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:

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In Piazzale Donatello in Florence is a monumental gate to what was once a grand, private garden. It still is a very nice garden, and it is still private in that it belongs to the Four Seasons Hotel. Luckily, paying guests can have a look at the garden, notwithstanding Covid.

What caught my eye on my recent walk through the Piazzale were the plaques that tell the story of this storied garden:

You can see them above the doors on either side of the central arch.

The plaque on the proper left side reads something like this: “1810. Guido Alberto Count of the Gherdesca planted this garden, vaguely ornamented, and dedicated it to the enjoyment of the public.”

The plaque on the right side reads approximately: “1873. Ugolino, Count of the Gheradesca, constructed this entrance about the time the city of Florence removed the old medieval walls and replaced them with wide streets.”

What I love most about the garden entrance (which is actually now a back gate entrance to the Four Seasons) is this doorbell.

The garden’s caretaker has his own doorbell. How magnificent to be able to ring a bell and get a gardener!

I would have loved to be the caretaker of this garden when it was being built or commemorated in the 19th century. It wouldn’t have been possible though, for only men would have had such a position.