Day XX1 Homeward Bound

We were up at 4am preparing for our long trip home, and a little sad to be leaving our beautiful, cosy, home away from home, Florence apartment. Thank you Lucy.

Taxi to the train station - 2hr train to Rome - taxi to the airport - 9 1/2 hrs flight to Toronto - 3hrs drive home to Owen Sound - all adding up to almost 24hrs.

Everybody exhausted but happy.

There was no stopping our roller-coaster. Every day, in every way, it got better and better. We went to Rome and Florence to see it all. We've been there and done that, and much more. How about throwing in Pompeii and the Chianti vineyards in Tuscany for good measure.

If I ever have to be marooned on a desert island with three shipmates, I could not choose a better crew than Eleanor, Carol-Ann and Noel.

Desert Island , Rome or Florence, we were all on the same page, greeting every morning with joy and anticipation, and savouring every moment.

When in Rome do as the Roman artists do, sell your artwork in Piazza Narvona.

Every day more than 50,000 visitors stroll through the square, viewing the arts and crafts and demonstrations by hundreds of artists. There wasn't time for me to secure a street vending licence due to a backlog of applicants, but a Roman artist friend invited me to share his space.

It seemed like a natural progression from Art Crawl at City Hall to Piazza Narvona.

Having already seen the lifesize replicas of Michelangelo's David in Piazza della Signoria and Piazza Michelangelo, I expected more of the same when we visited Galleria Academia to see the original. Buuuut! how wrong was I ?

The 17 foot tall white marble sculpture embodies the very meaning of the word Renaissance. The Renaissance was the "rebirth" of European civilization, emerging from the darkness of the middle ages, giving new life to man. Michelangelo's David shows the human body as the ultimate in God's creation, healthy, strong, muscular and natural. The intensity of David's facial expression, as well as the flowing curvilinier composition from head to toe, is bursting with dynamic tension and energy.

No cameras were allowed so I captured the moment in my old reliable sketchbook.

In response to Enda's comments, which are much appreciated:

"David" is 17' tall on a 6' pedestal.  The upper body is deliberately enlarged, to compensate for the visual distortion, caused by vertical perspective, when viewed from the ground.

Is this a Major League pitcher winding up to unleash a 100 mph fastball ????

James

Day 20 - Final Full Day in Italy

Okay it's day XX, one more day and back home we go. We have all tried through narrative and photography to give you our impressions during our marvellous excursion. This is my last offering and tomorrow it is left to James the daunting task of summing it all up.

Other than mentioning that today we made a special trip to Gallerie Academia to see the original David (I can describe it by saying it well lives up to its reputation, and is another WOW!). However right now I would rather use my turn to salute another thing of beauty, something I'm sure the others are feeling but not so far alluded to in print, it is a warm and wonderful friendship. As much as I shall treasure the memories of the art, the culture, the history and beautiful landscapes, so will I also remember how well the four of us enjoyed each others company. Thank you James and Eleanor for being our really good friends, better travelling companions one could not wish to have. It's been a slice! And thank you Carol-Ann for being here to enjoy this with me. You were great! Even with the ordeal of trying to sell our house over the internet and I began to falter you stayed positive and you were right. We did it! I love you. (Now there is two things in a row that you accuse me of not saying often enough, so don't expect it again soon.)

Photos of David were not allowed so the following picture is offered in lieu of that and another thousand words.

Arrivederci Italia.

Noel

Day 19 - Basilico di Santa Croce and the Pitti Palace

When you think you have seen it all and you feel nothing can be more spectacular, then today was a day to behold!!!

We started our day with an open tour of Florence where you hop on and off the bus as you wish. After viewing this magnificent city with a guided tour of all its history, we made our first stop at the oldest church," Basilica di. Santa Croce" where we saw the tombs of Michelangelo and Galileo as well as memorials to Dante & Florence Nightingale.

Our next stop was the Pitti Palace. Needless to say, it was our last on this day of unbelievable grandeur!! The Pitti with thousands of paintings gracing the numerous rooms of the Medici's old palace, all sumptuously frescoed and decorated, making the Uffizi and maybe even the Sistine Chapel look like a preamble. Believe me this is not to make light of the Sistine, but the grandeur of the magnificent treasures are beyond words. Not only is room after room full of works by Raphael, Rubens,Titians, Caravaggio, Andrea del Sarto, and countless others, but the magnitude and scale of all the treasures was unbelievable. Unfortunately photos in most rooms are forbidden, but a touch to give you an inkling.

