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April 10, 2013 – 7:00 am | 4 Comments

It seems cliché to speak of reawakening after a long Winter, but with the amount of rain we got this year, putting England to shame, even a slight glimpse of Spring is extremely welcome. Easter came early this year and for a few hours on Sunday morning here in Maremma, the skies cleared, the sun …

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Articles in dblog

Museum and Convent of San Marco, Florence

August 10, 2008 – 9:59 am |
SanMarcocourtyard

The Dominican Observant convent of San Marco was built starting 1436 and frescoed almost in its entirety by Fra Angelico from 1440-50 (approx.). It is a marvel of the effective use of painting in functional, religious spaces.
A small museum contains panel paintings by Fra Angelico (to the right of the entrance door, off the courtyard). …

Florence Duomo history and function: free podcast!

January 1, 2008 – 9:00 am | One Comment

This podcast (9 minutes long) takes you on a tour of Piazza Duomo in Florence, Italy. We talk about the mix of religious and civic buildings in this space, looking at the Baptistery, Duomo, Misericordia, and Bigallo. The article below contains the text of the podcast.
(the Media player’s not working right now so here is …

Podcast: Convent of San Marco in Florence

September 10, 2007 – 10:02 am |

The following is a free podcast that leads you through the conventual spaces of San Marco in Florence, with paintings by Fra Angelico (1450s-60).
*podcast player isn’t working: here’s the direct link to the file: http://www.arttrav.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/san_marco.mp3

Uffizi guide podcast: International Gothic (3)

August 14, 2007 – 12:00 pm |

This series of free podcasts about the Uffizi gallery in Florence was designed with young viewers in mind, but should be handy for adults too.
This is the third part with a presentation of the next room you encounter in the museum after Giotto. This room contains important altarpieces from the International Gothic period (14-teens and …

Uffizi guide podcast: Giotto room (2)

August 7, 2007 – 11:45 am |

This series of free podcasts about the Uffizi Gallery in Florence was designed with young viewers in mind, but should be handy for adults too.
Start with the Introduction to the Uffizi. This is the Second Part – the Giotto Room, which is a presentation of the first room you enter off the hallway. This room …

Uffizi guide podcast: Introduction

August 1, 2007 – 11:21 am |

This series of free podcasts about the UFFIZI gallery in Florence was designed with young viewers in mind, but should be handy for adults too. This is the First Part with an introduction to the museum.
* due to podcast player problems click here to download or listen to the uffizi kids #1 podcast
The second part …

Piazza Signoria podcast

July 1, 2007 – 12:05 pm |
Piazza Signoria podcast

This piazza is the political heart of Florence, and also an important location for public sculpture. With this podcast you’ll learn what the piazza looked like around 1290 and how it evolved right through the sixteenth century and beyond.
* due to podcast player problems, please click here to download or listen to the piazza signoria …