“You cannot miss the Farmacia!” urged my friend Rachel a couple of years ago in Florence. We finished our caffès and then she expertly guided me through Florence’s cobbled streets to Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella. The “pharmacy”, which today is really more of a fragrance museum, still sells formulations which were popular among…
Category: Snapshots from Italy
Through the Medieval Wall
Monteriggioni, Provence of Siena in Tuscany. I invite you to sign my guestbook, and to join me on Facebook, where I share often about Italy! This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.
Lovely Lecce
“If Puglia were a movie, Lecce would be cast in the starring role.” — Lonely Planet Also called “the Florence of the South,” Lecce is a gorgeous gem in the heel of Italy’s boot. Above is an irresistible vicolo (alley) I stumbled upon while wandering Lecce with my cugini. This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.
Scenes from inside the Duomo
I never meant to climb to the top of the Duomo in Florence, but then I did. And, as often happens while traveling, this accident turned into a very special memory. I wandered the same tight turns and corridors as Duomo’s mastermind Filippo Brunelleschi and his workers. I even saw tools — some of them…
For the love of La Bella Lingua
Congratulations to Dianne Hales and LA BELLA LINGUA, her memoir documenting her love of Italian and all things Italy. Seven years after its release, LA BELLA LINGUA this week sits at #8 on a New York Times bestseller list. “Italians say that someone who acquires a new language ‘possesses’ it. In my case, Italian possesses me.” Auguri,…
Italy Love
This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas. Image Credit
Someone to watch over me
I’m not sure what the street sign means exactly, but logic tells me that it’s a warning to drivers or pedestrians. But never fear, at this potentially treacherous corner, there’s someone to watch over us all. ❤ I love the little niches and altars that are ubiquitous in Italy. They make me feel safe,…
Lots and lots of Locks.
The view from the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, is stunning in every direction. Yet despite all of the eye candy within site (the Arno river, two other breathtaking bridges, all in the shadow of Brunelleschi’s famous dome), the question going through my mind was, “what’s with all the locks?” Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons I…
Happy 70th, Vespa!
Auguri — best wishes — to Vespa, an Italian classic for 70 years this month! Above: It looks like an ad, but it’s just an average Friday on this Florence sidestreet. Below: Another orderly daytime lineup of motorini, this time in front of the remnants of Sant’Orsola convent in Florence, where (Mona) Lisa Gherardini is thought to…
Italy in One Word
Especially fitting is that the two characters in this dialogue are speaking of Italy. ❤ The post Italy in One Word first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas. For more Snapshots from Italy, please click here.
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