The Ponte Vecchio, or ‘Old Bridge’, is a mediaeval bridge across the River Arno in Florence. The existing bridge dates from 1345, although there were bridges at this location as far back as Roman times. It is of course, one of the most famous sights in the world, and huge numbers of tourists from around the world visit this bridge every year. It is a thing of beauty, both in terms of its elegant structure and its beautiful colours.
The Ponte Vecchio
The small shops which hang off the sides of the bridge are painted in attractive pastel colours.
Ponte Vecchio
Originally, there were a variety of different shops, including butchers, fish mongers and tanners of hides; all practices where I imagine it was a convenient location to throw things into the river! Today, and since 1593 incredibly enough, there are only jewelery shops on the bridge. They did not seem to be doing much trade, although everybody was looking! Maybe one in a thousand buy something?
Jewlery shop on Ponte Vecchio
There were also street vendors – immigrants from north Africa – selling their wares on the bridge. They either sold sticks for taking selfies, or – it seemed to me – rather poor reproductions of paintings (below). They played a continual game of cat and mouse with the local police, scooping up their wares and hurriedly moving on when the blue-coated police arrived.
Street vendors on the Ponte Vecchio
The local municipal police (polizia municipale) – in the white custodian helmets – seemed to me to be doing a good job, but were a lot less intimidating than the Carabinieri, who were usually tall young men in sun glasses!
Local municipal police (polizia municipale) Florence
We all want to visit famous places and see them for ourselves. Once we have done that we can tell our friends, post blogs on the Internet and share pictures on Facebook, Instagram or wherever. Unless one is completely elitist, this has to be a good thing, but with well over 7 billion people on the planet, it means that some places are going to get quite crowded. That said, I did not find the bridge unduly crowded when I visited in March, but I guess it does get very busy in the summer. Florence is also a fairly big city, so apart from the main sites (Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo etc.), it is not too difficult to sidestep the crowds if you visit out of season. I did not take a selfie (on purpose) but I am glad a went and saw this iconic structure for myself. I would however, have loved to have seen it in Medieval times, with all the hustle and bustle of a functioning market.
On the Ponte Vecchio
I noticed a large number of padlocks attached to some iron railings on the bridge and wondered what these were. Apparently, there is a superstition that if you and your loved one attach a padlock to somewhere on the bridge, and then throw the key into the river, your love will last forever. Quite a nice sentiment, although as a result of the large number of people who now want to do this, there is now a €160 penalty for anyone caught attaching a lock! Maybe its better just to make a wish?
Adoration of the Shepherds by Ghirlandaio (1485) cropped
I stumbled across this gorgeous painting, almost by chance in Florence. I popped into this church – Santa Trinita – on a whim to have a quick look around. I noticed that the people inside were congregating around one painting in a small chapel (Sassetti Chapel) to the right of the altar. The main painting in the centre of the chapel was, I discovered, a work called Adoration of the Shepherds, by Domenico Ghirlandaio (painted in 1485). I did not manage to get the whole scene in my photograph (above) but it is shown below. Mother Mary is looking at Jesus lying on a mat on the ground, with his head resting on a Roman marble sarcophagus (He does not look very comfortable!); Joseph is looking back (and scratching his forehead) at a huge procession of people including the Magi (the wise men) who are just about to arrive with their gifts. The shepherds are shown on the right, one of whom is carrying a lamb, just so you know! The artist himself (Ghirlandaio) is very much in the scene, dressed as a shepherd in a brown cloak. The artist, with long dark locks and striking features, is shown kneeling to the right of the donkey, pointing to the Christ child. His right hand is pointing towards himself, as if to say to us, I am the artist!
Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons – Reference 1.
The closely cropped photograph below shows Mary and Joseph, and the delightfully innocent and benign animals in their rather ornate manger.
Adoration of the Shepherds (detail) by Ghirlandaio (1485)
None of these photographs really do justice to the original painting, which when lit with an isolating spotlight, is very colourful and powerful. Even if you knew nothing about it, you would sense that this paiting was something special. And, when you discover that it was painted 530 years ago, well, it is quite amazing.
