Hey Blogsters…
Today was quite the day. No we did not get our wallets stolen, in fact, everything was exceptional! We headed out to check out the site of the birth of the Renaissance, i.e.: the Brancacci Chapel, which was totally amazing. Masaccio does not reproduce well in books so to see the works in person was pretty great. Deb and I both listened in on two long winded teachers educating their bored students about the renaissance, which was kind of amusing and pretty cool - okay we are old enough to be the teacher’s parents but so what. One of the teachers was reading to her students from her iPhone! The chapel is so small and the access to the frescoes is so great that we spent a good hour just checking them out. I love the fact that they contain self portraits of the various artists who all had a hand in the decoration. I had painted a replica of Masaccio’s “Expulsion of Adam and Eve” way back when, so it was especially cool to see it again. I wonder if Santa Maria del Carmine needs a conservator - they could use one because almost every surface except Brancacci, was covered in dirt. Since we were already across the river, we wandered up to the Michelangelo piazza which gave a pretty stupendous view of the city below and the clearest of blue skies above. Both Deb and I have had more energy in our lives, (an understatement) but hey Mary we totally owe you one because we persevered and trudged further up the hill to the Dominican monastery and then on to San Miniato. Again the views of the city now even further below us were breathtaking - I now know all the settings on my new camera, since I needed to take a panorama at least of the view. In fact, I took more pictures inside San Miniato than anywhere else in Italy . Unlike the Duomo, where it was standing room only, we almost had this pristine and wonderful place to ourselves. It seems like a miraculous survivor of the very earliest Renaissance period, and no one else can be bothered to go there. This church was on Mary Redekop's "must see" list, so again thank you Mary!! Now we are settled on the roof terrace of our hotel, minus wireless, but enjoying the warm breeze and sipping on a tasty bottle of wine. Wandering back from our travels we had a late lunch which was one of the best meals we have had here - cheap and delicious, of course sitting outside, watching the parade of people passing by. Quite the day!
Today was quite the day. No we did not get our wallets stolen, in fact, everything was exceptional! We headed out to check out the site of the birth of the Renaissance, i.e.: the Brancacci Chapel, which was totally amazing. Masaccio does not reproduce well in books so to see the works in person was pretty great. Deb and I both listened in on two long winded teachers educating their bored students about the renaissance, which was kind of amusing and pretty cool - okay we are old enough to be the teacher’s parents but so what. One of the teachers was reading to her students from her iPhone! The chapel is so small and the access to the frescoes is so great that we spent a good hour just checking them out. I love the fact that they contain self portraits of the various artists who all had a hand in the decoration. I had painted a replica of Masaccio’s “Expulsion of Adam and Eve” way back when, so it was especially cool to see it again. I wonder if Santa Maria del Carmine needs a conservator - they could use one because almost every surface except Brancacci, was covered in dirt. Since we were already across the river, we wandered up to the Michelangelo piazza which gave a pretty stupendous view of the city below and the clearest of blue skies above. Both Deb and I have had more energy in our lives, (an understatement) but hey Mary we totally owe you one because we persevered and trudged further up the hill to the Dominican monastery and then on to San Miniato. Again the views of the city now even further below us were breathtaking - I now know all the settings on my new camera, since I needed to take a panorama at least of the view. In fact, I took more pictures inside San Miniato than anywhere else in Italy . Unlike the Duomo, where it was standing room only, we almost had this pristine and wonderful place to ourselves. It seems like a miraculous survivor of the very earliest Renaissance period, and no one else can be bothered to go there. This church was on Mary Redekop's "must see" list, so again thank you Mary!! Now we are settled on the roof terrace of our hotel, minus wireless, but enjoying the warm breeze and sipping on a tasty bottle of wine. Wandering back from our travels we had a late lunch which was one of the best meals we have had here - cheap and delicious, of course sitting outside, watching the parade of people passing by. Quite the day!
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