We only saw part of the palace...they say you could spend a week and not see it all, but we did take a few moments to see part of the gardens with the Grand Grotto of Buontalenti. In the gardens alone one could spend a week to see it all .

If you ever come to Florence, the Pitti Palace is a must on your list of sites to behold and treasure. It is unbelievable that one family could have so much. No wonder they started the banking business.

We finished our day at our favourite ristorente "The Dante".

Florence is all that they say and then some. Tomorrow is our last full day to enjoy all the treasures of this magnificent place.

Eleanor

Michaelango's tomb

Tribute to Florence Nightingale

The Pitti Palace

Raphael's Portrait of a Young Woman (la Velata)

The Grotto

An interesting fountain

The Earth Artists enjoying their last Florence meal at "THE DANTE"

Day 18 - Tuscany Vineyard Tours

Today we headed for the Chianti area with Angelo Rocca our private chauffeur http://www.rentcarwithdriver.it/ . The area between Florence and Siena is one of the most renowned areas for wine production in the world taking its name circa 13C. We stopped at the estate, Castellor di Verrazzano, for wine tasting. The next stop of our tour was the quaint village of Chianti. On our way back to Florence, we visited Castello di Gabbiano which gave us another spectacular view of the hills dotted with farmhouses, villas, castles, turreted hamlets, olive-groves and vineyards.

Words cannot describe what I saw today. It is too beautiful. I will let the pictures speak for me.

Carol-Ann

Day XV11 - Florence "The Museum without Walls"

Florence has always been called “the Museum without Walls” and how true it is in the case of Piazza della Signoria, which has been the center of political, social and cultural life in the city since the 14th century.

In the public square, no bigger than a football field, is an open-air sculpture gallery where the magnificent artistic achievements of the Italian Rennaisance sculptors are displayed in all their glory and majesty, for all to see and touch and feeeeeeel......

Masterpieces such as Michelangelo‘s “David” (lifesize replica) Bandenelli‘s “Hercules’s, Ammaunati’s “Neptune“, and Giambologna’s “Duke Cosimo” are located in the open square, while the Loggia dei Lanzi, a classical colonnade designed by Orcagna in the 14th century, displays the masterpieces of Cellini, Giambologna and many of their contemporaries.

If you still have breath left, come stroll with me, for a hundred yards on the narrow street linking the square and the Arno river. Under the arches of another colonnade, by the façade of the Uffizi Gallery, are twenty glorious portrayals, by glorious artists, of glorious artists, who contributed to the glorious achievements of the Italian High Rennaisance in all areas of human endeavour. After centuries of the dark ages, the artists and philosophers of the renaissance found their inspiration in the ancient civilizations and cultures of China, Egypt and Greece.

Now it is back to reality and standing in line for three hours and twenty five minutes to enter the hallowed halls and galleries of the Uffizi Gallery. The highlight of our tour was the current exhibition of Carravagio's and Carravagiesque art. Inspired by the dramatic use of light, tenebresi, Carravagio and his "Mannerist" followers give new meaning to spirituality in art, art produced in a state of higher consciousness, when the artist is "in spirit" or inspired, and can inspire and elevate the spirit of the viewer.

It seems to me that the world of art has lost its way and has been gobbled up by the dizzy digital world of commercial exploitation. It is conceivable that, before the end of the present decade, an art treasure, already stored in a safe, secure, air-conditioned vault will be moved to another safe, secure, air-conditioned vault for an amount in excess of a billion dollars, euros, yen or rubles.

Artists and art-lovers unite, James

Day XVI - First full day in Firenze (Florence)

It is day XVI and our first full day in Florence, or Firenze as the Italians call it. After walking the entire day and wending our way to its highest point, S. Miniato Al Monte, I would have to agree that this is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cities in the world. No single superlative could possibly describe this place but three that come to mind are spectacular, awesome and WOW!

The inspired sculptures of the masters everywhere and set amongst the warm earthy tones of buildings hundreds of years old - spectacular!

The view of Firenze from S.Miniato as the sun occasionally broke through the dark angry clouds creating an almost ethereal glow to the city below - awesome!

The natural beauty of the surrounding Tuscany countryside and its brooding blue/grey mountains contrasting with the brilliant foliage of mid-autumn - WOW!

There was almost no place you could look that didn't suggest a painting. So what if the surly clouds intermittently dropped their payload on us, we were dressed for it. After all they did the same on the distant mountains and it looked great from where we stood. Nothing could dampen our spirits on this day and hopefully the following few photos from our little "snap-happy" group will show you why.

Enjoy!

Noel