Pensieri di casa
Thoughts of home
Stan is clearly wanting to catch his last, lingering looks at Florence from the apartment we’re staying in. I’m not sure what he’s thinking about our impending departure. When I found him sleeping in the suitcase, I thought it was a sign he liked the open road. I’m pretty sure he’s happy as long as we’re together.
That said, in our last days of Florence, I’ve had to do some things alone. After all, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to visit the Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens. What better way to reflect on what home means to me, than experience one of the most palatial homes of all?
The Pitti Palace is gargantuan. A bloated beast of a building that leaves you with no doubt about the power and influence of its historic residents. The Palazzo Barberini and Palazzo Doria Pamphilj are mere terraced houses relative to this place. Unlike many powerful people in our society, the Medicis had a relatively modest start in life as traders and farmers from the Mugello region, North of Florence. It reminds me of a saying from my part of the world which might make you smile; where there’s muck there’s brass! But the truth is that following his Uncle’s guidance, Giovanni earnt his money in good old-fashioned banking along with wool trading. He founded the Medici Bank of Florence, and actively engaged in the Guild of Finance along with that of wool. These guilds provided the kind of protective, hereditary and, no doubt, nepotistic, trading that allowed some families to thrive exponentially. Like the Barberini’s and Borghese, the Medici family lay claim to four Popes and strategic marriages to key families across Europe. Not all the descendants of Giovanni fared as well as his son Cosimo. I’ll leave you to do your own research if it interests you but members of the family were variously exiled and murdered. Others fared very well, with Cosimo’s granddaughter becoming Queen of France and her son Louis XIII.
In the fifteenth century, they were the wealthiest family in the world.They even built the Uffizi I visited earlier in the week as their office. Imagine calling the Uffizi work; they avoided getting wet on their commute by building the covered bridge, the Ponte Vecchio. Their patronage of the arts and science is well documented and there is no better evidence of it than taking the time to walk around the Pitti Palace. Inside, it sits somewhere between the artistic focus of the Palazzo Barberini combined with an insight into everyday life like that of the Doria Pamphilj. They believed the investment in art would help them secure their rightful place in the celestial world. So, it’s no surprise it’s packed with Raphael, Rubens, Botticelli, Caravaggio, Titian … the list goes on! The artwork is truly wonderful. The portrait of the court buffoon Dwarf Nano Morgante was as a result of a challenge laid down by Vasari questioning the relative merit of sculpture versus art. To prove his point, Bronzino painted a double-sided nude of Morgante, whilst it may have proved the point in its day, the painting lay unnoticed in the Pitti until 2010 when it was restored. Whilst the mocking of disability is rightly no longer de rigueur, different depictions of Morgante can be seen throughout the palace.
Outside the Medici’s lavished their gardens with the same care and attention as that of the interior. Beyond the stunning natural beauty of the garden a copious amount of sculptures, fountains and grottoes provide additional visual stimulation. It’s easy to imagine, the wealthy Medici’s taking their daily perambulations and pausing to discuss the latest additions. Autumn hues had taken over as I made my way through it this week. Golden trees caught my eyes as much as the man-made ornamental features. That said, as the sun set, they provided the perfect complement to one another. From here, high above Florence, you have the most magnificent views across the city. How must the Medici’s felt as they surveyed this sight knowing that under their patronage they had created a world rich in science, art and culture?
What do you do after visiting the Pitti Palace? It was hard to imagine how we could spend our last evening after such a lovely afternoon. We’d done our planning months before and were on our way to MamaFlorence cooking school. I’m so glad we had this opportunity. I’ve never made pasta so where better to learn than here in the home of pasta. We made four courses that we’d later eat paired with some delicious wines. Filippo was our chef, Patrizia his sous chef and Filippo’s wife chose the wine. Apple, Pecorino and Cabbage Salad kicked the meal off. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t help myself and recounted that famous Waldorf salad scene from Fawlty Towers. The American couple, Carmela and Peter who completed our group of four smiled politely but I clearly did a terrible job of explaining the joke! Two different types of homemade pasta and their sauces were prepared - tortelloni with a spinach and ricotta filling served with a butter and sage sauce; and pappardelle with a rich pork sausage and beef ragu. For dessert we were treated to panna cotta with a blackberry coulis. And yes, I really did make all that and it tasted amazing.
Like most of the experiences I’ve had in Italy, it was all about the people. Filippo, Patrizia and I shared a passion - music! Whatever band I could think of that I loved they knew it. The rest of the guests were happy to let us share our tracks on spotify experiencing that joy of shared appreciation and discovery. Peter and Carmela had their own story too, they were on their forty year wedding anniversary and seemed very much in love. It wasn’t hard to see they were Italian Americans originally from Manhattan but now living in California. When we suggested they ought to renew their wedding vows, they told us they’d already done that three times! Their philosophy on trips; namely that they should learn and experience new things certainly resonated with Amanda and I. It was fun to learn of their life together. Carmela, though 65, was one of the youngest members of a dance troup. Peter had spent his career as a make up artist in Hollywood.
One thing we all agreed on was Filippo’s philosophy about food. However fancy or simple it might be, it needed to be made with love! It certainly felt like he’d captured that love with his wife and two daughters in their home. He’d ditched the world of restaurant owner to balance better his work and life, gaining more time with family.
I guess that’s partly why going home is interesting to contemplate. My feelings, like Stan’s are mixed. It will be wonderful to be back in the community and with my friends. But with my son away at university, my concept of home has changed pretty significantly. One thing is for sure though, tomorrow we’ll be back on the road!
Stan’s last views of Florence
The gargantuan Pitti Palace
The palatial Pitti. Though this display is not original!
However, Napoleon felt the need to upgrade the bathroom facilities
The richest of interiors
November brings autumn’s golden hues
Proof I made the pasta!
Ta da! Dinner is served
