In this time of the pandemic Covid 19, travel plans have had to be put on hold. Disappointing for sure. Those of you who were looking forward to visiting Florence may still be able to enjoy museums tours and as well as special presentations given by some of Florence’s most sought after art historians and tour guides…all online. Think of this as a time to build your foundation in all things Florentine so when the world opens up for business you will be all set to go. So take a break from Netflix streaming and tune into Florence.
The following link takes you to Art Historian Elaine Ruffolo’s web site. Last Sunday I joined her zoom presentation on the highlights of the life of the artist Caravaggio. There were close to 300 in attendance. It was a very special treat. Sunday, April 26 she will be discussing Michelangelo. Check her website for future virtual presentations. Not only will you be experiencing first rate events, presented by an expert you also will be better prepared to enjoy your trip to Florence hopefully in the near future.
There are over 70 museums in Florence and some have virtual tours. Two that have a good selection of virtual tours are the Uffizi and Grand Museo del Duomo
Works at the Museum of the Duomo, including Michelangelo’s last Pieta.
At the start of the quarantine in Florence, the Councilor for Culture and President of the Teatro della Toscana established an open and shared forum for artists to contribute and use a venue to stream concerts, and performances through a you tube channel: https://tinyurl.com/firenzetv
Let’s continue to take comfort connecting with our families, friends and communities through platforms such as zoom, skype, What’s App and to also travel to our favorite destinations. Florence is just a click away!
It’s been two years since I last wrote about new eateries in Florence. Then, I highlighted three that were in the area of Sant’ Ambrogio, about a fifteen minute walk from the center, (well, the way I walk anyway). https://wordpress.com/post/fondlyfromflorence.com/1651
Pescepane, https://www.pescepane.it and Cucineria La Mattonaia, http://cucinerialamattonaia.com I can still happily report are wonderful. As for Zibibbo 2.0, I have not been there recently but I have been told it continues to be outstanding, albeit pricey. Of course Trattoria Cesarino remains a favorite and has a daily changing menu. http://www.trattoriacesarino.it
On my past visit to Florence I realized that restaurants, very close to the center of Florence, (the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Via Tornabuoni) that are up to par, are few and far between. The historic trattoria of 30 years ago is starting to show its age. There are so many tourists squeezed into the Center, that the service and quality of many restaurants can not meet the demand. Word to the wise, check references and do look at the negative reviews on Trip Advisor/Yelp etc.to see if there is a common thread of complaints, realizing that both good and bad reviews on these platforms may be quite subjective.
One can find very good restaurants that continue to deliver in the Center such as I Latini but many are now closed for lunch during the week making dinner reservations a must.
What does one do if wanting to eat lunch in the center of town after a busy morning of sightseeing or shopping? Go to any number of excellent cafe/bars to recharge and rest.
Luisa Via Roma, was renovating their space last I was in Florence so I will be eager to see their new digs.
Cafe Verrazzano serves the most wonderful assortments of freshly baked focaccia with toppings to make you drool as well as platters of cheese and meats to drink with a glass of their delicious chianti: http://www.verrazzano.com/la-cantinetta-in-firenze/
Cafe Verrazzano
On Via Tourabouni is the historic Procacci panini bar (divine little sandwiches that are made with a cream of truffles with various meat, fish and egg fillings) featuring Antinori wine. http://www.procacci1885.it/en/florence
Procacci
For your main meal, it is worth it to walk to neighborhoods that are less frequented by tourists and/or drive or take public transportation to neighboring towns. Car sharing is cheaper than taking taxis, just download the apps: Car to Go; Adduma: & Enjoy, are three of the local companies.
Here are some of my favorites “out of the center” restaurants, not in any particular order.
Here at Le Lune with friends. Always a great time.
