Basketballs

This year we failed to pack anything orange; no orange t-shirts, no orange sweaters, nothing orange. Orange never seems to be completely out of place in Florence; people wear orange here occasionally. We packed out suitcases in late February and the normal reason for our interest in wearable orange things, the success of the local basketball team, was at low ebb.

What a mistake!

The SU women made their tournament and the SU men squeaked into their tournament. Both teams surprised us.

Sadly, the women’s games were not available on TV here. The men’s games were.

Because the first men’s game against Dayton started early in the afternoon, we were able to view the game at a college bar called the Red Garter (formerly The House of Sizzle). The game was the day after St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday which passes by Italians without notice but which is celebrated by the American students in Florence with enthusiasm. Since the students were probably still recovering from their Irish-oriented celebrations of the day before, the Red Garter was quiet the next afternoon. We watched a close game in the first half that turned into a triumphant success in the second half.

A few days later we watch a similar game against Middle Tennessee State though this game began at 2:40am local time. Again Syracuse and their opponent played close games in the first half and SU dominated the second half.

The third and fourth games were similar in that they were played in the middle of the night but different in that both times SU found a way to a miraculous victory over a worthy opponent. And after both games we woke up the next morning confused about what had happened a few hours before. Had they really won? Really? How did they do that!?!

Fortunately, through the wonders of YouTube, we were able to review the ends of those games to make certain that SU had won each of them. And we were without any orange to wear. Shameful.

We’re leaving today to drive south. We’ll taste some wines, visit the home town of grandparents, and finally arrive in small town in Puglia Saturday afternoon. This morning (Wednesday) we emailed the owner of the apartment to make sure that the internet connection that had been advertised was actually functional. You can’t be too careful with the next big game starting at 2:45am Sunday morning.

Go SU!

A little more music in Florence

It’s surprising that the music establishment in Florence is performing so little this year and that so many other excellent performers are. Yesterday we took in a standard classical musical program in a stunning musical space. We heard the the premier of a commissioned piece by a composer who was present in the audience, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, and the Beethoven 7th Symphony. The performance took place in the second story of a church.

The “second floor of a church”? The musical space doesn’t sound impressive, does it?

The church is in the center of medieval Florence where the buildings are crowded and almost all the traffic is on foot and on bikes. Because the area is so crowded, there is no space to step back to view the church building from the ground. Here is a photo of Orsanmichele from the top of the town’s main bell tower:  Orsanmichele,_view.JPG.

Vaulted brick ceiling

The ground floor of the building is a 700 year old church built on a site where miracles were said to have occurred in the 1300s. The second and third floors served to store grain against a time of troubles such as a famine or a siege of the city. The Florentines are very practical people.

As you can see the ceilings must be very high. Once you are inside you see that the ceilings are vaulted and are a warm color of bare brick.

In the 1400s the guilds of the city employed sculptors to create likenesses of their patron saints. The sculptures they produced were placed in niches around the four exterior sides of Orsanmichele about 15 feet above street level. The sculptures projected the wealth and the piety of the guilds.

Soloist takes a bow

In more recent years the 14 statues have been moved indoors and have been replaced with copies. Most of the originals are now on display on the second floor of Orsanmichele. The statues are on platforms that form a square about 60 feet on a side. The placement of the statues reflect their original placement on the outside of the building.

Last night the orchestra performed on an inner platform that was surrounded by the original 14th,  15th, and 16th century sculptures. Here in our photo, the violinist is taking a bow after his performance of the Mendelssohn. He is bowing while he stands between Saint James, put in place by the furriers guild in 1415, and the Madonna of the Rose, put in place by the doctors and apothecaries guild in 1399.

The room acoustic was good, the setting was intimate, and the live orchestra playing among the ancient statues was a memorable experience.

Music in Florence

Unfortunately, there isn’t a lot of music from the established artistic community in Florence in the weeks coming up to Easter. Finances have been difficult in recent years.

