The Monkey has been to Italy many times, but unfortunately most visits were brief and involved getting stuck in Milan’s famously foggy Malpensa Airport on the way elsewhere. Still, in May of 1996 the Monkey made his way to Florence and Pisa for about ten days. At the time, the Monkey was not big on posing for photos, so for now there are only a few shots to peruse.

Perhaps it was because he was feeling emasculated after discovering that his name in Italian (La Scimmia) is feminine, or perhaps it was just the magic of Italy, or perhaps the free-flowing wine, but the Monkey did his best to make nice with the local ladies. A few mementoes of his forays into the Florentine nightlife are included here for your enjoyment. He also has a number of over-contrasty cityscape shots from the sunny days in Florence. The Monkey swears the style is straight out of Giorgio De Chirico, but the Monkey’s photographer has a mental note to bring his flash unit to Italy next time.

Until then, ciao Italia!

The Monkey enjoys a nearly cloudless day in Florence. The famous Duomo, or dome, of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is visible over his left shoulder. The grayish tower just to the right of the Duomo belongs to the Palazzo Vecchio, seat of the city government for centuries.

The Monkey says “Ciao Belli” to two German friends in Florence. They were studying Italian there.

More Florence-based friends of the Monkey engaging in wine-laced hijinks. From left, a Swede (clutching la Scimmia), a German (also seen at left), a bodypainted U.S. girl, and a Peruvian. All were students in Florence.

The Monkey with Florence behind him from a different vantage point. He claims the lighting is De Chirico-esque; compare to the piece below. It may be chiaroscuro, but it’s still not very artistic, is it?

A sample of a painting by Giorgio de Chirico (1888-1978).

In Pisa, the Monkey stopped off to get his photo taken by the famous Leaning Tower. Construction on the structure, a bell tower for the Cathedral and other religious buildings in the Campo dei Miracoli (Field of Miracles) began in 1173, and in a way, it has never ended: work to stabilize the tower and its sinking foundation is still ongoing.