It’s a sad thing to walk through the courtyard of the Uffizi at dusk nowadays. It sits dark and empty, with its landmark Caravaggio exhibition awaiting the signal to reopen. I thought I heard a whisper “soon.” Probably was my imagination.

Just off the courtyard, on the little alley that leads into the center of it, is another of the ubiquitous tabernacles that decorate all of Italy. This one is barely looked at, with so much to vie for the attention of a passerby here. But, last night, I noticed it, in all of its neglected beauty.

Please enjoy this fun article!

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Brigitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, Catherine Deneuve and others…what’s not to love?

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Saw this on a recent walk through the western outskirts of the Florence.

It says: “Thanks to the citizenship income I will find good work.”

The good work is obviously being a graffiti artist. I’m sure it doesn’t pay a living wage.

Virgil was from Mantova and so it is not surprising that the city hosts a National Virgilian Academy.

The Teatro Bibiena is something special to behold.

I stretch out my walks to the farmacia or fruttivendolo, taking in as much of Florence as possible during these long, difficult days of Covid lockdown. I inhale things of beauty or interest with the fresh air.

I have no idea what this strange sticker means. I spotted it on a traffic light pole at a major intersection. As you can see, it shows Benjamin Franklin in an astronaut suit, space rockets in the background, and the word “saint” repeated all over. What can it mean?

Walking down a major boulevard, I noticed this charming small entrance among many grand entrances. The shiny green door with a brass kick plate, handle, and peephole, the elegant little set is topped off with a glass and iron canopy to shield a person from rain as they open their door. More iron work bars with prickly extensions prevent the ubiquitous pigeons from resting here. I’d love to see what lies inside this lovely doorway.

As you can see, a garden lies inside as well. I am very intrigued!

This grand doorway is more typical of the entrances on this boulevard. It has monumental and highly ornamented door-knockers.

Graffiti in an underpass, Florence

Some new specimens spotted this week:

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And below, a new poster: