And also the birthplace of the greatest poet of all time: Dante Alighieri. Mind you, being here right now I'm starting to understand how he conceived of the horrors of the circles of hell.
It's baking hot. The streets are full - surging - with people: tourists, locals, hawkers and vendors, commuters. Buses, trams, scooters, cars, bikes and pedestrians jostle on the streets, not always helped by the rather vague edges separating road from pavement. And the noise ...!
I spent some time earlier in the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella (in the photo). To my delight I discovered that here (and in the other churches in Florence) it's customary to charge visitors but give a free pass to priests. I was ushered into the cool, quiet church and enjoyed the opportunity for prayer. I was particularly captivated by a beautiful crucifix painted by Giotto which I'll post more about later.
I'm staying with some lovely nuns whose convent is right in the heart of the city and yet, somehow, blissfully quiet and still.
Tomorrow I hope to visit Dante's home and the Cathedral. I was planning to stay at least another night, but I'm not sure I can manage the chaos - I may move on to Assisi tomorrow, where I hope to stay with another (smaller) Bose community if they have space.
Comments
Post a Comment