Interior Reflexteriors

Semi-abstract trompe-l'oeils done with the aid of mirrors, if not smoke.

Cafe, Sansepolcro, Tuscany 2007

Cottage, Carnlough, Northern Ireland 2004

Cafe, Durham, England 2009

"Treasure"

Ever in search of economical accommodation in Italy, we opted in the Tuscan hilltown of Volterra for the Seminario Vescovile di Sant'Andrea.

We were given a rather Spartan but picturesque room with a window on the garden. Upon opening the bedside drawer we found a "treasure" of autographs from previous tenants...

But that was just a foretaste, because I soon opened a wardrobe to find a trove of ancient manuscripts.

We discovered as we pored through them that they were the bookkeeping records and related correspondence of the monks, dating back to the 18th century.
Not quite equivalent to stumbling on, say, The Voynich Manuscript, but exciting nonetheless.

For more Treasure, visit Theme Thursday!

Alchemical "Gizmotti"

One of the most amazing places we visited in Tuscany was the Aboca Museum in Sansepolcro. There you can see ancient apothecary equipment, preserved herbs, poisons, and other substances (e.g., mummified crocodiles), and fabulous herbalist manuscripts. Well worth a visit! Here are a few shots of some of the rare "gizmos" we saw...