Of Dante, Massaccio and good coffee

My colleague and friend Julianne Crane is in Italy, touring the museums and anywhere else she can see art. I included one of her experiences in a letter that I sent out Wednesday in a newsletter to members of The Spokesman-Review Book Club . Here’s that note, which was drawn from an e-mail that Julianne posted from Florence , home of Dante Alighieri , about how the war is being experienced there:

“Reaction to the war in Iraq is fairly quiet. However there are PACE banners hanging everywhere and for sale at almost every vendor’s stand. Cost between 5 and 7 Euros. There are also PACE bandanas that can be worn on the head or arm or wrist. But, it is more of a passive movement.
During breakfast yesterday Sister Paula and I sat with a husband and wife visiting from Lester, England. They said that there was quite a bit of ill will towards the war in Britain. We are reading the English language papers and they are devoting 6 to 10 pages of coverage each day. The Italian paper I picked up also devoted 10-12 pages to coverage. Very big deal.
We have not experienced any open hostility.
There are thousands of students here for Spring break… from all over the world. Lots of Japanese, Americans, Brits, French. They seem to be getting along.”

In a note I received today, Julianne talks of taking two buses to see the Tuscan hill town of San Gimignano, walking though Florence in the rain, seeing frescos in the chiesa Santa Maria Novella, just missing out on seeing the incredible Massaccio frescos at the capella di Brancacci (of Santa Maria della Carmine) and drying out by drinking a cafelatte. Next up: the walled town of Lucca.