ROOM WITH A VIEW

Wrought iron balconies in Florence are robustly curved, like this one, often bearing the heraldic emblem of the ancient family who owned the palazzo.  Some of these palaces are still owned by the same family and the same emblem would decorate the nearby parish church, to which the family had donated money, or inlaid in marble on the pavement below - the family logo would dominate that part of the town.  The view might be of olive groves with their grey green leaves and tall slim cypresses punctuating the curve of a hill in rhythmic order.

The wrought iron Indian balustrade, created curved geometric arabesques in black, separating the interior space of the room from the scene outside, two floors up.  It looked out onto a "jungle" of greenery which stretched towards a distant building.  A tall palm tree had struggled above everything else for supremacy and next to it a teak tree with sturdy branches.  "Whoooop, whoop", suddenly the branches were weighed down by a tribe of monkeys.  You couldn't see them, but the heavily waving branches gave them away, as they played in the early morning freshness.  Later they could be seen on the top of a nearby building, lying stretched out lazily on a narrow ledge, turning first one flank to the early sunshine and then the other.  Another lay on its stomach, spreadeagled on the edge, while its tail was turned inelegantly upwards, so that its mate could inspect the underside and carry out morning ablutions.  Small monkeys raced around doing gymnastics while their parents yawned.