Florentine Memories

Panorama of Florence from the terrace of Boboli Gardens

Ah, 3 days in Florence is just not enough! This romantic city left me dreaming about it...  Here are a few drawings I brought back.

Boboli Gardens At the southern end of Boboli gardens, I found Limonaia, or The Lemon House. A collection of potted citrus plants was originally started by the Medici, who held citrus in high regard for it's medicinal and therapeutic qualities, as well as beauty and uniqueness of plants. Limonaia is not open to visitors, but anyone can admire it from the other side of iron gates.

View of Duomo (The Dome) from Boboli Gardens

Piazza del Duomo with the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

View of Arno river from Ponte Vecchio.

Via de' Tornabuoni, right outside the hotel

Rooftops, through one of the Uffizi gallery windows.

Street on the bank of Arno river

Watching the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square) A magnificent panorama of Florence.

Watching the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square). The Duomo.

Watching the sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo (Michelangelo Square).

Ponte Vecchio bridge at night.

Cinque Terre, Part 2: The Shoreline And The Beach

One full day by the sea…the luxury! Nowhere to rush, just bask in the sun with an occasional gelato…and draw.

Large rock formations frame the shoreline of Riomaggiore

Waiter, taking a smoking break at a seaside cafe.

People-watching. The locals come out for gelato and linger to gawk at the tourists. Everybody is watching everybody.

Right below the cafe terrace, a man is putting lacquer on a boat. He exchanges jokes with the waiters on the terrace and laughs a hearty laugh.

Riomaggiore's shoreline is framed by massive rock formations. People crawl narrow pathways along the rocky walls to reach a good diving and sunbathing spot. It's dangerous, but there are no warning signs in sight…climb and dive at your own risk!

It's hot. Boats rock gently in calm Mediterranean waters. I go for a cooling dip every 20 minutes or so, because the mid-day heat is intense. The sunlight is blinding. My oil pastels are melting, and so is awareness. It's too hot to concentrate.

Man after a swim by the boats.

Pebble beach is hard to walk upon. People crawl on all fours. The stones are hot and unstable.

View of Riomaggiore village up the hill from the shoreline.

I return at sundown to toss a coin into the sea, because I want to be back here again. One day, one day...

Cinque Terre, Part 1: Streets of Riomaggiore

Views from the train window, en route to Cinque Terre

I guess I'll start somewhere in the middle...During my 2-week summer vacation in Europe, I took a 3-hour train-hopping ride from Florence to Cinque Terre.

Views from the train window, en route to Cinque Terre

The hotel was in the village of Riomaggiore. Every which way I turned, I saw expanses of green mountainous ranges cradling tiny colorful houses. And somewhere down there - the sea.

View of Riomaggiore from the balcony of the hotel

The main street on a steep slope connects the train station and the beach at its heel to the tip of a mountain, overlooking the entire village and the sea. These views are breathtaking.

Looking down the main street of Riomaggiore that leads to the train station and the beach, all the way down there.

Kids playing soccer in front of the church.

View of Riomaggiore from the highest point in the village

Sheets swirling off the never-ending clothes lines in the salty breeze. Swallows chirping, church bells counting the hours, one bell tower after another, asynchronously, as if time is approximate in these lands. Only sunsets and sunrises are definite. Hours in between are not, and that's the way of life.

Old ladies, gossiping on the stoop in the cool of the evening, fanning themselves and greeting neighbors returning from work. As I draw, I get nostalgic for my own childhood, when my grandmother would sit with her friends outside our building in Moscow, just like this, waiting for my parents to come home from work.

Via Del Santuario, Riomaggiore

View of Riomaggiore form the highest point in the village

Tomorrow is Part 2: the sea shore and the beach. Please come back to see it...