In Florence I couldn’t help but recall the wonderful film, A Room With A View.
My mind was on repeat as I hummed Puccini and let myself retreat into a world of Renaissance art and architecture.
I had forgotten how beautiful the city was and the treasures that are tucked away.
The architectural details, each vying for attention with one another, are almost too much to take in at any one time.
Brunelleschi and his dome, the Fillipo Lippi Madonnas and their babies, the opulence of Botticelli and Raffaello and the intricate carvings of Michelangelo.
As for the colours of the city, how enlivening and enriching they are. Even the neutrals are a million different hues. I felt as if I could re-paint my world, one shade at a time.
And the views, not only a room with a view, but also a city with a view.
We climbed and climbed.
Across The Ponte Vecchio, up through the Boboli Gardens and into the Bardini Gardens. Back up and down then across town and up again to the Piazzale Michelangelo.
The views were intoxicating, the next one even more rewarding than the last.
Perhaps it was my mood over those few days, but I felt that such beauty was in hand’s reach and I wanted so desperately to capture it. The higher we climbed the more intense the feeling became.
I have never been so tired but every puff of the way was worth it.
Looking out over Florence, the city felt like mine alone, just for that moment.
There are probably never enough hours to take in all that Florence can offer.
We re-visited our favourite sculptures and paintings in the Uffizi and Accademia.
I re-kindled my love for interiors in the Medici and Pitti Palaces. The drama, the scale and the lavishness of those palaces fuelled ideas for interpretation and inspiration.
Exploring the Santo Spirito neighbourhood with it’s tiny antique, artisanal shops and family run restaurants was in stark contrast to the chic via de Tornabuoni and the finest Italian fashion.
Not to mention, the food, Sigh.
I feel as if I have been away from this home forever, I have missed you.
I am looking forward to a year together, filled with travel and adventure, much conversation and large doses of fashion and beauty.
Florence was a tonic, a welcome harbour to sit out the last few days of ugliness and a refuge to envision and hope for a brighter future.
Hello 2015, I’m so happy to be back… xv
p.s
i am putting my “must do” in florence list together, it will be posted here later in the week
