Already it seems like a distant dream, but just a month ago I had the pleasure of a visit to the beautiful city of Siena. Here are a few of her charms.

There are a lot of reasons to go to Siena. Visiting the duomo is just one of them. But, did you realize that a trip to see the just the pavement of the cathedral alone is well worth the travel to Siena? Well, it definitely is.

I was lucky enough to visit Siena last month before the Covid restrictions clamped down any chance of travel. Parts of the astounding pavement were on view, which isn’t always the case. Here are pictures from that visit.

The photos above and below show one area depicting the Massacre of the Innocents. The gruesome story is told in amazing detail on the floor of this outstanding church.

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What I saw today.

Piero della Francesca’s fabulous Polyptych of the Misericordia is in the Museo Civico di Sansepolcro in the town of Sansepolcro, in the Tuscan region of Italy. The painting is one of the earliest works of della Francesca, who was born in the same town.

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On my new favorite pilgrimage around the north end of Florence, leading right up into the surrounding foot hills, lies this lovely park. The Giardino Robert Baden Powell. I can’t quickly find any information online about why this garden is thusly named; I guess that’s a research problem for the coming winter. But here’s some info on Powell from Wikipedia:

Lieutenant General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell ( 1857 – 1941), was a British Army officer, writer, founder and first Chief Scout of the world-wide Scout Movement, and founder, with his sister Agnes, of the world-wide Girl Guide / Girl Scout Movement. Baden-Powell authored the first editions of the seminal work Scouting for Boys, which was an inspiration for the Scout Movement.

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If you enter the gates, you encounter this luscious garden, seen above.

Further up the street, the street sign lets you know you are now on Via di Montughi. I can’t quickly find anything online about why this street is named after this family, but I have noticed on many walks through the area that the Montughi name is all over this area. Clearly they were (and are?) wealthy land owners in Florence. More research for another wintry day?

Notably situated on an old wall, the plaque below, roughly translated by me, states: “Oh, Virgin Mary, we ask you to watch over the people of Montughi, help them love the poor, the orphans, the strangers, the icon of your crucified son.” Dated 2002 and signed by the children of Madonnina del Grappa.

I sometimes wonder if I am the only person who reads these signs and wonders what they signify. Chissà?

The next picture shows what I’ve said many times before: Italians can design shutters for any kind or size of a window.

The next plaque along this path of mine reads, roughly translated, as: “The words of Piero Calamandrei, ‘Languish, Suffer, Die, but don’t Betray.’ Posted here on the front of the notorious ‘Villa Triste’ [sad villa] are vivid memory of the heroic sacrifice of many for the liberty of everyone.” Posted by the Comune of Florence in 2018.

This is obviously a memorial from the Risorgimento, about which history I am sadly uninformed. More research for the winter.

And then there is a quick reminder that I live in the 21st century, and graffiti reappears in this august place.

Ah, but another, even older plaque is spotted. Dated 1857 is all I will decipher for this moment.

And, below, there are the beautiful and many-varied door knockers all around the city.

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The centuries’ old tradition of graffiti is alive and well in Florence, as witnessed by this sign that has been “decorated” by various “artists.”

Enter the gates at #3, and you will find yourself at a beautiful point of view over Florence. The city lies before your feet from this glorious vantage point.

Walk a little further and you will encounter the “dragon” from which the name of this little park within a park is named. It doubles as a fountain in the summer and is fun to see from the top or tail, or anywhere along the way.

Yes, indeed, it is a mighty fine view, any month of any year, Covid or no.

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I recently posted about the marvelous 19th-century glass house that is preserved for the public in Florence’s Giardino Orticultura. At the end of that post, I included an adorable private glass house that is a stone’s throw from the public garden.

I lust after this private glass house!

I love how the site is not square, but that did not daunt the patron or architect. They made an unorthodox shape to fit the site.

Here’s how it looks from down the street. It glows in the late afternoon sunshine of a December day in Florence.

It sits perched at the street end of what is probably a really nice palazzo, looking like a diamond sitting atop an engagement ring.

There’s no doubt about it, I’m in love!