Album Florence from Annalia S.

Reflection(s) by the bridge

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sun, 14 Nov 2021 14:08:41 +0000

I don't know if she was waiting for somebody, taking a moment to reflect on life or simply enjoying the view from the bridge parapet, but her "Red Riding Hood" called my attention.

night comes to my city - PIP

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 16:14:33 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

From the bike path on Lungarno Corsini looking west towards Ponte Santa Trinita.
In the PIP: same place, same time, different format.

Have a nice Saturday evening (those on the North Hemisphere) and a nice Sunday to those Down Under!

city reflected (and a bit of a rant ... sorry!)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 10:07:36 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Almost exactly a year ago, as evening approached (and I headed home from work on my trusty bike "Betsy"), the last of the soft October light was casting warm reflections of the city on the river and the first touches of autumn seemed to have brushed color accents on the city parks trees. Shortly after that, I was once again working remotely from home, as a new wave of Covid19 swept through Italy.

A year later, 80% of the eligible population in Italy is fully vaccinated and another 5% has received the first dose. We still wear masks in indoor venues, on public transportation and in crowded outdoor places, but we can move around, all shops are open, if we need healthcare for something other than Covid we can get it and kids are mostly back in school.

We could probably dispense even with masks and social distancing if our national quota of vaccine hesitant folks (or their parents, in the case of kids over 12) were not being mislead by the misinformation trash that is still rampant on social media. Because of this trash, and the handful of orchestrators that originate it, we are still losing people who could have been protected by the vaccine, people of varying ages, including up to 25 kids each week, end up having to be hospitalised for Covid, we still have to wear masks and we had to implement vaccine mandates (which would not have been necessary if people's minds had not been poisoned against making rational choices). In my opinion, these orchestrators should not just be banned from social media. They should be brought to justice and made to answer for the deaths and the suffering of the people who unfortunately believed their lies.

The Wound (PIP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:44:46 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

An installation by French artist JR on the façade of Palazzo Strozzi, representing the wound inflicted by the pandemic to cultural institutions. The b/w photographic collage visualises a rip in the physical structure of the building that reveals its interior, in part real (the colonnade of Palazzo Strozzi's courtyard), in part imagined (rooms hosting art exhibitions and libraries), creating an arresting contrast to the brown stone of the Palazzo.

In the PIP: a glimpse of the actual interior courtyard seen past its b/w photographic counterpart.

For more info: www.palazzostrozzi.org/en/archivio/exhibitions/jr

Sant'Ambrogio's market - (PIPs)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 11:15:04 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Are you thinking of fixing a colorful and tasty fruit salad with real fruit that has not seen the inside of a refrigerator? Fancy a very Florentine "panino col lampredotto" for lunch? Need a summer hat? Want a bouquet of flowers for a loved one's birthday or a new potted plant for your balcony? Hungry for some pecorino cheese? Well, Sant'Ambrogio's open air market is where you want to be! After the Central Market got gentrified and "touristified", Sant'Ambrogio's is one of the very few real open air markets left and the only one near the center of town. Small but kaleidoscopically diverse (see PIPs), it's a feast for the eyes.

Le Murate - HFF! (PIPs)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 13:12:32 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Florence's old jail, known colloquially as "Le Murate" (the Walled-in)*, was gradually restructured between 2001 and 2010 and turned into a residential complex (with some spaces used for public functions). The architectural design maintained, and in a sense "played" with, the institutional look of the old buildings, while contriving ways to add some "relief" to the old cells by adding originally shaped balconies and bow windows, and by repurposing as balconies/hanging gardens the old gangways that connected different cell blocks (see first PIP). Large steel bracings were used inside to open up the walls connecting cells in order to create larger rooms and apartments.

* The vernacular name of the jail does not, however, refer to the prison inmates, but rather to the original inhabitants of the cells: before being turned into a jail, this complex was in fact a convent for cloistered nuns and was originally built as a complex of cells, with only a few large common areas.

HAPPY FENCE FRIDAY and may you be as free as a bird this weekend!

il ponte della ferrovia - HFF! (PIP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 04 Jun 2021 08:58:47 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Evening light filters through at a slant and helps reveal the intricate structure of the railway bridge as seen from the Arno River trail.

In the PIP: a southbound Frecciarossa high speed train crosses the railway bridge.

Happy Fence Friday!

And happy travels to those who are taking advantage of the lifting of travel restrictions!

masterpiece replica - HFF!

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 12 Feb 2021 10:47:58 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

At the children's playground of the Anconella Park in South Florence one can see a small, half finished replica of Brunelleschi's cupola that was made to demonstrate one of the possible building techniques the master architect could have devised for his unique masterpiece (see also side view in the pip).

