In my new home I’m 2 blocks from the Arno river. This last Sunday I decided to take advantage of the glorious afternoon and check out what surprises the Arno near me held. I was not disappointed!

For one thing: little flower blossoms! Oh! what a sight for sore eyes! Three weeks ago I was living in snow and ice in Illinois. Though I do miss seeing my donkey.

One last look at my long winter legs. Pretty soon the shadows will change and I’ll be regular sized again.

Across the Arno I spotted this proud graffiti.

And, last but not least, a poster advertising a play soon to be staged in Florence.

The title of this play is: An Average Little Man (Un borghese piccolo piccolo) Taken from Wikipedia.

An Average Little Man (Italian: Un borghese piccolo piccolo, literally meaning a petty petty bourgeois, also known in English as A Very Little Man) is a 1977 Italian drama film directed by Mario Monicelli. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Vincenzo Cerami. The movie mixes “Italian-Style Comedy” (commedia all’italiana) with psychological drama tragedy. The film was an entrant in the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, the film was included on the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage’s 100 Italian films to be saved, a list of 100 films that “have changed the collective memory of the country between 1942 and 1978.”

Plot
Giovanni Vivaldi is a petty bourgeois, modest white-collar worker nearing retirement in a public office in the capital. His life is divided between work and family. With his wife Amalia he shares high hopes for his son, Mario, a newly qualified accountant, not a particularly bright boy who willingly assists his father’s efforts to make him hired in the same office.

The father, in an attempt to guide his son, emphasizes the point of practicing humility in the presence of his superiors at work, and he enrolled himself in a Masonic lodge to help him gain friendships and favoritisms that, at first, he would never hope to have.

Just as the attempts of Giovanni Vivaldi seems to turn to success, his son Mario is killed, hit by a stray bullet during a shootout that erupts following a robbery in which the father and son are accidentally involved.

Misfortune and sufferings consequently distort the lives, beliefs and morality of the Vivaldis. Amalia becomes ill, loses her voice and becomes seriously handicapped. Giovanni, now blinded by grief and hatred, throws himself headlong into an isolated and desperate quest. He identifies his son’s murderer, abducts him, takes him to a secluded cabin and submits him to torture and violence, eventually bringing the killer of his child to a slow death.

Then, for Giovanni arrives – at his set date – his retirement and, only a day later, the death of his wife, who had by now been overcome by her disability.

Giovanni is now prepared with serenity and resignation to live into old age, but a spontaneous verbal confrontation with a young idler revives in him the role of an executioner who will, presumably, kill again.

BTW, I found the movie on Youtube and watched it tonight. It was so 70s: weird and kind of wonderful both.

And that, my friends, was my interesting, sunny and warm Sunday afternoon in Firenze! I had to take off my puffer coat to stay cool.

Walking through a middle class, rather modern (1930s-40s I would guess) neighborhood in the outer reaches of Florence, I spotted this somewhat grand entryway. It was remarkable for its elaborate stone trimming and I stopped to have a look.

Then I noted the plaque announcing that this building is home to the office of Doctor A. Nistri. He is a specialist in sick children. Just the phrasing and the way the announcement is handled is interesting to me. I hope I never lose the ability to see this kind of thing with fresh eyes.

I’m haunted by the idea of the sick children who must have come here over the years. It’s sad to think of and I hope the good doctor was able to cure most of them.

Shortly after I arrived in Florence on February 1, I posted about the magnolia tree that was just budding out. Today I had a chance to check on its progress and wow! it’s close!

The video below shows the walk up to Piazza Beccaria in Florence, with the 13th century gateway visible in the center with the flat roof. You heard me correctly. That is the 13th century gate into Florence called the Porta alla Croce. It was originally a part of the walls constructed in the 1200s that completely surrounded the little city of Firenze.

The image below shows some of the remaining walls that weren’t razed in the modern era.

During the 19th century expansion of the city, most of the walls were torn down but thank goodness the gates were left pretty much intact.

In the next video, I’m near the tree which is well into its annual flowering!

