Florence
THURSDAY, 2/19/98: 6:30PM leave, subway quick, 6:55 to $10 Olympic 7PM bus, "only halt traffic ten minutes for Clinton." SHOW passport at FIRST desk and she IGNORES it at 7:45. To gate 82 for CONTINENTAL/Alitalia flight and she ASKS for passport at 8:05. Quoted boarding at 9:10. Board 9:25, fairly FULL. 9:50: flight 7:35. Off at 10:25 (due in at NOON) and take pills at 10:40 and HOPE to sleep. Bright Long Island (?) below. I guess I fall asleep about 11PM, no dinner.
FRIDAY, 2/20/98: Wake 3:30AM in LIGHT! At 4:46, over Niort, change watch to 10:46AM, 1:15 to Rome. Guy behind KEEPS bumping seat! Cold towels passed. CLOUDY below. Some clear farmland. Breakfast at 11AM. GREAT views of ALPS: Mt. Blanc and sharp Matterhorn among them. Woman who moved OUT beside me and moved BACK lives in Orvieto. Off plane 12:25 and DASH to passport non-stamp and get through LONG passage to gate A16 in Rome at 12:35 and board bus at 12:40 for 12:55 flight! Onto 66-passenger ATR-72 wing-ABOVE-window FULL plane at 12:45 and doors close at 1PM. Fifty-minute flight from Fumicino Airport. Elba(?) below for shot #1. Take off at 1:06 and pass Elba at 1:30. Fly over SEA. #2 IS Elba! #3 is Elba and ferry at 1:36PM. Snowy mountains of Sardinia! Land at 1:51PM, out to pick up LOTS of stuff at information desk, to bank for 90,000₤ for $50 and see BUS to station for 6000₤ each, or $3.30! 2:30 already. 70°F=21°C! Check into small, neat room, John goes to BANK for cash at 3:40. "Savings" bank DOES it for him. To Accademia and slaves are FENCED (as is David) by Plexiglas, but not surrounded. 12K₤ for us and discounts over 60 for MOST OTHER countries. Stay till 5:20, sated ALREADY. Walk to closed Duomo, and to San Lorenzo Cloister, and to hotel. John showers, I reserve for Il Latini for 7:30. Leave 7PM, to wander INCREDIBLE streets to second bridge from Vecchio, to Il Latini at 7:33 and sit next to California and Connecticut and have GREAT talk, MUCH wine, and 75K₤ bill that John pays 35K₤ for. Back through Piazza Republica and past Orsanmichele to STONED hotel at 10:50PM. My lamp doesn't work. EXHAUSTED, but LESS than John is. Bed 11:05PM and SLOWLY to sleep.
SATURDAY, 2/21/98: Wake after SEXY dream, lie awake in dark, fall BACK to sleep for ANOTHER lost dream and John wakes me with light at 7:30AM! Dress and breakfast at 7:45: bland corn flakes, apricot yogurt, cheese and ham slices, rolls and butter and jam, orange and grapefruit juice chemical-tasting, and good hot chocolate. Out at 8:30 and John gets us lost and I take over map and get FREE tickets to Uffizi at 9:10. LOTS of Chinese and Japanese groups. First ten rooms staggering, but then Tribune is closed and MOST rooms beyond! Laocoon-copy LOST fig leaves---in fact, I saw NONE. Ceiling paintings of halls incredible and ROWS of portraits. John (women in men's stalls) and I sit at 11:15 and catch up. Tired ALREADY. John on his own, saying "meet at hotel 5-6PM." He was up walking quiet streets 6-7AM. Two Rembrandts VERY dark, and "restauro" now DATED. Videoed Botticelli room and few others. MOST cocks on statues leave me limp (ha). Rooms 25-33 full, 34 is an "experiment" with light, 35 is last, "from Tribune." 24 is "miniatures" on end of FIRST corridor. "19-23 and 43-44" is in "35." Only "1-15" open, and 16 is closed Leonardo, and 3-4 are closed. No room 1. 38 is exit room. 12:50 into Palazzo Vecchio for 7.5K₤. IMMENSE, HIGHLY decorated rooms, VERY many Hercules statues and paintings. TIRING to 2:05. Sit in sun watching pigeons and tourists and go to Paszkowski at 2:30 for tortellini and rosé to 3:15. The Martyrdom of San Lorenzo in San Lorenzo is ANOTHER Bronzino! Crucifix is marble, all by Brunelleschi, portico by Michelangelo, and tomb of Niccolo Stenone is PRAYED to. Enter Cathedral CRYPT (5K₤) 4:07PM. Video cathedral and Vasari, then to MUSEUM of Duomo (10K₤) at 4:45. Exhausting, to 5:20. REAL Pieta? Hotel at 5:35, John drinking wine he'd bought, I shower, we go to Coco Lezzone at 7:30 and sit between Frankfurt and New York City. Poor pork, OK ribollita for 44K₤. THINK I forgot wallet but it's IN bag. Back to hotel, "jam" door unlocked so he can enter without waking me (no spare key), and I go to Vivolo for chocolate/Strega for 5K₤ and back at 10:30 and John's not back from baths. Look for hours of remaining museums. Bed 11. Up 11:30 for Vicks, lie till John enters.
