Gardens in Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I cannot help loving the Renaissance City, aka Florence, Italy. I do not always know why, but there it is. However, there are a lot of times in which I feel out of kilter and that is when I cannot be near a tree. So much of the greenery in Florence is hidden behind walls. I was once told that an open door in Italia is an invitation. I am not convinced that I believe this, but there are times in which I act as if I do!

Just over a week ago an American sculptor living in Italy came to Florence (Firenze) and asked if we could get together. Tammy Duris had contacted me many years ago in Colorado and recently we ended up spending a fun day together walking around central Florence. While peeking into an open archway near my home, we started speaking with the security guard. I was happy that Tammy asked him if the space was a residenza. He responded, “No, si tratta di una casa." So, then I asked him what was the difference between residenza and a casa (house). He explained that the first was a place for rent, the second a private home.

And then to my utter delight, he told me that he would allow us to go in if we went only into the courtyard straight ahead and did not linger or explore the other areas. So, I was able to see some trees and flowers! And even a sculpture! It was certainly not the prettiest garden space that I have seen, but my point is that so much of Firenze is hidden. So when you see an open door, sometimes you may just get to walk through it!

Just a reminder, this workshop is coming up soon:

"Portrait Painting with Artist Kelly Borsheim" May 17-19, 2013, Sanford, Florida (near Orlando)