christmas in florence!

Despite the chilly temps and the rain, rain....and more rain...Christmas could easily become my favourite time of year in Florence.  The tourist crowds have virtually disappeared and the locals have reclaimed their city.  The piazzas in il centro are suddenly full of Italians and the streets and stores have become (amazingly) easy to navigate.  There are Christmas markets full of handmade gifts all over the city and more varieties of panettone than I've ever seen!  The best part though, are the outdoor decorations that have literally blanketed the city....

 Daytime in Piazza del Duomo, complete with tree but minus the crowds!

Shopping on Via del Calzaiouli with Christmas lanterns strung above...

Street performers at the Christmas market in Piazza Santa Croce

Mountains of panettone!

Getting drunk on gelato....apparently just as fun in December.

The lights and decor started going up mid-November all over Florence.  The larger Vias were the first to be treated and I exclaimed "oh, look how pretty that's going to be...!".  But to my delight, the decor just kept expanding.  First, to side streets all over town....then the big tree and nativity scene in the Piazza del Duomo...and displays of all sorts in every Piazza.  They don't mess around here.  Obviously, all of it is best viewed after dark when the miles of twinkling lights guide you through the streets.  Here are some of my favourites....

Evening in Piazza del Duomo.  So pretty!

Bello Ponte Vechio all lit up for the holidays.  Kind of magical how the stars seem to float above the bridge.

More lights....Via de Ginori.

What is so lovely about it all is that no two streets are the same.  The lights are generally strung the width of the street between buildings, but the variety seems endless.  Stars, globes, lanterns, arcs, sheets of light, and carpets cascading down the length....you discover a new treasure around every corner!

...Borgo Albizi.  The placement literally draws you down the street.

....a zig zag pattern on Borgo dei Greci...

In keeping with the predominant aesthetic here, there is nothing matchy or overly planned about any of this.  Like the best design and decor (and the city itself) it all has the feeling of having evolved over time.  The lights are all white....no colours here...but the motif, placement and repetition is ever changing.  Like a home filled with things that the owners love, nothing feels overdone.  Instead it has a sense of being effortless and reflective of the city itself. 

Christmas lanterns at night on Via del Calzaiouli

Lantern closeup...

Via del Corso.  Love the ribbon of light speckled with stars - it carries on down the whole length of the street!

That's not to say that there's nothing flashy going on...Italians are certainly fans of more than a little bling.  The key is restraint.  Like the way the Florence Duomo has been allowed to dominate the architectural landscape, a few choice streets and bridges definitely stand out with wow factor...but the simple colour scheme and toned down decoration on adjoining streets allows for maximum impact.  The same way that too many focal points in one space creates visual clutter while highlighting a single element creates harmony.  Each installation here says Festive and simply elevates the loveliness of this already beautiful city.  Obviously I dig it! 

Via Romana, leading to Palazzo Pitti....

Via Maggio's inverted trees...

Piazza della Republica.  The carousel is always there, but now complete with giant Santa, or as Elly now calls him: Babbo Natale.

Art projections on the facade of Basilica di Santo Spirito

It can be tough to maintain your holiday traditions being so far from home and from friends and family. We've tried to keep some small rituals for Elly's sake (I toted our Christmas stockings...handmade by Granny....here from Canada.) In the end though, I think Christmas in Florence will forever be a treasured memory for us.  Living in a city like this can't help but influence so many aspects of life and certainly our approach to the holidays will be transformed by our Christmas in Italy...next stop, Roma!

...the best thing about the holidays....a happy girl ;)  Elly's first gingerbread house!

a day in the country

This fall, my sister Kate and her guy Chad spent a couple of lovely weeks with us here in Florence.  Despite a few rainy days and some unexpected closures, fall is a great time to visit Italy.  The masses of tourists have subsided and you've practically got every museum and town to yourself!  One of our most memorable days with Kate and Chad was spent in the Tuscan countryside in a little hill town called San Gimignano.  During high season this place is packed with people, but we managed to visit on a crisp sunny day in early November...

The main entrance into the medieval walled town - love the curves in the small buttressed arches at the top!

San Gimignano is known as the Town of Towers.  A dozen or so of the town's original 72 tower houses have been preserved, giving it a uniquely beautiful skyline (most towers in other Tuscan towns including Florence have been destroyed by war, urban development or decay).  The San Gimignano towers are a result of family rivalries during medieval times when they competed to build the tallest tower. Today, it's a picture perfect hill town packed with medieval architecture, artisanal shops and great restaurants.  Something for everyone in our little group!

early November in Italy - sunny day and empty streets!

Check out the herringbone pattern of the paving stones!  Love it.

Though there's no shortage of charm or quality of restaurants and artisans in San Gimignano, what is truly breathtaking are the views of the Tuscan countryside surrounding the walled town.  A small detour from the main streets will take you out along the town walls...and the feeling that you've walked into a postcard.  Seriously.

Beautiful Tuscan hills.

Hills and rooftops - the fall colours meld so perfectly with the terra cotta....

Sisters.  I miss her already.

A trip anywhere with the Morton sisters is not complete without a little shopping.  San Gimignano is full of jewellers, leather makers, cheese and salumi producers....but in search of a lunch spot we stumbled into a shoe store.  I know, hard to believe.  Kate had been searching all over Florence for the perfect pair of boots - she found them (and handmade too) in San Gimignano. 

Kate's new hand-made shoes.  Pretty sweet.

Piazza della Cisterna - such a beautiful variety of textures and colours in the stone

Of course, Sandro had to scour the town (literally questioning merchants) for the best place to eat.  He reappeared to guide us down a side street to a tiny little Trattoria with a huge wine cellar...their speciality, a Tuscan favourite - cinghiale, or wild boar.  Kate and I weren't so brave, but Chad and Sandro went whole hog ;) on the parpardelle con ragu di cinghiale.  They seemed pretty happy.

Kate and Chad - lunch in San Gimignano

After our Tuscan lunch - and I suspect a play from Sandro and Chad to prevent any more shopping - the four of us climbed the 200 steps to the top of San Gimignano's only public tower.  The views from here are even more stunning than from the town walls...

Views from the top of the tower.  Truly like a postcard.

looking down on two of the remaining San Gimignano towers with rooftops and hills behind

The main piazza from above

A San Gimignano bell tower....and the Tuscan countryside.

Back down the steps, we had just enough time for gelato before catching our bus back to Florence.  To date, this remains our best gelato experience in Italy.  Everyone has their favourite combination -- mine, pistacchio and cioccolato.  Yum.  The perfect end to a perfect day.

....my hubby...I just love this picture ;)

San Gimignano from outside the town walls

Admittedly, this is my least design-related post so far, but the history, colours and textures of this beautiful town just needed to be shared.  A presto!

modern art, firenze style

There is certainly no shortage of wonderful art and architecture in Florence, including museums housing an amazing array of Medieval and Renaissance masterworks - Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus among them.  That said, there isn't generally a lot to see when it comes to modern art.  A couple of weeks ago though, Florence was treated to the second annual incarnation of Florens.  This is a multi-format event that seeks to explore the relationship between culture and quality of life.  The idea that local art, fashion, food, wine, literature, craftsmanship, etc. can ultimately enhance the economy and the lives of a city's residents.  Essentially they're promoting "made in Italy".  And why not?

The two most prominent displays connected with Florens 2012 were both massive Modern Art installations that literally took over two of the city's most visited piazza's.  I love modern art and design....but particularly when it's placed in an unexpected, especially traditional setting.  So as you can imagine, these installations were right up my ally.

Marble slabs forming the "T" of the cross with Basilica di Santa Croce behind.

Sandro, Elly and I joined some friends on opening day to check out these temporary additions to our adopted city.  The first was in Piazza Santa Croce.  This art installation started by blanketing the entire piazza with chips of white marble that looked like snow.  The artists then placed massive marble slabs of all shapes and sizes into the form of a cross (from a bird's eye view) in front of the 15th Century Basilica.  Incorporated into the marble placement were other forms rendered in molded plastic...and in the background was the beautiful marble facade of Basilica Santa Croce. 

A molded plastic ring sits atop a marble slab, echoing the circular forms within the Basilica's facade

Looking down from the top of the cross.  A lone facial form gazes out at the Basilica.

As a designer, marble is one of my favourite materials.  I've used it in kitchens, bathrooms and entryways.  I love the dynamic nature of the veining and of the patina that develops over time and use.  In this installation, the combinations of raw and rendered shapes, scale, veining and colours was truly breathtaking.  The best part though, was the interactive nature of the exhibit; inviting people to touch, climb, perch, and even scribble amongst the slabs.