There are many other works of art in this church which apparently was constructed in 1258–1280, over a pre-existing 11th-century one.
Making pasta in the window of a restaurant in Florence
This girl was making pasta in the window of a restaurant in Florence. I took a grab-shot and then made eye-contact afterwards. She smiled and waved and did not seem to mind. I noticed that a number of restaurants in the city had people making pasta in front of a window onto the street; I guess it is good marketing. Is this gnocchi I wonder?
River Arno, between the Pnte alla Caraia and P S. Trinita, Florence
People say that the light in Italy is special, and you only have to look at the art to appreciate the truth of this. One evening in Florence however, I witnessed this for myself. The light had been bright all day on 17th March, with a strong north wind blowing. Walking along the south bank of the River Arno, with the sun setting behind me, I was fortunately placed to capture the light on the buildings of the north side of the river, between the Ponte alla Carraia and Ponte S. Trinita.
The light had already moved off the waters of Santa Rosa weir, creating a huge contrast with the sunlit buildings on the other side of the river.
Santa Rosa Weir at sunset, Florence
The posh hotels on the north bank of the River Arno looked very elegant in the warm light; what were they eating and drinking on the roof terrace?!
Hotels on the River Arno, Florence
A duck flew past, flying low over the river.
Duck flying over the River Arno, Florence
The light started to get better as I walked eastwards along the river.
River Arno at sunset
The Piazza Carlo Goldini – named after the Venetian playwright, whose statue can be seen in the sun – was by now in the shade.
Piazza Carlo Goldoni, Florence
I was getting quite excited looking at the light reflected off the buildings, through the beautiful arches of the Ponte alla Caraia, Florence
Ponte alla Caraia, Florence
By the time I reached the Ponte alla Caraia – jogging along at this time! – the light was at it’s best; the peak of the magic hour, and I hurried onto the bridge to get some more shots looking east towards the Ponte Santa Trìnita.
Palazzo Corsini, Florence
I love reflections, and couldn’t help sampling this particular one, of a pale yellow building with red shutters (cropped and edited slightly).
Fra Angelico (born Guido di Pietro; c. 1395 – 1455) has a confusing number of names. He was known to his contemporaries as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (Brother John of Fiesole) as well as Fra Giovanni Angelico (Angelic Brother John). He is now called il Beato Angelico (Blessed Angelic One) in Italian, although he is known to the art world as Fra Angelico. He was a Dominican friar and a consummate artist, with a remarkable body of work held in museums around the world. Fra Angelico was trained in Florence in the workshop of another monk, Lorenzo Monaco (active 1390–1423), a painter and illustrator of manuscripts. In some ways, Lorenzo Monaco’s works are even more stunning – but lest we get side-tracked, here is just one image from the master’s master!
Adoration of the Magi by Lorenzo Monaco and Cosimo Rosselli, 1420-22 (detail)
Fra Angelico was also strongly influenced by the works of another Italian artist, Masaccio (1401 – 1428), who died at the very early age of 26. The Museum or Basilica of San Marco is a wonderful place to view both the works of Fra Angelico (and other artists) and discover about the lives of these painter monks. Unlike some other sites in Florence, it is not heaving with tourists trying to take a ‘selfie’ in front of a painting (e.g. by Botticelli) or statue (e.g. by Michelangelo). Fra Angelico’s paintings have not yet achieved the worldwide cult status of some other works in Florence, which seem to attract viewers as much by their fame as their beauty, it seems. But perhaps the two are inseparable.
San Marco Church and Museum, Florence
What is know about Fra Angelico is that he was (according to the chronicler, Giorgio Vasari) ‘gentle and temperate’ and ‘humble and modest’. Although he knew the rulers of his day (Popes and Medici) he must have been completely dedicated to his art – albeit art in the service of his faith – to have achieved so much in his life time. Particularly, as some of the paintings must have taken so much time to produce, even with the help of a workshop of assistants. The following is a detail from a painting entitled Deposition from the Cross, which was started by his master Lorenzo Monaco, and completed by Fra Angelico between 1432 and 1434. It is the powerful use of colour as well as the imagery which attracts me to these paintings.
