Tilly Greene's Blog, page 22
January 17, 2012
3 Must See, Do and Try in Florence are ...
... the Museo di San Marco.
This was a monastary and now acts as a convent and museum. There was so much to learn about the life of a monk and the broader religious happenings back in the 15th C. It was all so political.
Anyway, the building itself is really not much to look at from the outside, but inside is a wealth of subtle beauty. We'd be walking down a hallway, go into a room, and it was massive and the next beyond small. Best way to put it, we never knew what we'd find and that includes when we moved into the museum part.
The museum was on an upper floor and it was the living quarters of the monks. Not horribly exciting, right? So very wrong. Each room possessed a fresco by the artist known as Fra Angelico, who also happened to be a friar who lived in San Marco when it was first built. I was not a fan of his work before this visit and now I have a new appreciation for his work.
Now, while we went in the fall and not the best time for gardens, I imagine the inner courtyards are stunning so I'll have to go back again.
Thank you to The Pilgrim Project for the beautiful picture of the Cloisters above, it does the site justice.
... David by Michelangelo 16th C.
Let me clarify that by saying while I absolutely enjoyed seeing this large sculpture in person at the Accademia Gallery and being able to walk all the way around it, I preferred the copy amongst other statues in its original location on the Piazza della Signoria.
One of my favorite our haunts was on this piazza, two turns away from our hotel. We'd sit there at the end of the day, sipping whatever we fancied that day - often it was a chianti - and relax, take in the sites and sounds of Florence. A few steps to the right is the Uffizi, which had 2 sculptures of Marsyas. They sat on opposing sides of a corner that I was not expecting to see - what a joy - and now one of my all time favorite museums to visit, ever. Yeah, it's that kind of great, but this copy of David caught and held my attention, go figure.
Pictures were forbidden in the gallery, as they were in most of the museums throughout Italy, but here is the real David on Wikipedia. He is rather spectacular and his toes, they're huge!
... the Ponte Vecchio, actually, it's the walking, shopping and socializing that made Florence a truly magnificent city to visit. They haven't wiped away their history which makes every step and turn interesting. There were so many piazzas to visit, each with a different feel and they own set of shops and cafes. They varied in size so it was easy to pick what suited the mood.
We stayed in the historic center where it was mainly pedestrian only and cobbled. Despite this being where the tourists flock to see the sights, it actually didn't feel crowded. There were a variety of markets and stalls, gelato shops - a true treat for the eyes, and all conducted at a fabulous pace of life for a city.
Maybe it was going in November that made this trip not all that crowded and therefore easy to enjoy walking around.
Yes, I'll absolutely be visiting Florence again.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
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January 16, 2012
3 Must See, Do and Try in Rome are ...
... the Pantheon!
Yes, the Colosseum, Vatican, all the unique little piazza's and so much more were all wonderful places to visit, but the Pantheon stopped me in my tracks.
The proud, strong yet wonderfully quiet presence of historical architecture built in 118-125AD is located on the small Piazza della Rotunda. There's a fountain in front and I was eager to walk between the columns that still stood before going into the Rotunda with its magnificent coffer ceiling.
Space is very limited in this piazza, but the mood was great. There were two restaraunts with outdoor sitting, perfect place to sit back and enjoy the view. It looked like the other buildings higher floors that overlooked the Pantheon were residences - how wonderful would that be to live there.
Inside was dark and spare of sculptures, but that was okay, the ceiling was where the magic was for me. Reminded me why I love reading the ancient texts and enjoying the art.
My pictures of the Pantheon didn't turn out so I borrowed the external shot from Virgin Media and the one to the left from Italy Guides.
... the Belvedere Torso [1C BC] in the Vatican Museum.
Powerful. That's the word that comes to mind when I walked up to this glorious figure.
He sits in the middle and center of the Room of the Muses floor with his back facing the entrance [he's missing his backside and there's a bit of a lion skin draping down the pedestal] and there's no hint of what you'll find on the other side.
