On my own today as Tom was working hard to finish his project, I left promptly at 10:30 for Santo Spiritu, a church not too far from our apartment. when I arrived I found the church semi closed, since Mass was going on. Of course -- All Saints' Day. So I masqueraded as one of the parishioners, and took a seat for the ceremony. I recognized quite a bit of Latin, then wondered if it was Latin or Italian -- maybe "Agnus dei" sounds the same in both languages? Anyway, the priest presided alone, without any assistance, and sang the Mass, quite beautifully. Afterward I wandered about snapping a few photos, and then worked up the nerve to enter the sacristy, where a few souls had been drifting in an out. It turns out that is where they keep the Michelangelo's crucifix. It is rumored that he presented it to the monks as a gift in appreciation for their not noticing that he was dissecting bodies to study how they worked.
Lucky things I didn't dawdle anymore -- a rather grumpy monk threw us all out a few minutes later.
This is the Michelangelo crucifix at Santo Spiritu.So off to my next stop, Santa Maria de Carmine, known as the home of the Brancacci Chapel, containing a frieze of frescoes by the master who rediscovered perspective. And what did I find? Another Mass! So, I adopted my most respectful pose and joined the congregation. Two Masses on one day. I'm set for at least a couple decades.
Unfortunately, it turned out that the chapel requires reservations, even though there are not so many tourists right about now, and the chapel is pretty far down on the must-see list. So I decided that rather than wait to find out, I'd heed the large sign (in English) posted on the door that reservations were ABSOLUTELY required, and move on.
I managed to find the same restaurant we discovered our very first day, and had my third meal there. I was feeling a bit like a regular with my penne, followed by pork chop with sauce and sauteed potatoes.
My next destination was described in my guide book as a department store similar to Penney's, but it was a lot more colorful and lively than I remember Penney's. Martha had been looking for earrings and scarves and such when she was here, and we were within a few feet of this store, but had taken another turn and missed it. Here it was all the time -- Earring and scarf heaven, and not expensive. From there I wandered slowly through town and back across the Ponte Vecchio, which is becoming the normal route. As I approached the Pitti Palace, though, I heard music. Some sort of band. A crowd had gathered, and the band was not only playing but performing, and the crowd was having a great time. The musicians were French, and had put out an instrument case that slowly but surely filled with coins, then paper money. The concert lasted almost two hours, and I was exhausted and I wasn't even playing!
The band, by the way, can be found at http://fanfare.ec-lille.fr/.
A few views from around town:
The two photos below are from the Ponte Vecchio, looking at either direction.
Next post I will try to load a video of the band....great fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment