Verity Petraits Goes to Florence, Italy 23rd-29th May 2023: Part 3
Don’t mind the low-fi, make do painting set! Thank goodness for yoghurt pots!
On our last day, Joe and I decided to take it easy due. I decided that I wanted to paint the Ponte Vecchio Bridge (built in 123AD). It is the oldest bridge in Florence and the only bridge that survived the devastation of WW2. This bridge inspires me because of it’s great history and I see it as a symbol of strength. Thankfully, I came prepared with my travel watercolours.
During the morning, Joe and I sat on the 16thC Ponte Santa Trinita Bridge, facing the Ponte Vecchio. I was very glad to be able to sit in the shade as it was another sunny day. I used my postcard sized watercolour paper to create a quick sketch painting. I don’t usually attempt to paint outside because I usually work from 2D photographs, and so I saw it as a challenge to push my observation skills.
The finished sketch of the Ponte Vecchio Bridge, Watercolour
I particularly enjoyed painting the River Arno. There was something beautifully poetic about the River’s reflections because, the yellow bricks of the surrounding buildings were made with the silt from the River itself. I took my time with this sketch and I completed it after an hour. I accidentally dropped one of my paint brushes into the river, but thankfully I had a few more! Although it’s not as completed as I’d like it, I was pleased with its general likeness and it’s inspired me to do more plein air painting. I struggle with perfectionism which makes quick sketching tasks challenging, but I help myself overcome this by thinking positively and seeing every weakness of my painting as a stepping stone.
Best gelato I’ve ever tasted!
We then treated ourselves to gelato (ice cream) and discovered a really good ice cream parlour called Gelateria Della Passera.We both had two scoops of hazelnut and chocolate orange, both amazing!
Picturesque Italian Square
After lunch, we ventured to the South side of the Arno River and came across the infamous Pitti Palace, that was built in the latter part of the 15thC by the Architect, Filippo Brunelleschi. It was built on commission from an affluent banker called Luca Pitti. The palace wasn’t finished until his death in 1472. Since then, the Palace has been residence to four different dynasties, the Medici, the Habsburg-Lorraine, Napoleon, and most recently the Savoy who were the Kings of Italy until 1946.
Long distance view of the Pitti Palace (Palazzo Pitti). (Photo credit: tusacnnytrotter.com)
Looking over the Courtyard from one of the windows.
I quite honestly didn’t expect to be so awe struck or inspired by the art that I saw. The whole palace was an artwork in itself, I really recommend seeing it! I wish I took more notes to explain everything that I saw, but I’ll just show you some of the photos I took of inside the Palace, to show the amazing grandeur of it’s interior. In my next blog, I will go into detail about the artworks that inspired me at Pitti and elsewhere in Florence.
This room is still an important meeting point to this day.
Ostentatious ceiling embellishments and frescos
‘The ceiling frescoes that follow the sequence of the deities based on Ptolomaic cosmology: Venus, Apollo, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. They reference the planets that the friend of the Medici family, Galileo Galilei, observed and studied.’ (tuscanytrotter.com)
The Palace had great views of Basilica di Santo Spirito
I loved that the Palace showed a collection of artworks from the time it was built and up until the 20th Century. The collection also opened my eyes to more Eastern European art of the 20th Century and this also inspired me.
A selfie on the Piazza Michelangelo with panoramic views of Florence.
Next we took a romantic stroll up to the Piazzale Michelangelo, and it is a Square south of the River Arno, that overlooks the City of Florence. It’s approximately half an hour walk from Pitti Palace and it’s a very scenic route once you reach the gardens beneath the square, that meanders up to it. We reached the top very hot and bothered by 8pm, but in the end that didn’t phase us because of the sunset views! I definitely recommend taking drinks and food with you as you might have to wait a while to find a seat amongst the crowds of tourists. It was definitely worth the hike though!
The next day we checked out of our Air BnB at 10am before getting the coach to the air port at 3pm. Besides the inspiring art I saw, I think the Duomo Cathedral was my favourite part of the trip because of its striking architecture and amazing history. I’ve definitely come back home with more of a zest for life and inspiration to experiment with different art mediums.
