Wow! It has been tough getting to the internet place on time. The café I go to says I can be on the internet until 7:30pm. However, I am always rushed out as they prepare for their evening bar atmosphere. I went there for lunch today and was told to sit wherever I would like. I figured I could do lunch and emailing at the same time. The lady told me to sit wherever I would like. Then I was told, rudely, by another guy that the one free table I was sitting at was reserved. I kindly asked him where I could sit to eat lunch and he said, "Wherever you want to!" So….. I realized I was in a predicament and left. Now I am writing this from home and plan to send it as soon as possible.
I do not mind this, however, as right now I am watching the world's all time greatest movie on TV. Yes, my friends, I have now seen it all. Watching The Goonies in Italian is just as wonderful as watching it in English.
Why am I in my house watching a movie? Well, I started off my day on a bad foot. I overslept and missed my train to Lucca this morning. I decided I was unusually tired and that I would have a relaxing day, mostly around the house. But fear not! I have had a few fun days that I need to catch you all up on!
On Thursday I visited the Brancacci Chapel, located in the Church of Santa Maria Del Carmine. I started the tour by watching an awesome movie that recreated the fire of the 18th century that destroyed most of the church. However, the frescoes by Masaccio and Masolino did survive and were restored to their former beauty. These are perhaps my favorite frescoes in Florence. They tell the stories of St. Peter, and the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Brancacci was a silk merchant in Florence and he commissioned the frescoes for his chapel in the church. Thus, Massacio honored him by dressing the figures in his frescoes in beautiful silk, colorful, Florentine clothing
As I said, the movie I watched was so amazing. It told the story of the Carmenites, who are the oldest order of churchmen in the world, dating back to the time of the Apostles. Other church orders include the Franciscans and the Dominicans. The film used an old painting of Florence and turned it into a 3D map. It would fade in and out of the buildings form the painting to the same buildings in modern day Florence. It really made me realize how old this city is and that the very building I am living in for these five weeks is likely to be very old. If I were living in Florence at the end of the 1400s, Leonardo Da Vinci would be my neighbor, and I would be right next to the official business of Florence and of the Medici Family. It is really incredible when considering the history of our little Nevada City only goes back to the 1800s.
On Thursday night, I finally visited my favorite restaurant in Florence: Acqua al' Due. Oh mah Gah, it was delicious. I always order the Chicken with Port Wine sauce. It is soooo good. My mom and I have been trying to master it for 6 years. One time we thought we were close, but upon having it again, I realize we are oh so far away. I could quite possibly eat it every night of my life. I also thought of a dear friend, I will call her by her first initial, K, so as to avoid any embarrassment on her part. She told me that one particular dinner she had in Italy was so good, she licked the plate. Well, K, I know how you feel and you will be happy to know, I have discovered a few methods that allow you to clean your plate, whilst not looking too crazy: One, cut your food into the tiniest pieces possible and them drown them in the sauce. If need be, save the last little piece, using it is a vehicle for the remainder of the sauce in question. While it may look weird to double dip and lick your chicken, it still is not like licking the plate. Second, Italians eat bread at dinner for a reason. Use it to sop it all up!
However, based on what I saw last night, I would not consider someone to be crazy for licking his or her plate. I was dining in a restaurant around the corner and saw an older gentleman eating alone as well. He had ordered two bottles of wine, both different, and was mixing them in his glass. I can't imagine he could drink two whole bottles! Once he started eating, I noticed something. He would take a bite and then lick the fork over and over, while whispering to it between licks. He did this as if he were kissing the neck of a beautiful woman while whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Italians: very romantic and lovers of good food! (I promise, I did not make this up) I was so intrigued that I had to order a second café to prolong my visit, allowing me to watch more. So, a plate of pasta, .5 liter of vino, a BIG bottle of Acqua Naturale, a salad, and two coffees later I was stuffed and could not help but say "Buona Sera," to the man on my way out. A little more wine and might have been talking to my fork too!
Yesterday I finally visited the Uffizi. It was a long day. Please do not get me wrong, I know how wonderful it is for me to have the opportunity to see the Uffizi, but really, in one day there is only so much art one can handle. I rented the audio guide that took me through 50 rooms in the Uffizi Gallery, each filled with priceless works of art. They were beautiful, but I was so exhausted at the end, it did not even bother me that I paid 15 Euro for a cappuccino and a little chicken sandwich in the Uffizi rooftop bar. Some of my favorites in the museum were Botticelli's Primavera and Giotto's Madonna and Child. They also had an extra exhibit entitled the Mind of Da Vinci. It was amazing. They had all of his notebooks, and models of his many inventions displayed.
Leonardo was a bit of a character. He started working under the guidance of Verocchio. When Leonardo was still a boy, he helped to finish one of Verocchio's paintings by painting in one of the angels playing at the baby Jesus' feet. When Verrochio saw the beautiful angel, he vowed never to pick up a paintbrush again, saying he could not possibly go on painting when a mere child outdid him in talent and vision. Verocchio never did paint again, but is well known for his sculptures. As for Leo, he was a genius. He made many important discoveries about math and proportion, and was also an amazing artist. However, he rarely finished his projects. He would become so involved in them, but would soon lose steam as he thought about what he would do next.
This weekend was a very special weekend in Florence. I had not heard anything about it, but on Thursday and Friday night they had set up colored lights in Piazza Della Signoria. On Friday night, they started showing images of the floods in Florence. I then realized that this weekend was the 40 year anniversary of the great flood of 1966 that destroyed countless works of art in Florence. In some places, the floodwaters rose twenty feet in most of the buildings in Florence. Some pieces of art have been restored, but many were lost. I have heard there is a building in Florence that houses thousands of artworks and books simply waiting their turn to be restored. It was a horrible event in Florentine history.
Today, having missed the train, I was lucky enough to see the ceremony they held in the Piazza. There was a parade filled with trumpeters and flag throwers. They were all dressed in traditional Renaissance Florence regalia. There was a speech by the mayor and then members of the fire brigade descended the face of Palazzo Vecchio, dropping the Italian flag and raising a flag with the city seal (the Giglia) on it. It was a really touching time to be in Florence. The fact that it was not advertised around town was a testament, I thought to the private nature of the celebration. This history is something that the world does feel, but mostly it is the Florentines who lost so much, watching their beautiful city fall to pieces.
I have started reading two more books. One is called Sky Burial: An Epic Love Story of Tibet by Xinran. It is amazing. It tells the story of a woman who goes through unbearable things to find her husband across the fighting lines of Tibet in the 1950s. If you are feeling down, or like life is tough at anytime, read this book and you will see what true suffering is like. I am also reading the 700 some odd page book, The Lives of the Artists, by Giorgio Vasari. He was a Florentine who, in the 1500s, wrote biographies on all the major Florentine artists. I find it to be interesting, but really tough to read. Vasari clearly never took a writing class, as most of his sentences run on and on. One sentence had 317 words!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is a lot!
Well, I suppose that is all for now. I am planning a trip to Volterra on Monday and then the Accademia on Tuesday to see The David. I will have to fit in my Lucca trip sometime soon. I hope you are all well and will catch up with you all soon.
Love and Tanti Bacci
Fire Brigade, Flood Images, and Parade
No comments:
Post a Comment