Our Ninth & Tenth Day In Florence

Yesterday was a lazy day for us. Something that is needed now and then. After all, this is a vacation, and being here for three weeks, there is no rush.

One of the first things we did do when we arrived in Florence, was to find the nearest Tourist Information. Most provide good free toursit maps of the city, as well as hand outs of local attractions. We were also given the "The Florentine," a free bi-weekly English newspaper chocked full of useful articles. When you visit Florence, look for the paper, and ask for it if you do not see it. And before leaving for Florence, read their on-line version http://www.theflorentine.net , to start getting you acclimated to this wonderful city.

Hera had contacted them the week before, and they had invited us to drop by their offices. Florence is a compact city, and their offices were just a short walk away at via dei Banchi 4.

We were warmly greeted by them all, they even opened a bottle of wine for us. They asked us about our trip, and we learned more about each of them, as well as the mysterious Tom Fork.

Today, we were back to our usual routine.

We started with a visit to the ever enjoyable Mercato Centrale to pick up more fresh produce. Including lovely large fresh porcino mushrooms, another bottle of wonderfully full flavoured olive oil, and of course, more cheese.

We visited the Museum of San Marco, which unfortunately closes early most days. Fra Angelico had turned down an offer to become Archbishop of Florence, prefering to remain prior (head monk). But he did not turn down the offer to move the Domincan community from near by Fiesole to the new monastery that Cosimo de' Medici built in1439.

Believing art is a form of prayer, Fra Angelico went about painting the new monastery, creating masterpieces as he decorated. There are several large impressive works, as well a numerous paintings in each cell that the monks lived in. I had always envisioned the cells of monks to be tiny. While these rooms are not large, most are of an adequate size.

Several artists were produced by this community, another famous one was Fra Bartolomeo who worked the generation after Fra Angelico. Fra Bartolomeo also painted another famous resident here, brother Savonarola. When the Medici banks failed a couple of years after Lorenzo the Magnificient's death, Savonarola lead a popular ousting of the Medici family that the town felt was morally and politically bankrupted.

At first Savonarola was warmly greeted, as he made Florence a constitutional republic, shifting power from the Medici's and other wealthy families, giving it back to the people. His sermons were spell binding, as he railed against the corruption of the Church and worldly goods. But politics is a dirty business, and the Medici's re-grouped in Rome, and with the backing of the Church and neighboring powers, Savonarola was undermined. And just like today, the populace is fickle with a short memory. He was hanged, and then burned. We are just as fickle today, but no where as harsh when we vote out the old government. Heads do not roll anymore.

One of the delights of Florence, is to simply walk her streets. Deciding not to head back towards the tourist sites, we simply strolled, and came across a near by square called the Piazza della Annunziata and the Hospital of the Innocents. I sat on the steps, as I looked about the square, while Hera snapped photo after photo. Only a gelato can silence her camera.

All roads lead to the Duomo, or so it seems in Flroence, and we found ourselves again at this spectacular church. A week and a half in Florence, and we have yet to step inside.

Behind the church, is the Museum of the Duomo, and today we decided to tour it. Originally this was the workshop for the artists (including where Michelangelo created his David), it now houses many of the original pieces of the Duomo, as well as the Baptistry doors and sculputres that adorn Giotto's tower.

There are many wonderful pieces of art here, including Michelangelo's last work, without a commission, that he intended as his own monument for his tomb.

Michelangelo sculpted himself in Nicodemus who is lowering the crucified Christ into the waiting arms of Mary Magdalene and his Mother Mary. Seen head on, the three seem to struggle with the body of Jesus. But when viewed from the left, Mother Mary is not seen, and the hood covers Nicodemus' face, leaving just Mary Magdalen lifting her arms to receive Jesus. While when viewed from the right side, Mary Magdalene is hidden, and we see Jesus in the arms of his Mother Mary, with Nicodemus looking down from above.

It is a poweful sculpture, but something provoked Michelangelo to destroy it this unfinished work. Fortunately, the pieces were kepted, and an assistant later put the broken pieces back together.

