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?

Boldini is one of the 19th century Italian painters par excellence, secondo me. I happen to like his style very much, but you might judge me when I tell you why. In his work, I see the precursor to John Singer Sargent’s work and HE is one of my favorite painters of ALL time.

But more on that later. First let’s admire the paintings by Boldini from the exhibition recently held in his hometown of Ferrara. You might recall that I made the trip there from Florence recently just to see this show. In 35 degree Celsius heat. Against my better judgment (because of the extreme heat).

Boldini was born in Ferrara in 1842 and studied art in Florence where he was influenced by the Macchiaioli, a group of Italian painters who were precursors to Impressionism. Boldini is best known for his elegant and dynamic portraits, especially of high society figures, mostly women, which earned his great fame during the Belle Epoque period in Paris where he spent most of his career.

Boldini was nicknamed the “master of the swish” due to his distinctive flowing and energetic brushwork, which brought a sense of movement and vitality to his portraits. His style combined naturalism and impressionist influences with a modern, theatrical flair, making him one of the most fashionable portrait painters of his time.

Boldini lived in London for a while, gaining success with portraits of English aristocracy, before settling permanently in Paris in 1872. There he became a central figure in the artistic and social circles, painting portraits of many prominent cultural and social personalities. His work captures the elegance and dynamism of the late 19th and early 20th century society.

In addition to portraits, Boldini also painted landscapes, still life, and genre scenes. His legacy is preserved in major museums and collections, including a dedicated museum in Ferrara. He died in Paris in 1931.

The relationship between Boldini and Sargent was one of close friendship and artistic exchange, especially from the late 19th century into the early 20th. They likely met in Paris in the late 1870s or early 1880s, possibly introduced by their mutual friend Paul Helleu. Both painters moved in the same elite social circles and often painted the same high-society clients, such as Consuelo Vanderbilt.

Boldini was about 14 years older than Sargent and obviously influenced his style. You can tell by studying Sargent’s works that he picked up some stylistic techniques from Boldini. Their friendship was marked by mutual respect and admiration, with Boldini painting at least 3 portraits of his younger friend, including a famous one from 1890 that highlights Sargent’s commanding presence and filled with Boldini’s dynamic brushwork.

Below is one of Boldini’s portraits of Sargent. Could you not see this gentleman appearing in the homes of the current HBO series, The Gilded Age?

This small painting from c. 1890 is a vivid testament to the friendship and mutual admiration between these two leading portraitists of fin-de-siecle Paris. It captures Sargent, standing tall with a commanding presence. Boldini’s characteristic frenetic brushstrokes are featured in the background and his strong, linear composition forms Sargent’s posture, which great detail on his very artistic hands. Sargent’s vividly red cravat draws the eye to the painter’s face.

Yale University owns a small study of Sargent by Boldini, which I reproduce from a screenshot here.

Here’s another work attributed by Boldini and said to represent Sargent.

In 1886, Boldini took over Sargent’s Paris studio when Sargent moved to London, further cementing their professional and personal connection. They maintained contact over the years, sharing artistic ideas and social networks in Paris and London and both were leading portraitists of their era. They shared a prominent standing in producing the most famous portraits of the European world of the Belle Epoche.

My recent visit to Ferrara was full of interesting sights to behold. The historic center of this venerable city, which was a leading cultural center during the Italian Renaissance, has many important buildings, thank goodness. I say that because there was heavy bombing during WWII, but fortunately the center was pretty well preserved.

First up, let’s look at the Palazzo Municipale. It was begun in the 13th century, and, as it’s name suggests, it serves as the seat of the commune of Ferrara. It was the ducal residence of the Este dynasty until the 2nd half of the 15th century, when the family built the building I’ll be discussing next in this post. It is situated directly across from the cathedral of St. George, about which I’ll be posting soon.

Flanking the grand arched entrance of the building are two statues: on the left is a seated figures of Duke Borso d’Este and on the right is the equestrian statue of Marchese Niccolo III d’Este. The Duke holds a scepter and is depicted as if administering justice.

