At the Peggy Guggenheim Museum

In and Around the Dorsoduro section of Venice, Italy

Pictures at an Exhibition: Venice Biennale 2013

A Pitti Party

We went to the Pitti Palace today and it was very good.  We saw some really excellent art from 15th and 16th centuries once again, but this time I found it much more interesting (probably because it was a bit more secular).We also quickly toured the Royal Apartments...  lavish and self-indulgent conspicuous wealth, but the art continued to be a joy to see.  We also saw the Modern Art Gallery, which doesn't mean Pollock or DeKooning, but Italian artists from the 17th century through to the Impressionists.  So, coming just recently from the Biennale, this "modern art" seemed very quaint indeed.  But it still was very interesting to see, and the ability to render light continued to be a wonder through the entire art collection.

This sculpture is at the front of the museum, and it's interesting because there is really nothing in the museum which approaches this level of "contemporary artness"

The Pitti Palace

View out to the Boboli Gardens from museum

As it turned out, our tickets did not allow us entry to the Boboli Garden or the Costume Gallery, but we found an Enoteca directly across from the museum which I thought had been recommended on Tripadvisor... so we went there for lunch.

                                 View toward the Pitti Palace from Pitti Gola E Cantina

Dawn's wine:  delicate, fruity, mostly dry;  selected by staff so don't know the type or brand, etc.

          Dawn's pick for food:  a lasagna with slow-cooked beef...  delicious and a bargain at 8e

The wine chosen for me:  a Brunello, lush and delicious from Montelcino; and check out the wine carafe:  its purpose is to let the wine breathe before pouring

Absolutely, flipping amazing hand-made raviolis:  filled with spinach and ricotta; served with shaved truffles and pecorino cheese; also 8e

We were a bit puzzled with the wine and food pairings, as they both seemed to violate the usual rule of delicate wine with delicate food, etc., but we agreed that both pairings worked, and we were generally in gastronomic heaven

If possible, I would like to return to this Pitti enoteca  before we leave Florence.  Yup, it was THAT good!