Tag: italy

by jad

Overtourism, and Cory Doctorow’s Reverse Centaurs

I’ve been seeing some chatter on here about “overtourism,” a phenomenon that’s viscerally obvious in a city like Florence. And while I’m not above grumbling about the crowds myself, every time the discourse veers into a quasi-actionable register (that proverbial “what is to be done”), I flinch. What is there to be done, really? Because the grumbles never come from people who have not stepped foot on whatever sacred ground is in question; it’s always people who want to be there just as badly as everyone else. And while my heart always goes out to the people who actually live … Continue reading “Overtourism, and Cory Doctorow’s Reverse Centaurs” →

by jad

The Questione Della Lingua (Last Frames from the Uffizi)

Last frames from the Uffizi. x It’s interesting to think about the outsized role that Florence has played in shaping Italy’s language and national identity. It keeps coming up in the books I’m reading. The “questione della lingua,” which took on new urgency after unification, unfolded along two lines of tension. One looked backward, seeking authority in the literary language of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, treating the Florentine of the Trecento as the standard to be preserved through careful study of the classics. The other looked forward, asking whether a modern nation should instead build its common language from the … Continue reading “The Questione Della Lingua (Last Frames from the Uffizi)” →

by jad

The Bored Invigilators of Florence

The bored invigilators of Florence. The first was in the Uffizi. The rest were in Palazzo Strozzi. x Il posto era stracolmo. A phrase that could describe any place in Florence. x People and paintings in the Uffizi. It’s a bit of a cheat, but one of my favorite reasons for visiting a museum or art gallery is staging the works on display in the act of their apprehension by the other visitors. I must say, however: the Uffizi did not make this easy. For the first half of our visit, there was a dizzying chaotic energy in almost every … Continue reading “The Bored Invigilators of Florence” →

by jad

Caravaggio’s Medusa (The Horror of Being Perceived)

People with cameras and windows with views in Florence’s famous Uffizi galleries. x Caravaggio’s Head of Medusa in Room 90 of the Uffizi, caught in what I’d like to imagine is the horror of being perceived. Photography is decapitation again and again. x The hallways and sightlines of the Uffizi. x

by jad

The Duomo, in Changing Light

The biggest attraction in the area we were staying was the grand Duomo di Firenze, or the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower. On a whim, I decided I’d visit a couple times in a single day to capture how the light would change the vibes. This is what it looks like in the morning. x The Piazza del Duomo in the afternoon. x Santa Maria del Fiore in the early evening hours. x

by jad

Portals (More from Vinci)

More views from Vinci. x Portals. x “I became fascinated not only by his art, but by his insatiable curiosity. He refused to stay within a single discipline, moving effortlessly between painting, engineering, anatomy, architecture, and science. Somewhere in my ten-year-old mind I decided that if I wanted to become an artist, I needed to go to Italy. Maybe even live there. I wanted to speak the language and learn the way Leonardo learned.” @christine.bingham.art on christinebinghamart.substack.com x

by jad

Vinci: The Vitruvian Man and Da Vincian Geometries

While we were in Florence, we took the opportunity to spend a day in Vinci, the birthplace of Italy’s canonical Renaissance Man and the town’s most famous “da,” Maestro Leonardo. There was something quite cute about the town’s embrace of all things Leo, and while some aspects of its three museums dedicated to his life and work felt a little Disneyfied, the overall effect showed a town that took art and education seriously. x We’d been warned that Leonardo’s childhood home was a long walk just outside of the main part of Vinci, with a steep incline and little shade, … Continue reading “Vinci: The Vitruvian Man and Da Vincian Geometries” →

by jad

Golden Hour with Florence’s Golden Boy

Another series showing the passage of time. After visiting the Uffizi, we passed by Palazzo Strozzi to get tickets for the Rothko exhibit later that evening. You can see how dramatically different @superflexstudio’s artwork look in the inner courtyard at those two times of the day. I’ll be posting more from both galleries soon. x This one’s for Christine for teasing me about butts in the Met. It also marks the moment when the skies cleared, and the city started to shake off its dreary overcoat. x Golden hour with Florence’s golden boy. x

by jad

First Impressions of Florence (Not Great)

My first impressions of Florence were not great. Not only was it the flashpoint of train disruptions for three days in a row, but actually stepping out into the fabled city when we first arrived there on that Tuesday felt a little weird too; it wasn’t exactly hot, but it wasn’t exactly cool either, and the clouds hung low, muting all the colors and making everything look kinda dirty and drab. And the people. Oh, so many people. It felt like there were way more people here than in Rome, all stuffed into the same few blocks as everyone else. … Continue reading “First Impressions of Florence (Not Great)” →

by jad

Assisi, and a Pasta Lunch About Empire

While we were still in Umbria, we took a day trip out to Assisi, the home of Saint Francis. Our main motivation was to meet up with Christine’s host family from when she came here as a WWOOFer, working on a farm for little bit while we still lived in Lebanon and she had to leave the country anyway to renew her visa. But she also really just wanted to see Assisi. I had zero expectations and was quite taken by the beauty of the area. We spent most of our time having a delightful pranzo with the older couple, … Continue reading “Assisi, and a Pasta Lunch About Empire” →