You can’t visit Ferrara and miss the palazzo that was home to the Este dynasty, at least from the outside. It is huge and takes up a lot of space in the historic center. It’s make of red brick, for the area was lacking in stone that could be used for building. And, unlike most Italian former palaces, it is surrounded by its moat.

This castle was originally built as a fortress after 1385 when the local populations revolted against the Este family. Once dynastic power was established, the building then transformed into a Renaissance palazzo. It features 4 corner towers, the moat, drawbridges and elegant white stone balconies added in the 16th century.

There’s a small, historic charity in the heart of Florence that has been in operation since 1441. Where else, I ask you, can you enter such a place pretty much any day you like? It is mind blowing, actually! It is the oratory of the good men of St. Martin, a charity organized to help the needy.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside, right? Especially with the refuse piled high in front of the entry, while the city does street work outside. All over Florence this year (including in front of my home), the streets are torn up for plumbing works.

Above, you can just barely make out the painted scene of St. Martin ministering to the poor in the in situ tabernacle on the exterior of this oratory.

Let’s go inside:

Below, a picture of the altar wall, with the bust of St. Martin, said to be by Andrea del Verrochio, and two of the 10 frescoes seen on the wall above. The frescoes in this room date to the late Quattrocento, or the late 1400s and they were mostly painted by the artists in the workshop of Domenico Ghirlandaio. It is no wonder I admire them so! He’s one of my favorite painters. The paintings were created in this space between 1478 and 1481.

In the videos below, I show you the entire space. It isn’t large. And, in a city swimming in tourists, I had the place to myself. Knowledge is power!

The 10 frescoes lunettes in this room illustrate the good works of St. Martin of Tours, who is the patron saint of beggars, soldiers, tailors, wool-weavers as well as of geese and vintners and grape growers. Scenes from the life of Saint Martin and the seven works of Mercy are rare 15th-century frescoes still in situ, and they offer a vivid glimpse into 15th century Florentine life. That, in a nutshell, is why I love art. It is a window to the lost past.

The scene depicted in the lunette above and below is the famous episode from Martin’s life in which he cut his cloak in half to give part to a beggar. It is known as the Dream of St. Martin and recent research attributes this paining to Lorenzo di Credi.

The founding organization and its 15th century oratory are still operating today and we, the visiting, are asked to kindly make a donation which will go to the poor. I was happy to make a donation in the wooden box marked “alms.”

Here’s the label in the room: please read the English part if you’d like to know more about the oratory.

There was once an open window, seen below, from which bread was distributed to the needy during the pestilence of 1522, as the inscription says.

Below is a painting of the the madonna and child by Niccolo Soggi. In one of the videos above you will see the painting of the Madonna from the Byzantine school.

I highly recommend a visit to this small, serene and intimate space which was historically used to collect alms for the poor. The story goes that if someone needed to request funds, they could light a candle at the door to request help.

Tradition also holds that Dante Alighieri was married in this space, which may hold up if it is true that the house of his family was nearby as many scholars believe.

In any case, the oratory is a hidden gem, in plain sight, offering a unique combination of art, history and social charity in the heart of Renaissance Florence. You can visit it and soak up the charm without vying with tourists.

To survive (with pleasure) I seek out a caffe shakerato alle Cantinetta dei Verrazano. It’s an iced espresso with a touch of milk.

Walking a bit took me by the Duomo, and today, in the heat and under that famous Tuscan sun, the campanile reflected to sun as if it were a mirror. I tried to capture it with my camera, but you may have to take my word for it.

And, back at home and thankful for the a/c, I bought some art supplies to fool around with. I’ll let you know if I have any luck painting!

Walking down certain streets in the historic center of Florence is a such a treat. The art that is available for sale just blows my mind.

In this western section of Florence’s historic center is another of the ubiquitous tabernacles. I have posted about these before. This one is particularly elaborate, with the use of sculpture surrounding the painted images.

It dates to 1731!

And finally, a walk along the Arno provides some nature to offset the manmade. I love the pretty blossoms on these caper plants that self-seed and grow on the stone walls in Tuscany.

These stunning flowers are from the volunteer caper plants that seed themselves in the crevices of stone walls. Their blossoms are a lovely sight this time of year.