Trattoria da Ruggero: Just outside Porta Romana on Via Senese 89R, one can walk from the center of Florence or take a city bus #36 or #37 Great traditional Tuscan food. Two seatings at dinner and open for lunch, closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/florence/da-ruggero
L’Oca Bonda: The Round Duck is a ten minute drive from Piazzale Michelagnelo on the Via Imprunetana Per Pozzolatico 154, opposite a quaint country church you will find a small shop and restaurant, Run by a couple who deliver incredible dishes starting with a focaccia that is irresistible. Pasta dishes are served in their cooking woks, for lack of a better term for the deep skillets. Everything is made to order. Love their carbonara! So worth the drive, which is through beautiful countryside.
Ristoro di Lamole: For a restaurant that has it all, this is the one for you. A beautiful ride through Chianti countryside with unparalleled vistas as well as a gourmet menu. I suggest lunch to enjoy the panorama. Drink the local wine while you drink it all in!
This Fall I will be checking out the foodie scene and promise to update, as your requests center around food & perchè no. If you have some favorite discovery or other feedback please leave your input in the comment section. I’d love to hear from you.
Today seems like an appropriate time to focus on reflection. We often take stock at the beginning of a new year and pause to consider the past year as well as thoughts for the new.
These moments of pause can happen serendipitously when one is walking alone on the streets of Florence and discovers an outside shrine.
In Florence, as in all of Italy, beautiful shrines and tabernacles can be found on buildings in most neighborhoods: Street Art.
Often to be found in unexpected places:
Originally built by the early Romans to honor their pagan gods and ask for their protection, outdoor shrines became common place. With the arrival of Christianity, cities chose their patron saints and dedicated shrines to them. The Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist take top billing in Florence.
So during the course of a walk one can find themselves gazing upon an image that provokes emotion and thought.
Attention and care are evident by the display of flowers and even notes of petition.
The energy can be contagious and you may find yourself in a mediative breath. Your own petitions may come to mind.
No matter what your religion or if any, take a moment to pause and reflect. It can be a welcome moment in a day full of sight seeing and other activities. For me it is a slow down moment. A moment to often think of loved ones or just feel the gratitude of being in such a special place.
Allow me to wish all a very Happy New Year full of joy, peace, love and travel!
I dedicate this post to my brother Robert who recently passed away. Here we are in 2016 in the town of Panzano in Chianti.
Over the past few years there has been a movement on the gourmet scene in Florence to modernize the traditional Tuscan cuisine. I would like to highlight the newer additions we have found. If you are interested in my “oldies but goodies” please check my post of a few years ago: https://fondlyfromflorence.com/2014/01/17/favorite-restaurants-in-florence/
I’ll start with the neighborhood of Sant’ Ambrogio, which happens to my mine.
Yup, this restaurant had its origins as street food! An Ape truck, which is a three wheeler tiny truck, that visits different neighborhoods during the week.
The food truck is so successful that a restaurant was opened.
We have eaten there three times and intend to go regularly. Small menu, that has small plates as well as main dishes and salads, all seafood. Delicious! Here is the small dining area and a fritto misto; grilled calamari and fish bruschetta…yum
Don’t have any personal pics as we are just too busy eating. Everything is good, pasta, meat, fish all with a new twist of old favs as well as the BEST pizza (Pizza DOC). Our favorite pizza is “Anni Sessanta” (from the sixties) why I do not know, but my guess is that it originated in Naples during the 1960’s. It is made on their wonderful crust, not too thin and not too thick, with rapine and sausage. A wow! Beware, get their early (7:30) or be sure to make reservations. It is very busy. (Open only for dinner)
Closer to the center is the elegant restaurant Zibibbo.2
The head chef is Japanese so the menu has many fusion plates, Italian/Japanese style. The decor is modern with beautiful art work on display. Here we are celebrating last year’s wedding anniversary.
For those of you who or vegetarian, vegan or just want a wonderful break from Bistecca Florentina, you must try 5 e Cinque
With family getting ready to eat our Sunday lunch. The wine is organic too!
It is wonderful to see the new food offerings in Florence. Truly, the best of two worlds: traditional Tuscan and Italian nouvelle cuisine so pardon my French: Bon Appétite!
