Florence

Yesterday evening, by some strange turn of fate, I caught the end of a programme that I had meant to watch: Travels with Vasari. The item I was specifically interested in, and which I have craved to see since I was about 15 years old, is the Corridoio Vasariano, or Vasari's Corridor.

Those who have been to Florence might know that this overhead passageway runs from the Uffizi, along the Arno, over the Ponte Vecchio and right up to the Pitti Palace in the Santo Spirito neighbourhood, thus linking the Offices (or Uffizi) of Francesco de Medici to his residence (the Pitti).



What makes this corridor so special is the fact that it contains approx. 1,000 paintings, all self-portraits, by some of the most famous masters from the sixteenth century to the present day. Some name-dropping: Rubens, Ingres, Rembrandt, Ensor and many others... Although I did study in Florence, and have visited it on several occasions, the Corridoio is notoriously difficult to visit and I have never been fortunate enough to walk through it myself. These days, access is largely reserved to politicians and other such luminaries.

Another thing that I love about Florence is the Bistecca Fiorentina. Think of it as the Florentine version of a Porterhouse steak. Its secret lies in the low-fat beef, which is sourced from Arezzo (Chianina) or the Maremma (Maremmana).

It requires a grill, some bloody hot coals, and a fantastic T-Bone steak.
Heat the grill, slap the steak on the grill, cook for 5 minutes on either side. After taking it off the grill, you can season to taste with salt and pepper, and eventually some oil.
Think rare, or even moo for the right taste on the inside, and brown on the outside. Serve with some vegetables (rocket salad, or if you so prefer some garlic sautéd spinach).
Not for the vegetarians among us.

Finally, if you ever head to Florence, walk down to San Lorenzo, where I used to live and visit the Mercato Centrale for some delicious extra virgin oil, truffles, funghi porcini, etc. You will not regret it.

william klein photo - Florence 1992

I was bowled over by this photo the first time I saw it. It was 1992 and I was fortunate enough to be studying in Florence. The poster was for the exhibition 'La Sala Bianca: nascita della moda italiana' at the Palazzo Strozzi. The photographer is William Klein.

There's something about the bold contrast of the lines, the black and white, and the blurry image (overexposed negatives?). Of course, there's also the iconic Vespa, and the way the woman in the white dress is looking back at the other woman who is fiercely striding past.

I bought the poster and took it back home to my student rooms, in an old 1900s carriage house on the greener outskirts of Antwerp. It was an interesting room, the same high ceilings as in our current house, with an arch in one of the walls, which had been turned into a bookcase. The walls were painted in full-out white, highlighting the vast space and the huge window... and then the poster pulled it together. After a wonderful year there, I then moved to a little flat in the city with a view of the river and the cathedral, with its old wood floors. When the time came to decorate the study, the bold black and white pattern of the crosswalk and the sash were reflected in the alternate black and white hardwood floor, - again - with white walls with a bold green desk for good measure. I spent too few hours in that study, in retrospect.

How times have changed... but the image remains, stored in my mind for times like this.