The Basilica of San Lorenzo

The church of San Lorenzo was consecrated in 393, and reconsecrated in 1059 after being considerably enlarged. Nothing of the original buildings is visible today because they were covered up by the new work ordered in the late 14th century.

The church as it stands now was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi, great Florentine architect, most well known for designing the Duomo in Florence. Work began on Brunelleschi’s plans in 1421, and was completed in 1428. San Lorenzo was the church of the Medici family who ruled Florence for hundreds of years.

The outside of the church remains as it was built during the renaissance, and is rough and not much to look at. It is a surprise when you enter the building, because the inside is quite ornate, with marble floors and columns and a beautiful gold leaf carved panel ceiling.

There are many important works of art contained in this church. Some of the most important are the Martelli Sarcophagus by Donatello, and also 2 bronze pulpits by Donatello. There is a painting of the Annunciation by Filippo Lippi, one of the great renaissance painters, and another painting by Pietro Annigone, called Saint Joseph and the Christ Child which was painted in 1964. The difference in this painting and its modern elements are immediately recognizable.
Other buildings in the area and attached to the church are also of interest and add another dimension to the outside of San Lorenzo and is one of my favorite "rooftop viewings". The Biblioteca (library of the Medici use to house the manuscripts collected by the Medici, and the Campinile, and the Cappelle Medicee. In the Biblioteca, there is a staircase made of sandstone that was one of Michelangelo’s most innovative designs. It was built by Ammannatti in 1559. Michelangelo also designed the desks and ceiling of the Biblioteca. In the Cappella Dei Principi, Michelangelo’s creations symbolizing Night, Day, Dawn and Dusk are among his greatest works and decorate the Medici Tombs.

For those who say, "to hell with Renassaince art, and the cathedrals", there is a fabulous market-the best place to buy leather and other goods in Florence. Also, the food market, Mercato Centrale, is not to be missed!

What "They" Say About Americans

People all over the world like to engage in discussions with Americans about capitalism and politics. Those of you who know me well, understand that I believe in the "Love it or Leave it" philosophy, and therefore, for the time being, have left the US.

Living here gives me new perspectives on the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of American life everyday. I see things through my own eyes, and through the eyes of others. Some of the people I have discussions with have been to the US, and others have not, but there are consistent themes and beliefs from people all over the world about the US and Americans. Some of them are not surprising and some are.

Here are some of the things that in general, I hear regularly about the US:

1. It is an easier life, with opportunity for those who want it.

2. Things are less expensive.(food, housing, electricity, gas)
3. There are a lot of "conveniences" (easy to buy anything at any time of the day or night ,dishwashers, cars, washers, dryers, )
4. There are freedoms that other countries do not have ( the biggest example of this is around freedom of speech-being able to say that you disagree with or do not like the government without fear of repercussions)
5. Bush is a war monger, he has endangered the US throughout the world.
6. Americans are not as safe as they used to be, and places where Americans are, or go, also are not as safe as a result.
7. Americans are friendly, but their government is not.
8. Americans are always on a schedule, and always have a plan (not easy to relax, or go with the flow)
9. Americans drink to the point of intoxication more than other cultures.

10. Americans do not eat well, but eat a lot.
11. Americans are unaware that places and people exist outside of the USA and do not understand the political and economic impact of decisions that are made on themselves and the rest of the world.
12. Americans do not engage in politics in their own country or around the world.
13. American music rules.

Interesting, huh?

Old Friends in New Places

It is so much fun to have visitors in Florence. Whenever I have lived somewhere new, I always want to share the joy of where I live with the others I care about. It has been so easy in Florence!

I have made many new friends here, but nothing beats the old friends who know me personally and professionally. They know my personality, my family, my quirks, my habits, and they still like me.....go figure.

Amy and I travel together often, but have never been to Florence together. I have traveled with Amy and her sister Cheryl to NYC a few times, so it has been a real pleasure having them here to visit. We are all "foodies", and Florence is an excellent places to exercise that vice.

Cheryl had visited Florence last summer and located an excellent restaurant called Garga. I had not been there before, so for their first night here, we went. Of course, I had to take them to the bridge to show them the sunset first! We had Pasta "magnifica", Risotto with asparagus, Veal and avocado, and chicken with tomatoes and basil, which was superb. I don’t even have to tell you that we drank lots of wine do I? The meal and the restaurant were very fun and enjoyable, and met all of the accolades that Cheryl had given it previously.

Afterwards, we shared a bottle of prosecco in Piazza della Republica while watching many people make fools of themselves. In particular was one couple, who we found very entertaining. The woman thought she was Paris Hilton, and I am not sure who the man thought he was, but they entertained the entire crowd by dancing with each other and themselves. We started speculating and came to the conclusion that they worked for the restaurant and were there to bring out the worst in people and gather a crowd in the restaurant.

I am having fun showing off "behind the scenes" of Florence!

Venice in the Summer

I met Amy and Cheryl in Venice this weekend. We started our visit there, and they are coming to Florence after the weekend. The weather turned out to be beautiful, even though the forecast was for rain. The temperatures were perfect, and we enjoyed strolling the canaled streets, shopping, eating, and drinking.

Our first day there, we took a trip to the top of the campanille in San Marco Square. It was a beautiful clear summer day, and the views spectacular. This was my first trip to Venice in the summer, and contrary to reports from others that the canals were "smelly", I didn’t notice it at all!

The evening prior, we attended a concert of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a church on San Marco. You just can’t hardly top that! Good friends, good company, fabulous seafood, excellent wine, and live classical music in an ancient church in the City of Angels. Bellisima!