Most Florentine neighborhoods have little shops where residents can easily walk to do their daily shopping. Il Forno-the bakery, macelleria-butcher’s shop, ortolano-fruit and vegetable stand as well as the hardware store or ferramenta.
In, Sant Ambrogio , our hardware store is legendary. I Gemelli, nickname for this mesticheria casalinghi (means anything a housewife needs) owned by the twin Mazzanti brothers has existed in the same location for 40 years. This is so much more than a hardware store. It is Florence’s mini Home Depot and then some. Not only can one find tools, batteries, nuts and bolts but everything else.
The interior space is divided into 6 or so smallish rooms and then down some winding steps to the lower level to some more “cramped” space. Just outside the rear door are garden items as well as larger items. It is amazing to see just how much merchandise can be PACKED into this little shop. Pots, pans, plates, cups, detergent, soaps, paper goods, glasses etc. and GADGETS galore. It gets so busy that you take a number and wait in line to tell your server what it is you need or you may walk about and then wait line with all you can hold. If you don’t see it just ask, believe me they have it…
Just across the “via”, at Borgo La Croce 66/r, is another great little shop: Orologioielleria Poggi. It is a small jewelry shop specialized in watch repair as well as selling and repairing gold and silver items. A nice selection of picture frames and religious items for baptisms, communions and confirmation as well as earrings, necklaces and bracelets can be found here. Here I get backings for my earrings replaced, batteries for my clocks, rings adjusted and necklaces restrung. Finding skilled artisans right in your own back yard is a treasure. More about the need for Italy to encourage and cultivate young artisans to keep up these skills before they are extinct will be explored later.
Another neighborhood staple is the dry good store or “mercerie.” Here cotton goods such as socks, pajamas, and underwear can be found. My favorite “mercerie” is Delcor on Via della Spada 14-16r.
This shop is 52 years old and like most of the small specialty shops in Florence is a family run business. Daniele continues the work of his father and grandfather.
The collection of buttons is special. You will want to replace buttons on your jackets and coats just to view this collection of gems!
The collection of Gallo socks, Ragno tops and lace camisoles are my favorites. Just love these socks.
Everything in the shop is of top quality.
One of the great pleasures of Florence is to discover these small specialty shops and appreciate the quality of service and knowledge of the shop keepers as they take such pride in showing you their wares.
I was able to visit Grevi Moda and tour the facility with Giuseppe Grevi.
Giuseppe and his sister manage this near 100 year old company. Here I was able to observe just how much skilled craftsmanship goes into the execution of these hats that are sold all over the world. It was amazing to watch as strands of straw and hemp were sewn to form stunning hats.
.
Each flower for the hats were hand sewn.
Watching as the hats were placed on hot forms to give them shape, one by one, made me appreciate just how much skill goes into the execution of Grevi fine hats.
I applaud the efforts of the hat consortium in Florence as its members continue to promote “made in Italy” and the keeping of the creation and manufacturing of goods local. As the country and it’s youth struggle to find solutions to the economic crisis, the answer may very well be in the legacy of the fine artisan goods. The selling of goods that reflect the history and culture of a population has an additional market: tourists. Tourism for Italy can be their number one resource.
Will the small shops become extinct? Are big malls the answer for Italy? (We are discovering that many of the malls in the United States are sitting empty; yes online shopping is a factor yet there is a movement to shop local as well).
It is time for the torch to be handed to the youth. Is it time to revisit the ideas of craft guilds where artisan, along with manufacturing skills can be taught?
Time to problem solve and insure that Italy continue to manufacture and showcase its small wonders for all to enjoy.
Anyone who loves to wear hats, as much as I do, will not be disappointed in the selection of hats in Florence and in learning and understanding the evolution of il cappello Fiorentino.
Throughout history hats have had social and cultural connotations as well as serving the practical purpose of keeping heads warm and protecting from the bright sun and let’s not forget making fashion statements. My guess is the Florentine straw hat was created by women as they gathered on sunny afternoons on their benches to weave these creations to protect themselves from the Florentine summer sun.
