fra i frati ed i mosaichi

Auguri! Sadly, the Perugia plans disintegrated last minute. Maltilde assures me that there are better weekends for our rain-check. I suppose she is the expert. Providentially, we made another trip to the “Monastero della Certosa di Galluzzo”, located in a suburb of Firenze. Situated high on a scenic hill, this religious home reaps the benefits of the beauty associated with Tuscan landscape while housing some manifestations of rustic fiorentino talent. These frati (monks) share their home with an impressive art collection, including sculptures and frescoes by artists such as Jacopo da Pontormo. The tranquilità of the courtyards, the lavish trimmings of the church and other areas of worship made for a charming alternative to Perugia. So many tourists will never experience this hidden wonder of 'la cultura fiorentina'. Lucky me. Saturday, I traveled to north. Ravenna: an illumination of relative prosperity during the Dark Ages. Gothic mosaics fabricated during this time are the city’s major claims to fame. My “travel tribe” was the same as my trip to Verona. We are a good fit, and plan to make more day trips together in the future. After goggling over the mosaics in places such as the “Basilica di San Vitale” and the “Mausoleum di Galla Placidia”, we hopped a tiny treno (joking about the "Little Engine That Could") and took the slowboat back to Florence. C'era vino. (There was wine). Tomorrow I am heading down to the Almalfi coast. Until after! -K