Artful Dream

Chapter 24

It was Thursday morning and their last full day in Florence. Maggie asked Richard to spend the night with her; there was no point in being coy and reserved after their activities on the balcony from the previous night.

He stared up at the ceiling while Maggie was still asleep resting on his chest. Gently he tousled her hair. Maggie’s left hand was resting limp on the bed. He could see her sapphire ring was now wide awake, alive as the light from the window shone upon it prompting the many hues of blue to dance upon its tiny golden stage.

Maggie starti to stir; she opened one blurry eye and looked up into Richards’s face,

“Morning” she said.

He kissed her on the cheek. “Morning beautiful.”

Maggie stretched out and went on her back. Richard turned towards her resting his head on her chest. Maggie was still coming too when she felt his hand wander up the inside of her thigh. She quickly grabbed his hand and slapped it down on the bed.
“Just because you found your way into town, doesn’t mean you have to go shopping every day.”

Richard laughed, “You have a wonderful way with words.”

She rubbed the sleep out from her eyes, “I read a lot.”

Richard then tapped her gently on the thigh, “Come on, let’s get up and make the most of our last day.”

Breakfast was on Alfonso, once he saw Maggie’s engagement ring. The Italian went into overdrive, bringing out the best tablecloth and candles (even though it was still technically breakfast) and played on his ancient CD player Mario Lanza.

“You wouldn’t get this in Chelsea.” remarked Maggie.

There was no doubt in both their minds that they were going to miss Florence when they leave tomorrow. The warmth and friendliness of the people surpassed all their expectations.

“So where do you want to go first?” he asked Maggie.

“Well, it has to be Il Duomo.” She said finishing her coffee and putting on her sun glasses.

Florence Cathedral or to give it its proper name, ‘Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore’dominated the Florentine skyline. Finished in 1436 or as Maggie mused when Richard was doing his tour guide bit, ‘just after two-thirty in the afternoon’ was a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Both Maggie and Richard were modestly dressed for visiting the church. Italy is still a staunch Catholic country and certain standards had to be observed when visiting a church. Maggie wore her green cargo trousers and a long sleeve yellow blouse. For her feet she wore her yellow flat pumps. Richard wore his cream coloured chinos brown deck shoes with a white long sleeve shirt. Maggie swapped back into her normal glasses has they entered the dark interior of the cathedral.

The first thing they noticed was the sudden drop in temperature. After having a whole week of temperatures touching 30C, the air temperature inside the basilica was remarkably cooler.

Maggie hugged Richards arm, pulling him close to her for some warmth.

“God is going to zap us for being this close together in church, is He?”

Richard gave her a reassuring pat on the hand, “I think He has got bigger things to worry about than us.”

The basilica was packed with tourist taking photos of everything and anything. Maggie’s attention was drawn to the floor, every piece of space had some intricate mosaic pattern weaved into it. Richard, however, was more amazed by the artistry on the inside of the dome. Looking up he saw the whole surface covered in renaissance paintings depicting scenes from the Bible.