Two weeks ago we took in a chamber music concert with the Jerusalem Quartet, a group of four Israeli string players. They played Beethoven and Bartok. They were excellent. 

Before the players came onto stage there was a brief announcement but the public address system was garbled and we weren’t clear what was going on. The Italians who did understand the announcement chuckled. Then the players came onto the stage to polite applause, the two violinists and the cellist dressed casually in jackets and turtlenecks. Finally, the violist appeared wearing sneakers, sweatpants, and a sweatshirt. He had made the trip but his suitcase had not. He didn’t have his concert attire and he didn’t have his own marked up score. A musician who was with us said that the poor guy had to work hard using a borrowed score.

Two US college choirs performed this week, Monmouth College and Concordia College. Both sang in ancient churches where final notes hung in the air for many seconds. Singing among the frescoed saints had to be an interesting experience for the students who were on tour. The Concordia College choir is well known and has recorded many CDs. Their performance under a new conductor was excellent.

The Concordia Choir sang the Randall Thompson Alleluia. One of us had sung the piece under Randall Thompson himself. She told the conductor that she, the Concordia conductor, had used the same slow, stately tempos that Randall Thompson had used when he conducted the piece many years ago. The conductor was pleased. It is a challenge for a conductor to hold their ensembles back as they perform the piece.

Alleluias sung with a little too much swing and sway are common. Here are two examples. Alleluia - Randall Thompson - by Octarium is a little too fast. This performance is a little more restrained:  Alleluia - Randall Thompson - OU University Chorale. The Concordia version was even more settled, more stately, exquisite.

There is a music competition in town for young people. We’ve heard a Serbian choir, an Italian choir, and a string orchestra of adorable young Italian kids. A highlight of the competition for us was Filipino high school string orchestra. Here’s a short clip of their impressive performance:

Of course, there are musicians who earn their living by busking, by playing in public places and asking for donations. There is a team of two accordions and a trumpet that parade around the streets. A young woman sings arias in the main square accompanied by an accordion. The person in the clip below played a interesting instrument, something like a steel drum. He chose a great spot, next to the Palazzo Vecchio and in front of the famous Uffizi Museum. It’s a crowded space with substantial stone buildings that contain the sound well. 

Do you know what this instrument is called? Let us know if you have an idea.

Same tie score, different opponent, different reaction

Players take the field

Sunday afternoon was cool and windy. Quite cool and very windy.

The soccer game this day was against Hellas Verona. While Florence has had a good season, Hellas Verona is stuck at the bottom of the 20 team league. This game did not stir as much anticipation as the excellent home game against 2nd place Naples two weeks ago which ended in a 1-1 tie or the away game a week ago against 3rd place Rome which ended badly for Florence, 4-1. Hellas Verona looks up from the bottom of the Italian soccer world.

Single game tickets to soccer games are available only in the week immediately before the game. Interestingly, the prices of the tickets are market-driven. If both teams have good records, the single game tickets are priced higher. If one of the teams is poor, then the tickets are priced lower, perhaps a third of the price of the tickets to the more competitive games.

Kids take the stands

The ticket prices for this game were inexpensive. As a result there were many, many young children with parents, mostly fathers, in the stands. Also as a result, there was much less “interesting” vocabulary and no rude gestures aimed at the opponents. But also many of the children seemed to be only dimly aware that there was a game going on.

"Viola disaster

Overwhelmed by boos"

Tie flop with Verona

Boos at Franchi stadium

And the coach (Paola Sousa) says, 

“The team deserved the boos”

Florence scored late in the first half. Verona scored late in the second half to tie. The play seemed sloppy and disorganized. The locals groaned and the children made paper airplanes out of booklets handed out as advertising. Not an impressive game.

Here is a link to the ESPN story on the game:  Fiorentina 1-1 Hellas Verona - ESPN FC.