It may be argued that the Borsalino hat is the most famous hat from Italy, however the original straw hat still made in Signa, Florence, was introduced in the 1600’s, over 250 years before the Borsalino.
The Straw Museum in Signa, ( a small suburb of Florence) highlights the rich tradition of women working with straw and the creation of the hat industry. http://www.museopaglia.it/
Visitors at the museum will get a glimpse of Florentine artisan craftsmanship and the original concept of “made in Italy”.
The Borsalino store in Florence can be found across from the Mercato Nuovo or the straw market (Il Porcellino market) on via Porta Rossa.
While at the Straw Market versions of the original Florentine straw hat can be found. They are basic and much cheaper hat than the hats found at Borsalino!
Today, the choices for hats range from market copies to the most elegant and my favorite, the Grevi shop near Via Tornabuoni on Via della Spada.
Currently, a not to be missed exhibit on the history of hats is at Palazzo Pitti in the Galleria del Costume. The “Il Cappello di Firenze Consortium” has contributed to this wonderful presentation. This group is promoting the conservation of manual artisan skills as a tremendous value of the heritage of Florence and Italy. Below are some of the hats on display.
A Borsalino hat looking very much like a boater hat and what the Venetian gondoliers wear.
As the hat has evolved in Florence, so has my taste in hats. As a child my father told me that real women wear hats. I followed his advice. From my first Easter bonnets to my Jackie Kennedy pill box to my current winter and summer collections with at least three Grevi originals.
with childhood friends on an Easter Sunday, wearing versions of the Jackie Kennedy hat. Diane’s summer and winter Florentine Hats
On your Florentine shopping list make sure you add a hat. You will not regret it and just maybe you will start your own collection of HATS and More HATS!
If you want to really experience a mid-size, elegant, well run Tuscan city, free of many tourists, go to Pistoia.
There are many things to love about Pistoia, a city that is about 19 miles northwest of Florence. The lack of many tourists is good enough reason to take the quick train ride from the Santa Maria Novella train station in Florence. Once you arrive, a leisurely walk will take you to one of the most charming piazzas in Italy. Many art treasures can be found within the old walls of this medieval city. The Duomo of Pistoia is the Cattedrale of San Zeno, which is Romanesque in style.
The Baptistry of St. John in the Piazza is Gothic and today is used for many exhibits and events.
The church of Sant’ Andrea contains the masterpiece pulpit by Givanni Pisano created in 1301.
Not to be missed is a visit to the historic hospital, Ospdale del Ceppo, which is one of the oldest hospitals in Italy. The Loggia was inspired by the Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence and it’s Della Robbia ceramics. The facade in Pistoia is decorated with a ceramic glaze frieze by Santi Buglioni and it portrays the seven works of mercy, mixed with scenes of the Virtues. Try and arrange a tour of the interior and the archeological excavations below the hospital.
Marino Marini, a modern sculptor, born in Pistoia in 1901 and died in 1980 is a favorite son. Here in the beautiful Palazzo del Tau, built in the 1300’s is located the Museo Marino Marini filled with his treasures as well as a lovely garden cafe next door.
The Marino Marini Museum in Florence, located in the former church of San Pancrazio, is also a most beautiful setting for the work of Marini.
Here I am in the Piazza del Duomo in front of the Comune, or city hall and
with friends in the Comune’s hall standing in front of a sculpture of Marini.
The city is considered one of the best cities in Italy to raise children, no doubt partly due to it’s early childhood centers based on the Reggio Emilia philosophy and practice. I know of at least one American college, Smith, that has a professional connection to the early childhood centers there.
Beautiful ornamental trees and shrubs as well as garden plants can be found in the famous nurseries of Pistoia , which are considered some of the best in Italy.
The Pistoia outdoor market has something for everyone and is held on Wednesday and Saturday. It is quite large, covering the area of the Piazza del Duomo as well as connecting streets.
