Bus to Brancacci and Bargello

I spent part of the morning traveling solo visiting the Brancacci Chapel in Santa Maria del Carmine, with beautiful frescos by Massacio and Masolino. Massacio was one of the first Renaissance painters to utilize perspective and more natural positioning of the body. The church was distroyed by fire in the 1700s but the frescos survived, damaged but survived none the less. They have been beautifully restored.

Next I joined John and Carol, Oral and Christina for a Hop-on Hop-off bus ride to Fiesole, high on the hills overlooking Florence, for lunch at Hotel Aurora. I enjoyed a nice raviloi of eggplant and mozzarella in a light broth, with views of Florence in the distance, through the rain drops.

On the return to Florence, I again went solo to my all time favorite museum in Florence, the Bargello. This museum is dedicated to statuary, with a large number of Donatello works including two of his Davids, one was the first male nude statue since classical times. There are a number of statues of Bacchus by various Renaissance artists and a large collection of della Robbia ceramics. In my opinion, this is one of the best, and frequently overlooked museums in Florence.

I also managed a quick visit to the Orsanmichele Church and the Baptistry, next to the Duomo, both well worth the time to see the interiors.

Two random comments:
1. The villa is only a 15-20 minute bus ride from the center of Florence. But, the return trip during the afternoon rush, is like being packed in a tin of Italian sardines.
2. My bedroom has a lovely small crystal chandeleer and a faux della Robbia over the headboard... all very Fiorentine.