Museums and history everywhere

Despite exhaustion from my 8am class, I headed out to another museum with a friend. I went to the Museum of San Marco, which is basically a monastery and we get to duck into the small rooms, each with frescoes. Being that this is Italy, they are altar scenes. This is not art that I am used to, be this type of religious art is a huge part of the history of the culture, so I am glad to learn a little more about it. They also had beautiful old prayer books, with the tiniest handwriting I have ever seen, and song books, with beautifully decorated paper, and either leather covers with silver hardware, or red velvet covers. Keep in mind that I am not Catholic, so I do not know the proper terms or the stories and prayers, but I do have an appreciation for beautiful, unique, and old things.

After we left the museum, we went for a walk, went through the San Lorenzo market, and somehow wound up in the middle of a huge parade. We didn't know what it was (and I was too tired to try and translate the Italian), but researching it now, I am seeing that this parade commemerates the last Medici, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici.

The fleur-de-lis (giglio in Italian) is the symbol of Florence

I just love the history that just pops out of nowhere in this beautiful city.

Ciao!