Cimabue for breakfast, Giotto for Lunch and Botticelli for tea

 Mark Twain would have done just fine had he hung around with me for my first trip to Firenze (Florence). Twain famously wrote in his Altas travel letters (which later became the book Innocents Abroad) that he did not want Michelangelo for breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. My first sight of Florence's swarming abundance of art was tinged by a Twain-like irony.

At 8:30 a.m. we walked into the Piazza de la Republica (1895) whose huge arches were masked by the temporary stage being set up for a Hard Rock cafe concert by the 1980s rock group Simple Minds. Just above the towering stage was the Piazza's  grandiose prose proclaiming: "L'antico centro della città da secolare squallore a vita nuova restituto." (The old city center restored from secular squallor). But any hint of Twain's cynicism vanished in the next few minutes as we arrived in the Piazza della Signoria and caught our first sight of the huge Medici palazzo and the "office buildings" contructed by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for  Cosimo de' Medici. This is the Uffizi. Outside the museum is a sculpture gallery with beautiful copies of some of the most iconic statues in the world. It was tempting just to take photos of them-simulacra that they were.

La Fontana de Neptuno by Bartolomeo Ammannati (1560-75)

We were a large group (15 participants, our directors Bill Stephany and Ron Herzman plus our art history specialist Christie Fengler-Stephany, and  Lynn Kennison and her husband Wes, and family members of many participants). The guards were nervous at our number, but very accommodating. Pictures are not allowed in the gallery itself but here is one of two wonderful dog statues flanking the entrance to the first room.

The first room we entered (Room 2) houses three huge altarpieces from the late 13th century. Cimabue (c.1280) Santa Trinita Maestà  has the most Byzantine traces of the three. The Rucellai Madonna by Duccio (1319), a Sienese, is elegant and more stylized and finally the  Ognizzanti Maestà by Giotto (1310)  shows a Madonna and angels with clear person traits-gestures, emotion and a realistic physical presence. All three of these altar pieces were made during Dante's time and reflect a very radical shift in the way art, artists and people understood religion. The same shift is visible in Dante's works.

The works were overwhelming-but a solid pleasure remains. As my roommate Catherine noted, the salient figures were the women. From Boticcelli's  Primavera  and  Birth of Venus, to da Vinci's Annunciation, the most striking figures were these powerful, breathtakingly beautiful women.

We spent about two hours in the museum but did not get to even half of the rooms. A big surprise was being able to walk through the Corridorio Vasariano that Cosimo had built across the Arno to avoid having to mingle with the people. It was studded with long, unobstructed views of the Arno and Ponte Vecchio, and filled with majestic paintings.

The views from the corridor were stunning. Here is the Ponte Vecchio -you can see that corridor running on the right side of the photo and across the top of the bridge.

Paintings line the Corridorio Vasariano

On the walk, I paused to take photographs here of the wide Arno beneath  us and some of the scores of paintings lining the wall.

The pictures provide a small idea of the grandeur and scale-but it was truly overwhelming. One can only wonder where Aristotle's idea of the golden mean was in all of this.

Happily, I discovered that goats were portrayed positively in several master works. Below is one particular painting- I believe this is by Benedetto Luti (1666-1724) though we were rushed and my notes are as scattered as were my thoughts at this time.

Outside was the poured concrete faux grotto that the Medici family constructed to have a cool space in summer. The dripping structure was reminiscent of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church in Spain.

Naturally, I loved the inclusion of a whole flock of concrete sheep, and the lovely goats painted on the dome as if high on the slopes of a hill.

It was time to forage for some food of our own. We walked the short distance across the Ponte Vecchio to il due fratelli (the two brothers) panini  shop and bought amazing sandwiches on the best bread that I have had so far. We split into smaller groups and explored the piazza by the Duomo  and walked to the Academia were Michelangelo's 17 foot high David  is housed. Unfortunately the museum was closed on Mondays so we will have to wait another day-perhaps we'll arrive there at tea time and toast Mr. Twain then.

