Spring Break

During the Easter school holidays Kate and I spent a few days in Florence.  I’ve never been and recently have read several novels set there (‘Still Life’ by Sarah Winman, ‘The Marriage Portrait’ by Maggie O’Farrell and a reread of ‘A Room with a View’).  I was looking forward to seeing all the places described in the books. Florence is a beautiful city and we had glorious sunny weather even though it was a bit chilly. Here we are on the Ponte Vecchio. 

Of course it was very, very busy.  After I retired from teaching, I hoped to avoid travelling in school holidays.  I didn’t reckon on my most willing travelling companion becoming a teacher. I tried to avoid queues by booking in advance for some things but still there was a lot of standing around and dodging groups on guided tours. 

Kate is not especially keen on spending too much time in art galleries. So we didn’t linger too long in the Uffizi. The Birth of Venus was surrounded by hordes of people taking photos.  I was more interested in the portraits.  I liked the one of the surly looking teenager. And both of us responded strongly to one showing a man being beheaded by two very determined looking women.  It was ‘Judith slaying Holofernes’, by Artemisia Gentileschi.  The notes told us that he was a rapist and the artist was female. Not too many works by women in the gallery.  I read afterwards that this is likely to be a self portrait and that the artist had been assaulted as a young woman.

Reminds me of a rather reluctant student I used to teach

Kate not terribly impressed by Botticelli

She did, however, enjoy her bruschetta

To be honest, I’d rather be outside than in an art gallery.  The wisteria was out in Italy and the scent of this huge specimen was delicious. The one I planted last year is making slow progress up the pergola and has a few promising looking flower buds. 

On our second day in Florence, Kate and I visited the Pitti Palace.  Eleanor of Toledo, wife of Cosimo 1, di  Medici featured as a character in ‘The Marriage Portrait’ and I wanted to see the royal apartments and also an exhibition about her.  It seems she was quite a strong woman who had helped design the palace and gardens though she died before it was completed. The display included portraits of her, her husband and her many children by the artist Bronzino.  There was a one of a toddler of about 18 months holding a goldfinch, apparently a Christian symbol for this baby was destined to be a Cardinal at the age of 17. I couldn’t help wondering if the child posed for the picture with the goldfinch and what he would do with the poor creature if it were still alive. After the exhibition we explored the Boboli Gardens behind the palace.  Very impressive in a formal way, all clipped hedges and fountains - rather like Versailles, but sadly lacking in flowers. 

Another day we decided to get away from the crowds, travel to Fiesole like Lucy Honeychurch in ‘A Room with a View’ and find fields of violets.  The film was apparently shot in the gardens of Fattoria di Maiano so we booked tickets.  We never did get there, getting into a muddle with buses and then ending up, thanks to a dodgy online map, at the back wall of the huge estate - at least half an hour’s walk from the entrance. We gave up, travelled back on the bus and consoled ourselves with an ice cream. We did, however, climb up to Piazza Michelangelo at sunset one evening and enjoyed the view over the city.  Some grumpiness on that trip too as I dithered crossing the busy road and nearly got run over.  Italians seem to have a rather lax attitude to road safety. 

Back home now and pleased that spring has arrived in my own garden.  The first photo as taken on 10th March.  The others just over a month later.