Sunday In Florence

Textures at the Boboli gardens

Today I had a private tour of the Palantine Gallery at the Palazzo Pitti, courtesy of Anna. The rooms are chock full of art, with frescoed and sculptured ceilings.  I could have stayed in one room for hours! Anna was able to show me the most important , as well as her favorite pieces, so I was not overwhelmed. More Andrea Del Sartos here!  I am starting to be able to spot his style, different than the usual renaissance painters, leaning more towards mannerism. Taking photos is forbidden of course.

My friend Susan Nevelson is currently featured in the Costume Gallery – Women in the Spotlight  of the 20^th Century, so after my tour with Anna, I eagerly bought a different ticket to see this show. How exciting to enter the room where Susan’s designs were displayed! I wanted to tell all the people in the room, “ Look, I know this amazing artist, I had coffee with her just a few days ago!!” But of course I didn’t.  I broke the rules and took a few photos without flash, knowing the guards would scold me.  Of course the photos turned out poorly, but it is better than nothing.

My ticket included entry into the Boboli gardens so I strolled through a small part of it today on my way to meet Eric, of Palagina fame. He took me to the Tornabuoni Hotel where we sipped a prosecco on the deserted terrace. We could see across the streets to Eric’s terrace and waved to Jeremy who was outside basking in the sun. We had a coffee before I had to catch the bus back to Fiesole.

I continued my life of crime- my Carte Agile had run out of rides it seemed. Was it possible that I had already used up 5 round trips?  I decided to simply sit down. At the next stop, the bus police arrived. I could see their uniforms as they entered. I considered, and rejected, running out of the bus. I tried to pretend I was invisible but I was fined 50 Euros.   Even though everyone in Florence seems to never validate their ticket, take my experience to heart. Validate, or pay the driver 2 Euros. Trust me on this one, unless you can run very very fast. [metaslider id=”415″]