Do not delay

Gelato. Those of you who know me know that, though I love making desserts, I am more a pickle and meat girl than a sweets addict. I have, however, been ready to try some of the artful pastries and ambrosial desserts that I have heard so much about here.

Reading through Canto 28 of Inferno I came across this line: " il fornito sempre con danno l'attender sofferse" (one prepared always suffers from delay". Dante took this (according to the notes) from Lucan's Pharsalia: "tolle moras; semper nocuit diferre paratis" ("do not delay: waiting always harms those who are ready"). Thus admonished by not one but two great poets, I went out to try Gelato.

"Don't delay! Get thee to a gelateria now!"

I am four Cantos from the foot of purgatory in my reading, but my body is gazing at the radiant face of Beatrice after eating two scoops of gelato at Kopakabana Gelateria (up near the Duomo on Via San Pietro). I had cioccolata and yogurt con nutella-with little hazelnut chunks covered in chocolate as I sat watching people take their evening passagiatta through the beautiful streets of Siena.

The palio continues to wash over the city-I was able to watch the ocaioli  parade the palio to the Contrada di Draco (Dragon contrada) church-they parade to each of the churches of the 16 other contrade today. It was less a rubbing-victory-in-your-face than a blessing from the winners from my admittedly novice perspective.

The Duomo (Cathedral) of Siena-note the black and white stones reflecting the city flag.

Another interesting detail are the members of Oca walking around with pacifiers in their mouths-signifying a rebirth of their contrada after the win.

Tomorrow we go to Florence for a private showing at the Uffizi. This trip took me by surprise-I knew we would visit Dante's home town three times during the seminar-but a private showing at the Uffizi?  Words fail here (this is becoming a more frequent rejoinder the longer I am here in Italy!)

il palio

"e parve di  coloro che corrono a verona il drappo verde per la campagna;  e parve di costoro quelli che vine, non colui che perde"  

"and he seemed one of those who at Verona race for the green cloth across the fields;and of those he seemed the one who wins not the one who loses."

-Inferno, Canto 15

Oca, the contrada  of the goose, has won this years palio della provenzana.  The jockey,  Giovanni Atzeni, rode Mississippi to a spectacular finish-with four riderless horses trying their best to keep pace. 

The events of the day started with a blessing of the horses. Here is a link to see Mississippi's blessing at the Oca  church. Blessing of the horses. The contrade members, jockeys atop huge draft horses, and community members representing medieval guilds from weavers to sausage makers marched in an enormous parade. Perhaps Dante saw similar parades in Florence (one of the three largest cities in Europe during the time that he wrote the commedia). The quote at the beginning of this post reminds us that races (foot and even on bulls) were important events-culminating in the winning of the flag, cloth or palio for which today's event retains its name.

The piazza  was cool after the rains yesterday, and people were incredibly polite despite the large crowds. I was able to get up close to the fence just south east of the starting line. Several Italians helped me position my arm up high enough to take some photos. We had been warned that the crowds would feel crushing, we would be stuck inside the piazza for about 4 hours, and the heat would be oppressive. In fact, any small discomforts from standing for so long were dissipated by the excitement of the spectacle. (and another thing...since when is it a bad thing to be sandwiched for several hours between good looking Italians?) My favorite part of the event were the 15 minutes spent jockeying for position-quite literally. The jockeys circled their horses right in front of me-I could have touched them had I stretched out my arm-as each tried to claim the inside position at the starting line.

There is no starting gate, riders ride bareback, and dropping a simple thick rope like those you might find in a shipyard was the signal to start. The race can be viewed here: Siena tv by clicking on the palio coverage (upper right corner). 

The palio makes a majestic entrance in a medieval ox cart.

As I write this, the streets outside my window are throbbing with crowds of people singing and marching.The victory celebrations are centered on the street just above the fontebranda (see previous post). The palio itself will be carried through the streets by members of the contrada, and finally displayed in their contrada museum.