Florence with Elvio

Our group loved Florence.

Florence is stunning in the daytime and at night, in the sun and in the rain.

On February 27, I headed to Florence for three days as a supervisor on a school trip. I had visited the city twice previously, but I was eager to return. Who wouldn't want to spend time in a place that was the centre of the Renaissance?

A view from the Uffizi towards the Duomo.

When Lyn, our school travel organizer, sets up a trip, she brings years of experience to the planning. She knows how to maximize our time in each location, combining educational opportunities with free time, and reserving for us dinners in good restaurants, as well as highly recommended guides to help us understand the history and culture of the city.

Elvio

In Florence, Lyn always books Elvio and Roberto, two men who have been favourites with our students and staff for several years. For two days, I saw Florence through the eyes of Elvio since I was assigned to his group. What a charming and intelligent man he is!

Part of the Uffizi

Michelangelo's Doni Tondo

On Sunday, he met us at our hotel and led us to the Uffizi Gallery where for the next two hours, we learned about art history, his passion. We learned what to look for in order to understand the revolution that was the Renaissance; we came to appreciate the genius of the great masters; and we became educated on the patterns and techniques of great art.  

The better Boticelli? 

While Boticelli's Venus is an outstanding and very famous work, after listening to Elvio, I found myself more drawn to his favourite piece by the artist, "Primavera". I agree with him, there is much to admire about this charming painting.

David's expression.

Elvio captivates our students with his knowledge of the city.

Moving on to the Academia, Elvio walked us around Michelangelo's David, insisting that we view the sculpture from all angles. This way we came to understand the sculptor's genius, as he sought to create this unique work.

Some of the statues in the loggia. 

Elvio and the students inside the loggia.

The next day, Elvio led us on a walking tour around the city. The emphasis was on several great churches, although our first stop was the Loggia dei Lanzi on a corner of the Piazza della Signoria. This open-air sculpture gallery was built in the 14th Century, and contains works from several subsequent centuries, including the famous Rape of the Sabine Women by Giambologna. It is remarkable that so much beautiful art sits in an outdoor space.

Inside the first courtyard.

Inside the nearby Signoria (also known as the Palazzo Vecchio) are more wonders. We visited the first courtyard, a beautiful space with frescoes on the walls, ornate columns, and vaulted ceilings, all designed to please the Medici family. 

Elvio takes advantage of a break in the rain to highlight the sights in the piazza.

Outside, the large Piazza has been a popular gathering place for centuries. On this rainy day, it was quite deserted, but that did not prevent us from admiring the beautiful Neptune fountain in front of the Signoria.

The tabernacle at Orsanmichele.

Sculptures in the Orsanmichele Museum

Elvio's enthusiasm for his city was never more obvious than when he interrupted our planned tour for a brief visit to Orsanmichele, the church of the guilds. Its upper gallery is only open on Mondays, the day of our walk, so our guide took advantage of this happy coincidence. Here we learned about the statues each guild commissioned of its patron saint. These were once housed outside in niches, but now the exterior works are replicas. Famous Florentines such as Donatello and Ghiberti created these beautiful sculptures. 

Mary waves at us on the façade of the Duomo.

Our next stop was the massive Duomo. It took 140 years to build this magnificent church. Although, I had already wandered around the interior earlier during our stay, seeing it through Elvio's eyes brought so much more to the experience. Brunelleschi's Dome is a masterpiece, not to be missed. We craned our necks to admire the Vasari's fresco inside it. Wow!!

Looking up inside the dome.

The clock.

Another notable feature of the interior of the Duomo is the 24-hour clock, from the 14th Century. Until the 18th Century, Florentines kept time this way.

Walking in the rain.

Michelangelo is buried here.

Galileo's funerary monument

From the Duomo, we made our way along Florence's winding streets to its other major church, the Basilica of Santa Croce, the largest Franciscan church in the world. Here lie the funerary monuments of notable Florentines, such as Machiavelli, Galileo, and Michelangelo, all giants in their fields. The Basilica also houses a beautiful cloister and an old refectory where the first known fresco of the Last Supper is depicted.