SUNDAY, 2/22/98: John in at 12:30AM. I wake about 3:30, lie till I pee at 4, finally to sleep and wake with reluctance at 7:50 for John. Breakfast to 8:45 and out to Medici tombs, which are CLOSED! To Baptistry for mosaics to 9:45. Then to Anthropology Museum in Palazzo Nonfinito at 10AM. Porno shots, out at 11:05 and to Bargello (8K₤), 2nd floor closed. 12:05 I sit and rest and write: Bargello: Iron, ivory, glass, pottery (enormous painted salvers from 1660 Urbino), combs of ivory, Longobardan and Carolingian (500-800AD) jewelry and rings, ivory from England in 800. Incomprehensible quantities of objects, as anthropological of Europe as earlier museum was of Abyssinia and New Guinea and Karakorum! #2 Ocean, with TWO holes! #5: Pane & Olimpo; Pan and Olympio---Who?? Video and photo LOTS! 1:20PM to SHIT, great! 2:20 leave belvedere, will it rain? DOGS barking! 2:50 buy 4K₤ ticket to Boboli (Pitti closed). Total fatigue, and CONSTANT walk through gardens to pee at 4PM. Leave at 4:20, LOST. Hotel at 4:55 FIRST, watch TV. John in at 5:30. Talk. Out to Muti at 6:15 for soups and scallopini with cheese and ham and peas for 34K₤. Walk to gelateria for Mars-bar and Liquerisza cream for 4K₤, John paying 8K₤ for his CONE! Walk to Vivolo, empty, too, and look at Palazzo and walk and WALK and back at 9:20. Rest. Watch TV. Decide to Laurentian Library and Santa Croce tomorrow, and Tombs and Orsanmichele and Archeologoca Tuesday. OH, so foot-sore! Bed 10:40PM.
MONDAY, 2/23/98: Wake AGAIN about 4AM, with watch stopped at midnight!, and hard to get back to sleep after LONG Actualism session. Then John wakes me at 7:43AM and I'm up and down by 8AM, he starting ahead. FOUND "Adam and Eve" in BRANCACCI Chapel! More ham arrives just in time. Leave 8:55. 9AM library is CLOSED and STUDIO is only for STUDIES, so you can only SEE through door. To Casa Buonnaroti at 9:25. Open at 9:35, out at 10:20, no pictures, but buy six slides of four main objects for 6K₤. Lots of tourists and PHOTOS. Lots of mediocre room decorations. Santa Croce 10:30-11:20, LOTS, and museum 4K₤. GREAT London guide for Cimabue. Out 12:15 and do NOT pay 500₤ for toilet! Out 12:30 when church closes. To information office to 1PM. Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco CLOSED on Tuesday, so I have a good lunch Monday 1:20, raining, but Santo Spiritu only open at 4PM. Carabaccia, sweet and sour onion soup, and bread good. Video place and guys! 1/2 carafe rosso wine. Papardelle al Cinghiale and cheese. Good! Think to get sabayon on strawberries, but get marscapone on biscuits for 6K₤. Eat till 2:20 and bill is 34K₤. I ask, "1K or 5K, how much to tip?" He says "Halfway between, but you CAN leave the BLUE (10K₤) one." I say, "I want to be GOOD, not STUPID." He gives me 2.5K for 5K. To Brancacci Chapel to HUGE line, saying "closed to 2:30." I complain, "It SAYS 10-17!" They say, "It's CROWDED, we ARE open, just FULL." So I apologize and go to line to wait. Chapel is limited to 10 people every 20 minutes! "No photos, videos, or umbrellas." They announce LONG wait, GROUPS ahead. Around 50 people ahead, 100 minutes, or 2:30-4:10! Last tickets sold at 4:30! It's CLOSED Tuesday, so it's my ONLY chance! But it's raining anyway! Too DARK to read. 2:40, bored already: what MUST this be like in