Dining Out

 Just a few street shots from Florence.

The bustling cafes around the Piazza del Duomo are in black and white, the other shot in full colour was much quieter and catering for locals and students.

Street Sounds

I have always admired buskers for their confidence to perform in public (I guess the musicians in the first image are not really buskers but I still admire their confidence). I have played cello in a school orchestra , sung in a choir and performed in musical productions on stage, I have also played saxophone in a small "big band" and although it was exciting and exhilarating it was also quite scary too. But at least being part of a larger group of musicians/performers I  didn't feel totally exposed.

Buskers however are totally exposed, once they set up to play on the street there is nowhere to hide and no one else to share the pain if things go wrong so even if I don't always enjoy the performance I do admire the person for putting themself out there.

 

Out and About

 

I have chosen three images today from out and about in Florence. The first two connect with the pictures I shared yesterday in that they were taken at Piazzale Michelangelo where there were lots of people enjoying the sunset and views of the city. I do enjoy people watching and capturing candid moments such as these. 

The third image shows a couple who we saw several times throughout the day. They are not pausing naturally to cross the road but are actually posing for professional photographs and were stood there for quite some time. They had a professional photographer and stylist/make-up artist with them and they were being photographed around the city. In this shot they would have had the duomo behind them.

Later in the day as my son and I were seated in a restaurant we watched this same couple walking up and down the street outside for at least an hour with the photographer leading the way trying to get the perfect shot without other tourists getting in the way. It was quite amusing for a while. The restaurant was in a narrow cobbled street and had a dining room on either side of the road, our waiter was clearly getting frustrated with the couple because they kept getting in the way as he was working between both sides of the street. Anyone who has been with me while I am out with my camera will know that I can take my time getting the shot I want however, I don't think I would test the patience in quite the same way...

Florentine Sunset

 As I looked out of my window this evening there was a beautiful glow in the sky as the sun was setting out over the Irish Sea. I am so very lucky living on the west coast because I am treated to the most wonderful sunsets and today, after a week of grey cloudy skies it was  great to see the rich colours that I enjoy so much.

As I was thinking about that I recalled the sunset over Florence while I was there with my youngest son in 2018, it was so spectacular viewed from the Piazzale Michelangelo. There are millions of photos of the city from this spot given it is a favourite tourist destination and it is the perfect vantage point to view the city with the famous duomo of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, the Campanile di Giotto and of course the Ponte Vecchio spanning the River Arno. I have even shared some of these, or similar images in 2018 but today I was inspired to review them and edit them to really bring out the colours of the sunset.

I have also included a shot of a hillside with the old city walls enclosed by trees which have grown up as the wall has decayed.

I have wanted to return to the city because although I have been lucky enough to visit on two occasions I have never really spent enough time there to see everything I want to see. It is possible that I will go back in a few weeks as I will be traveling to Venice again and a day trip to Florence by train is definitely doable however nothing is certain at this stage. Wish me luck.

So Practical

 So a change of location today; here we are in Florence although you could only really tell that from the first image. It really is a beautiful city. Historically, so I am told, to become an architect it was necessary to go to Florence to study the architecture there. I guess I can claim to have added to the education of both of my sons who have gone on to pursue careers in architecture because I took each of them to Florence as part of our road trips in 2015 and 2018.

These pictures were captured on the second visit in 2018.

I really liked to ornamental scroll work of the bars on the windows. Not only are they very practical in that they provide security for the home, but they are very decorative  and also functional because the way they are shaped allows the windows to be opened and for blinds to be drawn out during the hottest part of the day to provide shade. 

In the first image there is a view along a small street with a glimpse of the famous Duomo in the heart of the old city.

The next three images are of the same corner bar, they each offer a different composition and I shared all three because I simply couldn't decide on just one. 

The Duomo

The Florence Cathedral; one of the iconic buildings that must feature on anybody's grand tour of Europe. 

It has the unmistakable Duomo with its russet tiles and beautiful marble facade. 

Fire In The Sky

I was just looking out of my window at the miserable grey sky. It has been like that all day, overcast and dull and at time with lashings of rain.

I cast my mind back to an evening in June when I witnessed a most wonderful sunset when the whole sky was a glorious golden yellow. Perhaps the location helped to make it one of the best sunsets I have seen.

As you can see from these shots the sky over Florence against the misty backdrop of the Chianti mountains was so rich and warm. It was definitely worth the effort of the walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo which overlooks the city and is the perfect vantage point to see the sights. It is always bustling with people soaking up the atmosphere and taking selfies. I personally don't go in for the endless selfie taking especially when there are views such as this to observe and capture. 

Cracking Up

Today I am featuring this magnificent piece of art in the park.

This giant sculpture Tindaro Screpolato by Igor Mitoraj  is found in Florence's Giardino di Boboli. It is a massive bronze disembodied head which contrasts and compliments the lush and green surroundings in the garden in the heart of the city.

It is an imposing feature but one that naturally draws people to it, people sit in its shadow or stand and look up in awe. The size of this work seems to represent strength while the cracked features suggest fragility and decay. 

There are many sculptures in the gardens and I will share more images of some of them in due course but I think this is my favourite. Whatever angle you view it from it is so impressive.

