While Christmas markets are a feature of the Advent season in many countries these days, Germany is where it all began. There have been markets held here at this time of year since the late Middle Ages.
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It has been said that the whole city of Florence is one art gallery. And it’s true that not only its palaces and museums are full of art, so are its streets. But And as with any busy city, its streets are full not only of art but also the small details that speak of everyday life.
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Mention a visit to Florence to anyone and they will likely ask, did you go to the Uffizi? did you visit the Galleria dell’Accademia to see David? With good reason, as they hold a myriad of treasures. But they are not the only great museums in the city, and others come with their own plus points. Less crowded, more intimate and on an easier scale to digest in a single visit.
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Isn’t it part of human nature to grasp anything we perceive as a last chance? This week the Lens Artists team offer us a last chance, namely the opportunity to share some photos taken this year but not (yet) used.
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We came to Cologne because of a football match (Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle in the Champions League) but you can't visit this city in December without taking in the Christmas markets.
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If like me you enjoy searching out and photographing small details that capture the unique stories of a city, then spotting these relics of Florence’s past will certainly appeal. These 'buchette del vino' or ‘wine windows’ date back to the 1500s when the Medici family allowed nobles who owned vineyards outside the city walls to sell wine tax-free.
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I may be biased but I do think London does Christmas rather well. From the lights in the West End to light trails in some of our most beautiful parks and gardens, from shop window displays to those in people’s homes … from late November the whole city starts to take on a festive air.
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While Florence is a city of big-hitter sights (the Duomo, the Uffizi, the Accademia), it is also a city of winding streets and picturesque piazzas. A city of hidden gems, street art and welcoming bars and cafés. A city of churches, of monuments and markets. In short, it is Italy.
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I am less than keen on November. The weather is rarely pleasant, though we did get a couple of crisp sunny days. I have to admit though that we still had plenty of autumn leaves on many of the trees though most are now bare. And there were even quite a lot of flowers, at least until the first frost bit.
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On our recent visit we stayed just around the corner from the Piazza di Santa Croce. It became the starting point for several of our walks and the focus of our evening drinking and dining. By day and night the huge basilica, the largest Franciscan church in the world, dominates its eastern side.