One work that we were eager to see, doors of the Baptistry, was not available for viewing. Michelangelo had said these doors were fit to be the "Gates of Paradise." The copies on the Baptistry are quite spectacular in itself, and it is a pity that we could not see the real ones. Perhaps we need to return to Florence one day.

Cheers,

Anhony & Hera

A Florentine Gastronomical Evening With Friends

The skies were threatening, and the occaissional drop of rain fell as we made our way across the Duomo towards Santa Maria Nouvella. We were to meet our new friends at the Hotel Orlogio's trendy comfortable bar (http://www.hotelorologioflorence.com/ ). They had an appetizing selection of drinks, and Hera decided upon a smokey martinin which was delicious. I felt thirsty, and settled for a simple gin and tonic.

Within moments, we realized we had met a couple of great new friends. Sandro and Donata were warm and enchanting, and we felt we had known them for years. Little did we know at the time, what was soon to unfold.

I am certainly spoiled by Hera's excellent cooking. With fresh produce on hand, wonderful cheeses, fresh pastas, and delicious olive oils, we eat very well. There is always a charm to sit outdoors with a drink, some food, and watch the world walk by. Most meals we have had in Italian restaurants were very good. But I cannot say they were exceptional. Tourists like food they can relate to, and most restaurants cater to them. And I admit, we enjoyed them as well.

But tonight, I felt we finally ate "real " Florentine cuisine, albeit in an updated fashion. It was not only exceptional, it was exquisite. (Purists might argue with me and say it is more an Italian fusion cuisine, rather than specifically Florentine.)

Sandro and Donata had made reservations at Cenacolo del Pescatore (http://www.cenacolodelpescatore.it/en.html), just a short walk away.

The decor is elegant. The hostess, warm and welcoming. As you walk to your table, you feel your expectations rise, but there is no hint of any pretentions.

Perusing the menu, left me a bit confused. The descriptions all sounded interesting and delicious. Sandro recommended we take their multi-course meal, and let the chef decide, something I too would suggest to anyone visiting the restaurant.

Sandro chose a Ribolla Gialla, from Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of northern Italy, on the border of Slovenia and Austria. A medium bodied, refreshing white wine. An excellent choice for the seafood we were soon to eat.

As an appetizer, we were served Paccheri Pizza, with beer jelly cubes and crumbled almonds. Paccheri are a short rigatoni type pasta typical of southern Italy, and dressed with a tomato topping, they reminded one of little pizzas as they briefly transported us to Napoli. To add to the dish, we were each served a small glass of beer.

The next appetizer had us eating deep fried shrimps, shrouded in Rice noodles.

The first course had the ladies eating Octopus served in three ways. Steamed, grilled and deep fried, sitting on a bed of luscious mashed potatoes, with a shot glass of octupus stock in the middle of the platter. I had a taste of two of the three, and I must admit, it was the most delicious octupus I ever had.

Sandro and I were served "Pescatore Styled Bread Salad," a square of bread topped with mussels and squid, with tomatoes and onions. The flavours were delicate and full, perfectly balanced, with no flavour over powering another.

Next we were served a carpaccio of squid and shrimp with cherry tomatoes, mozarella and olive oil. It tastes as delicious as it sounds.

Followed by a cream soup of cannellini beans with mussels. The delicate flavours tickling our taste buds.

It was time for another bottle, and Sandro again chose an excellent bottle of the Sicilian Cometa by Planeta. A white wine that Hera found its nose reminded her of Ice Wine. I agreed, its nose was full with hints of apricots. The taste, was far more subtle and refined, and accompanied our meal perfectly.

The ladies were then served a Tagliatelle with Oyster and lime sauce, while we were served a Porcini Mushroom Risoto with Tarantine Mussels. Each dish was excellent. And at risk of repeating myself, the myriad of flavors where all quite distinct, complementing and never out competing each other.

