Outside, the day was steamy and still, a typical late afternoon July day in Florence. But inside, ahhhh, inside the walls of San Miniato al Monte, which have stood watch over the Florentines since 1018 from one of the city’s highest points, inside was cool and subdued. We happened to wander in at 17:30, which,…
Author: Stacy Pollard
Prayers & Piazzas: part travel guide, part travel journal, celebrating all things Italy.
Seaside
What a luxury to take a break from steamy sightseeing to enjoy one of the many beach clubs dotting the Italian shoreline. This one is in Puglia, where many Italians head for ferie in agosto (holidays in August). The soft, clear waters of the Adriatic Sea kiss the craggy shoreline, and at this beach club, many of…
Can’t Resist a Libreria
In the Piazza del Duomo of Florence the main attraction is Santa Maria del Fiore, the city’s iconic red-domed cathedral. (If you look closely at the photo below, you can see the green and white marble of the church reflected in the shop window.) If you are a lover of books and the Italian language,…
Pasqua Con Chi Vuoi – An Italian Easter Proverb
This popular Italian proverb means, “Christmas with your family, Easter with whomever you want.” I imagine Holy Week is full of festivities all over Italy! Please share in the comments any special experiences you’ve had during Eastertime in Italy. Looking for more Pasqua-related proverbs? I suggest L’Italo-Americano. For Italian Easter traditions, visit Becoming Italian Word by Word (this…
Inviting…
Above: Just the little bar in the piazza up the street from our hotel in Bellagio: simple but well-supplied. I love how decorative the glass candy jars are! Above: Venchi is a high-end gelato and chocolate shop with locations across Italy and throughout the world. The window displays are both eye-catching and artistic, and we…
La Primavera
Although I have not yet been to Italy in primavera, beautiful flowers abound year-round, and I hope these snapshots infuse a bit of Spring into your day. All photos my own except the image above from Spello, credit here.
Staircase Serenity
Need a little peace infused into your week? Picture yourself here, resting on this tranquil stone staircase, gelato or caffè in hand! Image from Varenna, Lake Como, Italy.
True Love
Quote from Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Photo somewhere near Rome’s Spanish Steps by Stacy di Anna Pollard. I invite you to sign my guestbook, and be sure to like my Facebook page, where I share often about Italy!
A Historically Proud City
I keep expecting to tire of reading about Renaissance Florence, but thus far, that hasn’t happened. After writing my recent post on Renaissance reads, I was inspired to start the biography Leonardo: The Artist and the Man by Serge Bramly. Just a couple of chapters in, Bramly sets the stage of Florence at the time when…
Sunshine, Shadows, Lemon Trees, Medici
The peaceful garden of the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, in the golden light of a perfect fall day in Florence. Five quick facts about the palazzo: 1. The palazzo was commissioned by Cosimo the Elder — founder of the Medici bank and the patriarch of the political dynasty — in 1444. 2. An early design by…
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