A footnote from history by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Florence is a wonderful place to bask in art and architecture. The brick red dome of Santa Maria del Fiore (pictured at left) was a revolutionary achievement in its day--built without scaffolding.
I marveled at the intricacy of the marble work in floors, cathedral walls (some begun as early as the year 1090), and reliquaries like the one here, which I thought of as a marble quilt.


You have of course heard of one of the most famous of Tuscan artists, Michelangelo--and of his rival, Leonardo da Vinci. But there is much more than "just" David to appreciate in Florence. At the moment I photographed this praying monk at Santa Croce (build in 1294), a ray of light illuminated his form.
I was reminded of our great privilege of prayer and filled with joy at the idea that the God who inspired the vast riches of artistic expression evident in Florence was also the gracious and loving Father who invites His children to cast all our cares on Him, for He cares for us.
Old is a relative thing ... what does it mean where you live? What treasures of architecture or art do you enjoy most?
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You can take an imaginary trip to Florence in Stephanie's novel A Hilltop in Tuscany. When successful businesswoman Liz Davis travels there to be with her mother as Mary recovers from an injury, Liz is forced to examine her life's priorities. Will she have the courage to face the possibility of sacrificing everything she's worked for in order to find lasting happiness?
Find a Hilltop in Tuscany here: http://amzn.to/2pAWDkJ
Learn more about Stephanie and her other books at www.stephaniewhitson.com.
Stephanie, thank you sharing about American history and the different views on being old. I had never considered that aspect. A Hilltop in Tuscany sounds like a great story with the setting someone I've never traveled to.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post--and I loved A Hilltop in Tuscany (and A Garden in Paris) so much--some of my favorite contemporary novels! Thanks for sharing (and writing such wonderful books), Stephanie. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteAnd I too, have noticed the completely different connotation of "old" in Europe...during my university years I spent a semester at Oxford, and the college I was assigned to was "New College"...new in 1379. :)
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