There was a buzz of excitement emanating from the small crowd gathered aroundThe Birth of Venus. Ginny caught her breath when she finally stood in front of the painting she’d always wanted to see. The canvas was much larger than she’d expected, almost two by three meters. Painted in the fifteenth century, it depicted the goddess of love and beauty standing on top of a giant scallop shell in the sea and arriving on land. She was naked and her hands and long hair covered her modesty.
Ginny was struck by how serene and nonplussed Venus was by her own nudity, ignoring a woman on her right who held out a red shawl. Ginny wanted to grab it and wrap it around the goddess. (“Come on. Let’s get you nice and warm and you can tell me why you’re standing in a shell with no clothes on.”) She loved how Venus was calm and beautiful in the face of adversity.
Look and learn, Ginny told herself.
“The painting is superb,” she whispered to Nico.
“Si,” he said. “I have seen it on several occasions and each time feels like the first.”
“It makes me feel quite emotional.”
“Me, also.”
Ginny suspected Adrian would have glanced at the painting, nodded and moved on to the next one, treating the gallery like a checkbox exercise. It made her appreciate Nico’s patience.
“What would you like to see next?” he asked, after a while.
Ginny looked around her. “There are so many rooms, it feels overwhelming.”
“Perhaps I can show you my favorite painting?”
“Yes, please. Surprise me,” she said, thinking it was something she’d never usually say. She let Nico lead the way, trying to guess which piece of art he’d choose, perhaps a small vase of flowers or a cockerel, to match his hotel decor.
She was surprised when he stopped in front of a Piero della Francesca. It was a double portrait diptych of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, facing each other across a strip of ornate gold frame. Their expressions were stagnant and Ginny thought they looked rather passionless. They were together while also separate, a little like her and Adrian, she supposed.
A wave of sorrow washed over her and she accepted they might have drifted apart, just like her husband claimed. “I can’t tell what they’re thinking,” she told Nico.
“The duke lost his right eye during a tournament, so the painting only shows his left side,” he explained.
Ginny thought the duke had a strong noble nose, not dissimilar to Nico’s. She envied people whose prominent features made their faces more interesting to look at, especially because she considered her own profile to be unremarkable. “Why do you like this one best?” she asked.
Nico opened his gallery guide and pointed to a picture. “The two paintings have another side, different scenes on the back. It is like a secret.”
The images on the reverse showed the duke wearing armor and the duchess sitting on a chariot. These pictures were more dynamic and Ginny would have displayed these sides instead.
“Maria does not like the painting of the duke,” Nico said. “She says it is miserable.”
Ginny admired the portrait. “The duke has a lot of character so it’s a shame he hides half of his face. He should be proud of his appearance...” She let her words fall away, realizing how much time and effort she spent trying to enhance her own.
Nico nodded. “It is always better to show your real self,” he said.
Ginny stared at the painting again and nodded, thinking it was something she really had to try for herself.
11
Rickshaw
Everyone met up as planned outside the gift shop. When they filtered outside, the sun was high and the day had grown hotter.
Heather pulled a giant tube of lotion out of her bag. “Don’t forget to top up your sun cream, everyone. We don’t want any burnt shoulders.”
Edna folded her gallery guide, concertina-style, to make a fan. Her white hair fluttered as she waved it in front of her face. She took Eric’s arm again as they strolled back toward the minibus.
Nico drove them a short distance to Boboli Gardens and retrieved their lunch bags. “I already have tickets and we can sit in the shade to eat,” he said.
Built in a series of terraces, the gardens boasted symmetrically cut hedges that formed hexagons and squares. Tall cypress trees stood to attention, surrounding them like bodyguards and bees buzzed between the rose bushes. A turquoise dragonfly shimmered past Ginny, settling on the edge of a fountain of Neptune brandishing his trident. Edna’s eyes lit up when she saw wild orchids. “They’re breathtaking,” she whispered.
The sandwiches Nico had made were delicious, filled with provolone cheese, shredded lettuce and onion, with oil and vinegar. Ginny didn’t care when it trickled down her chin.
