Florence Part 2: Cupid, Culture & Cucina!
WHAT BENNIE'S BEEN DOING: WEEK 7 (Florence & Rome)
Florence Part 2: Cupid, Culture & Cucina!
On our second full day in Florence, we finally got to sleep in (whoo-hoo!) and just enjoy the city a bit before our late afternoon tour at the Uffizi Gallery. And, what a delight to just absorb the culture of a place like Florence where romance, indulgence and beauty seems to ooze out of every nook and cranny no matter where you are in the city! For example, while waiting for our tour at the Uffizi to begin, David and I actually got shot by Cupid's arrow :)
Because we slept in so late, we opted for a foo-foo coffee & cheesecake lunch on the Duomo piazza...
After taking nourishment, we walked through the old part of the city and across the River Arno on the famous Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) to view the miraculously preserved frescoes of the "Life of St. Peter" at the Brancacci Chapel.
Many thanks to our resident artist Karen Springate for the Brancacci recommendation! Especially since our Uffizi tour didn't quite meet our expectations given our earlier experience with David and the Duomo. We also had "skip the line" tickets for the Uffizi, but what line we skipped is beyond me, because the place was absolutely so packed with people you could hardly move!
We liked our tour guide but with the constant low-level roar in the room due to hundreds of people crammed into one place all the time, we couldn't hear her very well or even see the art very well. That said, we did learn quite a bit about the historical evolution of artistic expression by viewing multiple "Madonna and Child" portraits of various artists over time. And, we enjoyed some beautiful pieces by famous Italian artists such as Raphael and Caravaggio.
And, truly, everything is an art in Italy... especially the food!
Even the restaurants had an artistic flair about them that just oozed beauty, indulgence and romance!
So, in case anyone is wondering... "What exactly does Italy have to do with Celtic Christian Spirituality and Recipes for Renewal at the thresholds of life and ministry?"
Short answer: everything! In Celtic Christianity, "every" "thing" is a threshold for the sacred. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the heartbeat of God pulses at the heart of all things, all people, all places, all experiences. And, Italy is one of those places in the world where you can be blind and deaf and still see the sacred light and hear the divine heartbeat in literally everything you experience!
Thank you again and again and again for this blessed healing sabbatical experience. It is so good to see and hear again...with a little help from cupid, culture & cucina!
Florence Part 2: Cupid, Culture & Cucina!
On our second full day in Florence, we finally got to sleep in (whoo-hoo!) and just enjoy the city a bit before our late afternoon tour at the Uffizi Gallery. And, what a delight to just absorb the culture of a place like Florence where romance, indulgence and beauty seems to ooze out of every nook and cranny no matter where you are in the city! For example, while waiting for our tour at the Uffizi to begin, David and I actually got shot by Cupid's arrow :)
Because we slept in so late, we opted for a foo-foo coffee & cheesecake lunch on the Duomo piazza...
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| David's cheesecake & my Caffe della Opera! |
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| Supposed to be a pic of David's cheesecake but my foo-foo coffee took over the picture :) |
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| Ponte Vecchio over the River Arno |
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| Ahhhh.... Firenze (Florence)! |
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| Frescoes of the Life of St. Peter by Masolino and Masaccio in the Brancacci Chapel |
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| St Peter healing the beggar, raising Tabitha, being crucified upside down and disputing with Simon Magus |
We liked our tour guide but with the constant low-level roar in the room due to hundreds of people crammed into one place all the time, we couldn't hear her very well or even see the art very well. That said, we did learn quite a bit about the historical evolution of artistic expression by viewing multiple "Madonna and Child" portraits of various artists over time. And, we enjoyed some beautiful pieces by famous Italian artists such as Raphael and Caravaggio.
And, truly, everything is an art in Italy... especially the food!
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| Our first taste of real Italian Bruschetta! |
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| First Italian Pizzas! |
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| First Italian Lasagna! |
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| Ceiling of Ristorante Da Mimmo where we ate our first Italian dinner! |
Short answer: everything! In Celtic Christianity, "every" "thing" is a threshold for the sacred. For those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, the heartbeat of God pulses at the heart of all things, all people, all places, all experiences. And, Italy is one of those places in the world where you can be blind and deaf and still see the sacred light and hear the divine heartbeat in literally everything you experience!
Thank you again and again and again for this blessed healing sabbatical experience. It is so good to see and hear again...with a little help from cupid, culture & cucina!