Trip to Europe - Part 4: The Oltrarno

On the southern bank of the Arno is the Oltrarno, though really it feels like all the same city to me. We start the day with a brisk walk to Santa Maria del Carmine. The Oltrarno, we are told, is home to many artisans and craftspeople. We happen into the shop of one such person, a metal smith specializing in brass and the inheritor of a multi-generation family practice. His shop is clean and kept, as is the man himself. His tools have the gravitas of an authentic patina of work; they are as interesting as his handiwork. A small frame costs about $400. We are truly appreciative, but we move on.

We soon arrive at he Brancacci Chapel, a wonderful alcove in one corner of the cathedral that holds a cycle of frescoes primarily by Masaccio. Access to the chapel is thru a convent designed by Brunelleschi, one of many we've seen already. Remarkable for their simplicity and clarity, the frescoes have colorful warmth and amazing life. Our art history books are coming alive.

Then, we catch a city bus to San Miniato al Monte, a gorgeous little thing on the top of the hill overlooking the river and the city beyond. Fantastic. But the real treat here, it turns out, is the church: carefully decorated wood trusses, and column bays arranged in triads. It is full of amazing rhythms and patterns. At the far end from the entry, there is a mezzanine for the priest and choir, and a crypt below for "former" parishioners. In fact the whole church seems to be surrounded by a cemetery, laid within the walls and battlements of an old Roman fort.

We descend from the sacred to the profane - they have jammed a copy of David into a parking lot, surrounded it with food trucks and call it Piazzale Michelangelo. A wonderful view of the city, and you can buy it on a plate.

Another short bus ride to the Porta Romana, we hit the art school crowd - literally, as hordes of art students from the nearby art academy jam their way on as we depart. We walk down the Via Romana, which appears on the map to be a major roadway, but is actually a thin strip where tourist buses go wizzing by narrow side walks. We try to walk quicky (though a pizza shop delays our progress).

We soon reach the Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens; we want to see the gardens. Not sure why, but I am picturing fun sculptures and flower beds, manicured greens and lively structures. Arriving in a large, grassy amphitheater surrounded by sculptures, my hopes rise. But beyond the formal area behind the palazzo, we get a (very) big, (very) hilly forrest with a few big boulevards cut through. The place is just enormous. And hilly. There are a few fun sculptures and a few fountains, but not really much more to see, and the distance is just tiring.

We finish the day at dinner, at a trattoria near the Brancacci Chapel. I have one a truly memorable meals: artichoke salad, Florentine streak, chocolate mouse at Pandemonio. Over ten miles of walking, but we leave the Oltrarno smiling.

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