SUMMER?? Owner's son said to go to Valentino tomorrow. Mark (from Newport) stayed at the Hotel Aldobrandini for $32/night. Or 60K₤ on the Piazza della Aldobrandini. We're IN at 3:05, but to SOUVENIR shop, and buy 12 Massacio slides for 12K₤, and STILL wait. IN from 3:20-3:45! GREAT!! FRENCH I understand! This church opens at 5PM! To Santo Spirito 3:55 and EXHAUST it by 4:25. WHY is this two stars? COPY of Pieta and John the Baptist, a Fillippino Lippi altar, and NO Ghirlandaio, now Ceraiolo! Write to 4:30 and move CLOSER to Lippi and altar. At least it stopped raining. At 4:40 BACK to Carmine's, 4:45 it's OPEN and lights in chapel ON and OFF at 5. Leave 5:07. 5:30 pay 500₤ to pee and 7K₤ for Medicina and Anatomia at Medici Museum. VERY little in four small rooms and look through FOUR photographic books: Barth, Strand, Alinari, and Cinema. Out 5:55 and to hotel for KEY at 6. Undress and feel TIRED and NOT hungry! Find restaurant is near Casa Buonaroti! Shower and plan tomorrow and dress to 7:10. SPRITZED on way! John for 2! To Enoteca Pinchiorri balcony! Amuse bouche: biscuit, ham sandwich, and fish mousse. CHANGE lentil soup with goose liver and sweetbread ragout for sea bass and polenta on 160K₤ menu: 1) Colcoli, fried bread and tomato skin and spices, 2) shrimp in bacon and cream sauce---only OK, in thick bean-and-rice soup, I guess, 3) tagliatelle/ sweetbread/foie gras---GOOD. 4) rabbit and spaghetti, odd. White wine is Mouton Rothschild; red is St. Emilion Grand Cru 1993. 5) duck breast and "black radiccio" (which I think is just Swiss chard!) and toasts, 6) ricotta, almost, cream paste, caramel ice, green-apple ice, and mignardises. Shunsuke (my Japanese neighbor) had a WARM cheese dessert---AWFUL! NINE mignardises; wine 30K₤ and 40K₤ plus 160K₤ is 230K₤! They asked if I wanted a TAXI, not TAX, with my bill. No! Walk back from Enoteca Pinchiorri 9:50-10:15, and TV has CRAZY French Fort Boyard to 10:50. John's in about 11 and bed at 11:30, rest helping my total foot-soreness.
TUESDAY, 2/24/98: Wake at 2:45 with gas pains and lie long time trying to BURP, depressing. Either too cold or too hot in bed. John puts curtains aside at 7:15 and leaves, and I get up and shit and write this to 7:40. By 7:50 he's not back, so I pack for day and LEAVE with key. He's eaten? John's on porch, we talk of awful food, and leave to tombs at 8:25AM. John gets to chapels 8:40 to give me 1000₤ for rest of 10K₤ entry. In to 9:05 and to Santa Maria Novella 9:15. GOOD Ghirlandios and naked Brunelleschi Christ. 3750₤ senior reduction for museum at 10AM and leave at 10:35 for St. Marco. 10:50 stumble onto "Cenacolo de S. Apollonia" and "Last Supper" by Andrea del Castagno. To 11. To St. Marco Church and MUSEUM (incredible!) to 12:20. Tired! Sanctissima Annunziata---HUGE gold roof to 12:35. 12:45 8K₤ to Archeological tombs! Greek vases to 1:30. But that's ALL on second floor, not that much! Bells ring at 1:50 to close. Cashed ONE $20 for 34K₤+, second for 32K₤ with 2K service charge. Have tuna/tomato sandwich for 2400₤ and tonic for NOSH before Medici Chapel. Finish at 2:50 for 5K₤ and they have a toilet-SLIT! Told to WAIT to 3:05 for tickets, and in 3:10-3:25, GORGEOUS FRESCO!! No other rooms, though, and only 15 people each 15 minutes. Set off for Pitti, LAST stop!! Stop in at Santa Felicita. 