Pino

I saw these tall bushy-top trees all over Italy, especially around Florence. I asked a guide what they were called and he called them "pino" which of course translates to "pine". They don't look anything line the pine trees I know, but they do have dark green needles, so I guess that is what they are but a different variety than I know.

Of course the tall skinny trees on the horizon are Italian cypress, famous as the archetype tree of Tuscany.

Cross

Pink umbrella

A little rain is to be expected, but the hope is it will not last too long or dampen the spirit.

Under the dome

An earlier post mentioned Brunelleschi’s Dome that sits atop the Florence Cathedral (Il Duomo di Firenze), and here is a view looking up into the dome. There are many things about this dome that are remarkable. The dome caps an octogonal hole that is 150 wide that was open to the elements for over a hundred years. The original builders of the cathedral did not know how to complete the crown that would start atop 180 foot walls. This was 600 years ago, long before architecture or engineering was a science and construction was more of a trial and error affair.

After much discussion and a competition Brunelleschi was chosen for the task, a man with no formal architecture training. He was by trade a goldsmith.

National Geographic has a series of articles and graphics that provide a lot more detail of this fascinating accomplishment.

Shown in the above photo is the fresco that was later added inside the dome. The credit for that work goes to three men, Vincenzo Borghini, Giorgio Vasari and Federico Zuccaro.

Alley

From behind

Everyone shoots a picture of Michelangelo's David from the front, but you don't see many from the rear. The crowd does like the view from all sides, and stand in line sometimes for hours for a glimpse. We were lucky to have a pre-arranged tour and no line.

Red flowers

Two wheels

Us Americans love our automobiles, but although there are plenty of cars in Italy, there are also many people who choose to travel on two wheels. I suppose there are good reasons: easier to traverse small and busy streets, and also the cost of fuel. My rough calculations tell me the cost of gas is almost three times as expensive in Italy as I pay at home. And I expect the same is true in most of Europe.

On the open roads the motorcycle riders make frightening maneuvers, often passing cars on narrow streets on blind corners and at high speed. But somehow it seems to work. We did not see any traffic accidents in our two weeks.

Down the street (via)

OK, maybe this is a tourist snap, but it is still a nice photo of the view from our hotel room balcony. Of course what is down the street is the Duomo di Firenze, the Florence Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the world and topped with Brunelleschi’s famous dome.