I bet you’ve never heard of Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi. Or Sandy Little Barrel, as his nickname might be translated into English. Neither had I. And yet we’ve named one of our Watermill bedrooms after him. Perhaps because he is better known to you and me as Sandro Botticelli. Lois takes up the story.
It certainly is a great place to stay. We use it ourselves in the off-season when we have no courses, enjoying the elegant bedroom and the magnificent views.
Lois mentioned Little Barrel’s Primavera, a wonderful painting that was subject of one of our One-Stop Uffizi visits, where we go into the famous gallery and only look at one picture at a time, to avoid ‘cultural indigestion.’
What amazed me was not only the brilliant exposition of the unusual subject matter (Greek gods and goddesses instead of a Christian Madonna, for instance) and the sublime modelling of the figures, but also the attention to detail, notably in the flowers and plants, each meticulously and accurately depicted. There there are some 500 plant species in the picture, with about 190 flowers.
You can read all about our One-Stop Uffizi visit to the Primavera by clicking here.. And contemplate your blessings in the Botticelli bedroom.
Floreat Sandro!