Fine Art Becomes Street Art

When you go to Florence there is so much to see and do, the renaissance architecture, the colourful stonework, the parks and gardens and so much more.

This was my second visit to Florence and it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  This time I had a little more time to explore and before I go on to share perhaps more traditional images of the city I wanted to share these quirky pictures that I captured as I walked around the city.

The first three images are of work by a mysterious street artist who identifies him/herself as Blub.

All across the city there are these pictures of famous works of art by the likes of Dante and Botticelli with all of the figures wearing scuba masks.

I had walked past a number of these pictures before I realised it was a "thing" and now I wish that I had captured more of them because they are really fun.  If you would like to see some more examples and read an interview with the artist then  click here

The final image of the no entry sign is also evidence of the fun at the heart of this wonderful city. Each No Entry sign (and there are a lot of them around the old city) and many other road signs have been modified with a unique artwork by the French Street Artist Clet. They are fantastic little works. Most of the time we hardly notice the road signs, well we notice them but we react to the symbol without really looking at them but when each one is a unique piece of street art you are more likely to take notice. As with the Blub pictures I wish I had taken pictures of mor of Clets work so if you want to see more why not click here.

Up Above The Streets and Houses

So here we are in Florence or Firenze as it is more properly called.

I have been surprised that neither Venice nor Florence seem as busy as expected but that isn't a bad thing of course because it means less time queuing for things.

We drove here from Venice avoiding the motorways and at first I worried it was a poor decision because the road surfaces were rubbish and it was slow going, the scenery was also a bit dull. After about an hour however things improved as we drove into the hills, with vineyards and orchards and then up into the mountains onto the most exciting roads yet for this trip. There were switchbacks galore going up and down the mountains and I knew then I'd made the right decision to take this route.

Having checked into our 15th century palazzo we went exploring. We climbed to the top of the campanile, the bell tower to the Catedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore. This was another Assassins Creed moment for my son and that helped him overcome his fear of heights. The views were stunning seeing the Duomo up close, looking out across the rooftops at the same time as being hailed with a chorus from the bells. That was an experience I won't forget.

Although I got some good pictures of the dome I decided to share just a close up of the roof tiles on the campanile itself. The building designed by Giotto was started in 1334 and it was completed in 1359 so this roof has been there for 659 years. I wonder if these are the original tiles...

In the streets below i spotted this interesting graffiti, I  often like to share the less obvious sights from the places I visit and so thought this fits the bill.

Around Florence

So today will be the last from Florence for now, I have picked a couple of shots of the surrounding area to show how beautiful the countryside overlooking the city is.  I like the colours of the buildings and the tree lined slopes.

The other pictures are of the buildings around the Piazza della Santissima Annunziata in the heart of the old city. 

The courtyard in pictures 5 and 7 was inside La S.S. Annunziata di Firenze and was a real treasure. From the outside there was no indication of the beauty within.

In the far corner of the courtyard there was a small dark corridor and the 6th picture is of the ceiling. It was actually so dark inside that it wasn't possible to see any detail of the painting, thankfully my camera was able to pick it out, even handheld and without flash I was able to capture a really sharp image.

Looking at these pictures and others from my short stay I realise that there was so much more to see and of all the places I got to visit during my trip Florence is top of my list for places I would return to. I need to spend much more time exploring the city with its narrow streets, hidden courtyards, palaces, squares and gardens.  

Florence by Night

Following on from yesterday's post I have picked a number of images of Florence at night.

The first of today's pictures is of the Ponte Vecchio from the right bank of the Arno.  One of the things Italy is famous for is Gelato, I lost count of the number of times we heard "You gotta try the gelato!".  To be fair it was really good and it was while I was taking the shots of the bridge that we were eating probably the most expensive ice cream cone we've ever had.  Yummy!

Picture two shows the Cathedrale di Santa Maria Del Fiore, the Campanile di Giotto and Basilica di Santa Maria Novella.

The third picture is of the Synagogue 

The next two pictures are again of the Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (il Duomo) and the Campanile.

Apart from the bridge all of the pictures were taken from Piazzale Michaelangelo which overlooks the city on the opposite side of the river.  I hadn't intended to post the statue but it is a bronze replica of Michaelangelo's David and so I thought it fitting to share. 

Classical Florence

Florence is a really beautiful city with some classical architecture and today's pictures show some of the more recognisable sites.  Over the next few days I think I will post some shots of less well known spots and some images of the city at night, but for today you have il Duomo and Ponte Vecchio.  I think today  the fourth picture is my favourite as I like the narrow streets and the glimpse of the dome is quite special.

The Ponte Vecchio seemed to draw lots of visitors to the gold merchants and jewellers and it really is worth visiting.  My son and I re-enacted a scene from Assassin's Creed with me throwing a stone at him, and striking him on the face to enhance the experience.

Did you know that there is a "hidden" tunnel along the top of the bridge? It allowed the Medici access from one side of the river to the other without having to encounter the people of the city.  Originally the shops on the bridge housed butchers and other groceries but the Duke of Medici didn't like the smell so had them all evicted and insisted that the gold merchants move in and that is who is there today.