Laundry morning, well, folding and stuff like that. Swept the apartment, too...very domestic!
Beautiful bright and blue outside today, so enjoyed walking around, and stopping for a coffee at an outside table.
Only time for one thing this morning, so picked the Musee di Orsammichele - and got an extra surprise when I tried a door, and ta da, there I was in the library for the Societa Dantesca Italiana...the Dante Society. They have books and paintings of the Divine Comedy going back to the 1400s. Not first editions by about 100 years, but beautifully antique and well preserved! Spectacular...what a great place to work and just spend a little time. The librarian was nice enough to open one of the truly huge books, at least 3 ft by 2 ft, and over 4 inches thick. Each page has a hand written canto on the lefthand side and a painting of the scene it describes on the right leaf. No photos allowed, but etched in memory.
Two of the library reading rooms
There was a large class of students in the main church when I got there, so I opted for the museum first, two floors of sculptures. This is the 'first floor' with all the bigger sculptures lining the walls and standing in the middle of the room - from floor '0' it's 87 steps in a spiral staircase to the first floor, and then another 72 steps to the second floor. Legs don't fail me now!
The view from one of the second floor windows!
Time to head to the school...
One of the students volunteered to paint the front of the school's doorway...46 R is the street address.
After painting for about an hour, Kristina arrived and told me that tonight there is a wine tasting for students who want to come along....wine you say...say no more! So at 6:15 we gather at the school and walk to Pozzo Divino...the most truly unique wine cellar I've ever been in. Pinto, owner and proprietor, told us the story of his shop. The store front upstairs is very nice, and then you descend a couple of staircases to what was once the tunnels connecting two of the main prisons in Florence. Dante and Machiavelli were both imprisoned here. Enough words, the wine was mouth-filling and palate-pleasing to the max!
(L to r) Ricardo, Kristina, Katarina, Anna at our table...we've not yet begun
After a few wine samples, cheese, prosciutto, salami and bread, there is less room on the table
Heaven...I'm in heaven
The bottle in the box is decorated with Swarovski crystals...Happy New Year perhaps...
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