Spb, European Art

Again I woke up earlier to enjoy the silent beauty of Saint Petersburg. The weather is perfect, it is sunny and dry, and in my summer shorts it feels a little bit chilly, but I like it.

And again the breakfast at the hotel has not pleased me much. Still, I am full.

The new day and the new discoveries are awaiting me. And I am ready to absorb them all...

Meanwhile, when walking along the Fontanka river I have found myself in front of the beautiful Summer Garden.

Actually, the Summer Garden was laid out in 1704 by the order of Peter the Great, and now it is the oldest park in Saint Petersburg. The Garden is surrounded by water, because it is situated on the island bounded by the Fontanka, Moika, and Neva Rivers and the Swan Canal.

Undoubtedly, along with fountains the main feature of the Summer Garden is its sculptures. Actually, almost every sculpture in the Garden is a copy. But the original works can be found at the Engineer’s Castle.

Very well, I am heading to the Palace Square now, where I am going to visit one more museum. The museum is located in the left wing of the General Staff Building with a 580 metres long bow-shaped facade, right in front of the Winter Palace. Previously, the left wing was occupied by the Foreign Ministry and Finance Ministry, but now it is the part of the Hermitage Museum. The right wing these days hosts the headquarters of the Western Military District.

So, I am inside the museum space. Honestly, I was shocked by what I have seen there. And it was a positive shock, because I did not expect to see such beautifully renovated room behind these strict classical facades. There are lots of space, light and brave modern ideas in decorating the interiors.

French paintings of the 19th century, including the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and the artists of the Nabis group, are greatly presented on the floors of the General Staff museum. There are also exhibited the gorgeous canvases of the masters from the 20th century.

Among my favorites are the masterpieces by Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Henry Matisse and Vasily Kandinsky. I have returned to the halls with these authors several times, despite the fact that it was forbidden to step back due to COVID-restrictions (as I was said, "the walking is only in one direction permitted").

Indeed, after fine art it is needed some fine food to be eaten. So, I am in search of some good restaurant to spend my evening time.

The restaurant "Salone pasta & bar" is located on the Fontanka embankment. At this Italian restaurant they make homemade pasta with some "canonical" Italian fillings such as parma or ragout barbaresco. Still, I was very delighted with antipasti and dorado fish with Gewurytraminer sauce. I recommend this atmospheric place by all means, but you should make a reservation in advance, because it is a very popular place at present days.

Good day today, indeed. I hope tomorrow will be not least good. In fact, I continue my cultural program, so I am going to visit another art gallery.

Italy, The Walls of Lucca

Today I move to another vacation house in Tuscany. And this is going to be quite a long journey, because I want to make several stop-overs. So, I set off early in the morning to be on time. First of all, I went to Lucca. It is not known how soon I will come back to this town, so I want to use any chance to visit this attractive place again.

As soon as I arrived to Lucca, I decided to walk around the old city following the path along the walls, which run for roughly 4 kilometres. As the walls lost their military importance, the top of the walls became a pedestrian promenade, and today it is one of Lucca's main attractions, where people may find rest from sightseeing by unhurried walking or biking. You may be surprised to hear that these walls, built in the 16th and 17th century, were designed by Leonardo Da Vinci.

From the north city walls I have spotted the beautiful garden, which I definitely wanted to see closer. Eventually, I found the entrance to the park and discovered that this is the inner park of the Palazzo Pfanner constructed in 1660. People claim that this palace is one the most worth visiting among many others in the city. With the full ticket of 6.5 euro you can see the interior of the palace and the well-formed park.

So, coming out of the palace I descended an ornate covered staircase that brought me down into the elegant sculpture garden with a fountain and lush foliage.

The garden itself represents the baroque style and consists of the ornamental flowers, forest plants, earthenware pots of lemons and accompanies by the monumental string of 18th century statues depicting the deities of Greek Olympus and the Four Seasons. It is a very romantic place.

They claim that Lucca is one of the most well-preserved medieval town in the whole of Italy, with the planning of an ancient Roman city. Suddenly, I recalled another town from the medieval times, located in Belgium. I keep in view the town of Bruges, which I visited a year ago. Amazingly, these untouched cities are able to immerse you in the unique atmosphere of the historical place. And again I experience the poetic emotions while strolling around Lucca's streets among yellow facades of the old buildings.

After a quick walking around the town I headed for the train station.

First, I need to get to Empoli, which is in the direction of Florence. Meanwhile, I should mention that the direction to Florence from Pisa is very overcrowded! I can hardly imagine how it feels like on the weekend.

So, I had a short stopover at Empoli city. In short, I was not impressed by this mid-sized town. However, after the empty town of Bagni di Lucca I found Empoli very lively.

The next stop was at Ponte a Elsa. It is such a small town, but it has to offer some breathtaking views.

The final stop was at the Granaiolo train station in the Fontanella village, where my guest house is located. It was absolutely dark when I left the train, but it was clearly seen that it was even more isolated and quiet place than Bagni di Lucca, and I am going to spend here the next three days.