And now for my very favorite section of Pistoia: Piazza della Sala which for centuries has been the open-air food market of the city. Today, there are restaurants that line the square, allowing for outdoor seating, weather permitting. It is here that you can find the GREAT restaurant La BotteGaia! Here you can have traditional Tuscan food made with a modern twist. The food is always fresh and the best of the season. I have never had a bad meal here and have been coming for many years. It is my #1 in Tuscany! There are outdoor tables in the back of the restaurant that are in the Piazza alongside the famous Baptistry of St. John.
Around the corner, you can stop by their shop to bring back some wonderful packaged specialties of the area as well as great fresh cheese, cold cuts and sweets. It is called “I Sapore della BotteGaia” (The Tastes of the BotteGaia).
About 7 km southeast of Pistoia, is the small city of Agliana. It is here you can find the most exquisite chocolate shop of Roberto Catinari! AMAZING.
Great sights, good shopping, a wonderful restaurant and a stop at the Willy Wonka of Italy…It does not get any better. Shh, this is our secret!
Live to eat or eat to live, you will have many greats choices in Florence. In fact, there is no reason to eat badly unless you get caught in a tourist trap. Stay away from the shops that carry sliced pizza behind glass. They line the streets leading to the train station! Ripoff! Also there are some Mexican restaurants, along with McDonald and Burger King, that may satisfy some Florentines and some American students craving something from the USA. Need fast food, rather, go to a market and get some fresh bread with prosciutto and/or cheese. If not let me recommend two of my favorite cafes or bars where you can get a quick sandwich, panino or focaccia on the run along with some of the best cappuccino in Florence.
Cantinetta dei Verrazzano has a brick oven where the most wonderful focaccia is made and turned into delectable sandwiches. Sautéed funghi porcini, mozzarella and tomato, prosciutto and eggplant to name a few of the creations. Tip: When ordering in a cafe or bar, it is much cheaper to eat at the bar or a table that does not have a tablecloth. Verazzano has benches along the wall opposite their bakery display. The Florentines eat there while the tourists sit at set tables.
Also remember to have a cappuccino which is hands down the best in town. In all honesty, it is almost impossible to get bad coffee in Italy!
Another great cafe is Caffè Cibreo. Located near the St. Ambrogio market and part of the Fabio Picchi Cibrèo empire eateries. (They include Cibrèo ristorante; Cibrèo trattoria and the always entertaining Teatro del Sale: all wonderful).
It’s a great ritual to start your morning with breakfast at the cafe and then onto to the fantastic St. Ambrogio market. I love the tuna little sandwich.
It is easy to discover a new favorite restaurant every week, but for this post I will focus on those that have been on my list for years; the oldies but goodies.
It’s I Latini for great Tuscan food. The ambiance and menu choices are authentically Florentine.
About 30 minutes before the doors open for lunch and for dinner, folks start to line up. Inside you will find prosciutto hanging from the ceiling, lots of fiasco wine bottles, and large tables where you may find yourself dining with soon to be friends. All the trimmings for a happy. happy experience.
The Florentine steak is amazing. Vegetarians, fear not the zuppa de farro is delicious.
The wine cellar of Latini offers an unparalleled dining experience. One needs to either be invited or organize a party of about 20 and hope that the wine gods will smile upon you so the cellar can be booked. What will follow is a full course I Latini dinner with great wine selections. Be careful not to step on some of the bottles resting on the ground.
If you would like a more intimate and romantic setting check out Oliviero . This elegant restaurant boasts a traditional Tuscan menu and also a more refined menu with a modern twist featuring exciting seasonal choices. From appetizer to desert, you will not be disappointed.
My husband and I celebrating a wedding anniversary at Oliviero
Note: Discovered that my favorite cooking school, La Scuola di Arte Culinaria Cordon Bleu di Firenze, featured a class highlighting the chef and menu of Oliviero. More on the school in a future post.
If it is a beautiful location with views of the Florentine hills then Osteria Omero is not to be missed. It is located on the same street as the ancient home of Galileo.
It is a five minute taxi ride from the center but once there you will think you are far off in the countryside. It also features traditional Tuscan cuisine. As you enter you are greeted by a selection of cured meats and other delicacies that are for sale in the gastronomy shop. The dining rooms are behind the shop and also downstairs.
