Cathedral of Siena, Divina Bellezza!
Cari Amici
(Dear Friends),
I apologize for the holiday
from writing this blog. I have had a
long string of visitors and traveling and hope to share some of my journey with
you. I had the great pleasure to meet up
with an American couple who are now friends and collectors of my work (a
commissioned portrait of their grandkids).
They were doing a wine tour of Italy, and sadly had to miss visiting my
beloved Firenze. So, I met them in the
charming town of Siena, bringing my visiting friend Dilya with me.
I had suggested that we
all meet in Siena primarily because the amazing Cathedral (“Duomo” in Italian)
was having a special exhibit inside, displaying the entire mosaic-ed floor
inside of what one of my friends in Austin, Texas, called “The Zebra Castle”
when he saw the Duomo as a child. The unveiled floor usually has carpets
covering the stone art to protect it. This
exhibit lasts only until 26 October and is called Divina
Bellezza or “Divine Beauty.”
The mosaics tell
various stories to inspire and make you feel a whole slew of emotions, as
stories do. Some depicted battles, such
as this one in images below. This particular
mosaic consists mostly of white, black, red, and golden marbles and what a
work!
