L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2019 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano A fter all the fabulous exhibits one can see in the heart of Flo- rence, it is possible that a little fresh air in the countryside might just be the ticket to take a breather and relax a bit? After all, how many beautiful frescoes and wonderful palaces unlike any to be seen anywhere else can you take in on your trip? So then, what's next? Well, there are three "P's" that can help add a s ens e of Renaissance balance to our mod- ern life styles. Any visitor to Florence can easily achieve this by taking a ride on a bus; yes, a bus! Fortunately, there is a com- muter bus station just across the piazza from the train statio you probably used to get to Florence. A ride on one of these buses will have you meet Italians going home after a day's work and/or shopping, or some others who simply want to get some fresh air on a short ride through the exquisite countryside surround- ing the beautiful City of the Flowers. The first stop on these "P'" rides would be Pistoia. This is an ancient city that o ffers both medieval events and modern attractions, depending on the season. If you are traveling in July, you will want to join the multitudes gathering together in the large piazza of the Pistoia Duomo for the Blue Jazz Festi- val. Drawing people of all ages from all over the European Union and other countries, this is an event not to mis s as it is always on the cutting edge of new mus ic, featuring s mall bands and big names, Italian and foreign. And when, after those noisy grand concerts and others, you stroll around and find yourself on Via Atto Vannucci, you cer- tainly will want to stop in at the Menichini Musical Instrument Emporium, either for some fabu- lously crafted lute-guitars of absolute pre-modern sounds or some other instruments that will rock your socks off for their fine craftsmanship. Then, continuing to stroll fur- ther to nearby Via Silvano Fedi, you will not want to miss the opportunity to visit one of the smallest churches in Pistoia, built in the 14th century: the Chapel of the Knights of the Tau. Its fres coes depicting scenes from the Book of Genesis will absolutely blow you away, as will others in the multiplex arched ceiling of the s mall church: they trace human histo- ry, from the creation of Adam and Eve to their life after expul- sion from the Garden of Eden. The second "P" excursion will take you, again by bus - if you did not get off at Pistoia . to the small town of Pescia, situat- ed along the banks of a river and nestled between rolling hills and mountains which will impress you as a perfect landscape for a revival production of the Sound of Music. But the "music" you will find here will be caused by the hustle and bustle of the open-air market that takes place every Saturday across the river in the Piazza Mazzini that leads up to the town hall. You will want to drop in the offices there to see the wall painting of the town's most famous citizen, Coluccio Salu- tati, who in 1374 was appointed Chancellor of F lorence. H is twenty years of tenure as the city's highly effective secretary of state have caused several modern scholars to style him a Renaissance "Henry Kissinger." Of note also are the many banks on practically every street corner since, from time immem- orable, the town has been the wholesale market for all types of flowers that flow into it from all over Europe. You can observe the hundreds of huge, perfumed market tents brimful of carna- tions and other flowers from the Hotel dei Fiori situated nearby there. But before leaving all this behind and getting on the bus again, you should continue your stroll past the city hall and go along the river until reaching the excellent hospital where you will take the bridge across the river. This will lead you right in front of the small church which con- tains the quasi contemporary painting of St. Francis of Assisi, done in 1235 by Bonaventura Berlinghieri just nine years after the saint's death. And if you're lucky, it won't be on loan to the magnificent church of Santa Croce in Florence, so you can take your time here in examining the six exquisite border panels of scenes from the saint's life with- out having to fuss with heavy tourist crowds. The third and final "P" day trip does not bring you to a city whose name starts with the letter "P" but channels you to 14th century Collodi, whose name was used by the author of the legendary story of Pinocchio, the long-nosed trans-human puppet. After buying your ticket, you can enter the Land of Toys which is an exquisite minor Disney World known as Pinocchio Park, replete with many statues of the story's strange characters, among which a whale with sharp teeth ready to swallow you up. But passing by this carefully, you can enjoy all the garden's metal figurines drawn from the adventures of father Geppetto's courageous lit- tle guy. Be sure also to find your way to the Osteria del Gambero Rosso (The Red Shrimp Inn), a restaurant where the excellent tasty food offered is a worthy match for the exceptionally amazing architecture of the place. When you had your fill of this wonderland, you must not miss the amazing medieval estate of the Ghibellini Garzoni counts, who were exiled from Guelf Flo- rence in 1339. The villa is famous for its beautiful parks and fountains and especially for its fabulous Butterfly House that boasts an enormous stone and glass enclosed tropical forest that entertains thousands of the most beautiful butterflies from all over the world. And if you are lucky enough to be in Collodi at the end of August, you can take part in the tumultuous medieval spec- tacle that envelops the entire town in honor of its patron, St. Bartholomew. These last two wonderful trips are eas ily undertaken in the space of a morning or an after- noon, again by either bus or car, and can be navigated in the space of five or six hours so that you can eas ily get back to your reserved hotel space in Florence. But the charm you will find on these day trips will so enchant you that it might even be wiser, and cheaper, to book rooms in the many fine hotels on these itineraries. The charm I am sug- gesting here is that you will like- ly have contact with many Italian citizens of the "Garden of Italy," as Tus cany is often called, instead of being jostled around by hordes of eager visitors like yourself, who want to noisily absorb up every tiny bit of Flo- rentine culture possible before reluctantly leaving for home. THOMAS VESCE Pinocchio, the third P of our Tuscan Itinerary: you'll find him in Collodi © Dragan Jovanovic | Dreamstime.com Pescia is the second stop of this Tuscan adventure © Chantalnathalie | Dreamstime.com The San Zeno cathedral in Pistoia, the first P of the itinerary © Alkan2011 | Dreamstime.com Three Tuscan "P" excursions not to miss ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES

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