaddi made them between 1328 and 1338

Cimabue’s Crucifixion:

The Pinacoteca:

Housed within this lovely 14th century palazzo in the heart of Florence is the Academy of the Art of Drawing.

The academy is supposedly the oldest institution its kind. It was begun in the 16th century when Giorgio Vasari asked Duke Cosimo I to renew the Group of St. Luke. In 1564 the Charter for the academy was approved. The document below is provided to visitors by the docents of the association.

The palazzo faces Orsanmichele, once a grain market, later the church of the guilds of Florence. It has had many occupants, including the Arte dei Beccai or guild of butchers from which its name derives. Since 1974 it has housed the Accademia Fiorentina delle Arti del Disegno. You can find great info on the palazzo itself on Wikipedia.

The 3 interlocking wreaths, which appear over the door to the associations main room, are the symbol of the academy and, as the brochure above explains, each of the wreaths is composed of a different plant leaf. The wreath of oak leaves symbolizes architecture; the laurel wreath represents sculpture; and the olive crown stands for painting.

The academy’s main room also houses a few fine artworks; Pontormo’s Boldrone Shrine being key among them:

You can find more information on this 3 part painting in Wikipedia under Boldrone Shrine.

A quinceañera (also fiesta de quinceañera, quince años, fiesta de quince años and quinces) is a celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday. It has cultural roots in Mexico and Southern Europe and is widely celebrated by girls throughout Latin America. The girl celebrating her 15th birthday is a quinceañera (Spanish pronunciation: [kinseaˈɲeɾa]; feminine form of “15-year-old”). In Spanish, and in Latin countries, the term quinceañera is reserved solely for the honoree; in English, primarily in the United States, the term is used to refer to the celebrations and honors surrounding the occasion.

The Arc de Triomphe is magnificent. Its great to visit it in all kinds of weather, but today was a sunny and warm spring day and it was particularly delightful.

Fortunately for me, there was no line for wandering around the base of this incredible monument and I enjoyed every second of seeing it again up close and personal. It has been years since I’ve looked over all the fascinating details of it.

Below are the 2 reliefs that decorate the “back” side of the arch.

It’s hard to see the eternal flame burning in daylight, but I did my best to capture it.