Last night, as I strolled along the Arno after 9 p.m., when the heat of the day started to slip away, I was serenaded by the strumming of cicadas. That is the quintessential sound of high summer for me. High summer arrives sooner and lasts longer here than in the other places I’ve lived. And I don’t like it.

The sound of late summer in my mind is the churring of crickets. I love that sound and the signal it sends: autumn is coming. Soon nature will turn silent.

We have quite a ways to go first!

How lucky can you get?! I recently joined some Italian language classes but the great news is that the school is housed within a Renaissance palace considered to be a part of the artistic/historic patrimony of fabulous Florence! It fills me with pleasure each time I walk inside that storied building and up its spectacular stone stairway!

My photos below show the exterior located on via dei Pandolfini.

Now that you’ve seen the outside of the building, let me tell you a little about the interior! I’ll practice my translating skills, if you don’t mind. See each one of my translations after each paragraph in Italiano. The text is from Wikipedia Italia.

Palazzo Galli Tassi è un edificio storico di Firenze, situato in via dei Pandolfini 20, con un affaccio anche su borgo degli Albizi 23. Il palazzo appare nell’elenco redatto nel 1901 dalla Direzione Generale delle Antichità e Belle Arti, quale edificio monumentale da considerare patrimonio artistico nazionale ed è sottoposto a vincolo architettonico dal 1914.

Need a translation? I’m happy to oblige:

Palazzo Galli Tassi is an historic building in Florence at Via del Pandofini 30, with a 2nd entry on Borgo deli Albizi 23. The palace appears in a list published in 1901 by the Director General of Antiquities and the Fine Arts, which includes monumental buildings considered to be part of the artistic patrimony of the country and it has been under the protection of the state since 1914.

Eretto sulle preesistenze di varie case corti mercantili trecentesche, il palazzo viene tradizionalmente fatto risalire agli anni in cui risulta di proprietà di Baccio Valori (dal quale una delle denominazioni tradizionali dell’edificio), nel primo quarto del Cinquecento. Dopo la sua morte (1537) la proprietà, confiscata, passò ai Bellacci, ai Capponi e ai Dazzi, fino a che nel 1623 venne acquistata dai Galli Tassi.

It was erected over pre-existing 13th century houses of merchants; the palace is traditionally dated to the years in which it was owned by Baccio Valori (from which came one of the traditional names of the building), in the first quarter of the 16th century. After his death in 1537 the property was confiscated and passed to Bellacci, then to Capponi and to the Dazzi families, until in 1623 it was acquired by Galli Tassi.

Nel 1630, in previsione delle nozze di Agnolo Galli con Maddalena Carnesecchi (1632) furono intrapresi numerosi lavori di ampliamento e abbellimento degli interni. In particolare Federico Fantozzi riferisce di interventi di ammodernamento condotti nel 1645 da Gherardo Silvani (ma su base documentaria Francesca Parrini riconduce anche questi al cantiere del 1630-1633), al quale si devono tra l’altro le finestre inginocchiate del piano terreno: lo stato dell’edificio determinato da tali lavori è documentato da un cabreo datato al 1753, con la veduta assonometrica del palazzo assieme ad altre proprietà su via delle Seggiole, pubblicato da Gian Luigi Maffei.

In 1630, as part of the nuptials of Agnolo Galli with Maddelena Carnesecchi (1632) numerous renovations and amplifications were performed, further beautifying the interior. Federico Fantozzi in particular noted in his writings about modernizations that were conducted in 1645 by Gherardo Silvani (but on the documentary basis, Franceso Parrini noted in 1630-33), of which were added the kneeling windows of the ground floor: an axiomatic view of the palace was later published by Gian Luigi Maffei.

All’intervento del Silvani sarebbero seguiti i più tardi lavori condotti da Gasparo Maria Paoletti tra il 1762 e il 1763, periodo al quale risale l’imponente scalone neoclassico a due rampe. La situazione negli ultimi anni di proprietà Galli Tassi è attestata da una serie di piante, prospetti e sezioni sempre conservati nell’Archivio di Stato di Firenze e resi noti da Piero Roselli e da Gian Luigi Maffei. Alla morte dell’ultimo membro di questo ramo della casata, il conte Angiolo Galli Tassi (1792-1863, ben noto come benefattore dell’ospedale di Santa Maria Nuova), la proprietà passò per lascito testamentario agli Ospedali della Toscana.