The replica shows both the herringbone bricklaying technique and the "slack rope" curvature of the various subsequent sections that make up the cupola's unusual building structure. (anyone interested can see a video illustrating this hypothesis of Brunelleschi's building technique here: brunelleschi.imss.fi.it/genscheda.asp?appl=LIR&xsl=filmato&lingua=ENG&chiave=100986 )

The openings left at ground level were later either bricked in or fenced off (or both, as can be seen in the main image), probably to keep children and pets from wandering in.

Only a rather small grid/fence this week, but HFF all the same!
I hope everyone has a pleasant weekend!

Lungarno street music

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sat, 24 Oct 2020 08:37:42 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

The day is not quite gone yet, but some lights have been turned on already. Taking advantage of a newly repaved section of the Lungarno by Ponte Vecchio, street musicians prepare to entertain evening strollers.

the old and the new (PIP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 15:36:29 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

The Teatro Comunale di Firenze, once home to the prestigious "Maggio Musicale Fiorentino", is being in part demolished and in part restored, to be turned into a mostly residential aerea. In this photo, what was once the elegant foyer, with the stairs leading to the balcony, now lit by flood lights and with a wheelbarrow parked in the shadows. In the pip, not far from the old Teatro Comunale, one of the protruding volumes of the new "Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino", built in contemporary style, catches the golden light of the setting sun. I am told the inside of the new theatre is magnificent, but the outside, in my view, is bulky and lifeless and only rescued, somewhat, in this image by the sun's golden light.

coming home (PIP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 09:35:34 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

This is the time of year when biking home along the Arno River puts me right in the middle of a light show. On one side, the sun goes down bathing the Arno River in sunset colors as it flows downstream (see PIP), while upstream the city turns to gold in the last light. It makes for a moment when I can forget these scary times for a bit. I hope it does the same for you.

on fire

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 15:27:29 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

At first I was thrilled by this fiery sunset that gave the impression of setting the trees of the Anconella riverside park on fire, but once I had the image up on my computer screen, I could not help but think about the wild fires in the West Coast of the US and the bush fires in Australia last year. Sending my thoughts out to all the victims (human and animal) who are paying for what we have all been doing to Nature.

evening walk to the park - HFF!

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 14:42:13 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Arm in arm, an elderly couple crosses the Arno River on the tram bridge to reach the Cascine Park, while the evening sun casts shadows on the pedestrian walkway.

The relic - HFF!

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 11:58:47 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Relic of a distant rural past, this old "cascina" has seen little maintenance over the years and creates a sharp contrast with the relatively newer and taller buildings that rose up all around it as the city expanded and took over areas that were once mostly fields. I like its defiant "resistance". I was intrigued by the set of 5 old ceramic insulators still attached to the wall. I had not seen one of those in a long time!
HFF to all who are "resisting" in these tough times, with a special thought to fellow Ipernians in the USA, South America and South East Asia who are experiencing high surges of infection.

the red chair

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 13:24:55 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

I think Heidi's red chair might be taking a holiday in Florence :D

HFF everyone!

P.S. The IMA team is asking for comments on a counterproposal regarding the Esperanto language interface. In my opinion the discussion is taking on a more general nature that even those not interested in the specific topic might want to comment on. Anyone interested in expressing their opinion can find the thread by clicking on the blue bar above the banner.

falling apart but still charming

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 11:43:30 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

This week I found several interesting fences I wanted to share with you, so I am using up my full allotment of 3 HFFs per week :)))

The old gazebo in the garden of Piazza Demidoff seems to be in such serious disrepair to require fencing off and danger signs. I liked the colors and the light on the terrace garden in the background.

HFF!!!

across the river

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 15:11:39 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

a glimpse of the sunlit buildings across the Arno river, taken from the pleasant shade under the trees of the riverside garden in Piazza Poggi (where I also enjoyed a tasty panino from the Easy Living Kiosk).
The tower of the Palazzo della Signoria looks closer than it is in reality from this perspective. On the right hand side, part of the brownstone building of the Biblioteca Nazionale.

piazza Santa Croce

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Sat, 15 Aug 2020 15:25:01 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

The stuccoed façade of Palazzo dell'Antella in Santa Croce square.
In the PIP, the square and church from a different angle.
Normally, this time of year it would be crowded with tourists despite the scorching heat, but, as you can see, this year we have much fewer visitors, who get to enjoy the city without having to deal with the crowds. Much easier to keep social distances too :)

rooftop gardens (1 PIP)

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Thu, 16 Jul 2020 16:01:09 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Florence's palazzos with rooftop gardens across the Arno River from the bike path.

In the Pip: a wider shot, with the lichen infested Lungarno wall in the foreground-

highlighted

nobody@ipernity.com (Annalia S.) — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 11:31:48 +0000

Annalia S. has posted:

Florence seen from across the river, downstream from the tram bridge. Brunelleschi's Dome, peeping out above the Cascine Park trees, gets highlighted by the evening sun against the backdrop of the distant hills.