Sunsets

I think I am addicted to these beautiful sunsets here in Florence. Florence is known for it’s beautiful light and the colorful cast it sends to paint the landscape in a variety of colors that will take your breath away

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Almost everyday, I head to the bridge at sundown to see the sunset. I sometimes sit there for hours. Many people gather to take photos, so it’s a good place to people watch. There is a local hang out nearby called Noir, which is also a wonderful place to grab a glass of wine and apertivo.

I might be accused of digitally enhancing these photos, but I assure you I have not. I know it is unbelievable.....but you should see it in person.

On this particular day, there had been summer showers and thunderstorms for most of the afternoon. It was raining when I left the house and went into the Center of town for a glass of wine. When I came out at 8:30, I saw the pink tinge of a cloud high in the sky, and raced to the bridge. Boy was it worth it!

A Surreal Experience-Back in the U.S.A.

Being back in the USA was a surreal experience, and I wasn’t prepared for many of my "reactions" and observations. When I came to Italy, I knew things would be different and was expecting to notice the differences. I hadn’t expected to notice so many when I went back. Here are a few of the "ah ha’s" I had:

1. I haven’t been on a plane in 5 months, and didn’t even recognize it or miss being there until I got on the plane. Odd, when you consider I flew 36 weeks out of 52 last year once or twice per week, mostly for work, but often for pleasure.
2. I cried when I left Italy
3. I couldn’t believe how "temporary" everything looks in the US. (Lots of metal and pre fab construction)
4. The menus were huge and complicated. The portions were ridiculous!
5. The roads are big and wide, and everything is spread out and huge
6. Everyone was speaking English
7. I froze to death from the air conditioning on the plane, in the airport, in restaurants, in stores, in the car, in the house
8. My eyes swelled up and my allergies started as soon as I got to Nashville. I am allergic to Nashville.
9. I didn’t hear any church bells
10. I only walked from the house to the car and back again instead of the 6-12 miles per day I do in Florence.
11. When I arrived in Philadelphia and went through customs, I felt bad for the people who did not speak English. There did not appear to be any bilingual people assisting in immigration or customs, and the signs were only in English.
12. American coffee sucks......even Starbucks.
13. Some really strange conversations can take place in the presence of pain medications and alcohol.

The Chip On My Shoulder

Having returned to Nashville recently, everyone who I saw wanted to know what I missed about the USA and what I liked better about Italy. It was a difficult conversation and one that I wasn’t prepared for, so I thought some preparation for my return at the end of the year is in order.

The preparation is for me, and those who might ask the same questions. I have already been told that before I return I must "get the chip off of my shoulder", but I have come to the realization in the past few days that the chip is there to stay....at least for a little while.

I’ve had a dream for years to live in another country and learn another language. It all started with reading Frances Mayes Bella Tuscany and Under the Tuscan Sun, and telling my husband then that I wanted to sell our house in Alexandria and travel to Europe with the kids until the proceeds from the house ran out. Well, the answer was a flat out no then, but the idea remained, and grew and finally became a reality. Another prompt to move from the country was when George Bush was elected.

WARNING! EXTREME LEFT POLITICAL PONTIFICATING TO FOLLOW! STOP READING NOW IF YOU WILL BE OFFENDED!

When I was young (too young to know any better), I was a republican, up through the days of Ronald Reagan, who I adored. Although many of my views were Democratic while Reagan was President, it was easy to see "the other side". When Clinton became President, I clearly "converted" to a staunch Democrat, and my already liberal views continued to move rapidly more and more left.

When Bush ran against Al Gore, and the polls all said it was close, I never believed it. When Bush was elected, I was shocked and appalled. I still have doubts that Bush was legally elected. ( I prefer to believe in the "conspiracy theory" than to believe that a majority of my fellow Americans would consciously make the decision to put him into office.) It was at this time that I thought....." I am not like the majority of Americans who have elected this man into office!" Also, since I believe in free will and choice, and the premise of "love it or leave it", the idea to leave the United States started to surface because of political reasons.

The second time that Bush was elected, not only did I know that I was not like the majority of Americans, I thought that the majority of Americans who made the decision to re-elect this incompetent who had lied, has no intelligence, and is the biggest security threat to Americans that has presented itself in years, were/are crazy. At this point I knew that I felt strongly enough about this that I must leave the country.

Some of you are not surprised about these comments and have heard me exercise my constitutional right of Free Speech before around this issue. I knew that if I left the country, I would get a different perspective around George Bush, The USA, and Americans. Well, it was true, I did, and many of my observations, interpretations, learnings, and conclusions are not favorable.

This does not mean that I do not love my country. I do. I also cannot say that George Bush is responsible for all of the actions that America and Americans take around policies that affect the rest of the world. Until we as Americans start realizing that it is not all about us, not only about today, and not be so concerned about how it is going to affect the conveniences in our lives, America and Americans will be viewed as "spoiled brats" by much of the rest of the world. I have man questions about the direction that we are taking, the impact on the rest of the world, concerns about how the rest of the world views us, and concerns about how our actions in the USA and outside of the USA endanger us and our future.

Seeing how other people live, hearing them talk about things they think are important, it is clear to see that people are more alike than they are different all over the world. I won’t go into specifics about my political beliefs and some of the ways that I have changed, and I will return to the US, because I have not determined what my options are about living somewhere else permanently, however, I will remain an "ex-patriot" in my heart.

I write this to you as I said, in preparation for those questions....."What did you miss?" "What do you like better about Italy?" Here are the answers. I missed all of you, and sour cream and my cats. That’s all. What do I like better about Italy? Everything.

Now, I have said enough so that you can see that I do have a chip on my shoulder, and you know a little bit about why. If you want to know more, we can have a conversation and I will defend my position and you can defend yours. One great hope I have for the future of America is that George Bush cannot run again. This is a fact and one thing that makes the thought of returning a little easier. I do have a lot of fear around who will be elected next though! Get a clue people!