In numerology the number ten represents cycles ending and new ones starting. Pythagoras called ten the ‘perfect number’ because it totals the first four numbers (1+2+3+4=10), symbolizing cosmic order and completeness. We naturally count in tens, because we have ten digits. And we mark important milestones in tens too: a perfect score in several sports, each decade a significant birthday.
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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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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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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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Opinion is very much divided on the topic of street art and graffiti. Some dislike it all, regardless of the skill (or lack of it) of the artist. They feel it disfigures a cityscape, rather than enhances it. Others love it for its rebellious nature, again regardless of the skill (or lack of it) of the artist.
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Although all black and white photos are monochrome photos, not all monochrome photos have to be black and white. Monochrome comes from the Greek monochromos meaning ‘having one colour’. But why shouldn’t that one colour be green, beige, or orange? Or for that matter, grey, red or blue?
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According to Cicero, the greatest of Greek cities wasn’t in Greece itself but in Sicily. He described Ortigia, the original heart of modern-day Syracuse, as ‘the greatest Greek city and the most beautiful of all’. Situated on a small island, the city was founded by the Greek settlers from Corinth in 743 B.C.
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The Romans built the city of Netum on the slopes of Mount Alveria in south-east Sicily. Legend tells that Daedalus stayed in this city after his flight over the Ionian Sea, as did Hercules after his seventh task. Over the following centuries it flourished, until in 1693 disaster struck, in the form of an earthquake. Most of the buildings were razed to the ground and over half the population perished.
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Randazzo is the nearest town to the summit of Mount Etna, lying on its northern slopes. Its architecture reflects its location. Many of the older buildings here are constructed from the black lava stone from Etna, giving them a very distinct appearance.