I'm not someone who takes the crotch shot on purpose, but in my defense, I was so surprised he didn't have a fig leaf covering his bits and pieces, I clicked!
The Vatican Museum was full of incredible pieces, including one of Marsyas, and had gorgeous outdoor space to explore, but if asked what my favorite museum was in Rome, it would be the Galleria Borghese. If you ever go to this wonderful city, definitely visit both of these institutions.
... the Grottee del Teatro di Pompeo.
A first stop on the day we arrived was a smallish restaurant tucked in a nook off of the bustling Corso Vittorio in the Centro Storico section and, even though their time to serve lunch was over, they still cooked for us. We shared a bottle of their wine and prepared to see Rome. After all the meals we shared throughout Italy, I think this one was my favorite and, unfortunately, I don't remember what it was called but I know it was some sort of gnocchi with spinach and cheese and a light sauce dribbled over the top. Yeah, yum!
Anyway, I don't do this often but it was very handy to do so, here's a tip for someone who plans to see this large city and doesn't want to drive - no way was I going to do that! We bought a ticket for the hop-on hop-off buses and used it like a taxi! It was a great way to see the all the sights and not have to deal with trains or taxis.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
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I am in the Spotlight at That's What I'm Talking About!
Today I'm in the spolight as an Authors After Dark 2012 [registration is still open] author over on That's What I'm Talking About.
Come on over, read what I reveal under the hot lights, ask a question or comment and you could win a copy of Missing in Paradise!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 15, 2012
Ready to take a trip?
This past November through December I traveled and amongst all the trips, two were to places I'd never been before. The weather was great, seasonal without much moist stuff. The timing also made it possible to experience more of these places than if we'd been there in peak tourist time and that made a big difference. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of my favorite parts - you never know, they might show up in a book sometime.
So, next week I'll take you to Rome, Florence, Venice, Amsterdam and Munich - all without having to pack, deal with airports or airplanes.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 14, 2012
Books, eBooks, Gift Certificates and More, Oh My!
Massive Book Giveaway time, and I mean massive!
I'm giving away a copy of Konnichiwa Cowboy and also a gift certificate to All Romance.
All you need to do to enter is go to The Romance Studio and sign up - that's it...so easy...but you have to do it by January 31st, so go!
Go Now!
Enter and you might win, nice!
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 13, 2012
17-20 of the Strangest Sex Laws
An interesting list I found on Are The Most who shared 20 Strangest Sex Laws and I'll be sharing the rest of the list throughout the week.
Does this mean #18 was done? Might have try that one in a story, although I won't have it located in Newcastle, Wyoming. If I ever visited there, they might have changed the law to include writing such a scene. Then again, I'm all about bucking the system :-)
Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 12, 2012
13-16 of the Strangest Sex Laws
An interesting list I found on Are The Most who shared 20 Strangest Sex Laws and I'll be sharing the rest of the list throughout the week.
#13 makes me think the costume isn't really all that necessary for a Nevada legislator to resemble a penis - just saying, and #15 is down right thoughtful.
Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 11, 2012
10-12 of the Strangest Sex Laws
An interesting list I found on Are The Most who shared 20 Strangest Sex Laws and I'll be sharing the rest of the list throughout the week.
If these three weren't so absolutely ridiculous, they'd be even funnier.
Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 10, 2012
7-9 of the Strangest Sex Laws
An interesting list I found on Are The Most who shared 20 Strangest Sex Laws and I'll be sharing the rest of the list throughout the week.
I'd like to know how #8 works, seriously.
Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
January 9, 2012
1-6 of the Strangest Sex Laws
An interesting list I found on Are The Most who shared 20 Strangest Sex Laws and I'll be sharing the rest of the list throughout the week. Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
I found #3 more than wrong and #5 plain old worrying.
Click for bigger image - it's worth it to read these laws.
Tilly Greene
Scorching romances full of twists, turns and ties.
Facebook│Twitter│Blog│ARe Cafe
