ILLUMINATION, watercolor

Illumination, 11x15 inches,  watercolor

This is a view of St. Francis of Assisi Church from a vintage point on the road. Inside, the walls are covered with paintings by Giotto and his students.

Reading about Dante, in DANTE, A LIFE, by R.W.B. Lewis, I find that once during a walk with his friend Latini, he predicted the future for him. Later Dante put this conversation in his COMEDIA,  like this: "If you follow your star, you cannot fail to reach a glorious port, if I discern rightly, in the fair life." Francis of Assisi, Dante, and anybody who ever was successful, followed his/her star. So should we, and we will reach our port.

UMBRIA, ITALY, watercolor

Umbria, Italy, watercolor 6x9 in.

Walking around Assisi, in the province of Perugia, in Umbria, we often see grapevines attached to a wall, a building, and even to another tree for support.

Reading DANTE, A LIFE, by R.W.B. Lewis, I've just learned that when the first gold florin was minted in 1552, it became almost instantly the basic monetary measure in Europe. Its originality consisted in that instead of being engraved with the pope or the emperor, as it had been the custom, it had the symbols of the city of Florence (thus "florin"), St. Giovanni on one side, and the lily on the other, the city's secular emblem.