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| Florence - March 2 2019 |
Tomorrow or Monday we go to Siena. Saying goodbye to Florence was said best by Charles Dickens. "Let us look back at Florence while we may, and when its shining Dome is seen no more, go traveling through cheerful Tuscany, with a bright remembrance of it; for Italy will be the fairer for the recollection." Pictures from Italy.
Above is original caption on that date's posting into Facebook.
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Today is March 2, 2022. The high point of the day was serving Hilary an early dinner at 4:30, watching the depressing news but having a pleasant chat before I took her home.
Every day with all the grim leisure time I have since I am obsolete, redundant, retired, inconsequential (and now I add one more to this) alone with two friendly cats, I know I must write a blog.
Many must by now know that because I have now written 5494 of them, Facebook reminds me of this by serving me nine or more blogs from the day’s date in the past. During March of 2019 Rosemary had gone to Venice, Florence and Siena. It was much too complicated to write and post a daily blog so what I did was to take Rosemary’s advice to use my A5 Galaxy phone. I was then in Wi-Fi areas able to place a photograph in Facebook and write a short blog-like paragraph or two.
Today I was faced with 28 of these. I have come up with the idea of compiling them as today’s blog. There has been one good advantage as my previously “not fixed” phone photographs I have fixed with photoshop adding light into dark corners, etc. I will also put under the pictures what I wrote on those so pleasant days when I was accompanied by Rosemary.
It is important for me to repeat that at Rosemary's urging I started using my Galaxy phone in Italy and I found it interesting to photograph famous paintings from the side to show where they were and to give a sense of those surroundings. I would never now photograph a painting head on. Thank you Rosemary.
Seeing some of these photographs for only the second time and spotting Rosemary alive in some of them brings me grief and melancholy. It has become impossible for me to remove from my mind when I am awake that she is not.
I am intrigued by the portrait of this serene woman in our hotel dining room. We will never know who she is. As I look at the many men sitting alone at their tables, except for their clothing, they are no different from the Tizianos, Bronzinos and Caravaggios.
Ponte
Santa Trinita at 6:30 before rowers disturb the calm waters. The tower
is at Chiesa Santo Espirito which we will visit today.
Almost every morning around 7, Ponte Santa Trinita looks like this from our room window. Ponte Vecchio is in backlight and looks best in the afternoon.
We
have decided to return to some of the places we liked in Florence so we
will go to Siena tomorrow when we will indulge in our last breakfast in
Italy. The next will be an Air Canada one.
Artsy Polizia. The pegasus on the hood represents Aristodemo Costoli's white Carrara marble original in the Boboli Gardens.
An impeccable Italian a woman explained the significance of the donkey seen here. Since my Italian is poor I am no wiser as to why this bassorelievo asina a palazzo is there. But I have a suspicion the donkey is female.
A Boticelli that to me is unusual as John (The Baptist) is a little boy.
This ceiling is one of many at the Palazzo Pitti. It would take months to photograph all the ceilings in Florentine churches and museums.
Outside the Palazzo Pitti. Every time I see a redhead I think of Florentine art or mandarine gelato. Which is exactly what I had after taking this photograph. Rosemary opted for strawberry and we sat outside Chiessa di Santa Felicita. And since it is Saturday the hordes at Ponte Vecchio were all rushing in our direction. We felt like Canadian salmon fighting the current to spawn.
At this point in the garden, the back of the Zanobi del Rosso, I felt old. Rosemary kept telling everybody that I was 77. That will not be the case until the end of August.
This Napoleon was surrounded by fine china in the Giardino di Boboli china museum.
At the Giardino di Boboli a haze ruined the lovely cityscape. This meant that I rested my photography. The back of this recent (about 20 years) cast work revealed two surprises. That's Rosemary on the right.
One.
The Palazzo Pitti Café. This reclining nude (perhaps a copy) would create a scandal in the Vancouver Gallery Café.
Chandelier. How many Florentines do you need to change the lightbulbs?
A Velázquez who really did one of the first mirror selfies.
I
have already lined up a striking red-haired woman with very white skin
who will pose for me on the theme of Mary of Magdala. This MM is by
Titian.
To me an unusual Caravaggio - a sleeping cupid.
Napoleon's tub.
At the Pitti I went nuts with curtains and chandelieres.
A come hither Mary Magdalene at the Pitti.
I did not not know cherubs could swim. This one is crawling at the Pitti Palace.
The Penitent Mary Magdalene by Donatello at the Duomo Museum. Some consider it superior to Michelangelo's David even though it is in much smaller scale.
