Searching for Utopia

I fell in love with this giant sculpture in the piazza della Signoria in Florence.

 

……and when I read the plaque, I loved it more. It is slow to find, is it not?

Jan Fabre is a Flemish artist and this sculpture was only recently brought to Florence.  Like it or hate it……..

 

……it certainly makes a statement among these very old and historically beautiful sculptures.

I remember Florence as a beautiful gift. I hadn’t done much research on the city before the trip and everywhere I trekked, I found new delights and learning  opportunities.

Tut, tut…using cell phone while driving. 🙂

Seeing and hearing while we wander .

Tripe soup anyone?  It was too early in the morning for me but I did enjoy getting a view through the window. He was most obliging in holding it up for us.

And then there was Pinocchio.

 

As we neared Florence, I noticed all things Pinocchio and so at a rest stop I bought a couple of pencils painted in the colours of the Italian flag with Pinocchio’s head at the top. My new found friends had a great laugh …. “You come to Italy and buy Pinocchio pencils  made in China.”   I simply replied, “The author of Pinocchio was Italian you know and not only will my grandchildren use these pencils, they will talk about Pinocchio and as an added bonus, they will now know the Italian flag!”:)

Later our tour guide gave a long talk about Pinocchio, its author Carlo Collodi, and pointed down a lane to where Carlo Collodi had lived. Throughout the group I heard laughter and my name being mentioned.  I rest my case.:):)

 

Carlo Collodi lived here.

I later bought the book  Pinocchio The Adventures of a Puppet, a shorter version of the original  and what a lovely book it is!  “While the puppet was swimming, all of a sudden, out of the water popped the horrible head of a sea monster, coming straight at him with its mouth wide open like a deep chasm, showing its three rows of sharp teeth which would frighten you just to see them painted on paper.”  Quite a long sentence and what a description! No wishy washy nonsense here! I love it!

 

A sudden heavy downpour in Florence and within minutes vendors were everywhere trying to sell us umbrellas and ponchos. I admire that kind of business sense.

 

Duomo di Firenze Cathedral

The interior of the Cathedral has 463 stone stairs and reaching the top offers a stunning view of the city. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to climb them.

Florence, city of history, detailed architecture, amazing sculptures, great paintings, and fun!

 

Photos by L & C Fudge