A chapel inside the Basilica

The Last Supper in the refectory

When we emerged from the Basilica, the sun greeted us–for a few minutes. The photo below is the only one I have with some blue sky in it. 

Blue sky over Santa Croce

Yes, Florence was grey when we were there, and there was lots and lots of rain, but we enjoyed the city greatly anyway. When we were not on tour with Elvio, we explored on our own. 

Inside the Museum

Lorenzo Ghiberti's Baptistry doors

For 15 Euros, we bought a combination ticket to the Duomo's five attractions. The newest of these, the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, is stunning. Here, Jen and I saw art pieces that have been moved from the church to preserve them. Among these are the golden doors of the Baptistry, as well as a pieta by Michelangelo, and a silver and enamelled altar of St. John the Baptist. 

A stunning altar

Mosaic floor in the crypt

We also visited the crypt of the church, where mosaic floors suggest an early Roman presence in the area. Finally, we entered the baptistry, a small but spectacular building. Here, as in the Duomo, the ceiling is the highlight.

The ceiling of the Baptistry

While we were exploring at ground level, Adam, Kezia and Jen's son, Jacob, climbed to the top of the Duomo, and afterwards, the Campanile, the bell tower. That made over 900 steps to climb. Good for them!

Jacob's photo from the top of the Duomo.

Our time in the city was not all art and architecture, however. We enjoyed the food and shopping too. After all, we were in Tuscany, the garden of Italy, and in Florence, the home of some of the best leather in Europe.

Ham cures on the ceiling of the restaurant...

...to be eventually sliced into delicious prosciutto.

Some of our group in the middle of the feast

Lyn had made arrangements with two restaurants to accommodate all thirty-six of us. On our first night in the city, we ate at Il Latini, a restaurant where the bounty of the area was fully apparent. Housed in a room on our own, we began the meal with several antipasti, followed by a pasta course, then a large platter of meat, then accompanying vegetables, then an aperitif with biscotti, and then a variety of desserts. The food was very good, but there was just too much of it for me!

My pizza at the Yellow Bar

Happy faces at the Yellow Bar.

On our second night, we dined at the Yellow Bar, where Elvio, our guide, moonlights as the Maitre D' on weekends. Again, we were seated in a room on our own, but this time, we ate à la carte, so we could exercise restraint if we chose. Of course, Elvio made sure we had good service and he treated the teachers to a limoncello as an apéritif after the meal.

Trying geeato 

Between Florentine feasts, we found many other places to please our palates. Gelato was a favourite with both students and staff, of course. When we sought out the best place in town, according to our guides, we ran into a group of our students.

Beth poses in front of Perche No! - the home of the best gelato

Beth, Kezia and Adam in the Boar leather market.

We saw many of the students in the leather markets as well. Over the course of our three days in Florence, we contributed a great deal to the local economy. It seems as if everyone left the city with a belt, a wallet, a bag, or a jacket–all made from the finest leather, or so we were assured. 

Chloe and Alex feeling the love of Florence.

Our three days in Florence fuelled my spirit, The students loved the city and absorbed a great deal of its culture, even as they dodged rain much of the time. Below, I have attached the address of the blog of the trip we took there last year if you want to see what the city looks like when the sun shines. It will show you even more of Florence's beauty.

http://livingmydreaminbeautifulswitzerland.blogspot.ch/2015/03/unofficially-in-florence.html

Getting Through February

The view over Yverson-les-Bains from the top of the castle.

It may be the shortest month, but February often feels very long to me. There are many reasons for that. Besides being the last full month of winter, it marks the beginning of a new semester, so there is lots of work to get our courses rolling. There is no school travel either. This year, my February 'blues" were also affected by the weather–rain, rain, and more rain.

A street of the old town.

The church in Yverdon-les-Bains

To spice up my life, I looked for things to do every weekend, and people to do them with. Early in the month, Kezia, our new social media intern, was willing to spend a Saturday afternoon with me in nearby Yverdon-les-Bains, a mere seventeen minutes away by train. This small town provided a charming diversion for us–made even better due to a rare appearance of the sun. The streets are lovely and the main square, la Place Pestalozzi, is notable for its castle and the reformed church of Notre-Dame.