Fra Angelico, Descent from the Cross, detail
The Dominican monks of Fiesole, took over the then convent of San Marco in Florence in 1435. Fra Angelico (and his assistants no doubt) were then commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici to paint frescos in the various rooms, including the cloisters, chapter house, refectory, and dormitory cells and so on. There are 44 cells, or rooms for sleeping and contemplation, each of which has its own fresco. Fra Angelico is considered to be directly responsible for the design and execution of about six of them, but presumably his assistants took a lead from him in completing the others. The cells are empty apart from the frescos but are quite pleasant, each with unique fresco and a small window looking out into the central courtyard. The monks slept, prayed and meditated in their cells and the fresco were designed as a sort of inspiration; perhaps a meditation piece? I wonder if they got fed up with one fresco, they could swap cells to look at another fresco?
Museo di San Marco, Monks cell with fresco
The cells were arranged along corridors on the upper floor of San Marco; there are also some frescos along the walls of the corridors.
Museo di San Marco, Corridor fresco
At the top of the stairs leading to the sleeping quarters (upper cells) there is a wall fresco by Fra Angelico, Annunciation. This theme of the annunciation – where the angel Gabriel tells the Virgin Mary that she is going to give birth to Jesus – is one that Fra Angelico (and many other renaissance artists of course) painted many times (there are four known examples; five if you count the one in cell 3 of the monastery). There is a superb Annunciation panel-painting by Fra Angelico in the Prado Museum in Madrid, whose colours are so magnificent and fresh, it looks like it was painted yesterday. The wall fresco (below) at San Marco is more muted, especially in my photograph, but haunting none-the-less. His Virgin Mary’s are always charmingly humble and devoted; I am not religious but I find these paintings very inspiring, in part for their straightforward qualities of gentleness and humanity.
Annunciation by Fra Angelico, wall fresco at Museum San Marco, Florence
The library at the Museum San Marco is largely empty today, apart from display cabinets holding medieval illuminated manuscripts – one of which was illustrated by Fra Angelico. Illustrating missals (religious texts) was an activity carried out by the monks, and Fra Angelico also produced many miniature paintings in these beautiful books. I am not sure if this page (below) is by Fra Angelico, or one of his fellow monks, but it shows how each page is a work of art.
Museo di San Marco, Illuminated manuscript
The library was full of books in its day, including ancient Greek and Latin texts – whose rediscovery led to the renaissance – and was a place where the friars and other visitors could work and philosophise. The poet prince, Lorenzo de’ Medici – the so-called Godfather of the Renaissance – came here to meet his humanist friends (such as the Renaissance philosopher Pico della Mirandola and classical scholar Agnolo Poliziano).
Museo di San Marco, Library
So in many ways, this place was as much a workshop of ideas, as a workshop of craftmanship and illustration (what we would call painting). To demonstrate the extent of the workmanship and dedication which went into these works, it is worth considering one painting in detail: the so-called Tabernacolo dei Linaioli (shown below).
Museo di San Marco, Pilgrim’s Hospice room with the Tabernacle of the Linaioli on the right
The Tabernacle of the Linaioli, is a marble shrine displaying religious paintings, which was made for the guild of line (=linen) workers in Florence, in 1433-1434. Fra Angelico reportedly received 190 gold florins for doing the painting (I wonder what thet would be worth today?), which took the best part of two years to complete. The overall design of the frame was by another Florentine artist, Lorenzo Ghiberti, who commissioned a third artist, Simone di Nanni da Fiesole, to produce the marble parts. A joint creation.
Fra Angelico, Tabernacle of the Linen-drapers (Virgin and Child) 1433-36, detail of main panel
There are in effect eight separate paintings: two on each side of the doors (shutter panels), three smaller paintings along the bottom (called the predella) and the main central painting of the Madonna and child Jesus. If that were not enough, there are 12 musical angels arranged in an arc around the main panel. No wonder it took nearly two years to complete!
St. Peter Dictating the Gospel to St. Mark, Tabernacle of the Linaioli, Fra Angelico.
