Medievaled out, I am. Toured Uffizi today, a wold-class collection of art from the 13th century forward. That is my wife’s passion. The painting is magnificent indeed, but as with all museums, it is sensory overload with me. So I am looking for other things going on.
Apparently the image of Christ had been established in people’s minds by the 1200’s, making a transition to bodily form. Who knows what went on in the so-called “Dark Ages.” That expression is no longer in fashion, but it is a period for which there is not the abundance of written and artistic expression that there was before. Things sort of dry up. The library in Alexandria is burned down, possibly by a pope in the fourth century. I wonder if the darkening of that age was retroactive, with Christians destroying anything pagan, which is the best word to describe the dominant religions of that age. I cannot imagine that people stopped writing and sculpting and painting, but can imagine that the new dominant icons and the assumption of power by the Roman church could have darkened things. Christians, even as we see today in the US, are oppressive.
Florence is magnificent. Leonardo, Raphael, Dante, Galileo, Machiavelli all lived here at various times. The Medici family was the most powerful force in the Middle Ages, and commissioned art and powerful churches and fortresses and palaces. Many still stand. There is one bridge over the Arno, Ponte Vecchio, that was not destroyed in WWII. Others have since been rebuilt, but Ponte Vecchio is open to foot traffic only, and is lined on either side by expensive jewelry shops. There must be a hundred of them.
We saw a “Athlete’s Foot” here today. That and a “Colors of Beneton” are the only corporate chain outfits here. Everything else is family or locally owned. it is largely a city of shopkeepers, as Jefferson once imagined the US would be. The grocery store Is right by our hotel, and is very reasonably priced. Ice is a rarity, so that we cannot keep anything cold in the room. Want a scarf or handbag? Come to Florence.
We also found a farmers’ market nearby, and next to that is a gigantic fresh food court, and a few outfits selling prepared dishes. We found one called “Virginia’s” that offers deli-style meals that are very good and inexpensive. Other than that all the restaurants are identical in both price and menu. Food is oddly non-spicy. I thought Marco Polo had fixed that.
70+ steps to our room.
Piece of Mindful 