Easter

This year, our biggest Easter surprise came at the end of the Duomo's morning Mass, something that has been surprising the people of Florence for over 500 years.

 

It started when a team of white oxen wheeled an age-old cart into the piazza. Then, a dove-shaped flint was sent all the way from the front altar, down the center aisle and out into the piazza, igniting the cart and setting off rounds of firecrackers.

 

                                             Fireworks and smoke filled the air . It was a type of Easter Fourth of July!

By far, it was the craziest, Easter tradition any of us had ever seen.

More fun than fireworks were the friends from Seattle who joined us in Florence for Easter this year:

our dear friends, Joe Hastings and Ray Ishii, 

Ann Muno, and her sweet daughter,

Bella.



Even the Easter Bunny hopped by for a visit.





On Easter night, we had our own little fireworks in the kitchen and blew a fuse, inspiring another, age-old tradition: by candle light, we shared a meal with friends, read poems to one another, and played a favorite, family game.



Buona Pasqua! May your days be full of Easter blessings.