Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Italy/Horses/Museums and More

August 10th Hello Italy

http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php/Bassetto-Guesthouse/Florence/744?da...
Welcome to Bassetto Guesthouse!
We are located in Certaldo, in the belly button of Tuscany, a beautiful region of vineyards, olive groves and medieval towns. This is the place where you will find a true taste of Tuscany and the 'bella vita' in an authentic XIVth century setting.
We are bringing Tuscany country living to the backpacking world. If you need a relaxing break from the busy cities, then we are the place for you. At Bassetto, you will be able to regather your thoughts while you relax next to our pool or swing the afternoon away in a hammock with a glass of wine in hand and then at night, you can take a walk through a garden while being surrounded by fireflies after you have had a dinner in our wine cellar.
Bassetto Guesthouse was formerly a convent of Benedictine monks that was always open to pilgrims passing through. In 1998, our family opened Bassetto Guesthouse again to travelers with the same notion of hospitality as the monks centuries ago. We wanted our guesthouse to be unique in terms of setting and location, a place you would want to return to and somewhere to relax from city life.
We accommodate everyone here, from the lovers on their honeymoon in our private rooms to the solo backpacker in our dorm style rooms. Our private rooms and dorms, are separated from each other across the yard, with their own both kitchens and common areas.
Explore through landscapes sculpted by sunflowers, rolling hills and farms either on foot, bicycle, and horse. Day trips by train are easy from Certaldo to go exploring the big cities to see the splendors of Florence, Siena, Pisa which are mostly an hour away.
We organise and run a number of activities from a fresh pasta cooking class with a local chef to day trips to San Gimignano and wine tour. When the weather is amazing, we can even take you out to Pisa for a day.
Bassetto Guesthouse will always make you feel like you won’t want to leave and with our friendly staff, always able to help we are the perfect place to be in Tuscany.
There is something for everyone here!

We're going to take a fresh pasta making class this morning before we set off to see where Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile and Rossini are buried at the Basilica of Santa Croce and see the museum where Michelangelo's David resides

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Santa_Croce,_Florence

http://www.accademia.org/

after a light lunch we are going to the Boboli Gardens

http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/boboli_garden.html

We are going on late afternoon early evening horseback adventure, with our picnic baskets. We are going to see the city's beauty at sunset from an incredible advantage point.

Sleep well my friends we have another busy day ahead of us.

Quote for today: "The Creator made Italy from designs by Michelangelo." --Mark Twain

I find Bassetto to be a very homey feeling place. It is comfortable, with it's ancient stone floors, rugs, and book shelves. I will try to find time to browse through the shelves in the library. If they are all in Italian I won’t be able to read them. I especially enjoy the outdoor terraces that seem to be everywhere in Europe.

The Basilica of Santa Croce, is listed as the largest Franciscan Church. I’m interested in the Tau Cross. It is an ancient symbol as well as a Greek Letter. Crucifixion was an ancient method of punishment in more than one society. Moses is said to have made this sign when he lifted up his hands in the old testament, the crosses made from the tau. I did not know this was a burial place for Galileo, Michelangelo and other important historical figures. Florence Nightingale was named after the city of Florence where she was born.

The Jewish architect of this building, Niccolo Matas, was not allowed to be buried inside so they buried him under a porch.
Matas left his mark in the form of a star of David inserted in the stone work over the entry way. The star made from triangles is inherited from medieval Arabian literature by ancient kabbalists. Even though in modern times it is called the star of David it was considered an amulet from the seal of Solomon.

The Franciscans are religious people or groups who followed the teachings of Saint Francis of Assisi. {http://bustedhalo.com/blogs/st-francis-of-assisi%C2%A0living-simply-simply-livin...} Even though Franciscans are considered attached to the Catholic Church there are Franciscan groups who are protestant. Francis of Assisi believed in a simple life, incorporating ecology and few possessions.

The Boboli Gardens are definitely Italian. They hold spectacular statues, rock walls, and gardens. You can see the incorporation of religious superstitions relating to the human body, within artistic sculptures. Give the artists credit for accuracy in their works. I enjoyed viewing the works of the museum.

The horseback tour or the countryside was exceptional. They had a nice quiet older horse for me to ride. After the ride I was careful to walk a while. Riding horses at my age can cause interesting bodily reactions, when you are back on the ground, unless you ride daily. Yoga keeps me moving.

References found:

https://www.HiddenItaly.com

https://www.Fattoriategoni.it/horses