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 … Continue reading
If this shot above were wider, then just a bit to the right you would see Florence’s iconic Duomo, capping the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Pictured here, however, a very similar-in-“miniature” dome graces the Cappella dei Principi (Chapel of the Princes), one of two structures comprising the Medici Chapels in the complex of the … Continue reading
If the universe had commissioned Walt Disney to create Italy, what he would have crafted, in my opinion, would have looked like today’s Verona. Verona is that exquisite, and magical. Verona Image Credit Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way. The entire city of Verona has been named one of UNESCO’s World … Continue reading
Il Ponte Vecchio “Water under the bridge” is a common English saying. In Italian one would say acqua passata non macina più, literally translated as water gone no longer roils. Regardless the language, the water under this famous bridge is the river Arno, which it has spanned for centuries. The Ponte Vecchio is one of my … Continue reading
A Guest Post by Valter Baldu I’m so happy to share today’s post by Valter of Tourist by Chance — Italian born, living in Rome and loving being a tourist in his own country. His blog is rich with Italian travel details and photos, and he often takes readers off the typical tourist path. Today … Continue reading
Basilica di San Paolo Fuori Le Mura “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – Paul the Apostle, 1 Corinthians 13:13. In the early first century Paul the Apostle Paul — one of the original followers of Jesus — was executed in Rome by order of Roman emperor Nero. … Continue reading
There were exactly two things I knew for sure about the Last Supper: 1. It was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. 2. It was somewhere in Milan. (Clearly, I’m not an art historian.) This capolavoro (masterpiece) had long been on my wish list of Things to See in Italy, but mostly just to check it off the … Continue reading
