#toscaner

[huariqueje]

View of San Gimignano -     Wim Schuhmacher , 1926.

Dutch, 1894-1986

Oil on canvas , 130.7 x 97.5 cm,

[frenchcurious]

Anghiari (Arezzo, Toscana). - source Filippo Gennaioli.

[bernard-artal]

Un air de Toscane | 1er septembre 2024

[jarrimimram]

20121003_SDIM2951

[gcgazette]

[sabinerondissime]

Un petit déjeuner en Toscane, avec cette vue, j'en rêve !

[caramelbeurrecreve]

[fidjiefidjie]

Bon Matin 💙 🌞🎸 💙

Sting , Zucchero 🎶 September

[andebretz]

Florencia, Toscana.

Galleria Degli Uffizi.

Giardino di Boboli.

Piazza Della Signoria | Palazzo Vecchio.

Ponte Vecchio.

Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Fontana del Nettuno.

[hard--headed--woman]

one of the most beautiful examples of female solidarity and female revenge is Mathilde de Toscane, powerful countess and fearsome war leader, who not only convinced the son of her enemy, Emperor Henri IV, to join her own camp, but also learned that the latter had kidnapped and cheated on his wife, Empress Praxedis/Adelaide, whom he also forced to sleep with other men, and so decided to free her and accompany her to Rome herself, so that she could tell the Pope all about it, inflicting on Henri an emotional wound, and a profound military and strategic loss, as well as freeing his wife from his horrors (Mathilde also got her revenge by doing this - Henri had spread the rumor a few years earlier that she was sleeping with the pope. He surely regretted it)

[mytly4]

I’ve been writing a Vorkosigan Saga fanfic about Miles’s children’s lives and the general socio-political situation on Barrayar after Miles’s death. The entire fic is far from complete, and maybe never will be complete, but at least I have written a few scenes I’m happy with. I’m particularly happy with a chapter in which Gregor contemplates retiring from being emperor and handing over the reins to his eldest son (named Xav in this fic). So I have decided to post the following scene, which is an outtake from that chapter, since it’s fairly standalone and can be understood even without most of the context from the rest of the fic. 

For some brief context, though: As the books imply that Miles will die (permanently) fairly young, considering his multiple health problems, in this fic, Miles dies at the age of 56. This scene takes place a few weeks later. Gregor (who is 62) has asked some of the women in his life – Cordelia, Alys, Drou, and Ekaterin – for tea to discuss the possibility of retirement with them. Laisa is present as well. Ekaterin is the POV character (though in this scene, she’s mostly just there as an observer). Btw, Simon is also already dead. Ivan is on his second career, as a diplomat.

‘I wish Aral were here, so I could talk to him about this. Or Simon. Or Miles,’ Gregor sighed and held his head.

‘Did you talk to Ivan about this?’ asked Ekaterin slowly. Alys raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

‘Yes, actually I did. I managed to get a chance to talk to him after the funeral. Just about half an hour, since he had to leave immediately to get back to Rho Ceta, given the delicate political situation there. But he did give me some fairly straightforward advice.’

‘Which was…?’ asked Alys.

Gregor smiled. ‘He told me bluntly that I was a fool for not considering retirement sooner. He said that I should hand over the reins to Xav as soon as possible, and then take Laisa on a long and very leisurely jaunt through the Nexus, visiting all sorts of touristy spots and lying on as many beaches as possible. He particularly recommended the beaches of Ylla. I’m not entirely certain he was sincere about that last part, since I once sent him and Tej to Ylla as a punishment. But the rest of his advice seemed solid.’

Alys nodded in approval. ‘Now if only he’d take that advice himself and retire. And bring himself and his daughters back home to their grandmother who misses them so much,’ she added with a sniff.

Ekaterin, Cordelia, and Drou shared a look, while Gregor tried to come up with a diplomatic response to this. Laisa, a practised diplomat and familiar with Alys’s moods, put in smoothly, ‘We really couldn’t spare him right now, Alys, what with the continuing crisis with the Cetagandans. After all, Ivan is currently our foremost expert on relations with the Cetas.’

Alys looked slightly mollified at this undeniably true fact.

Cordelia tried to get the conversation back on track. ‘Do you think Xav is ready to be emperor?’

‘He’s twenty-five; he’ll be twenty-eight by the time this is a done deal. Surely he is old enough,’ said Laisa, a little maternal anxiety underlying her positive words.

‘I was five when I became emperor. Twenty-eight is certainly old enough,’ said Gregor with a snort.

‘Surely you don’t want his experience as a new emperor to be anything like yours?’ said Cordelia, raising her eyebrow.

‘No, my god, not at all,’ replied Gregor, with a shudder. After a few moments of contemplative silence, he resumed, ‘I suppose I’m not the most objective person to gauge this. After all, I’ve been emperor nearly my whole life. Being emperor is completely intertwined with my identity. I have genuinely no idea how anyone else – even my son – would handle the same responsibilities. But that’s also one of the reasons that I want to retire. Not just to hand over my responsibilities, I mean, but to find out who I am when I am not emperor. Who is Gregor Vorbarra? There are times when I’m really not sure. And I’d really like to know before I die.’

‘I know who Gregor Vorbarra is. After all, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with him, or married him, if I didn’t know that,’ said Laisa, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek gently. ‘But if you need to find out, then I’m happy to support you in that, darling.’

[nonsmetteredicercarmi]

"Te sei proprio il gigante buono eh" per dirmi che sono tanto grosso e tanto rincoglionito ed imbranato: miglior insulto tenerello della mia vita

[jarrimimram]

20121003_SDIM2948

[herji]

Alors que je dessine très rarement des paysages en tant que tels, il semble que la Toscane a eu un effet inattendu sur mes habitudes... Disons que la Pania della Croce le valait bien 🤗

[killiandestroy]

comunque il suo accento is triggering my flight or fight response

[thibautfleuretonline]

Pio II (Quelque part, Italie)