More of the tree.

Nothing really does the magnificence of this tree justice, but here are some stills to show the plethora of blooms that will break out with our next warm days! We’ll be in the mid to high 50s F (which reminds me, I gotta start thinking C soon) this week, so I’ll be watching this magnificent tree like a kettle about to boil!

The impressive architectural backdrop of Piazza Beccaria, which encircles the piazza, adds to the scene.

Stay tuned!

The first two I read on the American side of the Atlantic in January.

Love Maestra! Reminded me of the Talented Mr. Ripley but with a feminine protagonist.

Loved this book! My favorite kind of historical fiction.

The first book I’ve read in Italy. It’s short, it’s beautifully written, and it shocks. I could not put it down.

In the Garden of the Beasts by Erik Larson. Superb non-fiction on an endlessly fascinating subject.

It just made sense to read Benedict’s book about a Jewish actress during WWII after the Larson book. I enjoyed it. Benedict is so readable.

Another good book recommended to me by friend Cindy. Thanks girl! I liked it because it introduced me to a new line of thought about Tiffany, but it lagged and was too long. IMO it could have been edited down 100 pages at least. Still, I liked it.

I’d love to have new recommendations for books you’re reading. Please like the post and comment with book recs! Thanks!

The Chapel of the Painters

I’ve spent a lot of time in Florence over many decades and I’ve never seen this chapel open before this week. I don’t know when it reopened, but it must have been within the last 3 years while I’ve been away. It looks brand-spanking new, but with historic artwork. In other words, I think it’s been restored recently.

I wandered into this historic place kind of by accident on a recent day when I was in a daze following an unpleasant but necessary visit to the local post office. I’ll be posting about that soon. Being an ex pat is not all sunshine and camellias! Sometimes it’s a brutal thunderstorm and thorns.

But then you enjoy the serendipity of finding a place like this by accident and it all seems worthwhile.

I knew I was in the right place when I saw upon entering the chapel the famous painting by Vasari of St. Luke painting the Virgin Mary. I’ve seen this painting in more slide shows and textbooks over the years than I can shake a stick at. What a surprise to see it in person!

According to Catholic lore, St. Luke is the saint of artists because he himself was a painter. I know darn well St. Luke would not have been painting on an easel with a palette and brushes before the Christian era, but we can let facts disappear and enjoy the feeling Vasari was creating.

Trinity by Alessandro Allori

Construction of Temple of Solomon by Santi di Tito

I love the tights and shoes on this figure above!

The sculptures placed in niches seemed to break out of their designated spaces. It was a little arresting!

Moses by Montorsoli

St Luke by Vincenzo Danti

In the photo below is the painting from the chapel’s ceiling.

Here’s a source for more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_St_Luke,_Annunziata

The Cappella di San Luca (Chapel of St Luke), also called dei Pittori is a chapel found in the cloisters of the convent of Santissima Annunziata in Florence, Italy. It was built to serve as the burial chapel for members of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, and was donated by the Servites to the Academy in a document from 1565. It contains a collection of terracota statues from a number of prominent Florentine Mannerist sculptors.

The servite cleric and sculptor Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli arranged with Vincenzo Borghini and Giorgio Vasari to build a burial chapel for the Academy of Design, with the support of the Medici Duke. Immediately plans were also made to decorate the chapel. Originally, the chapel entrance was from the north, under the Trinity fresco by Allori, and the chapel was dedicated to the Trinity. But in time, the chapel became associated with St Luke, patron saint of painters. Tradition holds that the apostle Luke created the first painting of the Virgin Mary, a story depicted in the chapel’s fresco on the east wall, painted by Vasari. During the Napoleonic occupation of Tuscany, the French archbishop named to lead the archdiocese of Florence, Eustache d’Osmond, was housed in the convent, made this his private chapel, and opened a new entrance which currently serves.

Many Florentine artists were buried here, including Montorsoli, Pontormo, Cellini, Franciabigio, Lorenzo Bartolini. Apparently there was a burial there as recently as 1983. The chapel still belongs to the Academy and holds memorial services here.