As a final course, the women were served a Pezzogna (white fish) in a tomato and olive broth, delicate and delicious, while we were served a Lobster salad with a sumptious mayonaise. Need I say it was wonderful?

We were full, but Sandro encouraged us to at least share some desert. So he order a goat cheese cheese cake, the lightest phenomenal cheesecake I ever tasted, while I, quite full, ordered the lemon sorbet. How a sorbet can be this delicious and refreshing I do not know.

Chef Daniele Pescatore deserves accolades for his fine cuisine. Not only is it exceptionally stunning to look at, the flavours are so varied, multi-layered, and as I mentioned a few times above, never over shadowing one another. A true delight in every possible way.

While Cenacolo del Pescatore is not inexpensive, it not really expensive either. One really gets value for the money, and it is a place I would strongly recommend everyone to try on their visit to Florence. It has certainly been a highlight of our visit thus far. (http://www.cenacolodelpescatore.it/en.html)

We thank our new friends Sandro and Donata for taking us here, and of course, we must thank chef Daniele Pescatore and his wonderful team for giving us such a wonderful night we will remember and cherish.

Photographer's note:  As a photograper, Chef Daniel's plates are all about pure visual art and sublime taste. I photographed them under natural low light, light only by candles, hand held. The shots are mere snap shots.

Cheers,

Anhony & Hera

Our Eight Day in Florence

Today was again supposed to be a rainy day, but again we happily awoke to blue skies, albeit it with some clouds a bit threatening.

We were headed off to Pitti Palace for the day.

The wealthy Pitti family started to build their palace on the South side of the Arno river in 1458. While the Medici's were the dominant family, other powerful families joslted for position. Financial meltdowns are not a new phenomenum of our day. The Pitti family went bankrupted, and never finished their palace. A couple of years after Lorenzo the Magnificent's death, so did the Medici banks fail, leading to the exile of the Medici's.

In Rome, the Medici's re-established their power base. The Medici's definitely had friends in high places, and a struggle to re-establish the family in Florence ensued, backed by the Church and neighboring powers. Lorenzo the Magnificent's son soon became Pope Leo X, and ten years later Lorenzo's nephew became Pope Clement VII. Women too played their role, as Catherine de' Medici would marry the future King Henry II of France.

Back in Florence, rich, powerful, and backed by immensely powerful friends in the Church and neighboring states, the Medici's were once again the top family. Weilding enormouse power and influencing the world, the family remained dominant, but they would never regain the near omnipotence that the Medici's once had. The center of the world was shifting to Paris.

Almost a century after the Pitti's started to build their palace, the Medici's bought it in 1549, expanding it, and then moving the family residence there.

Surprised, we learned that the Palace was opened for free this day. I tried to pick up an audioguide, but alas, the ones that had been returned were all charging and would not be ready for another hour. So we toured the palace on our own.

The art collection here is enormous. Walls are covered in paintings three or more rows high. While not displayed to fully give justice to the pieces of work, I much preferred my tour of the Pitti Palace's collection than the Uffizi's collection.

The palace also displays several of the sumptious rooms, filled with furnishings of the day. Many rooms, were redecorated and updated to the tastes of the day, and reminded me of the royal apartments of France. (I did say earlier that the centre of the world had moved from Florence to Paris.)

In addition, there is a museum of fashion, that Hera particularly enjoyed. I enjoyed it as well, and I particularly liked the way the curator placed similar styles of clothing of different epochs next to each other.

As we were about to leave, and visit the Boboli gardens, the sky opened up, and the rain poured down. We meandered about the palace for awhile, and like most summer rains, it was soon over.

A few times I had commented to Hera, that Florence lacks parks and green spaces. While very manicured, the Boboli gardens were a welcomed relief. Free today, there is normally an admission charge to walk the gardens. With so little green space, I hope the City of Florence one day decides to let the Boboli Gardens be open and free for all to enjoy.