The intervention of Silvani would be followed later works conducted by Gasparo Maria Paoletti between 1762 and 1763, a period in which were realized neoclassic stairways with two ramps. In the last years of the ownership of Galli Tassi a series of plans, perspectives and sections were made and always conserved at the State Archives in Florence; these were noted by Piero Roselli e by Gian Luigi Maffei. At the death of the last member of this branch of the house, count Angiolo Galli Tassi (1792-1863, noted as a benefactor of the hospital of Santa Maria Nuova) the ownership passed by will to the Hospital of Tuscany.

Negli anni di Firenze Capitale (1865-1871) il palazzo e gli edifici confinanti già dei Galli Tassi (in via de’ Pandolfini 18 e borgo degli Albizi 23) furono affittati per essere adibiti a sede del Ministero dell’agricoltura, dell’industria e del commercio: il generale stato di abbandono delle proprietà portò “a molti lavori di risarcimento e di trasformazione” tesi ad aumentare la superficie utile dell’edificio. In particolare, su progetto dell’architetto Paolo Comotto e direzione dei lavori dell’ingegner Francesco Malaspina, il grande salone fu diviso sia in altezza sia in pianta, ricavandone otto stanze, e la terrazza fu chiusa sul fronte di via Pandolfini ricavandone sei stanze. Furono inoltre aperte o chiuse varie finestre e porte e rifatti diversi pavimenti. Con il trasferimento della capitale a Roma il palazzo fu adibito a uffici per la Prefettura e l’Amministrazione Provinciale, fino a che venne acquistato dall’imprenditore napoletano Girolamo Pagliano, noto per essersi fatto promotore della costruzione del teatro attualmente noto come Verdi. Pervenne poi, per via ereditaria, alla famiglia Borgia.

In the years that Florence was the Capitol of the newly united Italy (1865-1871) the palace and the buildings already known as Galli Tassi (with the 2 same addresses as today) were used as the seat of the Minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce; the general state made many changes to the property. In particular, architect Paolo Comotto, directed by the engineer Franscesco Malaspina, the grand salon was divided in height to create 8 rooms and the terrace was closed on the front of Via Pandolfini to make 6 rooms. There were various windows and doors which received different flooring levels. With the transfer of the Capitol to Rome, the palace was turned into an office for the Prefecture and Province Administration, until it was acquired by the Neapolitan businessman Girolamo Pagliano, noted for being made the promoter for the construction of the theater now known as the Verdi. It then went by will to the Borgia family.

Al 1925-26 si datano importanti interventi di restauro, compreso quello condotto da Amedeo Benini sui graffiti della facciata. Importanti lavori di modifica interna e di restauro sono stati eseguiti tra il 1990 e il 1994, ma un altro cantiere doveva aver già interessato la fabbrica negli anni settanta, visto che il repertorio di Bargellini e Guarnieri la dice “recentemente restaurata”.

From 1925-26 important restorations took place conducted by Amedeo Benini with the sfraggiti on the facade. Between 1990 and 1994 important modifications and restorations were executed, but there must have already been a renovation in the 1970s seeing that Bargellini and Guarnieri reported that the building had been “recently restored.”

La facciata si presenta organizzata su quattro piani e sette assi, con grandi finestre ad arco incorniciate da conci in pietra, chiusa in alto da una altana, come detto ora tamponata e finestrata, nell’insieme del tutto rispondente a quanto documentato dal cabreo del 1753. Sotto il secondo ricorso è lo stemma aquilino dei Valori (di nero, all’aquila al volo abbassato d’argento, seminata di crescente del campo). Per quanto riguarda i graffiti, che caratterizzano l’edificio sia con un disegno a pietre squadrate sia con fasce decorate dove ricorrono iscrizioni e, insistentemente, il tema della vela gonfia di vento attributo della Fortuna, si è ipotizzato (Eleonora Pecchioli), nonostante i molti rimaneggiamenti, che questi possano risalire nella loro formulazione originaria alla fine del Quattrocento o ai primi del Cinquecento, il che porterebbe ad anticipare la datazione della fabbrica rispetto a quanto ipotizzato da tutta la letteratura precedente.

