On a recent sunny day, many people were out enjoying the splendid Christmas decorations in the heart of the city.

Just a joy to see people out again, despite this awful pandemic.

There are a few places on earth that I could visit every day of my life and still never get enough. The Camera dei Sposi is one of them. I adore this room!

I love gardens all of the time. I love them in the spring, summer, fall and even in the winter. This Florentine garden is wrapped up and ready to hibernate through the damp, cool, grey winter.

All of the citrus plants have been placed in their ancient orangerie. Oh, to have a conservatory just for storying citrus plants over the winter. I should have been born a Medici.

The tender perennials are covered with a snug blanket to protect from the cold weather.

In the winter sunshine, the duomo fairly glows!

Here are some photos of my recent visit to Mantova. The artistic treasures are astounding. They were taken in the Palazzo Ducale.

Although the streets are virtually empty, Florence still beguiles with her Christmas decorations. The extravagant Via Tornabuoni is a lovely sight to behold.

Let’s indulge in a little fantasy window shopping, shall we? Starting at Chanel.

I swear, if you look closely at the mannequin in the Chanel window, it promotes anorexia big time. Does anyone actually think this is attractive? Shame on you Chanel!

Moving on, Moschino has a pink dress I would actually wear!

Pucci is my hands down favorite, today and every day!

The outfit below is wearable, and I adore the fluffy tulle collar of the blouse. See the detail below.

And what holiday is complete without a stop at a famous pasticceria, all done up for a party!

Hands down, my favorite holiday decoration in Florence this year is this spectacular light installation by Marinella Senatore at the Palazzo Strozzi. Love, love, love it!

And while I was walking about the courtyard at the Strozzi, this incredible gate to the interior of the palace caught my eye. My, my, what a Renaissance palace we have here!

Bellissima!

I took a stroll through the Giardino on Friday, Dec. 11. It was a refreshing, cool afternoon, and some flowers were still blooming, some koi were still swimming, and the garden is bedecked with a lovely Tannenbaum.