Uffizi

You’ll see this divine image all over Italy: The Annunciation. The moment when Mary gets the Announcement from the Angel Gabriel: The Divine Is Within You! Florence is full of them…The city celebrates its birthday on The Feast of The Annunciation, March 25…nine months before Christmas. Renaissaince painters wore down their paintbrushes capturing the action packed scene.  The most famous is the one above, by Fra Angelico, that you’ll see in San Marco. Here’s a favorite of mine by the Mannerist Pontormo, in Santa Felicita, where Mary looks like a runway model. Every painter wanted to capture this wonderful idea: the divine presence in aRead More →

YES, moving on from Rome!   My husband and I sometimes fantasize about this quintessential Florentine day: We’d go to the UFFIZI, spend a very long time in the Botticelli room, taking in such masterpieces as Birth of Venus (ABOVE), Primavera, the Annunciation (TO LEFT) and for dinner have a bisteca at SOSTANZA. Or he’d have the bisteca, I’d have the chicken, and we definitely would have the meringue cake dessert. That’s solid, glorious Italy! Because the whole challenge in Florence is not to overload. This would be keeping it simple. Is it possible??? What about the doors of the Baptistery…the Tomb of the Medici…DAVID, ETC FLORENCE, ETC!!! What if… you blockedRead More →