Salone dei Cinquecento of Palazzo Vecchio

Built in 1495-1496, this room measures 54 meters long, 23 meters wide and 18 meters high and is the largest room in Italy made for a civil power palace.  The paintings on either side of the room are six scenes of battle that represent military successes of Cosimo I against Pisa and Siena.  The coffered ceiling includes 42 panels.

The Twelfth Day of Christmas

The Twelfth Day of Christmas is REALLY in January!

Epiphany commemorates the 12th day of Christmas, when the three wise men arrived at the manger bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.  The Feast of Epiphany -- celebrated on January 6th -- is a national holiday in Italy and brings with it many festivities.  As the traditional Christmas holiday season lasts through Epiphany, living nativity scenes (presepi viventi) are often presented on Dec 24th thru 26th and repeated for Epiphany.













In Florence, the festivities include Calvacata dei Magi, a long grand procession in magnificent renaissance costumes.  The procession starts at Palazzo Pitti, proceeds across the Ponte Vecchio then to Piazza della Signoria and ends in Piazza del Duomo at the living nativity. The celebration goes back centuries, to when the solemn parade was repeated every three to five years and members of the Medici family participated.  Lords and ladies, knights, drummers, falconers with their birds of prey, sbandieratori flag throwing companies and more fill the procession.  Today there are estimated between 500-700 costumed participates from all over Tuscany.

The Medici's Joseph Tapestries

Palazzo Vecchio Exhibit: Prince of Dreams; The Medici's Joseph Tapestries by Pontormo and Bronzino

Medici tapestries depicting the stories of Joseph as told in Genesis are home once again, after over 150 years.  This exhibit in Palazzo Vecchio (Prince of Dreams; The Medici's Joseph Tapestries by Pontormo and Bronzino) reunites the 20 tapestries (arazzi) commissioned and devised by Cosimo I and made in Florence in the 16th century.  Flemish artists Jan Rost and Nicolas Karcher wove the tapestries, following designs by Bronzino, Jacopo Pontormo and Francesco Salivate.

Cosimo de Medici was especially fond of the story of Joseph, because he found his story was a mirror to the ups and downs of the Medici family.  Joseph was able to overcome adversities thanks to his rare intellectual abilities to pursue a brilliant political career and to gain a powerful position.

The tapestries, stretch 6 meters in height and the entire set measuring over 400 square meters, originally adorned the walls of the Sala de' Dugento of the Palazzo Vecchio for over 300 years.  In 1882, ten of the tapestries were taken to Rome for display in the official residence of the president of the Italian Republic.  Twenty seven years of restoration work has been conducted on the tapestries, using only needle and thread as tools.  With this exhibit, the tapestries are again on display in the room for which they were originally created.

These tapestries represent one of the greatest work of tapestry made in Italy during the Renaissance.

Joseph and Jacob reunited

Joseph interpreting the dream about the cows

Enchanting Evening

Magical Medieval Midnight ...

Resplendent Renaissance...

FIRENZE!

Richly Blessed

Cortona, Italy

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, 

but people will never forget how you made them feel.

- Maya Angelou

I am abundantly and richly blessed with family and friends who fill my life with memories of feeling loved, valued, appreciated, etc.  Today, in this lovely hill town of Cortona (which I had never visited before), I had the privilege of having a long leisurely lunch with three friends and I will never forget the time we had and how it felt to share conversation and memories together in this beautiful and special place.

Consolation for Firenze Rain

 What is there to do ... you are in Florence, and it's raining (been raining all day), you are cold and wet from walking around and you find yourself at Piazza della Repubblica with the Christmas tree, and carousel and the store covered in Christmas lights??? .... CONSOLATION TIME - -CIOCCOLATA CALDA CON PANNA at Gilli!!  That's what !!!

Then, of course going out and capturing some of the city lights in the puddles around town.

Reflections

Reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many;

not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.   

- Charles Dickens