The present facade is organized into 4 floors and seven axes, with large arched windows framed with stone ashlars, closed at the top by a covered terrace completely corresponding to the records of 1753. Under the second stringcourse is the coat of arms of the Valori family black, with an eagle flying low in silver, on a crescent background. Re: the sgraffito, its attributed to Fortuna, with the theme of the sail with wind blowing and according to one hypothesis of Eleonora Pecchioli, the sgraffito could date back to the end of the 15th or early 16th century, although that means it would have been touched up later.

Nell’interno è da segnalare il bel cortile cinquecentesco con un gruppo marmoreo di Ercole e Iole di Domenico Pieratti (commissionato da Agnolo Galli nel 1629 e terminato nel 1659). All’interno sono presenti tra piano terra e piano nobile gli affreschi di Fabrizio Boschi (Ratto di Cefalo al piano terra, 1631), Giovanni da San Giovanni (Amore e Psiche e due gruppi di Putti, piano nobile, 1630-1631), Ottavio Vannini (Selene e Endimione, piano nobile, 1632), Cosimo Ulivelli (Ritratti dei committenti e di un servitore in finte porte del salone al piano nobile, 1640, già attribuito anche al Volterrano) e le Storie del Pastor fido e gli elementi decorativi di Baccio del Bianco e opere di Francesco Furini e Matteo Rosselli.

In the interior is a beautiful 15th century courtyard with a marble sculpture of Hercules and Iola by Domenico Pieratti (commissioned by Agnolo Galle in 1629 and finished in 1659). Frescoes by Fabrizio Boschi decorate the walls from the ground floor to the first floor (The Rape of Cefalus on the ground floor date 1631). Other frescoes by Giovanni da San Giovanni (Cupid and Psyche and 2 groups of putti, first floor, 1630-31); Ottavio Vannini (Selene and Endymion, first floor, 1632); Cosimo Ulivelli (Portrait of the patrons and one of a servant in false doors of the salon on the first floor, 1640, now attributed to Volterrano) and the Storiy of the faithful Pastor and the decorative elements by Baccio del Bianco and works of Francesco Furini and Mattero Rosselli.

Lo scalone. Il palazzo ha inoltre un affaccio su Borgo degli Albizi 23. Questa porzione sorge nel luogo di due case corte mercantili medioevali, unificate nelle forme attuali nei primi decenni del Cinquecento. Sicuramente nella prima metà del Settecento era stato unito alle proprietà dei Galli Tassi, come documenta un cabreo del 1753 pubblicato da Gian Luigi Maffei. Sviluppato su sei assi, il palazzo su questo lato presenta i consueti caratteri propri dell’architettura fiorentina del primo Cinquecento, con finestre e portali incorniciati da bugne di pietra. Al centro della facciata, sotto il secondo ricorso, è uno scudo con l’arme della famiglia Valori (di nero, all’aquila dal volo abbassato d’argento, seminata di crescenti del campo).

The stairway. The building has a second entrance on Borgo degli Albizi 23. This portion was built over two medieval mercantile housess, unified in the forms in the first decades of the 16th century. In the first half of the 18th century the 2 parts were united by the proprietor, Galli Tassi, as documents in the 1853 publication by Gian Luigi Maffei reports. Developed on 6 axes, the building on this side presents the typical Florentine architectural elements of the early 16th century, with windows and doors surrounded by stone ashlars. At the center of the facade, under the second stringcourse is the coat of arms of the Valori family (repeat of above paragraph).

Below are my pictures of the 2nd entrance to the Palazzo, located at Borgo degli Albizi 23.

The maps below show the location of the palazzo, with a blue x marking the spot of the 2nd entrance.

Very soon I will be posting again, showing the interior of the august building.