Two weeks ago Florence played a crisp, focused game against a good team and tied. Local people were pleased with the game even though Florence moved down slightly in the standings. This game also ended in a tim but the local people had expected better. There was some catcalls. The local newspapers hammered the team.

Two tie games with the same score but very different reactions.

The Festa della Donna

The day began cool with white patches in a blue sky. Before the day deteriorated to a steady drizzle, we walked around to view how Italians were celebrating the Festa della Donna, that is, the Celebration of Woman. This is Italy’s observation of International Women’s Day which is celebrated on March 8 around the world ... but a lot less noticed in the United States.

Curious. The Italian name for the day is singular, "Donna" or “Woman”. The equivalent in English is not equivalently singular; it's “Women”. 

The minimum way that Italian men mark the Festa della Donna is with a gift of mimosa. No, not that mimosa! No, not a bubbly drink with some cut up fruit. Mimosa are delicate little yellow flowers that bloom here in the early spring, just in time for the Festa della Donna. On March 8 mimosa are sold or given away everywhere.

Congratulations!!!   Source

The tiny mimosa flowers are so delicate that the last only briefly. By the next day the flowers are browning and by the day after that, the flowers are withered and sad looking. Is there some special meaning here about how women are appreciated?

Everyone get involved in giving mimosa bouquets, even the Simpsons.

Biscotti with brandy at Trattoria Mario

It was a cool, brisk day with a mix of sun and clouds. More clouds than sun. There was a threat of rain but the threat never materialized perhaps because we carried umbrellas around all day.

Bridges across the Arno

There was a nice view down the Arno River with the ancient Ponte Vecchio in the foreground, next the Ponte Santa Trinita, whose gentle arches are said to inspire the lids of the sarcophagi that Michelangelo designed for a pair of Medici princes (see Tomb of Giuliano Medici), then the Ponte alla Grazie, and finally a number of modern bridges in the distance.

For lunch we returned to Trattoria Mario, one of Florence’s most famous spots for lunch. The tiny restaurant is in every guidebook and internet food blog. (See trattoria mario - Google Search) Despite this prominence, the atmosphere is friendly, the food is excellent, and the prices are beyond reasonable.

This is a signature soup

Today one of us started with ribollita, a bean, kale/cabbage, and bread soup and the other one of us started with cannellini bean soup. These soups are normally served with a drizzle of olive oil which makes the flavor of the bean-based soups blossom. The drizzle over the bean soup took the form of an autograph from the kitchen.

Seating at Trattoria Mario is communal. We sat at an empty table for four and soon two men were seated with us. One man was casually dressed and the other man was very well dressed with convention credentials hung around his neck. The first person turned out to be a retired engineer. The second person turned out to be a medical specialist, a gynecological endocrinologist, who was in Florence for a meeting in the afternoon.

We were all pleased with our meals  and enjoyed chatting with each other. The retired engineer ordered half portions of everything because, he admitted sheepishly, his wife had lunch waiting for him when he got home. The doctor ordered a small steak and was surprised when the “small” steak arrived falling off the plate. He graciously offered to share his steak with us all. 

At the end of our meals the retired engineer ordered a plate of almond biscotti, a bottle of brandy, and four shot glasses. People in Florence often dip biscotti in desert wine but the retired engineer thought that desert wine is too sweet and that we all needed to try the bisccotti with brandy. The biscotti softened with the brandy were good but we wondered about where things might be going after the half-liter of wine that we had consumed with lunch.

The retired engineer offered us more brandy. We politely declined, concerned about our steadiness. The doctor declined because he said he had a meeting to attend. When the offer was renewed, the doctor admitted that, well, he was the speaker for the afternoon meeting and he needed to be able to see his notes!!