Plaque in the floor leading to burial crypt.

This is the kind of serendipitous excursion I live for!

From south side to north, heading toward the historic center.

I always enjoy walking over this historic bridge, the oldest one existing in Florence. It dates to the 14th century.

Jewelry stores line the 2 sides of the bridge, with a gap in the center that houses some statues and is a perfect place from which to view the city and the Arno, east and west. The 2 sides were originally lined with butcher shops and they dumped the blood and entrails into the water. The Medici dukes put an end to such things in the 16th century when they decreed that only gold dealers could have these shops!

Or, in Italian: Nella splendida Firenze! I’m so happy to see these old friends again!

I’m noticing a number of changes around town. For one thing, the octagonal building by Brunelleschi is opened for the first time in my memory. It now houses a small museum dedicated to the Medici that was formerly housed in a palazzo on Via Cavour. I haven’t visited the new site yet, but I will soon. The collection it houses isn’t anything remarkable (at least it wasn’t in its former digs), but I am very eager to see the Brunelleschi building for the first time. You can see the octagonal building in the background below. It’s in great shape for a 600 year old building!

They are in the process of building a pedestrian piazza near the Brunelleschi building, which looks like it will be very nice. They’ve already planted 8 or more mature orange trees: always a welcome sight!

Vasari’s arcade dedicated to a former fish market is looking spiffy near by. You’d never think it is 500 years old!

And just look at this iron work, would ya? How many people and how many hours/days do you think this masterpiece took to create? The photo doesn’t give scale, but you could drive a large truck through these gates.

I’m so happy to be back here, in case it isn’t obvious!

I’m thrilled I have a fairly large, travertine paved terrace connected to my new apartment in Florence. Before I even bought myself food to eat, I found myself buying plants. For people who know me, this is not a surprise!

I mean, camellias are my very favorite flower in the world and when I saw them for sale the first week I was here in my local grocery store, how could I resist?

Almost before I fed myself, I was out planting my two new camellia shrubs in the planter box that rings my terrazza. They had buds but no blossoms. I chose two pink blooming shrubs. The only other color on offer that day was white and since white makes me think of snow and I’ve spent so much of my life dealing with that sometimes pretty but always inconvenient white substance, I prefer flowers with vibrant hues. Not very long ago I was snowed-in at my cabin home on the lake in rural Illinois.

Supposedly the shrub I’ve shown in bloom above is called Nuccio’s Cameo. You never know for sure when you are buying plants that are labeled if the label is the right one. I’ve seen behind the scenes at plant wholesalers and farms, and it is easy for a mistake to be made when adding the label. In fact, I question whether the blooms above are Nuccio’s Cameo. The picture in the label looks a little more coral than pink and my blossoms are pure, unadulterated pink, so chissa’? For me it is unimportant, I love it no matter what you call it!

The second shrub I bought, seen below, was this variety, called Nuccio’s Pearl. Isn’t it interesting that the plant label is in English? I’d like it better if it were in Italian. This shrub has many buds and you can be sure I’ll be back with photos as soon as it blossoms. I wonder if it will have the paler center like the photo on the label or whether, like my first shrub, it will be all pink, glorious pink?

Here’s the backside of one of the passaporto delle piante. I love that designation for a label of this kind. You can see it at the bottom left. And here, at least, we have a little Italian. Grazie a dio. How am I ever gonna learn without seeing it??!!

I can feel it in the air on sunshiny days! La primavera!

And now I can see it in this beloved magnolia tree in my neighborhood! I’ve admired and photographed this particular tree for years! And now it’s my neighbor!

I’ll be doing an every day watch until it springs into blossom! I’d guess about a month. Let’s see if I’m correct!

And, also, happy birthday mom! You are truly missed. And your birthday mate too, Abraham Lincoln. But mostly you. Love always and forever. Isn’t it lovely that in this part of the world your birthday can be a beautiful spring day?

The cutest Fiat ever in the best color. I want it!