Buon Anno - How Florentines Celebrate New Years

Much like Time Square in NYC, New Years Eve is a big celebration in Florence Italy as well.  The  feeling is very festive with streets still decorated with Christmas lights, which will stay up through Epiphany on January 6th.









This year, there were multiple concerts, spread across the historic center;  A pop/rock concert at Piazza Pitti; another at Piazza San Lorenzo; Piazza della Signoria hosted a concert by Chernivtsi Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; and Piazza Santissima Annunziata set the stage for Gospel Singers.

Needless to say, plenty to enjoy and plenty of variety for everyone.

Hot Chocolate a Florentine Tradition

Hot Chocolate ... or Cioccolata Calda as it is called in Italy, first appearing in the Medici court in the 16th century.  It was often served to nobles instead wine or water at meals.

Caffé Riviore in Piazza della Signora opened in 1872.  They serve an artisan hot chocolate based on a secret recipe.

There is a difference in the flavor, constancy, and richness of Cioccolata Calda and American Hot Chocolate.  Cioccolata Calda is more often made with darker chocolate, less sugar, and is thicker than the hot chocolate that we drink in the United States.   This makes the hot chocolate in the US seem like water.

Basilica di Santa Anastasia

A gothic church constructed between 1290 and 1481.  The only thing never to be completed was the facade.

St. Anastasia is the largest church in Verona.  The church soars to a great height and the interior is impressive.

Absolutely love the ceiling!!

Above the entrance to the Pellegrini Chapel is the famous fresco
by Pisanello of St. George and the Princess

Holy Water Stoups in the entry of the church.  Carved by Gabriele Caliari (the hunchback) and Paolo Orefice (Pasquino)

 The Giusti Chapel: contains the wooden choir work of Maestro Lorenzo di S. Cecilia

Il Duomo - Verona

The Duomo is the central structure of a complex of architectural buildings.  This church was rebuilt on the foundations of an ancient Christian building and consecrated 1187.

A separate Cathedral, St. Giovanni in Fonte is attached to the Duomo.  This church contains an octagonal Baptismal Font, a masterpiece of romanesque sculpture situated the center of the church.  The font was carved out of one marble block.

Taking Liberties with Shakespeare

Since we are in Verona and since Shakespeare had three plays set in this lovely city, it is only appropriate to use his words to express a most heart felt sentiment.

"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and GELATO is the sun"

Piazza Bra - Verona

 Piazza Bra - the largest piazza in Verona.

The Verona Arena is on one side, beautiful on it's own - but sitting across from it a colorful row of buildings and cafes that just draw you in.

This area is especially lovely at sunset and evening.   Great for strolls, people watching, etc. I want to come back when there is an Opera performance in the Arena.

The Church of St. Fermo - Verona

This is an 11th Century church.  Inside there is an upper church (Gothic), known for it's ribbed vaulted wooden ceiling and the 14th and 15th century frescoes;  and a lower church (Romanesque) which is still used during the winter for religious services.

The air bombardments of the War (1944-45) destroyed the cloisters but the bombs didn't destroy the church.  The restorations of the frescos, of the chapel and of the wooden ceiling of the church were due to donations.

The Basilica of San Zeno - Verona

Through several of the next blog posts, I will share my strolls through some of the beautiful churches of Verona.   Note:  much of the facts and descriptions presented are taken from the literature provided by Le Chiese Storiche di Verona (to keep me honest).

The Basilica of San Zeno is one of the most beautiful and better preserved examples of Romanesque architecture in the whole of Northern Italy.

The large rose window on there front is called the "Wheel of Fortune".  The front columns have been constructed with lions at the base, representing righteousness and faith.

One of the frescos that is still very much intact and complete ... St. George and the Princess

Two huge bronze doors are masterpieces - obtained by assembling doors of different periods - are the work of different unknown Artists.  One panel depicts scenes from the Old Testament and the other, scenes from the New Testament

 

The Crypt ... what is seen today is described as being a "real forest of columns" is a result of the rearrangement of the tenth-century crypt, which was done between the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century.