Thank goodness my timing is good in terms of the weather.
right before my arrival to Italy I heard it was just as rainy and cold down here as Germany, and the last days have just been gorgeous. Siting out on Danielle’s porch with the wondrous scent of the wisteria blooming above, the bees humming for pollen, and the sun shining bright and warm with still a little crisp in the air. Perfect Spring beginnings.
Students are abundant throughout Florence, Italian and American, flocking to the Plazas to hang out, smoke and eat gelato.
I had planned to go to Pisa today, but woke up with a stiff neck so decided to just relax and stay in with Danielle’s family and sit on the porch updating my web site, instead of continuing my touristic ways.
But I had a lovely long day yesterday, first teaching Danielle and her husband how to use the sewing machine they bought two years ago, then taking a bus all the way up into the hills above Florence to gaze at the view to then slowly make my way back down into the town center. On my way towards Santa Croce I passed one of those huge wooden doors that open up into private courtyards behind, there was a beautiful ray of light shining from behind an open fence, so I casually walked in to gaze up at the frescoes when I saw a sign for Sarah Lawrence, my old almumater. I had stumbled upon the house where Danielle and so many of my other Sarah Lawrence friends had lived and studied when they spent a year abroad in Florence. So many of them like Danielle fell in love with both Italy and Italian men and returned to live in and around Florence.
While walking through the Ufizzi made this observation that all the figures in the paintings from the bible and myths are all quite fluid, colorful, and naked with expressive faces but the portraits of the gentry and nobles are all clothed, dark, stoic and stiff. I guess it would have been rather scandalous for the living conservative religious rich folk to exhibit themselves in the buff like Jesus., Apollo and David.
Don’t know if this is a blessing our a curse, but yesterday got a little taste of two of my favorite Italian sweets: a baby cannoli and coconut gelato. Yum yum. I have actually managed without trying to have a gelato a day since being in Italy, except for today. Today we had fresh Focaccia from right out of the oven. Oh my poor poor figure.
Tomorrow onto Switzerland to see Celine.
best,
Michele
PS gotta love these lamps I saw up at Plaza Michelangelo over looking Florence.
