An American in Tuscany

A footnote from history by Stephanie Grace Whitson

Love American history? Me, too! In fact, I love it so much I went back to school in 2012 to work on a master's degree in historical studies--with a concentration in North American history. Loved every minute of it. 

Studying history gives us all perspective on our own corner of the world. For example, here in Nebraska where I live, something that can be dated early 1800s is old. Head east into Virginia, and old can take one back into the 1600s.  But even that is nothing compared to the history one encounters in Europe. The Pont Neuf in Paris (pont neuf means "new bridge") was begun in 1578. The Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy, (ponte vecchio means "old bridge") was built in 1345. I took the photo above when visiting Florence many years ago. The Ponte Vecchio is at the far right. I remember a tour guide telling us that this is the only bridge in Florence to survive World War II. Hitler wanted to stand on it and watch as the other bridges in the city were destroyed.

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. 

As for art, frescoes turn church interiors into expansive canvases on which artists told Bible stories and stories of the saints to illiterate parishion-ers of long ago.

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? 

_________________________

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.

ITALY, ART, and, THE MONUMENTS MEN by J. KENT

Santa Maria del Fiore

One of my friends, Julie, recently returned from Florence, Italy where she'd spent the month of July studying Renaissance art. The pictures on this page are from her camera. Love the architecture.

 Julie's an art teacher in our school district. She told me about a day she went to the library in Florence and discovered a book, called Saving Italy:The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis. This non-fiction book written by Robert M. Edsel, just happened to be the name of the man who wrote the text book that Julie and her class where studying regarding Renaissance art.

She also discovered that it was soon to be a movie starring George Clooney and Matt Damon based on another book by Edsel titled, The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. I had never heard anything about these books or the story behind them.

Days after Julie returned from Italy USA TODAY (August 8, 2013) ran a feature about the movie stating it's, ". . . about a platoon tasked with going behind enemy lines to retrieve the masterpieces stolen by the Nazis."Later I found the video trailer on YouTube. You can watch it here. And you can watch it here too. For those of us who thrive on treasure hunting books and movies, and I think there are lots of us, my guess is the movie theaters around the country will be packed on December 18th when the film releases. But for now I'm reading the books and soaking up the information behind the movie.


This upcoming film feels like a combination of Raiders of the Lost Ark and National Treasure but it's based on a true

Alternate view of Santa Maria del Fiore

story that is fascinating. I have a feeling it's going to be a huge success. I hope it's as good as it sounds. Hey, if it's got Clooney and Damon starring in it they can't go wrong. 


The Mission

If you read the book, page two of The Monuments Men states, "The Monuments Men were a group of men and women from thirteen nations, most of whom volunteered for service in the newly created Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section or, MFAA."

"Their job description was simple: to save as much of the culture of Europe as they could during combat."

Ponte Vecchio

The Ponte Vecchio is this bridge over the Aron River is enclosed and filled with jewelry shops according to Julie, but in days long gone it used to be utilized by butchers selling their meat products as well as tanners. The stench became overwhelming and changes were made. I know I'd prefer the jewelry shops. The Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge in Florence that was not destroyed by the Germans during WWII.

I've never been to Italy but looking at the hundreds of pictures Julie took of Florence allowed me to get lost in this wonderful world.

Have you ever been to Italy? If so, what was one of your favorite places? Do you think you'll go see The Monuments Men movie?

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which means St. Mary of the Flower. I found this video on YouTube.