Nothing makes me happier than learning something completely new and I had that experience again recently on my visit to the gardens at Villa La Quiete. Our lovely guide, seen below with the long hair, explained as we entered a small circular space surrounded by a circular planting of trees that had been pruned to form an open canopy around us. The center of the canopy was wide open to the sky and I regret not trying to take better pictures. At the time I was confused because ragnaia means spiderweb in Italian and I was struggling to understand its meaning here. At first I thought she was speaking about food for the silkworms that create the webs that can be spun into silk, because that was certainly an industry in Italy. It was only after I got home and did some research that I came to understand the purpose of a ragnaia in a garden.

Here’s what I learned: The ragnaia is a typical element of historic Italian gardens. The introduction of ragnaia coincides with the beginning of the golden age of the Italian garden, from the 16th century.

Above is an image of the actual ragnaia in the gardens at Villa La Quiete, although not mine. I found it on Google.

A ragnaia is a grove with tall trees, planted quite densely, between which nets were spread for the capture of small birds (aucupio), called ragne, as they resembled spider webs, hence the name. Unlike the uccellare which was generally made up of a clearing in a wooded area, the ragnaia usually had a linear layout, and very often followed a small stream that helped attract birds. Over time, in garden architecture, the ragnaia began to simply mean a grove, where one could perhaps find coolness in the summer months.

Another picture of the ragnaia at Villa La Quiete. The highlight and focus of this ragnaia is an enclosed “room” where seating is provided in these ornate stools seen above. One can sit here and enjoy the serene space, with its shade and subsequent coolness, and the sound of the moving air in the trees as well as birdsong and activity.

Our guide told us that the birds captures in the ragnaia provided most of the protein in the diet of the girls who attended school on this site.

The geometric structure of the formal garden coexists with the ragnaia. The ragnaia is a botanical architecture, made up of actual walls of plants, which runs longitudinally along the entire development of the formal garden and which was used for fowling, or hunting small birds. This sort of grove is made up of evergreen species, in particular holm oaks for the upper part and typical Mediterranean plants for the lower part such as phillyrea, buckthorn and boxwood. The perfectly linear structure of the ragnaia was constantly maintained to create walls of plants that were structured into avenues and rooms with completely green walls.

In the avenues of the so-called spiderwebs, nets would be laid out lengthwise, anciently called “spiders” because of their resemblance to cobwebs, which were used to capture birds attracted by the coolness and shade of this space, as well as by the possibility of food offered by the berries of the shrubs. Unable to land on the branches of the trees due to the perfectly linear pruning of the espaliers of the holm oak avenues, the birds were forced to descend to ground level, where the nets were laid out, and ended up being captured, as if getting caught in the spiderwebs. In the ragnaia, hunting was not the only activity: the “octagonal room” and the “royal room” are green rooms that still exist today made of walls of boxwood and centuries-old holm oaks, with stone stools and benches, where the Electress Anna Maria Luisa loved to stop to escape the heat, and enjoy the shade and the singing of the birds.

Typical of Italian gardens of the time, ragnaia were often scaled down or radically modified over the centuries to follow new garden trends that favored freer and less formal structures. This did not happen at La Quiete because the property, the Montalve conservatory, never changed until the end of the 20th century and thus there were no significant alterations to the original layout of the garden, which is a gift to us today.

Patsy Cline, get it?

Well, I go out walking, after 6 p.m., when the day is beginning to cool off. Summer days in Florence are hot! Understatement.

One of my favorite paths is walking along the Arno River heading east from my house. I love the activity on the river as seen in the next 2 videos.

Lots of Florentines feel the same way and there are many bars throughout the area serving snacks and ice cream and various cold beverages. You won’t get any ice, however.

Even on a walk to beat the heat I see harmonious beauty.

On another day, in the center of town, the duomo sits majestically in the summer sun.

This is Florence in the summertime.

I recently posted about visiting the historic Palazzo dell’Arte dei Beccai in Florence and had an unexpected view of another major landmark in the city, the Orsan Michele which is and has been a church since the 15th century, but was built as a granary. It’s a fascinating building, but for today I am simply going to show you the pictures of it and especially its noteworthy niches for the display of sculptures that I was able to take from the upper stories of the Palazzo. It isn’t everyday one gets this opportunity!