Author Archives: JB

Rome, Italy We did a bit of wandering around the city today. Instead of going two blocks one way to go the the Trevi Fountain, we went two blocks the other way to the Pantheon. On the way we passed the Temple of Hadrian, next to our hotel.

Rome, Italy We have arrived in Rome, and so, it seems, has most of the touring world. We are used to crowds here, but somehow we thought that October would be a bit calmer. Not so.

Florence, Italy And speaking of feet, a pithy American expression comes to mind — “My dogs are barkin’!” That is to say, we have reached the point in the trip where our shoe leather may not be worn out, but the soles of our feet surely are.

Florence, Italy We explored two residences today that proved you could indeed live well in medieval and Renaissance Florence – particularly if your name was Medici.

Florence, Italy Those massive Medici egos supported so much of what we have today in Florence as a record of the Renaissance. The Medici are finally gone but the work is still there for us to appreciate.

Florence, Italy There are black and there are white views of the Medici, depending on your opinion about the proper role of government, and/or your passion for the arts that generations of Medici supported. But there is no doubt they were a boon to the real estate development world.

Florence, Italy There’s no getting away from the Catholic Church, its imagery and its impact on the art of the Renaissance. Whether or not you are in an actual church, you are surrounded by related motifs. Today was full of them. We started at the Duomo, that incredible edifice and engineering marvel. The outside isContinue reading “The Church Triumphant”

Florence, Italy At first, one takes the Florentines quite seriously. After all, they saw the birth of Humanism, the flowering of the Renaissance, a massive number of wars, dealt with the Medicis and umpty-ump popes telling them what to do while robbing them blind, meanwhile tripping over countless artists of every stripe clamoring for commissions.Continue reading “That Florentine sense of humor”

Florence, Italy We traveled by train from Rome to Florence yesterday and had wonderful rendezvous with our London friends, June and Alan. Of all the places that one could share with like-minded people, Florence surely ticks most boxes. Amazing history, incredible art, wonderful food, plus lots and lots of cafés serving frothy cappucinos — ifContinue reading “The home of the Renaissance”

Rome, Italy We are spending two weeks in Italy, and arrived yesterday to a welcome of pouring rain in Rome. While it served to take the dust off the ancient monuments, it also served to dampen us completely as we walked to our hotel. As in New York, taxis have a way of disappearing inContinue reading “Rome, briefly revisited”