Trattoria Mario does not serve coffee so the retired engineer then took us all down the street to a cafè where he was well known. We had espressos, he had cafè corretto, an espresso “corrected” with a shot of sambuca. It’s an interesting way to sweeten coffee. After the coffee, the retired engineer went home to lunch with his wife, the doctor went on to his meeting and we went off to a museum chuckling about the entire encounter. 

Experiences like this are why we love Italy so much and why Trattoria Mario is so special.

Florence and Naples meet

The much anticipated Florence-Naples soccer game Monday night ended in a 1-1 tie. Florence scored first, with a quick, stunning goal only five minutes into the 90 minute game. The Florentines were still cheering when the team from Naples answered with their own goal. Now the fans of Naples cheered wildly and the Florentines went silent.

The rest of the game was played crisply and the two teams seemed to be each other’s equals. Over 80 minutes passed and neither team was able to score again though Florence kicked two shots off the goal’s crossbar (to loud groans from the crowd) and Naples kicked a goal but was offside and the goal did not count.

Personal disclosure: We can’t explain what an offside is in the rules of soccer. We’re glad Naples was offsides but we only understood that Naples had been offside the next day when we read the newspaper. We have limited knowledge of the game. But we enjoyed the athletic talents of the players and the pageantry of the event. We’ll talk about the pageantry here.

Professional soccer games in Florence are played in a concrete bowl that seats 47,000 or so. It was built in the 1930s and looks it age. No luxury box seats. Few concessions. The only thing of which the stadium can boast is a major league Italian soccer team.

Seating for the fans of the visiting team

Lots of fans of the Naples team came to see the contest. The two teams are among the best teams in Italy and the away games attract many loyal fans. Of course, we know that there have been problems, especially in the United Kingdom, with misbehaving soccer fans. The Italians have dealt with that problem by hermetically sealing off the visiting fans from the local fans. The visitors are transported from and back to the rail station in special buses.

The total separation prevents interpersonal contact but, of course, people can still offer their greetings to each other with interesting hand (and other) gestures. There are also interesting chants that will not (errr, cannot) be shared here. But the stadium is an excellent place to learn new Italian vocabulary.

Notice that a fan from Naples is waving a banner with a light blue border around a Confederate flag. We wish we could have asked what the iconographic significance of that choice was but we didn’t get a chance to ask the people from Naples. Equally odd is a very large likeness of Geronimo that is on a banner waved by the Florentines. We’ve asked about that and we still don’t understand.

Fans from Naples

The teams have their colors, Naples is light blue, Florence is purple or, as they say, viola. In fact the Florentine team is called “La Viola.” 

Before the game started the fans from Naples showed their light blue banners, flags, and scarves. Oh, yes, especially their scarves.

We’ll go to a day game in a few weeks when Florence plays a team from Verona. Then we’ll be able to show the showing of purple banners, flags, and scarves.

Just before a soccer game begins, the two teams march out and the local fan rise and sing the anthem of the soccer team. The movie on this page includes the first of the two verses and the chorus. The words to the anthem are printed below for your information.

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For the words and translation, thanks to Inno Della Fiorentina

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Does the sentiment seem a little over the top? Have you ever listened to an Italian opera in translation? Italians can be pretty florid expressing their emotions about anything including their soccer team.

La Viola scores

The players for Florence wore purple, the players for Naples wore light blue. Both teams are very good and within five minutes a player for Florence in an unsettled situation headed the ball into the goal. The photo shows the ball in the net (on the left side of the goal), a Florentine player  who is away from the action with his arms raised in celebration, and fans in the stands are rising and cheering. This good feeling lasted only briefly since Naples was quick to score a goal at the other end of the field.

The game ended in a tie. We expected that the Florentines would be disappointed, perhaps angry, about the way the game turned out. But that was not the case. As we left the stadium people were not complaining about the team and the next day local people thought the two teams had played well. The local fans were good sports, better sports than we’re used to putting up with at home. 

If you’re curious, here’s ESPN’s write up of the game:  Fiorentina and Napoli settle for draw - ESPN FC.