You will find San Miniato al Monte above Piazzale Michelangelo overlooking Florence. It is Florence’s only Romanesque church. I visited it recently to hear the monks do the Gregorian chant at vespers which was at 4:30 in the afternoon. The day was sunny and hot, but the church was cool and calm inside. The mass was held in the lower chapel leaving the main area opened for tourists.

To get to the church there are several flights of stairs so be prepared for that. Once at the top, you will be glad that you made the climb. The outside of the church is covered with geometric shapes of green and white marble. The church was built in the 11th century. There is a monastery attached to the church, where monks still live today. The gift shop there sells honey, soaps, liqueurs and other wares made by the monks.

Like all of the churches in Florence, you will find unbelievable Renaissance art by Gaddi, Michelozza, della Robbia, and a beautiful mosaic which was never finished supposedly was wrapped in mattresses by Michelangelo to protect it during the siege of Florence in 1530.

Maybe you have heard that the MTV reality show, Jersey Shore, has come to Florence…and maybe not. Hopefully this show with its pathetic cast of characters who claim to be Italian (and do have some Italian heritage) is not on your viewing list. This show embarrasses not only the American population, but now, drawing off their Italian heritage they have managed to insult and humiliate yet another entire population.

If you haven’t watched the show, good for you. If you have, shame on you. Now this drunken bunch of 20 something’s has come to Florence. Florence has a wonderful mayor, Matteo Renzi who has done a lot for the city and has carefully groomed the grounds, planned repairs for the monuments, planned cultural activities galore, and brought a renewed liveliness and respect to Florence. Imagine his chagrin, at being the host city for this bunch.

Rising to the occasion of welcoming them, but setting some boundaries, he established some rules for their conduct here. The rules, listed in the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, are:

– The cast will not be filmed in bars and clubs that serve alcohol.
– The cast will not be filmed drinking in public.
– The show will not be filmed to promote Florence as a drinking town.
– The show should be filmed in a manner to promote Italy (not Americans visiting Italy) and feature its culture and good food.

In addition to these strict guidelines, Renzi has banned the show from filming in the city’s historic buildings, but admitted that he “could not ban them from using the city (Florence) as a set.”
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/florence_mayor_gives_shore_cast_RIfAAf6nm2kl9eJoQo7oeL#ixzz1MW4jzFNl

Drinking in public is legal in Florence, but for the most part, aside from American students with the first taste of this type of freedom, it is not abused. While wine and alcohol are a part of every meal and social gathering it is not the principal part of any of those. I am so proud of my new city and country.

I have had the occasion to see the cast of Jersey Shore in Florence, one night at one of my favorite restaurants, while dining with a friend, they arrived. They ate with the camera crews filming and some American “groupies” hanging around to get a glimpse of “the situation” or Snooki. They were well behaved at this time, but I did see internet photos of them climbing over “my bridge” Ponte Santa Trinita, where I sit every day and take in the sunsets. Fortunately, I did not have to witness that in person.

Ken Mercer has been playing in the Piazzale degli Uffizi for over 12 years now. I have been listening to him for over 5 years and it is one of my favorite social activities. In the evenings locals and tourists gather in the piazza to listen to Ken, catch up on the events of the days, and share some wine. Ken writes and sings some of his own songs, and sells CD’s with many of his songs as well as some covers from all time favorites like, James Taylor, Cat Stevens, The Eagles, U2, etc.

The setting and the acoustics of the piazza add a nice ambiance. Ken makes a living doing this in Florence, and I can say that I think there is no better way to pass the early evening hours. Ken is usually in the piazza in the summer months starting around 9:30 and finishing around 11. Come and listen!www.kenmercermusic.com

I promised more about the Boboli Gardens. Spring has arrived and I visit there often. It is a wonderful place to spend time away from all of the crowds in the beautiful gardens of the Medici. The gardens are behind the Palazzo Pitti and a part of that museum. You will need many hours to spend in the gardens, so plan accordingly. I will do small bits about the gardens throughout the blog.

During this visit, I was allowed inside Buontalenti’s Grotto. Visits are permitted only upon authorization, so when I arrived, and it was opened, I hurried inside. The guard at the front said only 15 minutes, so my visit was brief. The grotto is reminiscent of the drip sandcastles I used to make as a child. Inside, Michelangelo’s prisoners used to stand. Today there are replicas, and the originals are in the Accademia along with the David. It was great to see where they had originally stood. The rest of the room is decorated with a domed fresco of animal species by Poccetti.

Outside the grotto and towards the exit of the gardens is the chubby grotesque statue of Bacchus. This statute is actually the Dwarf Morgante, although Florentines refer to it as the Bacchus. Since Bacchus is the god of wine, this little dwarf does not fit the image that I conjure up when I think of this mythical creature!