The righthand panel of the predella – the Martyrdom of St. Mark – is quite unique for the period. It illustrates a scene where the poor saint is being dragged through the streets of Alexandria in a hailstorm. The white balls of hail are very realistic (below).
Fra Angelico, Tabernacle of the Linen-drapers, Martyrdom of St. Mark 1433-36
There are many other works of art in the Musem San Marco, by both Fra Angelico, and other artists (such as Fra Bartolomeo) which I have not mentioned. This was also the place where Fra Girolamo Savonarola – who inspired the bonfire of the vanities – lived until he was put to death by being burnt at the stake! But that’s another story! Fra Angelico went on from here to paint a number of chapels in Rome for the Popes (Eugenius IV and his successor Nicholas V). These are fabulous works of a somewhat different style, and some I would love to see.
There are dozens of websites featuring this museum, which is a fascinating and enjoyable place to visit. They also permit the taking of photographs (without the use of flash; unfortunately many people do not know how to turn the flash off on their cameras!) which is a wonderful way to sample the art and review and enjoy it back at home. I don’t know how Fra Angelico would have fared in the digital age, but I can’t help thinking that he was such a talented and inspired person, that he would have produced something equally remarkable in our age.
Wat Rong Khun (วัดร่องขุ่น) is a unique temple situated near Chiang Rai. It is the life work of a Thai artist called Chalermchai Kositpipat – with an army of assistants – and is an extraordinary creation of buildings, statues and murals, all of which are very modern but nevertheless in the Buddhist tradition. It is easier to illustrate this temple using photographs than to describe it in words.
Wat Rong Khun
From a distance it looks like a traditional Thai Buddhist temple (Wat), albeit incredibly ornate and all white. On closer inspection, it becomes apparent that this is no ordinary temple, since it contains all sorts of allegorical art works, part art gallery, part religious building.
At first one crosses the bridge of ‘the cycle of rebirth’ past a pit of outstretched hands. These are presumably humans beings locked into a cycle of continual rebirth as a result of their unrestrained desire for pleasure. The sea of hands was a very potent symbol of human suffering.
Outstretched hands
The bridge itself is the way towards happiness: a Buddhist pathway involving letting go of temptations, greed, and desire. There are some vivid and gruesome exhibits elsewhere in the temple of the evils of temptations such as alcohol and smoking.
The giant Rahu guarding the gates of heaven
Once across the bridge, the visitor arrives at the ‘gates of heaven’, guarded by two giant mythical creatures (Rahu and Ketu I think).
Wat Rong Khun detail
The main building, called the ubosot is an extraordinarily ornate and beautiful building, decorated with glass and elaborate carved nagas, extending outwards from the roof.
Ornate roof of the ubosot
Two Kinnarees are positioned next to the lake. A Kinnari (or kinnaree) is an angelic half-woman, half-bird (in Thailand), an eternal lover who can fly between human and spiritual worlds. A symbol of feminine beauty and grace, which these statues certainly are.
Statues representing kinnaree
There are a variety of other buildings at Wat Rong Khun, in various stages of completion. How they fared in the earthquake (see below) I am not sure. The head of a large Buddha statue reportedly fell off.
Unfinished building at Wat Rong Khun
What I most liked at Wat Rong Khun were the statues. Many were still being carved in the workshops (below).
Statues in workshop at Wat Rong Khun
One of the buildings I liked most at Wat Rong Khun was the wishing well. The building itself housed a water-filled wishing pond filled with coins; Thai Buddhist wishing pendants were hung from the eaves (below).
The ubosot at Wat Rong Khun from the wishing well
The roof of the wishing well building was adorned with the most beautiful statues, representing the animal signs of the zodiac (monkey, chicken goat etc.). These were the highlight of the whole temple for me and I took photographs of them all; they are worth featuring in a separate blog.
Animals of the zodiac at Wat Rong Khun
We were fortunate to see the artist, Chalermchai Kositpipat, during our visit. He was talking to some Thai visitors.
