Tuscan Sun

We have been blessed so far with amazing weather.  Every day has been clear blue – highs in the upper 70’s and in the morning it is in the 50’s.  Now that the mosquito has descended into the lower depths of wherever he shall spend eternity, I am sleeping well.  Perhaps the ending of jet lag has more to do with that blessedness than the demise of the bug.  No matter what, it is lovely to awaken refreshed and looking out to the gentle blue of the Pistoian valley from my window.  After breakfast, the bell rings loudly reverberating thoughout the villa calling us to another day of travel and/or classes. 

Thursday we were driven via bus to the lovely town of Siena.  The trip was 1 1/2 hours of beautiful Tuscan landscape.  It looks just like all the paintings!  Cypress trees, vineyards, hilltop towns and dottings of large villas.  It has a reputation of a foodie town, but we were not introduced to that aspect, but were kept focused on museums and churches.  Well, after our first stop for capaccino (tea for me) and paste which is italian for pastry not library glue.  And of course lunch where I sat in the pictured piazza and had a fabulous slice of pizza.  And an afternoon stop for gelato (peach this time.)  Above all, be civilized!  We really do see art between refreshment partaking.

Frescos, sculpture, and paintings.  These are the holy trinities of our seeking.  They have been found in churches, civic halls, and museums.  They are magnificent and I am trying very hard to keep them all separated into centuries and styles and artists.  However, I must admit they are starting to blur right now.  It is a good thing tomorrow will be a day off to start processing all we have seen.  My favorite in Siena was the altar piece by Duccio in the Duomo museum. 

I loved the feel of Siena.  It is much smaller than Florence.  The streets are narrower and since it is a hill town one must keep to the main streets or quickly descend or ascend.  I tried to capture the layers and twistings of the buildings both sketching and in photography.  I won’t be able to access the images until I get to Greece, so we’ll see if anything worked.

Friday was back in Florence again.  This time there was more free time for wandering after starting off in the Bargello sculpture museum.  Donatello, Michaelangelo, PIsano, Bologna – amazing.   We were set free for lunch and the afternoon – having to return to the Piazza del Vecchio at 4:15.

I splurged and played tourist by eating on the Piazza and forgoing my normal cheap pizza for a slightly longer and more elegant repast.  Wine and seafood risotto were a delightful way to set up my afternoon.  The lines to see the original David were 2 hours long, so I managed to find the English bookstore, shopping, and gelato before ending up in the art supply store.  Yes, I bought two books on Florence, I bought a belt which is magnificent, and had salted caramel gelato with chocolate on the side.  I bought water color supplies for quick sketching while traveling – they are so cute and since they are from here I am absolutely convinced they will produce magical scenes for me.

At 4:30 we met with Maurizo Serecca (I’ll get the spelling later) who was easily one of the most passionate and fascinating and articulate person I have had the pleasure to know.  He was the focus of a National Geographic special about his search for a lost Leonardo de Vinci fresco.  The special was a typical over the top, wildly dramatic production that painted him as an obsessed mad scientist fighting the art world single handedly.  It was an hour that left us worried about what we might be in for.  However, we were held spellbound for 2 hours of philosophy, art history, and scientific discourse.  I have been processing and pondering since then. 

Today was just a morning in 2 churches in Pistoia, drawing class, and shortly another art history class.  We finish up Dante tonight and tomorrow are doing something to do with Venice.  During our quiet day, I hope to gather my thoughts on a slightly deeper level than just this travelog.  I can’t believe it was a week ago we all arrived here.  The group is bonding, the amount of learning is astonishing, and I am loving the more in depth view of the culture.  Next week is Venice for another change of pace.