Florence 26 October

The rain seems to finally be at an end. This morning was the first time I’ve felt confident to leave their house without my umbrella. I’m still amazed I haven’t left it anywhere, I’m not used to carrying an umbrella around. They aren’t very practical in Wellington, not because it doesn’t rain, but because our rain is usually horizontal. You do occasionally see people struggling with their umbrellas back home but it usually identifies them as being “not from round here.” In bad weather you will often see the remnants of inside out umbrellas in rubbish bins around the capital.

The entry ticket I bought for the Uffici Gallery includes entry into the Pitti Palace and its museum, so that was my plan for this morning. I didn’t want to waste any more of my time on shoe shops, but was open to popping into any places that looked promising. It turns out there were several on my route, on the other side of the Arno River.

One such place called itself an outlet store for a posh brand I had never heard of, Jennifer Tattinelli. There were one or two pairs of boots that I wanted to try on, and the shop assistant was very helpful. Everything was half price, from an eye watering 450 euros down to 199, and they did tax free. The first pair I wanted she thought it was unlikely they would have my size, as they were very popular. First she brought them out in a 36, she had thought they were a 38 but had to hunt out her glasses to check the box. My heart sank, but she went back into the storeroom and returned with them in my size. They fit perfectly. This was unusual, apparently. “So many women come in to try them on, and I can’t get the zip up…” That’s one up for chicken legs, then. I then tried on another pair, which also fit but perhaps weren’t so flattering. Bless her, she gave her opinion, so rare in a female shop assistant. We usually get “Which ones do you prefer?” If anything. She agreed with me. Then unexpectedly, a man who was waiting patiently for his wife piped up “I like the first pair!” Well, I was on a roll by then. I tried on a pair in grey suede and they also looked like they were made for me, and in the end I bought both the first pair and the grey ones. A very positive shopping experience, for me. So often when I go shopping I end up feeling ugly, misshapen, and shabby. This time I felt ten feet tall.

By the way, later on I wondered idly whether the “50% off” had been a ruse. I even briefly suspected the nice man to have been a plant, but surely that’s taking paranoia a step too far?? Anyway, I googled the website and came up with these.

In fact, the discount was much more than they’d advertised. Look at those prices!  It seems they also have branches in Palm Beach and The Hamptons. Now, what am I going to buy with all this money I’ve saved??

The shop kindly looked after my purchases while I went across the road to the Pitti Palace. There are five or six museums inside, in addition to the Boboli Gardens, which are attached. I decided to just do two museums today and the rest another time, if I so wish. I started with the Costume Museum, always my favourite kind. There were many gorgeous dresses, I took loads of photos but will limit myself to two so as not to bore you. All these dresses date from the 19th century.

The gallery of modern art was just next door. By “modern” they seem to mean anything after the Renaissance, the first pictures were from the 18th century and there was nothing that was less than a hundred years old, let alone within living memory.  I was pleased to see this one.

It’s our old friend Filippo Lippi, seducing the nun Monaca Buti. The timeline isn’t quite right because in the picture he’s painting, she’s already borne him a son. But anyway, it’s cute.

This one I also like, even though I’m not usually a fan of religious art.

“Look! He’s just some guy!”

I’d had enough by then so picked up my boots and went home. A quiet afternoon and then in the evening I had another cultural event booked, this time by a little neighbourhood opera company that performs in a local English church. I thought it was going to be excerpts from several operas but actually they put on The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart, in its entirety. They had a man explain what was going on before each act which was useful as it was all in its original Italian. Once again, everyone was very talented and I enjoyed the show a great deal. I got there early and was sitting next to two couples, one American and one Canadian. We were all college educated and talked about our kids who were all in college too. We also talked about the upcoming elections, everyone is horrified that Trump is so close to winning. I’ve never knowingly met a Trump supporter, I don’t suppose you would find them at an opera in Italy.

I wore my fabulous boots, they weren’t the most comfortable footwear but they did pretty well considering the distance and all the cobblestones. No blisters at any rate. I hope to be able to wear them at work.

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