Back in town in between the Duomo and Santa Croce neighborhoods we have L’Antico Noe under the arch or Volta di San Piero.
Next door to the the restaurant is their sandwich shop. Very fresh ingredients are displayed in this casual eatery. Each season arrangements of fresh artichokes, mushroom, zucchini flowers etc. grace the sideboard in the cozy restaurant. Massimo, will steer you in the right direction as he suggests his specialties. Those lucky to be in Florence in the Spring can sample his fava bean and cheese salad (Fava con pecorino ), with warm focaccia. YUM!
Trattoria da Ruggero is another favorite outside Porta Romana on the Via Senese. This family run trattoria serves Tuscan fare that is always in demand. The ribollita, pasta carrettiera, thinly sliced roast beef and the castagnaccio (chestnut cake) are the best in town. With only two seatings, 7:30 and 9:00, it is imperative to make a reservation.
A group of friends enjoy the second seating at the largest table in the small two room trattoria.
Most locals have their neighborhood spot which is their go to kitchen when they don’t feel like using their own. A place where everybody knows your name and you feel at home. Ours is Ceasarino in the St. Ambrosio neighborhood. It is a two minute walk from our home where we get home cooking. Every day the menu changes and what can I say, it is a warm fuzzy kinda place. Nothing like waiting for your meal while snacking on the best bread in town dipped in extra virgin olive oil sipping a glass of Chianti. Great way to wine down.
During this season of gift giving and with Little Christmas, the Epiphany, in a week, seems like a good time to talk about favorite shops in Florence. Whether shopping for gifts for friends, family or yourself, Florence will not disappoint in any season.
On top of my list is Farmacia Santa Maria Novella. As you step through the door of this once chapel of the church of the same name, the fragrance of the potpourri, colognes and soaps will greet and intoxicate and possible take you back in time. Started in 1612 by the Dominican friars of Santa Maria Novella, the products, with the help of Medici prestige and influence, became very well known throughout Europe. There are also many herbal and ancient preparations, such as anti hysterical drops, that are still popular among the Florentines. My favorites products are: eau de cologne Melograno; the Potpourri; the Terracotta Melograno (pomegranate) and Dermprotectivo oil, which boasts of preventing stretch marks during pregnancy (which I do not have first hand experience with but my daughter in law can vouch for it ) and is also a wonderful skin oil with it’s melograno scent. I use it on my winter parched dry skin. Great to layer with the cologne of the same fragrance. As a big licorice fan, I can not resist buying a package of the licorice rocks which are divine.
La Via del Tè near the St. Ambrogio market is a unique tea shop and a surprise find in a city where great espresso rules. There are about 300 varieties of loose teas, fruit infusions and herbal teas. Great selections of tea accessories such as tea storage tins, tea cups and pots, and gift packages. My fav is the Fennel Licorice, a digestive mix and Ninna Nanna, for sweet relaxation. The shop has a wonderful tea room where you can have fresh scones and clotted cream. A fun change of pace to sit for an hour or so with friends rather than the quick espresso in a bar.
Gherardini is one of the oldest handbag names in Florence. LOVE these handbags. Their most famous line “softy” is made out of a coated lightweight material trimmed in leather and embellished with beautiful zips and snaps. I am over carrying heavy leather bags. These are practical and beautiful. Gherardini also makes all leather handbags, wallets and belts and umbrellas, and even raincoats The shop is located on the fashionable Via della Vigna Nuova. http://www.gherardini.it/
Let’s not forget about jewelry.
APROSIO! Aprosio now on Via Della Spada features jewelry, handbags shoes, scarfs and more, handcrafted in Murano glass beads and Bohemian crystal. Each item is a work of art delicately fashioned.
Angela Caputi is another amazing jewelry designer whose jewelry is made with plastic and other synthetic materials. While Aprosio is delicate Caputi is bold. Both are beautiful and original. Angela Caputi has two shops in Florence and the Strozzi Museuem gift shop carries a good sample of her collections.
