We decided to start the day with a trip to Prato, a city to the northwest of Florence
. "Prato occupies the central part of the plain that lies between Florence and Pistoria at the mouth of the Bisenzio Valley. Inhabited since the Palaeolithic Age, the area was colonized in Roman times, but the first urban nucleus was settled by the Longobards who built a Church in honor of St. Stephen. Prato was a free commune after the 12th century, and in the 13th century underwent major new development
." The church became the Cathedral of Prato. Let's check this out. We came, we saw, and decided not to take the tour. Someone suggested we retire to a nice cafe for midday pizza and wine - all this walking and sightseeing makes one hungry (and thirsty). I volunteered to enter the church office and use my substantial Italian language skills to communicate with the locals and find a suitable establis
hment. A half-hour later, Anne entered the office to make sure, having failed at verbal communication, I wasn't prostituting myself to the two older female tour guides in an effort to extract the location of this obviously secret pizza place. Anne arrived just in time to save me - Mrs. Mussolini was in the process of removing the inquisition implements from the cathedral vestibule. Being tortured for inappropriate hand signals at the Cathedral of Prato would have been a very unpleasant vacation memory.
. "Prato occupies the central part of the plain that lies between Florence and Pistoria at the mouth of the Bisenzio Valley. Inhabited since the Palaeolithic Age, the area was colonized in Roman times, but the first urban nucleus was settled by the Longobards who built a Church in honor of St. Stephen. Prato was a free commune after the 12th century, and in the 13th century underwent major new development
." The church became the Cathedral of Prato. Let's check this out. We came, we saw, and decided not to take the tour. Someone suggested we retire to a nice cafe for midday pizza and wine - all this walking and sightseeing makes one hungry (and thirsty). I volunteered to enter the church office and use my substantial Italian language skills to communicate with the locals and find a suitable establis
hment. A half-hour later, Anne entered the office to make sure, having failed at verbal communication, I wasn't prostituting myself to the two older female tour guides in an effort to extract the location of this obviously secret pizza place. Anne arrived just in time to save me - Mrs. Mussolini was in the process of removing the inquisition implements from the cathedral vestibule. Being tortured for inappropriate hand signals at the Cathedral of Prato would have been a very unpleasant vacation memory.After lunch, Julie suggested we visit the Luigi Pecci Contemporary Art Centre also in Prato. Founded in 1988, the building not only houses an exhibition space, but also an information and Visual Arts Documentation Centre. This would be our first and last foray of the week to a museum of modern art. On exhibit were the works o
f Loris Cecchini in an exhibit called 'dotsandloops'. The exhibit was bizarre (as are a great deal of things labeled 'modern art') but amusing. However, the booklet describing the exhibit is truly a towering work of literary bullshit. Listen to the beautiful flow of words in this excerpt - "The exhibition itinerary mirrors the artist's empirical skill in planning, his continual forays towards new techniques, his tendency towards deconstruction a
nd constructive stratification. Like a wave pushing onwards, the rooms of the Pecci Centre, in giving themselves to the artist as a place to experiment in, take part in the mise en scene of a perceptive itinerary which is totalising." Huh? Take it from me, I'm not sure what it means, but that is some good B.S. Half way through the exhibit there is a display of some sticks the 'artist' picked up on the beach which he encased in a plastic box (great way to write off a vacation). "Land and sea materials personally collected by the artist - a kind of notebook in three-dimensions - are arranged in an orderly fashion in display cases and juxtaposed to architectural structures, which for the iridescent quality of their material, give off effects of light and wonder." Damn! This writer is wasting his time in Prato. He needs to move to the big city! He can make sticks in a plastic box sound important. This booklet was worth the price of admission and will retain a special place in my library of over-the-top creative writing.
f Loris Cecchini in an exhibit called 'dotsandloops'. The exhibit was bizarre (as are a great deal of things labeled 'modern art') but amusing. However, the booklet describing the exhibit is truly a towering work of literary bullshit. Listen to the beautiful flow of words in this excerpt - "The exhibition itinerary mirrors the artist's empirical skill in planning, his continual forays towards new techniques, his tendency towards deconstruction a
nd constructive stratification. Like a wave pushing onwards, the rooms of the Pecci Centre, in giving themselves to the artist as a place to experiment in, take part in the mise en scene of a perceptive itinerary which is totalising." Huh? Take it from me, I'm not sure what it means, but that is some good B.S. Half way through the exhibit there is a display of some sticks the 'artist' picked up on the beach which he encased in a plastic box (great way to write off a vacation). "Land and sea materials personally collected by the artist - a kind of notebook in three-dimensions - are arranged in an orderly fashion in display cases and juxtaposed to architectural structures, which for the iridescent quality of their material, give off effects of light and wonder." Damn! This writer is wasting his time in Prato. He needs to move to the big city! He can make sticks in a plastic box sound important. This booklet was worth the price of admission and will retain a special place in my library of over-the-top creative writing. 
There is no rest for the weary. We are off to Fiesole, a town to the northeast of Florence up in the hills. As with most of Tuscany, this was a beautiful little town. Those of us relegated to the back seat of the van were treated to a slightly swaying, bumpy trip up the side of the mountain. Unfortunately, the trip wasn't very pleasant for Wanda. Upon arrival, we walked to an outdoor cafe just 
off the main square with a wonderful view of the countryside. Jane, Amanda, Marilyn, and Anne went for a walk. The rest of us ordered cold beer and waited for Wanda's bout with car sickness to subside. We passed the time in conversation, planning dinner and a trip to the grocery store on the way back to the B&B. I began reading the wonderful passages from my now treasured modern museum booklet.
off the main square with a wonderful view of the countryside. Jane, Amanda, Marilyn, and Anne went for a walk. The rest of us ordered cold beer and waited for Wanda's bout with car sickness to subside. We passed the time in conversation, planning dinner and a trip to the grocery store on the way back to the B&B. I began reading the wonderful passages from my now treasured modern museum booklet.Grocery shopping - lots of fruit, vegatables, bread, cheese, wine, and beer - on the way back to Il Castelluccio. We decided to party and prepare our own dinner tonight. Good dinner and fun as always. We are going into Florence tomorrow.
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