People I Have Asked: The Carabiniere Who Looked Like My Cousin

Another photo for which I have great affection!

We were standing in front of the Duomo cathedral, watching the portion of the Festa di San Giovanni parade that traipsed into the Baptistery.  I took lots of photos of the various costumes and faces, like this lineup of young drummers in red and white.  

And then I figured I'd get Mr. Hunter in on the action.  This policeman (carabiniere) stood there with his arms crossed as I took this picture.  He looked a little puzzled about what I was doing, a little stern.

My path was clear.  I held out Mr. H to the carabiniere and gestured to ask, "Can I take your photo?"  Obviously, he said yes.  

Although, come to think of it, he didn't really say anything. 

 But he did hold Mr. Hunter and pose for me.  Yes!

The bonus in all this was that the policeman reminded me somehow of one of my cousins.

Piazza del Duomo

Florence, Italy

June 24, 2008

Mr. Hunter and Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, Part One

The Baptistery in Florence is home to Lorenzo Ghiberti's famous Gates of Paradise doors, which feature bronze panels that illustrate various Bible stories.  The doors on the Baptistery itself are now replicas, and the original panels can be seen nearby in the lovely Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.  

Here's Mr. Hunter admiring the replica doors.

We'd paused to take these photos on our way to the Accademia.  Earlier that morning, we'd caught a bit of a parade for the Festa di San Giovanni and the Calcio Storico.  When we got to the Accademia, we realized that we had plenty of time before our reservations to go see Michelangelo's astonishing David, so we headed back toward the Duomo and the Baptistry to see if we could catch more parade action.  When we got there, another part of the parade was in full swing, and the Gates of Paradise were wide open!

Here's a snippet of the Festa di San Giovanni parade.

Battistero di San Giovanni

Piazza del Duomo

Florence, Italy

June 24, 2008