Terracotta Pots

The terracotta pot is is a quintessential element of Italian gardens. There were many of them in all the gardens we visit. The problem with terracotta is, of course, that a solid frost will break the pot. What was particularly interesting in the Giardino dei simplici was that you could see how these pots are maintained and repaired.

Giardino dei simplici, Firenze

Al ristorante

The Vegetariano is the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Florence. We were there last night and had a excellent meal, but it was an experience different from any restaurant experience we ever had.

Il Giardino dei Simplici

Last Saturday, we visited the Botanical Garden - il giardino dei simplici. The simplici, simples in English (or in French for that matter), are the medicinal plants that were considered effective on their own. They do not have to be mixed with others to form a compound. The use of that name for the garden and the reference to medicinal plants suggest how old this garden is. In fact it was established on December 1st, 1545.

Nowadays there is still a large section given over to medicinal and culinary plants, but ornamental plants are also prominent. There were not many blooms at this time of the year. The most prominent were some paperwhite daffodils, the kind we force indoor, but which here have been naturalized in the garden.

Minor Pleasures of Florence

There are a great many places to visit in Florence, but one of the nicest things is just walking around and noticing how people live. For instance, these three balconies covered by a single wisteria. It must be quite nice in spring when the long blooms hang down and in summer when the foliage provides shade.

More than we bargained for

There was a  free concert at the American Episcopalian church in Florence (festival of nine lessons and carols) . We decided to go, in part because the church is in an area of Florence we had not seen yet. The church is in an attractive building and the people, being for the most part Americans, are very welcoming (part of the money to build the church was given by J. P.Morgan).

The Episcopalian Church in Florence