Hera was ecstatic. Held back from taking photos in the museum (again I hope Florence will soon allow photographing in museums), and with scenic vistas and details gallore, Hera found images everywhere to photograph. Wide lanes lined with sculptures, lovely enchanting little pathways, fountains and views, one can spend hours if not days strolling the park.

Meandering the streets of the Oltrarno, we headed towards Ponte Vecchio. I knew Hera loved the little cannolos we had a couple of times already, so I reminded her, and she was thrilled to re-visit her favorite pastry shop. We had tried pastries elsewhere, but thus far, this is our favorite. (Caffe Royal - Ristorante de' Bardi sr1 Via de' Bardi 54-64 R)

We hurried back to our apartment. Time had flown by, and though our day was over, we were both excited and eager for the evening ahead.

Cheers,

Hera & Anthony

Our Seventh Day in Florence

Today was supposed to be a rainy day.

While it did rain when we got in last night, we awoke to lovely puffy clouds in a brilliant blue sky.

Today our plan was to visit the Church of Santa Maria Novella. It is Novella (new) because when the Dominicans were assigned the area in 1221, they decided to built a new church on the site of a 9th century oratory of Santa Maria delle Vigne. (On the other side of town, the Franciscans had their Santa Croce Church.)

Architecturally, there is a trompe l'oeil effect, where the nave appears much longer than it really is. This was achieved by having the columns getting slightly closer, the aisle slightly narrower, with the floor rising slightly as well. Architects seemed to have mastered the 3-D effect much earlier than artists were able to apply it to their paintings, until Masaccio came around.

Massaccio's, "The Trinity," gives the effect that one is looking inside a small chapel, with the walls receding away. It would take another generation or two before such perspective became standard in paintings.

There are numerous other aspects of this painting that are firsts. No such barrel vault had yet been constructed since the Roman times, and Mother Mary is not the typical virginal faced girl, but an older more stern looking woman.

Most chapels held the remains of a dearly departed, and under this painting/chapel lies a skeleton with an inscription that reads, "I was once what you are, and what I am you will become."

Other important works can also be found here, Giotto's "Crucifix" hangs in the middle of the church (originally over the main alter), while Brunelleschi's wooden "Crucifix" depicts a realistic man crucified.

Brunelleschi was competing against his friend Donatello's crucifiction hanging at the Santa Croce church. Santa Maria Novella was of the Dominican Order, more intellectual, and in a sense, more noble, and so is Brunellschi's Christ. While Santa Croce was of the Franciscan Order, simpler, of the common man, and Donatello's Christ is much more a common regular man.

Also impressive are the several chapels that competing families hired artists to decorate. Each family trying to out compete each other. In one of them, the young Michelangelo worked as a teenaged apprentice before he was discovered. While another seems purposely effaced, and I wonder if the family had fallen out of favor in town.

The pulpit here, was also where the heretical words of Galileo were first condemned. "How can the earth move around the sun?" As the experts of the day all knew that everything revolves around the earth. They even refused to look into his telescope at Jupiter where they would have clearly seen Jupitor's moons revolving around Jupiter, but then they would be wrong and Galileo right. Better not to look, after all, they know the truth.

Although not a typical destination, around the corner at 16 Via della Scala is an ancient perfume shop that is defintely worth the visit. Originally part of the Domincan herb garden for their own private stock of medicine, it later offered it services to the neighborhood. Medicinal herbs as well as fragrances made the old fashioned way can be bought here.

While the web allows one to share, thoughts, images and even sounds, it cannot yet share the wonderful fragrances we enjoyed.  The shop girl sprayed fragrances onto a paper sniffing wand, and after sampling several, Hera decided upon a seasonal room fragrance entitled "Summer."

The night before we had sampled some micro brewery beer, and one that we had enjoyed was nearby. Mostodolce can be found at 114/r Via Nazionale. If you enjoy unique flavors that can only be had by smaller productions, this place is worth the visit. Besides, it allows one to rest, and people watch.

This was a new neighborhood for us. Less touristy than most, and we walked the streets, entered some shops, then headed back for home.

Cheers,

Anthony &  Hera