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These are my favorites among the thousands of photos I took in the past year in Italy, Canada, aboard the Celebrity Constellation, and in the United States (New England, New York, Colorado, Florida). To make the cut, the subject of the photo had to be significant for me, and the photo had to be nicely composed and lit. All photos are copyright © 2024 Dianne L. Durante. To see favorite photos from previous years, click here.

Italy

First, a couple photos from Florence. The first two are details of the lantern on Brunelleschi’s dome, on the Cathedral of Florence. More info and photos in this post. (These photos are actually courtesy of my husband: my thrice-accursed HP Pavilion laptop crashed during the trip, taking 3 days of photos with it.)

The Bargello is one of my favorite museums in Florence. More info and photos here.

Yes, I do have a favorite shape of medieval arch, and yes, this is it.

The Donatello Room at the Bargello has his St. George, bronze David, and Marzocco.

Another Donatello, this one at Santa Croce. Donatello is brilliant at showing old subjects in new ways. His Louis of Anjou, later St. Louis of Toulouse, looks overwhelmed by his bishop’s regalia – as indeed he was.

A spectacular room: the Chapel of the Princes in San Lorenzo.

The photo below was taken at the restaurant at the Piazzale Michelangelo, across the Arno River from Florence proper. Toward the right is a bronze copy of Michelangelo’s David; toward the left, the Cathedral / Duomo; in the distance, the hills of Tuscany. My husband was on a bike tour that day … I challenged myself not to “keep myself company” at lunch by scrolling on my phone. Surprisingly difficult to do!

One of the many spectacular works at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (semi-precious stone inlay). More info and photos here.

Moving on to Siena, a medieval hill town a few hours’ drive south of Florence.

Livorno, on the west coast just south of Pisa, has a Gilded Age mansion-turned-museum with spectacular ceilings: the Museo Civico Giovanni Fattori. I would put a couch in every one of these rooms, just so I could lie back and look at the ceilings.

The last photo from Italy is from Pisa’s monumental cemetery, the Camposanto, near the Leaning Tower. It shelters dozens of sculptures … but this is the one that I kept circling back to.

It was created as a memorial to Ottaviano-Fabrizio Mossotti (1791-1863), an Italian physicist who did important work on astronomy and dielectrics. The figure represents Urania, the Greek muse of Astronomy – hence the star on her forehead. Giovanni Dupré (1817-1882) was one of the most prominent Italian sculptors of the later 19th century.

Quebec City

In the photo below, don’t miss the inflatable pink people climbing up buildings in the lower town. They make me giggle. I wonder how they’re surviving a Quebec winter?

Celebrity Constellation

New England and New York

Maine coast, rather different from the Gulf of Mexico coast that I’m used to.

I should use this photo next time I need to illustrate atmospheric perspective.

A remarkable Arts and Crafts home in Milton, MA (near Boston). That chimney! That facade!

I want to curl up here with my next book.

I have not recovered from my addition to elegant wrought iron: gate to a home opening on Newport, RI’s Cliff Walk.

Colorado

I can hear skis shusshing on snow when I look at this.

Living the high life (10,000+ feet) in downtown Breckenridge, CO.

Florida

We finally got to visit the upper stories of the Ringling Mansion (Sarasota), including the Belvedere, at the top.

More

• For previous years’ favorite photos, see here.
• For my current work-in-progress, Timeline 1700-1900, see my Substack page.