Chalermchai Kositpipat at Wat Rong Khun
Update
I visited the white temple in February 2014, when these photos were taken. In May 2014, a nearby earthquake of magnitude 6.3 caused substantial damage to Wat Rong Khun (1). The artist must have been devastated by the destruction, and according to media reports, initially appeared to give up hope of restoring it. The buildings in the compound were however, structurally unharmed by the quake, and buoyed by huge public support, the artist and his team have reportedly taken up the challenge of restoring the temple to its former glory (2, 3). The murals on the walls and ceiling of the ubosot, which took nearly 20 years to complete, were apparently destroyed. It will be interesting to see if these are restored exactly as the were before, or whether Chalermchai will decide to create something new.
The Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden is located in the Mae Sa Valley, on the edge of the Doi Sutep-Pui National Park, about fifteen km north of Chiang Mai.
Map of Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
The park is large (1000 ha) and there are a number of different sites and glasshouses linked by a perimeter road (see map). Perhaps the most impressive exhibits are the indoor displays, housed in a series of conservatories and glasshouses at the top of the park. When I visited in December of last year, there were relatively few visitors, and least compared to some of the more popular tourist sites in other parts of the valley. There are also a number of trails in the garden, which are very pleasant to walk – especially in winter – and because of the elevated hillside location.
Although the large Rainforest House is impressive, I particularly enjoyed the Arid House with its large collection of desert-dwelling cacti and succulents, which was beautifully laid out.
The Arid House
The display of large Barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii), which are native to Mexico and SW United States, was very attractive (below). Apparently, they have yellow flowers, but these were not in evidence at the time I visited.
Barrel cacti (Echinocactus grusonii) in the Arid House
There were good information labels and signs, albeit in Thai, with the species’ common and taxonomic names in English.
Good signage in The Arid House
Not surprisingly perhaps, the Orchid House was very good. There were lots of different types of orchids on display; all were beautifully presented and in excellent condition; it must involve a great deal of work to keep this house looking so pristine and beautiful.
Visitors in the Orchid House
There were many different varieties of orchids representing the different genera, such Phaelenopsis, Dendrobium and Vanda. I think I will do a separate blog (see Ray’s Nature Notes) on the orchids; here are a few to be going on with!
Phalaenopsis orchids in the Orchids and Ferns HousePink Phalaenopsis orchids
The other highlight for me in the Garden were the water lilies; both in the Aquatic House and in the outdoor pots and ponds. Inside the Aquatic house, it is possible to get a good close up look at some of the lilies, not all of which are native, like this gorgeous variety from the United States (below).
Nymphaea ‘St Louis Gold’ USA
There is something fascinating about the gold, sun-like centre of a lily flower (below).
Centre of a lily (Nymphaea sp.) flower
Downhill from the Glasshouse Complex, there is a large lily pond filled with different species, including the popular, non-native Giant Water Lily (Victoria amazonica).
Lily pond below the Glasshouse Complex
The huge round lily pads of the Giant Water Lily really do look like you could stand on them! It is said that they can support quite a weight but it has to be widely and evenly distributed across the leaf. These lilies were not flowering at the Garden when I visited. The flowers are however, white when they first open, but turn pink on the second night!
Giant Water Lily pad (Victoria amazonica)
The smaller, native water lilies were flowering and could be seen in different stages of flower opening. They were most attractive to bees, which feed on the pollen and nectar.
Water lilies (Nymphaea sp.)
There were quite a lot of school children visiting the Garden, like these friendly boy scouts, who had all previously had a look through my binoculars (which survived the experience!).
Boy scouts visiting Queen Sirikit Botanic GardenExamining my binoculars!
These uncrowded and beautifully maintained gardens are highly recommended. It must take an enormous effort to keep them looking so nice. There is much more to this site than I have done justice to here, but I hope this gives a flavour of what is on offer. There are reportedly, five other satellite gardens maintained by the Botanical Garden Organisation (1) around Thailand (e.g. in Rayong, Phitsanulok, Khon Kaen, Sukhothai and Phangnga provinces). It they are anything like as interesting as this one, they would be well worth visiting.
