Elsien's Traveblogue

Weather is still lovely and sunny, makes going out in this beautiful city a real pleasure.
Had a look at Santa Maria Maggiore – not often open and when I finally got in there, rather disappointing. It's one of the older churches in Florence and I had hoped to find some more Masaccio frescoes there, as documented by Vasari, but they've all gone and most of the paintings are 17th and 18th century stuff, not something I find hugely interesting.
I did spend a good hour in a wonderful bookshop though and managed to get away with only one book, on the history of Florence, a bargain at 5€ (The money is not the issue, but the weight: Ryan Air has a problem with my books!)
Then off to the Santissima Annunziata, equally hard to get into. It's very much a working church, so when it's open, there's usually a Mass going on. There wasn't this afternoon, but even during my visit a small group of women started to pray and sing in one of the small side chapels, so I left. It's another 15th / 16th century Medici church, paid for by Piero 'the Gouty', at least the bottom half – the most ebullient Baroque has been superimposed on it later. The entrance atrium is still quite intact, with some of the original frescoes still there.
It's next to the Ospedale degli Innocenti, a 'foundling hospital' or orphanage, designed by Brunelleschi, another 'first of its kind' Renaissance building. The blue 'medallions' above the arches with pictures of swaddled babes are by Andrea della Robbia. Each babe appears to be different, quite cute. They are all on a most charming square, one of the nicer Florentine ones. I like sitting on the steps in the sun (when there are not too many drunken down-and-outs there, there must be a shelter in the church, a bit like St Martin in-the-Fields in London, Trafalgar Square) or having coffee in the Trattoria dei due Fontane.
Am making progress with my Caravaggio research too. Am almost ready to go back to Brussels. Another five days... Am planning a massive walk into the hills up above Florence to Fiesole tomorrow, will keep you posted.