Florence, Italy

What do you think of when you think FIRENZE (Florence), Italy? Michaelangelo's David has been forever burned into mind. The 15 foot marble miracle is something that almost takes your breath away (unfortunately, they didn't allow cameras in the gallery). It's over 500 years old and it looks like it will stand for another 5000 years. You can see the metaphor he used in the work. The hands and feet seem huge and the meditative gaze of David, who just killed a giant, is powerful and strange. His nakedness and size is also an important metaphor. And, as Jean said as we were looking at the work, David also danced naked for God.

Florence's (Firenze's) claim to fame reads like a who's who from a college world history class. Da Vinci, inventor and painter. The Medicis, one of Europe's most ruthless ruling families. Danté, whose Inferno stabilized the Italian language and gave us metaphors we still use today. Savonarola, a Reformer a century too soon. Michaelangelo, history's greatest sculptor. Machiavelli, father of modern politicians. Galileo, who redefined the universe. Vespucci, a mapmaker who named a couple of continents. Artists, politicians, writers, explorers. The world would not be what it is today without Firenze. And you can feel that idea as you walk the streets of the city. It's a living, breathing city of art and history (gelato too).

We wish you all were here with us!! We are leaving Italy in the morning. We'll do a little bit of shopping today in Lucca and meet up with Fulvio this afternoon to go see some things off of the tourist track - Ciao!

There were several works in the Piazza della Signoria that were amazing!

Benvenuto Cellini's statue Perseus With the Head of Medusa in The Loggia dei Lanzi gallery on the edge of the Piazza della Signoria.

What do you think of when you think of Firenze? Michaelangelo's David has to be at the top of the list - that and the Firenze Duomo!

We had to get get tight to get the shot, but we did it! This is the fake David, we did see the real one in the Accademia -

A detail of the Duomo - incredible and beautiful!

The Duomo from another angle.


One of the most amazing sites in Firenze is the Duomo - the center of the city. It's amazing and the photographs do it NO justice. The detail and size it truly mind-blowing.

Poppa and Summer sharing Sumer's Ipod on the train back to Lucca.

" Merda" means shit in Italian - I've always liked stick figures.

Momma and Lucky on the train back to Lucca.

A constant reminder everywhere in Europe is that the current administration has really made it hard for Americans living (and traveling) abroad.

Italy

It’s difficult to find time to edit photos, write text and get on the web to upload, so I’m combining two days into one blog entry.

First, we met a friend named Fulvio Notarstefano. I know Fulvio from my wet plate photography board. He lives in Lucca. He spent the day with us. He showed us Lucca and we had lunch together. He also gave us one of his wet plate Collodion images and a nice bottle of wine (Italians are so friendly!). Lucca is beautiful (Bella Italia!) It’s very unique in that EVERYTHING is old! It’s all original stuff. The architecture is gorgeous and the little alleys are amazing.

Later, we went to the train station and got on a train to Firenze (Florence). It’s about 50 km from Lucca, but takes 1.5 hours by train because it stops a lot. Jean and Summer had tickets to the opera of La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini (Pucinni is from Lucca) at 18 Maggio street in Firenze (Florence). I watched Lucky (strolled him around the city at night) while they were at the opera. I ended up at a café (sitting outside) talking to an English couple for almost two hours. I drank a couple of glasses of “Bianco Toscono” (they even bought me one). I enjoyed it very much. Jean and Summer liked the opera too, we got back to the hotel at about 0130.

Yesterday, we drove into Pisa. It’s only six miles from where we are staying. Pisa is a great city. It’s a lot like Lucca but with the “Torre de Pisa” (Leaning Tower of Pisa). We had to get some “super kitsch” from this lady. She was about four feet tall and had huge teeth. Her “super kitsch” was cheap and interesting. Not that we like to buy kitsch, but we have made it kind of a “tradition” to buy “super kitsch” at the heavy tourist spots. As long as it’s cheap and inexpensive, we’ll buy a few pieces.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa has a big beautiful grass (park) where you can sit/lay in the shade of the tower. We “chillaxed” there for a while and then wandered down the road and found a nice café called, “De Mura da Nomma Teta” on Largo Pariascio 33/34 – Pisa. And yes, pizza and wine DO taste different (much better!!) in Italy.

Inside one of the MANY churches in Lucca.

I was very intriguied with several of these kinds of alleys. This has posters for a Firenze art show.

I loved these paintings you see on the churches in Lucca. They are beautiful.

This is one of my favorite pictures. I've made a habit of shooting portraits in these reflective disks. Left to right; Fulvio, Summer, Quinn, Jean and Lucky (below).


The Leaning Tower of Lucky! Pisa, Italy.

An empty street in Lucca during "siesta". Italians KNOW how to live.

The Jacobsons in the Torre park... no hands leaning against the tower, NO!!

Down the road from the tower....

Molto bella! Italian kitsch lady! Oh, so many torres and super kitsch!

A tunnel through the wall of Lucca... very interesting history!

Walking on TOP of the walls of the city of Lucca.

Can you guess what this is??? It's in Pisa.

Old bike in Lucca. I'm attracted to these views... I don't know why... they are harmless and innocuos.

Four nuns late for church in Lucca.

Through the Alps Into Italy

I'm sitting in the Da Carlos hotel in Lucca, Italy typing this. I'm 7 miles from the "Pisa Torre" or "Leaning Tower of Pisa" and 45 minutes from Firenza (Florence). Jean and Summer are in the room getting ready for the day. It's 10:40AM September 2, 2007.

We left Germany yesterday (early) morning and drove through Switzerland (Alps) and into Italy. It was a gorgeous drive. The Alps and Tuscony are a visual that I will never forget! We hit a couple of snags along the way; the Autobahn was closed between Karlsruhe (Germany) and Baden Baden (Germany), that was a 20 - 30 minute detour. Then the big one was a Stau (traffic jam) in the tunnels of the Alps. That was another 1.5 hours. No big deal, like I said, it was a beautiful drive!

Today we plan to see the Torre and then train into Firenza. The girls have an opera to go to tonight - La Bohème - it was the inspiration for RENT. Lucky and I will hang out in Florence and maybe do another blog entry with photos from today.

Italy is gorgeous, the people are friendly and the language is awesome!! So passionate!!! BELLISIMA!! Wish you were here! (Click to enlarge the photos)


Driving through the Alps in Switzerland.


The view from our room at the Da Carlos.


Our waiter shot this at dinner last night. We had two bottles (one white and one red) of wonderful local wine. Seafood is the dish here for dinner. I had Sea Bass, Summer had the "fried plate" with squid, octupus, little fish and big fish and Jean had the clams and pasta. It was excellent!



Summer was curious about what she was eating.



The Sea Bass was outstanding!! I loved it!!


Salute! Jean drinking the local white wine (it was YUMMY!)


The (thinking) sexy beast himself sampling the local fruit of the vine.



Lucky enjoying the Lucca morning sun today at breakfast.