4PM: Royal Apartments CLOSED through March. Palatine ONLY open (Argenti closed at 2). ALL statues' cocks broken! CLOSING rooms before and behind me, and at 6PM find a Jacob von Ruysdael! and a Jordaens and another RUBENS!, and DUTCH Dubbels, Rachel Ruysch (Amsterdam 1669-1750), van der Meer, Van Aelst, and Bakhuyzen. Jan Breughel (1564-1625) "Orfeo in Inferno." Follow Sarah Lawrence class of five from 6:05-6:35! Good! Get to Trattoria del Carmine at 6:55 (via Maggiore FULL of ANTIQUE shops!) and John's not there---and staff is eating. Our three-star hotel is marked at 300K₤/night. John shows up and we wait at river till 7:15, GET 44K₤ menu turistica with a liter of wine. He chicken and salad, me breaded veal and spinach, and out at 8:35 to search for Mardi Gras. SOME costumes, and John puts "camouflage" bag on head and gets FROWNS. I say, "I'm going to room" at 9:10PM and turn on TV to Mortal Kombat in Italian! A kick: sexy, too. Movie's over 10:40PM and I HIT my little toe against bed leg and BREAK nail and BLEED. Bandage it. At 10:50 Dolph Lundgren in Dark Angel! [Arma non Convenzionale]. Movie's AWFUL and I finish with packing EVERYTHING at 11:15. 11:47PM shut TV off and put paper in door to stop rattle, and BED! Get up to shit.
WEDNESDAY, 2/25/98: Up to pee at 4:30. Wake about 7, and up at 7:30 to get KEYS out and REPACK. Down to breakfast at 7:50, up at 8:18, John out for walk. I watch Laurel and Hardy on TV and brush teeth. John back 8:38. Time DRAGS. 14 hours to go! Leave hotel 8:46, to PLACE where it was marked "Air Terminal" and it's a LAZZI bus station. Ask for airport and they say OK. By now it's 9 and they say 15 minutes. "Out there." when I pay 1600₤ for PERETOLA ticket when I ask if I NEED ticket. Look at busses and see "Prato" and other places. Bus in LANE 4 leaves at 9:15 and we ask AGAIN and are told it WAS lane 4. I say, "Bus marked Prato?" She says yes, and I shout, "You COULD tell ME!" Next (some say Bus 30, but Lazzi busses HAVE no numbers) in ten minutes (9:30) at CURB. A WOMAN waits, frantic. Dog sniffs around bags. I complain to John and he says, "Quiet, PLEASE." Thanks a lot! Bus "Prato" comes at 9:31. Driver VERY laconic, we follow CITY bus and make EVERY stop till I'm FRANTIC at 9:50, but maybe FLIGHT will be late? FINALLY onto Autostrada as city bus turns off, and though we head BACK to town for an awful moment, there are ONLY airport signs. Stop once and then I see "departures" and then "Aeropuerto de Florence," and I shout "Airport?" and bus stops at LOCKED gate and we walk BACK to other stop and into terminal at 9:55 (temperature 13°C), and board says flight 1678 to Rome at 10:30 is scheduled for 11AM! No line at office, get LEFT window seat to Rome and RIGHT REAR window to NYC, only have to go to gate B5 in Rome---and passport CHECKED? Sit and give John my last 3K₤, still owing him 5K₤ ($3), and he goes off to SPEND it as I get all THIS down (most from one hour?) by 10:15. Concerned as to taking in JOHN'S stuff to check IN. Wave him down at bank and he takes his bags and says, "I'll be in at 10:30." and I figure it's OK if plane leaves WITHOUT him. Go to GATE and woman laughs and says boarding is only 20 minutes before (and in fact boarding pass DOES say boarding at 10:40, as Rome pass says boarding at 