The morning started out very wet and rainy but we set off with umbrellas in tow to see the Bargelo Museum in Florence anyway.
Peeks of blue appeared in the distant sky as we rounded the 20 kilometers of turns and twists on the road from our place in Montespertoli to our parking place above Florence. The sky still drizzled on us as we walked the 15 minutes to the museum and when we entered the courtyard of this 800 year old building ('twas the original Florence town hall and jail in the 1200s) I was greeted by the familiar smell of rain on old stone that is so characteristic for me of european places.
Sunshine broke through around midday, making this one of the most beautiful weather days we have had.
We walked through the heart of Florence, past the Duomo (the Cathedral which we will tour later this week) and to the Mercato Centrale (Merkahto Chentralay), dodging traffic and diesel fumes along the way. This huge food market has fresh meats (every part of the cow and pig, snout to tail, including intestines - yum!), fowl, fish, and every kind of vegetable and fruit. We lunched in the market at a small ristorante that was filled with Italian workers but we passed on the tripe/intestine.
Later in the day we visited San Minato Church and heard part of the Latin sung Mass of the Benedictine brothers there. I recognized the sung Kyrie from my Catholic childhood. When we emerged from the church into the early evening the smell of wood smoke was in the air as we looked out over Florence.
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ReplyDeleteI like that you describe the smells you took in yesterday. That was really fun and brings the journal to life!
ReplyDeleteWho is that lady next to you in the gallery? She looks familiar.
I really like the top picture, it reminds me of the medieval/renaissance architecture of Italy that is so lovely but that I haven't seen for so long and sort of forgot about. All of those nooks and crannies and friezes are so charming. Say hi to the Medicis for me.
So is the quest for a new pope all over the headlines?
Is that a new coat Hmmama?
Lastly, did you spot any horse meat in the mercato? ;-)
Google translate suggests you might what to watch out for "carne di cavallo".
ReplyDeleteI guess that it is Dad's jacket. He has many layers, but it looks like he is missing the top one. I guess Hmmama is wearing Papa's coat! :)
ReplyDeleteThat building that dates back to the 1200s would have been there during the storyline of "World Without End," the second novel in the Ken Follett series about the cathedral in England. One of the characters lives through the plague as it ravages Florence around that time. I bet that building housed victims of the plague! I love the history! I love buildings that are multiple hundreds of years old. Just think of all of the life that has passed through before you: all of the different people with different life stories and different concerns and different struggles! Wow!