Art is much more powerful when it jumps from the pages of a book and you can enjoy it face to face. We found Masaccio’s masterpiece, The Holy Trinity, sitting quietly inside Florence’s Santa Maria Novella church, a peaceful and cool oasis from a crowded summer day in the city. This work is considered “one…
Category: Snapshots from Italy
Variations on a Theme: Italian Storefronts and Shop Windows
Who can resist the artistry of a well-arranged, colorful, symmetrical or even crowded shop window? Most of these are from Italy (primarily Florence), but a couple are not (leave your guess in the comments section). Click on an image to enlarge. Settling on a subject was a little tricky, as I have quite a…
Street Art Then and Now
Modern street art in Florence Street (really floors) as art from ancient Rome in the Forum. More Snapshots from Italy found here.
Snapshots from Italy: Weathered
In my own country I might balk at mouldering structures with peeling paint and other blemishes, but in Italy they are proud and beautiful, standing for all to see as a testament of resilience. Today’s Weekly Photo Challenge is weathered, and I found quite a collection of favorites in honor of this theme. Below, the view…
Charming Certaldo
About one hour by car or train lies the picturesque little hamlet of Certaldo, home of Renaissance’s literary giant, Giovanni Boccaccio. The big cities in Italy were filled with visitors on this hot summer day, but in Certaldo it was fairly quiet and pleasantly breezy. We leisured through the cobbled streets, keeping ourselves busy capturing…
Leaving Love Notes in Florence
In the narrow cobbled streets just off via del Corso winding through Dante’s Florence, there is an unassuming stone church tucked neatly into the facade of ancient buildings. It is the Chiesa di Santa Margherita dei Cerchi, dating back to 1032 and named for the 12th century Cerchi Family. Although the plaque below identifies it as…
Say Your Prayers
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.” -St. Francis of Assisi Pulling this one from the archives to send blessings to all who need comfort and peace, both near and far. —  This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.
Simple, Stone, Sacred
“I never tire of going into Italian churches. The vaulted arches and triptychs, yes. But each one also has its characteristic blue dust smell, the smell of time. The codified Annunciations, Nativities, and Crucifixions dominate all churches. At the core, these all struggle with the mystery of the two elementals — birth and death.” “As…
A Church with a View
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,…
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…
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