Gardeners working at the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden
The Sunday night walking street market in Chiang Mai has become very popular in recent years. Once a week, a colourful traditional market bazaar takes place along the length of Ratchadamnoen Road (and other side roads) in the Old City. The area is closed off to traffic and hundreds of market traders set up shop selling food, clothes, traditional goods, handicrafts, art and so on. I took a stroll through the market recently and was surprised how large it was and how many people there were. High season I guess. I was most interested in the food stalls which are colourful, lively and photogenic.
Noodle barFried chicken and strawberries
There was a lot of art for sale. I quite liked the animals although it was a little bit formulaic, in the sense that certain images were being replicated in numerous similar paintings. But it is not easy to sell art, and this was a lot better than other examples I have come across. It a matter of taste I guess.
Street art
The colourful rhinos were being churned out by someone! They are nice though, even if not a Thai animal; well I’ve never seen one!
Colourful rhinos.
The market is by no means just for tourists; there were many Thais enjoying shopping.
Silk scarf sellerThis one please!
There were a lot of musicians sitting on the ground and playing their instruments between the market stalls.
Young musician
The food in these stalls looks very tasty and looking at them again now, makes me feel hungry!
Salad bar.
The market extends into the area around Tha Pae Gate. This was a fried omelette stand. I am feeling hungry again!
Fried omlettes
The orange juice – nam som – stall was fronted by simple but highly effective marketing (the orange juice coming out of the floating tap is not real but the rest of the bottles and jars are), plus a lady with a lovely Thai smile.
Nam som (orange juice)
Finally, I came across these huge prickly fruit which I am pretty sure are durians. Jack fruits are similar but much less spiky.
Vegetables and dried fish, Tomohon market, Sulawesi
I love visiting traditional markets in the tropics, both to enjoy looking at – and occasionally purchasing – local produce, but also as a an opportunity to take photographs. I am primarily interested in taking photographs which are interesting in terms of colours, as well as (hopefully) in terms of content.
Dried fish stall, Tomohon market, Sulawesi
I like blocks of colour, and so am often attracted to the colourful umbrellas found in such markets, as well as to the effects they produce, in terms of filtered light, such as above, where an red-orange colour cast is created by the overhead screens.
I also like taking photographs of people, but it is important to be friendly and show respect; ideally asking them whether they would mind having their photographs taken. In markets such as this, where tourists are fairly common, people are used to having their photos taken; but it’s still good to smile and ask permission. Showing the subject(s) the results is also something I like to do, if people are not too busy.
Fish – skipjack in the foreground – for sale in Tomohon market, Sulawesi
I really like photographs where there is a depth of field – I don’t mean in terms of it all being in focus – but where there is a scene stretching from the foreground into a distant background, as in the above image. I think it is more interesting if the eye can follow through into the image. It is a matter of keeping an eye out for such scenes, but it also needs a bit of luck. I never take enough photographs, they can always be deleted in this digital age, and – as any professional will admit – it is only by trying hard AND taking a lot of images that you get lucky and take a good one. I am not sure how good these are – it is easy to fall in love with your own photos – and one has to be very severe in rejecting all but the best ones. This is another one which runs from front to back, and also has some interesting colours created by the blue, red and orange canopies above the stalls selling fish and vegetables.
Colourful canopies in Tomohon market, Sulawesi
This traditional market in Tomohon is famed for having a lot of local meat, including things which many westerners do not eat such as dogs, rats and bats. I am less concerned about these than I am about threatened (rare) species, but I was not really in the mood to look at them, so I concentrated on trying to get some colourful images (literally) rather than gruesome images of roasted canines!
A stall selling onions, tomatoes and other vegetables in Tomohon market, Sulawesi
The above photograph has a lot of nice produce of the soil in the foreground, but hopefully it is interesting because one is drawn to look through it to the brightly lit background. I like photographs which have a number of layers to them. The following photograph also has a brightly lit background; it’s not to difficult to take these sorts of photographs in such a colourful and complex market place!
Peppers, onions, ginger and garilc for sale in Tomohon market, Sulawesi.
Ray's ramblings 