The church interior

Carved choir seats.

Erected in 1757, this protestant church is made of the same golden sandstone as most buildings in Neuchâtel. We tried several of its doors of before we managed to get in. What a pleasant surprise awaited us inside! There are beautiful carvings adding warmth to its wooden features. Apparently, the acoustics of the building are outstanding, with many concerts held there every year.

The castle at Yverdon-les-Bains.

Kezia poses inside the castle

Crossing the square, we entered the castle, now a museum. It took us about ninety minutes to explore it. The many artifacts inside document the history of the area going back to pre-Christian times. Kezia and I learned a great deal in this place, and as we climbed to the top of a tower, we were treated to some spectacular views over the town.

Poster from 100 years ago

One thing we did  not do on this day was visit the "Bains" (the baths) in the town. In its heyday, Yverdon was a noted spa location; even today, many visit it for its waters. This is something to look forward to in warmer weather.

I should have dressed up, apparently.

These carnivals take place in many cities in the country.

A week later, on Valentine's Day, another short train ride took me to Biel/Bienne, a bilingual city only fifteen minutes east of Neuchâtel. This time I travelled on my own, because no one else wanted to stand in the rain with me. You see, I was keen to experience Fasnacht, the Swiss version of carnival.

Were these the seven dwarves?

Note the confetti on the ground here. 

I had first become aware of this annual event a year ago, when a friend had invited me to Basel to see the festivities there. Otherwise, I would never have heard of it, since it only takes place in the German parts of the country, never in Neuchâtel.

Motorcycle on the head?!

Octopi

For about ninety minutes, I stood under my umbrella and watched the spectacle pass by me. There were nearly as many people marching in the parade as watching it on this soggy day. Still, the locals got involved by throwing confetti at those marching along while some of the participants handed out flowers, oranges, and candy–and then tossed handfuls of confetti back at us.

A member of the Habs in disguise?

These were the least scary costumes of the day, surely.

I was quite amused when two floats with Canadian content appeared in front of me. Here, the attire differed from the usual grotesque costumes I had been seeing, and I felt a surge of pride in my Canadian identity for a few seconds.

Mufei in front of the Hotel du Peyrou. 

On the third weekend of February, I played host to a former student, Mufei, who had journeyed from France for a visit. In the late afternoon on Friday, I showed her the town, while the next day, we travelled together to nearby Bern. We were joined on this excursion by three of my colleagues (Patti, Adam and Kezia) and one of Mufei's former classmates (Harun). The six of us had a great time together, in spite of some rain.

My posse in Bern

Bern from Munsterplatz.

Patti and a Bern bear.

With consistent unpleasant weather, I often looked for ways to "go inside" in February, even on weekdays. With colleagues, I attended three classical music events in three different cities. The first of these was free–a dress rehearsal in Bern of the opera Un Ballo in Maschera by Verdi. Sarah drove Adam and I there after a staff meeting and although the three of us only stayed for the first act, we really enjoyed the music. Adam, a passionate fan of opera, has sparked my interest in the form, so it is no surprise that, at the end of the month, we went to Biel to see a complete production of another Verdi, La Traviata. This time, Patti, Christine and Kezia accompanied us.

Bern's Opera House

Adam, Kezia, Patti and Christine in Biel. 

Our head of school, Bill, had provided us with more free tickets a few days beforehand, this time to a Baroque concert here in Neuchâtel. Patti, Adam and I loved it and it was sunny that day too! There will be more such concerts to attend in March.

Baroque concert at the Temple du Bas

The last weekend of the month started with another visit from a former student, Vincent, who had been attending a conference in Geneva. Like I had done with Mufei, I gave him a tour of the town, where he posed, as all my guests do, in front of the Hotel du Peyrou.

Vincent at the Hotel du Peyrou.

Reflecting now on the February of 2016, it does not seem as dismal as the weather might indicate. Visiting new places, listening to beautiful music, and spending time with colleagues and former students lightened my mood considerably.