A Slow News Day

Florence, Italy with Medici Coat of Arms

The Medici family emblem consists of six spheres mounted around a shield. It can be found on any palazzo, church or monument to which the Medici had connections or that was financed using Medici money. They are omnipresent. It's unclear what the building above is or was during the time of the Medici. The origin or meaning of the spheres is unknown. Speculations include representations of pharmaceutical pills or cupping glasses, coins from the money changers guild, or even dents in the shield of a heroic cavalier ancestor.  We spotted this emblem at the beginning of our walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo. The Piazzale is located Otrarno and up the hill behind the Boboli Gardens we visited on Saturday. We thought this would be a good walk and a nice substitute for closed museums. Almost immediately it began to rain, and we decided to postpone our visit.  Instead, we shopped and went home.  Below are pictures taken along our walk illustrating the devastating impact of Covid-19 on Italy.  These are areas where normally one would need to work through the crowds.

Piazza Santa Maria Novella

A Pre-Triage tent outside the Florence hospital set up for Covid-19 testing.