A sculpted marble figure towers above the crowd

Of course, nothing in Italy is complete without a little pomp and circumstance.... and as it was opening day, we were treated to a Renaissance style festival band - the highlight of the day for Elly!

Trumpets, flags, marching -- can't get much better for a 2-1/2 year old!

Elly looking after Daddy -- guess she thought it all might be too loud for his old ears ;)

The second Florens art piece was installed right in Florence's Piazza del Duomo surrounding the Baptistry in front of Brunelleschi's Duomo.  Florence is often critiqued for it's lack of greenery and green space within the city centre.  This piece brought a century-old olive grove right into the urban landscape.  70 trees were potted in huge white cubes and placed in a checker board pattern around the piazza.  This installation seemed so at home here that it could have gone unnoticed and in truth, I still miss it when I walk past the Duomo!

The Duomo facade complete with olive trees - such a natural addition.

Twisted trunks of the olive trees - just beautiful!

 As much as I love the juxtaposition that can be created between the modern and traditional in a space, one element that I believe every space needs is a touch of nature.  This is what brings a space to life.  I walk past the Piazza del Duomo every day and had never realised how flat it seemed until I saw these beautiful trees in place.  As a Canadian, I realise how lucky we are to have such ready access to the natural world!

The trees brought a sense of natural grounding to all of the marble and stone in Florence's centre

There may be things I miss occasionally about my home country, but I can't deny that greenery or not, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world with a true commitment to preserving and furthering it's artistic community.  A good friend who is about to return home with his wife daughter after three months in the city put it perfectly...

...looking over the bridge of the Arno on a still fall night, with lights of the city and churches reflecting on the river's glassy surface....I came here with two gals in my heart, and I leave with three....Bellla Italia, you will be missed. 

T. Finnern

Sunset on the Arno after a lovely afternoon in our Art City

handmade...in italy

I had an email last night from my brother Russ wanting his Italy fix!  Sorry Russ...and anyone else who's been following our little adventure...I've been attending daily Italian classes in an effort to break through on the speaking front.  It seems to be helping, but hasn't left much time for blogging...mi dispiace ;)

Of course in my world there's always time for shopping and last weekend we spent a morning at what has become one of my favourite local shopping pleasures.  The Piazza Santo Spirito Organic Market is held every third Sunday of the month and is well worth the wait.  Producers and artisans from all over Tuscany offer everything from organic produce to hand made cheeses and even jewelry.  It's a lovely market in a beautiful setting and chock full of creative design offerings.  Here's a look! 

Felt  jumpers in bright colours.  Cute!  And take a look at the hand made display rack...

Hand woven fashion for the whole family.  Well, maybe just Elly ;)

Felt slippers in every size and colour.  Elly will be sporting a pair in November.

One of the things that makes this market so inviting is the thoughtfulness and creativity that goes into many of the vendor's displays.  Huge baskets full of nuts and fruit provide inviting texture....artisinal cheeses resting on a bed of straw...rows of silky honey jars and colourful hand milled soaps...you can literally wander through all morning just taking it in...

Such a well thought-out vignette...complete with branches of pomegranate and roasting nuts!

I have a thing for hand milled soap...Sandro thinks it's weird...they're just so pretty and a perfect way to decorate any bathroom!

Hand made sheep's milk cheese.  The straw is unexpected but creates a cool textural display.

Some of the vendors not only offer their work for sale, but sit and create pieces on site.  It's like seeing a piece of art come together right in front of you.  The seat weaving is amazing to watch and brings an authenticity to the whole experience.  I also love the hand woven baskets.  The textures and colours are so beautiful and rustic...they'd fit nicely with any decor.  The perfect hiding spot for all kinds of clutter.

...like little pieces of sculptural art.  Imagine one or two of these in a sleek modern kitchen!

...gonna have to look into shipping rates to Canada.  These hand woven stools are just gorgeous!

There are at least three wood workers on site, each offering their own take on olive wood cutting boards, kitchen utensils and serving bowls.  Olive wood has a beautiful rich tone and a nice open grain pattern.  My husband Sandro has his eye on one of the huge, table sized boards.  That might be tough to get back to Canada....but you can expect to be served cheese & other aperitivi snacks on some of these the next time your at our place!

Olive wood cutting boards...Sandro is coveting the big one at the back.

More olive wood offerings....these might be easier to get home.

Olive wood spinning tops...I love the rainbow one!  You could decorate a whole kids room around one of these.

 

Who wouldn't want to buy from this guy??!