Elsien's Traveblogue

Florence, Friday 13th February 2009

Oops, Friday 13th! Still, so far nothing untoward has happened and as I was born on a Friday 13th, I don't really believe in this superstition – unless my whole life has been a string of accidents?
Went to look at almost the last church on my list, Santo Spirito – one more to go, the Badia, only open on Monday afternoons. Santo Spirito is the sister church of San Lorenzo where I went yesterday, in that it has the same architect, Brunelleschi, who pioneered his mathematical designs in these two churches.
My Calvinist self prefers San Lorenzo, which is starker and more 'classical'; Santo Spirito is warmer though, with a host of side chapels dedicated by local influential families, whose palazzos I admired on the way there. The most famous painting here is by Filippino Lippi, whose paintings and frescoes I love for their Florentine setting amongst other things: this one shows the donors, a grand local couple, adoring the Holy Family against the background of their own palazzo and the local bridge and hills.
It's on the 'other' side of the Arno, which I really like, as it's full of more 'real', i. e. less touristy restaurants and cafeterias and not many tourists venture this far – the Ponte Vecchio and the Pitti Palace are their limits, even though they are only around the corner. This area is full of local people doing their shopping in ordinary shops.
It was another clear, sunny, but quite cold day today. On the bridge across the river I could see the distant mountains (must be the Abruzzi?), snowcapped and glinting in the sun – lovely! Weather looks set like this for the weekend – great, as I'm expecting J. to arrive tomorrow and I'm hoping to do at least one long walk! J. is staying until Tuesday, so don't expect any more posts until then!