An Intoxicating City

Everything about Florence seems to be coloured with a mild violet, like diluted wine.

Henry James, American author (1843-1916)

Following a fairly smooth two-hour drive, with only a small detour because I feared we had wandered into one of the city's heavily-fined resident-only ZTL zones, we arrived in Florence, that great birthplace of the Renaissance.

Known for Brunelleschi's daring dome on the Duomo . . .

and Giotto's belltower . . .

and the Accademia Gallery with Michelanglo's unfinished Prisoners and the perfection of David created when he was only 26 years old,

and which that great critic of Renaissance art, Giogio Vasari, wrote, "there has never been seen a pose so fluent, or a gracefulness equal to this, or feet, hands and head so well related to each other with quality, skill and design."

Michelangelo brings to life in stone human ability and confidence to accomplish greatness when infused by divine will.

That gracefulness, quality, skill and design are also evident in the Ferrari that Bro took for a spin this afternoon. It's a thrill to be immersed in such beauty.

Our day concluded with a traditional meal at Trattoria Nella, located around the corner from our hotel. The weather has turned chilly so I opted for ribollita soup that is thickened with day-old bread.  I kept repeating myself saying how delicious it was. The house Chianti poured from a heavy ceramic jug was also delicious. I followed with rabbit and ended by dipping Cantucci biscuits in vin santo. Bro made sure that I made it back to the hotel. Did I mention that it was around the corner. :-)

A presto!