Il bel paese ch’Appennin parte, e ’il mar circonda e l’Alpe.
“The beautiful country that the Apennines divide, and Alps and sea surround.”
Petrarch
Florence from above
If you decide to climb the medieval Torre di San Niccolo in Florence, you will have a 360 degree view that is hard to believe.
You can see some of the steps criss-crossing the upper part of the tower in the photo below. The steps are houses in that whitish diagonal shape. And in the lower portion of the tower below, you can see additional steep stone steps along the left side of the tower wall. I know, for I climbed all 161 steps to the top 2 days ago!
It was well worth the trouble, even in the 97 degree heat! And that is saying something.
Here are a few more shots of the stairways:
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So, once at the top, let’s see what you can see!
Ciao! Firenze! You are looking mighty fine!
Hello Santa Croce above.
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You can walk all around the top of the tower, taking pictures between the crenellations
Now, let’s look to the east and a bit north of the tower:
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Directly to the west of the tower is this section of the city: San Niccolo.
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Now, let’s have a look to the south from the tower. Piazzale Michelangelo!
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And, why not a few shots straight down?
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And one more look to the west:
The tower is nice at night too:
Signs of the times
It’s agosto and that means many Italians are on vacation. Signs like this are all over Italy and all over Florence:
It tells us that the business is closed from the 5 to the 21st of agosto, “closed for the holiday.”
Other signs of the times are the fashions.
Per i uomini:
And, per le donne:
My daily walk to school
I never, ever tire of my walk to school. At this time of day, the city is waking up, coming to life, and I have the streets more or less to myself, along with all the workers and trucks delivering goods to the stores. It will be a completely different story on my walk home after school. The hordes of tourists will have descended, like a plague of locusts.
I have the distinct privilege of walking past the revered Orsan Michele on a daily basis. I get so accustomed to the delights of Florentine architecture that I often don’t even notice this storied church/granary. That’s a shame!
Today I stopped and enjoyed the facade, against the bright blue sky. It’s a beauty!
Further down the Por Santa Maria, I encountered this straight up and down cherry picker. Apparently some work will be done along the cornice or roof of this palazzo.
You can get dizzy taking pictures like these!
And then I get to school and enjoy (usually) class, and at the break (pausa), while everyone else is running to a local bar for a cappucino or something, I wander the halls of my school’s palazzo. There are fun views from many places.
For example, there is this striking view of il Duomo!
And il duomo is like, hey! look at me! I’m big and I’m here!
And my school’s palazzo is old and full of crazy little spaces. Today I found a new bathroom, and this was the view I was confronted with! Another day, another delight!
Torre di San Niccolo, Florence
See that beautiful Medieval tower with the crenellation? It’s the Torre di San Niccolo and sometimes, in the summer, it is possible to climb to its very top. Today was one of those times!
As I approached the Torre, walking from the center of Florence towards the east on Via San Niccolo, the tall fortification towered above the streets, against a beautiful azure sky filled with cumulus clouds.
Here’s the tower in all its glory:
Walking through the tower, which was one of the major gateways in the walls that once surrounded all of Florence, I noticed the marker showing the height to which the Arno flooded in 1966.
The Arno rose to the level of the white rectangle on the wall below. Standing where I was when I shot this photo, I would have been 15 feet under water.
If this were any time period prior to the mid-19th century, upon approaching Florence from the east, one would encounter this gateway. It projects strength and some beauty, with a few sculptural details:
Belos is a picture of the tower from the south side. This is how you enter the tower today.
Northern (exterior) façade
From Wikipedia we learn: The tower and its gate were elaborated in the designs of Arnolfo di Cambio for circumferential walls around Florence. These walls were, in the main, destroyed in the 19th century as a project of urban renewal, Risanamiento, in part led by Giuseppe Poggi. This tower was spared, in part because of its panoramic view of the city.
There are 160 steps to the summit.
And, away we go.
The views from the top of the tower are spectacular. I’ll be posting them soon.
The 1950s were stylish!
Parfume
Bella Italia!
On the Via della Pace in Tellaro on the Italian Riviera, 6 Agosto 2017. Charmed.
How to keep cool in Italy
During Lucifer, the so-called heat wave that is burning up Europe, or during any summer season, Italians flock to il mare. It’s relatively easy to do, since the long, narrow bel paese is surrounded by water.
I was on the Italian riviera myself over the weekend, seeking cooler air and beautiful vistas, and I was very entertained by the “let it all spill out” attitude on view. See for yourself!
My friend and I dined in a lovely seaside restaurant, feasting on shrimp, calamari and clams, and were mightily entertained by the casual dress– and lack thereof– on display. I was confronted with more bare skin from more usually unbared areas of more bodies past their prime than I want to remember!
get back, lauretta! 
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