Basilica di San Lorenzo    This cathedral’s relatively stark (certainly in comparison with the Duomo) facade is heightened by its stonework relief in tandem with the sun.

Baptistry of San Giovanni   Marble flooring

Domus dei Tappeti di Pietra (Domus of the Stone Carpets)     This important archeological project in Ravenna unearthed a complex of buildings dating back to the Roman Republic through Byzantine times, including a small palace where every floor was covered with marble mosaics. After being restored, the ‘carpets’ of stone were placed back to their original collocation in an underground room that can be entered from the Church of Sant’Eufemia.

Palazzo Vecchio ceiling

Mauseleum Galla Placidia, Ravenna       Low light made photographing these stunning glass mosaics incredibly challenging. I think my husband did an admirable job here. All “windows” were filled with alabaster, an example of which you can see on the left side of this picture, with the figure almost pointing to it à la Carol Merrill. A close-up below.

Alabaster window panel within Mauseleum Galla Placidia

On the more contemporary side, the colors inside this closed shop drew me like a magnet.

I read about Clet Abraham before we left, so had my eyes peeled for his street art from the get-go. We weren’t disappointed. You can follow him on instagram @cletabraham

Another Abraham piece – photo courtesy of my husband

Even Michelangelo made street art … or at least that’s the legend about this carved portrait on the front wall of the Palazzo Vecchio. I read several stories about it: Popular urban legend has it that it was Michelangelo Buonarroti who created the portrait after taking on a bet that he would be able to do it with his back turned towards the wall, without looking at what he was doing. Another story tells how Michelangelo passed the Palazzo Vecchio one day and under the Loggia dei Lanzi he spotted a man in the pillory who owed him money. He asked the guard who was watching the unfortunate for how much longer the punishment would last and the guard answered: “Not long enough”. To make sure that the Florentine people would remember the criminal for a long time, he chiseled the man’s face on the wall of Palazzo Vecchio.

Once we began noticing them, these images of classical figures with swim masks cropped up all over, and not just in Florence. I was able to find this interview with the anonymous artist.

Portrait of an Old Man, last quarter of the 15th century, Fresco on tile. Attribution swings between Filippino Lippi and Domenico Ghirlandaio.            Despite his attire, this man looks so contemporary to me, the warmth of his skin tones and kindly eyes speak across the centuries.

Alexander Calder      We came across two exhibits in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi that were a total surprise, and happily so. This wire sculpture of Alexander Calder’s, not unlike the facade of San Lorenzo,  was dependent on shadow for full effect.

Self-Portrait of Sofonisba Anguissola, 1552-3.      In light of Reclamation, the ongoing exhibit at the Helen Day Art Center, which I wrote about here,  it was so lovely to see a female painter among the sea of male artists at the Uffizi. Anguissola’s father supported her passion for painting, as well as that of her four sisters who were also painters.

Pang Maokun, “Salotto di Diego Velasquez”, 2017     The other surprise exhibition at the Palazzo Medici Riccardi was a series of paintings by Chinese artist Pang Maokun. His sense of humor, weaving traditional references with a contemporary twist, is delightful.

Pang Maokun, “Dama con l’ermellino”, 2017.       If this piece looks vaguely familiar, your memory isn’t fooling you. Here’s a link to da Vinci’s original.

Pang Maokun.    It was so interesting to see this series of drawings, copies of master works combined with contemporary portraits, set in pairs, and hung so that if you stood to the right only the contemporary portraits were visible, while standing to the left revealed only the copies.

Pang Maokun.     Another wonderful drawing of facility and humor.

Alexander Calder      This sketch outlines Calder’s idea for a poster announcing his sculptural gift “Teodelapio” to the city of Spoleto.

Waiting at the Gate ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 5 x 8 inches, Pen and colored pencil.   I look forward to that first sketch of every trip, often done while waiting to board the plane.

Biglietti ©2018 Elizabeth Fram 5 x 8 inches, Pen and colored pencil.         Sketching takes the sting out of waiting, this time at the Roma Termini train station

Plaza Santo Spirito ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 10 x 8 inches, Pen and colored pencil. Lunchtime at an osteria before heading to Capella Brancacci to see the famed frescoes by Masolino da Panacale, Masaccio, and Filippino Lippi

Kidnapping of the Sabine Women by Giambologna, Loggia dei Lanzi   ©2018 Elizabeth Fram, 8 x 5 inches, Pen and colored pencil.        There aren’t words to express the experience of sketching one of the world’s most famous sculptures from an outdoor cafe, in one of the world’s most iconic places (Piazza della Signoria), while sipping a Campari soda.

The Palazzo Medici Riccardi had rooms filled with tapestries. They were huge and so finely woven that it is hard to imagine their production. Most of their colors have faded away. I think of blue as being among the most fugitive of colors, but was very interested to see that it was one of the few that remained in many of these pieces. Do any of you have an explanation? This small corner of a much larger work displays a glimmer of its former brilliance.

As the following pictures show, the ecclesiastic textiles showcased at the Opera del Duomo Museum were sumptuous and beyond imagining. These are from the 18th century.

Thinking of the strong lighting and magnifying glasses I need for my own work, I couldn’t help but feel for the eyesight of the artists who made these extraordinary pieces.

Procession of the Magi, Benozzo Gozzoli, Medici Chapel 1459-61

This is one section that I could get close enough to for a detail shot. I have lightened this image hoping to make it clearer for you to see. I was amazed by the glazes and layers of color, and the ability to follow the ancient brushstrokes.

The glory of these paintings doesn’t begin to translate through my photos. The gold glimmers and the landscape seems to breathe with the life of its flora and fauna. Each person is an individual portrait with personality, cheeks glowing with life. There are no windows. Imagine the wonder of sitting in this room in flickering candlelight.

Cut-Off, detail ©2017 Elizabeth Fram, 14 x 11 inches, Stitched-resist dye and embroidery on silk.