Zecchi is for art lovers. From paints to handmade paper it is the place where many Florentine artists prefer to get their supplies. Lots of history and located on the street Via dello Studio. Nice selection of easels and artist smocks, and the paint brush selection will make you dizzy. Fun to see the bottles of brilliant pigments and tempera. Also, the bulletin boards are full of announcements of local art shows and studios, where one can investigate the possibility of taking lessons or just using some studio space.
Clothing textiles and beautiful accessories for both the home and to wear can be found at Lisa Corti. Many of the textiles are from India and her ideas and designs are also influenced by Japanese and Chinese traditions. The textiles, place mats, tablecloths are colorful with terrific patterns. The shop in Florence is located in the St. Ambrogio district, near Cafe Cibreo.
On Via Borgo deglo Albizi, 35, you can find the women’s clothing and art gallery, Mimi Furaha. Michela, the owner, for many years was the very dedicated, knowledgeable and very personable sales person at Ponciff which has now been transformed into Mimi Furaha which means “I am happy” in her African language of Kiswaili. She continues to carry Ponciff, some French designers and other Italian designers, She often sponsors art events in her lovely store. She is delightful and her store is full of modern designs. I am particularly fond of the selection of hats. http://www.mimifuraha.it/
So, for newcomers to Florence I have given you a start…please readers share with me your favorite shops and we all will have some fun shopping to do in 2014. Next post will feature favorite food shops and restaurants.
One of the things I love most about living in Italy is experiencing the magic of the church bells ringing. No need to check your watch, cell phone or even be connected, for the hourly and half hourly chimes are quite accurate. Announcing the hour, calling to prayer, workshop, weddings and funerals, all varying in rhythmic patterns, add to the hit parade of bells.
The most famous bell tower in Florence is Giotto’s Campanile located in Piazza del Duomo.
Each Florentine neighborhood has at least one church, so one can be serenaded throughout the city.
Sant’ Ambrogio, my “quartiere” if full of hustle and bustle, yet the ringing of the bells in the evening to summon parishioners to Mass or at the hour of the Angelus, provides moments of a mental pause.
While walking in the rain, the muffled sounds of the bells can lift your spirits.
Another type of music heard in the streets of Italy, that may not be as uplifting as the bells, but none the less upbeat, is whistling.
In the midst of political and economic crisis I often hear people whistling as they go about the city.
Years ago young women contemplating study or vacationing in Italy were warned that Italian men would at the very least whistle in appreciation of their beauty or at worse pinch their bottoms. Fact or fiction I can not say, but appreciation and attention to and of beauty is very much alive and well. In the United States, if men were to stare at well dressed women and nod their approval it would not be appreciated to say the least. However in Italy, many women are flattered by the attention. There seems to be more of a mutual respect thing going on, or may I say an appreciation of la bella figura.
La bella figura is all about an emphasis of beauty and appearances. There are many implications of this cultural characteristic, both pro and con, but for today’s post I will just concentrate on the art of looking good. Italians have style. As a person who also lives in Southern California, where I can truly appreciate living in a sweat suit and choosing not to worry about the latest fashion trend, it is fun see how the other half lives.
People dress at the market:
while riding their bicycles:
Pushing baby strollers:
Or just strolling:
It all just seems to fit.
So much to say about aesthetics and how beauty is displayed whether it be a personal fashion statement, arrangement of fruits and vegetables at the outdoor market or shop window displays. It is all about the attention to detail. A final photo of my favorite chocolate shop and how those works of art are displayed. Yes, I promise next post will be on my favorite shops and on seasonal specialty foods, but just a reminder that while in Florence listen for the bells and enjoy the view; you just may find yourself whistling a happy tune!
Fondlyfromflorence explores some aspects of life in Florence through the eyes a frequent visitor. The goal of the blog is to dig deeper into the culture of the city, while making connections that can be shared. Happy Travels, Diane Materazzi
fondlyfromflorence&beyond 