12:20). Try to sit far away from yammering couple and kid. Get out BOOK at 10:22, anxious. Ask woman if there's AIRPORT tax in Rome. "No," and see gate 2 IS boarding at 10:25. Into crowded lounge at 10:30 and pee. Read to boarding at 10:50, RIGHT at NOSE of engine. Off at 11:05, south OVERLAND, cloudy at 11:15. Probably SAW Orvieto and Viterbo, and clearly Lake Bracciano at 11:33, north of Fumicino. #5 Bracciano town. Leonardo da Vinci Airport is in CITY of Fumicino. John takes off on his own. I pee and buy Amaretto di Saronno for 17.5K₤, GOOD price, and get to JAMMED gate at 12:20. They announce "only one carry-on baggage," but MOST have two or (with bottle) THREE! Sit in stupor in WARM lounge at 12:27. Board 12:35 and midsection empty at 12:45. Read. Move at 1:15. Flight 8:20, or 500 minutes! Off at 1:26, due in at 3:45. #5 east of Nice. Some of Maritime Alps visible, but MOSTLY clouds by 2:20. Window DIRTY. Lots of turns. Lunch 2:25-2:45: veal, carrots, salmon, bel paese cheese, pineapple, and WATER for pills. Seven hours to go, take two Rohypnol at 2:55 and go pee. Bed at 3PM. Maybe sleep to 4:30, up to pee, change position, at 6 turn watch to noon. Lie, plane bounces. Second film is Mr. Bean. Over at 1:35. Only 2:10 to go, now 2:05 or 1/4 time. Cloudy, no view. I start Tribune puzzles. NICE sandwiches, salad, and fruit 2:15-2:30. Clouds MAYBE starting to break up for Nova Scotia. Fill custom form at 2:50. Start down 3:16. #8 Brookhaven ring! Land 3:41, off 3:55. Pee and exit 4:10, onto jammed (but filled with DOLLS) bus to subway to 4:20. To Howard Street A station at 4:50, after LONG ride. To High Street 5:25, HOME 5:35! Water plants. Phone 5:45-6:40 (Marilyn PHONES 5:45-5:55, talk to Carolyn 6-6:20, and Spartacus 6:20-6:40), make tuna/noodles. UNPACK all to 7:40, feeling TIRED! But record that I go to BED at 10:40PM, feeling ANXIOUS!
THURSDAY, 2/26/98: Wake 3:10 with dream, wake at 3:30, & at 6:55AM. Bed 9:55PM.
FRIDAY, 2/27/98: Bed 9:55PM, j/o (sore!) 5:30-6:15, read to 7:45AM. Bed 11:30PM.
SATURDAY, 2/28/98: 1:30AM have reflux, 6.5 hours after dinner. Bed 11:40PM.
SUNDAY, 3/1/98: Up at 7:50AM. Now a week later, Saturday, March 7.
EXPENSES: $700 trip + $51.80 books + $32.35 film + other=$1113.42= $159.06/day.
SUMMARY: THURSDAY, FEB 19: Continental flight off at 10:25, left home 6:30PM.
FRI,FEB 20:Land 12:25, fly Florence 1:06-1:51, hotel, Academia, dine at Il Latini.
SAT,FEB 21:Ufizzi, Palazzo Vecchio, San Lorenzo, Duomo Crypt and Museum, dine Coco Lezzone.
SUN,FEB 22:Baptistry, Anthro, Bargello, Boboli Gardens, dine Muti, gelati Vivolo, WALK!
MON,FEB 23:Buonaroti Casa, Santa Croce, Cinghiale Bianco lunch, Brancacci Chapel; Santo Spiritu, Medici Museum Medicina, Enoteca Pinchiori dinner, spritzed on way.
TUE,FEB 24:Medici Chapels, Santa Maria Novella, St.Marco, S.Apollonia, Sanctissima
Annunziata, Archeological, Medici Chapel, Palatine at Pitti, Trattoria Del Carmine dine, Mortal Kombat and Dark Angel on TV, bed about midnight.
WED,FEB 25:Leave Botticelli Hotel 8:45, to Rome 11:05-11:45, NYC 1:25-3:45: 500 minutes; 5:35 Home
FLORENCE SLIDES
Roll 1:
#1 Elba(?) below
#2 IS Elba!
#3 is Elba and ferry at 1:36PM
Roll 2:
#2 ocean, with TWO holes!
#5 Pane & Olimpo
#5 Bracciano town
#5 east of Nice
#8 Brookhaven ring!
(RETURN TO JOURNALS ANOTHER 2/19/98)