I am having problems with the content and photos that I'm posting disappearing! So I'll try doing some separate pages and see if I can preserve the work!! Very frustrating! If this is all you are seeing, there is a part one, as well. At the bottom there is a place that says "older posts." Please go there. Hopefully I'll get all the commentary up some time soon!
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| Driving in Tuscany |
Cetona
May 29: Cetona: Mondo X to Florence, June 2nd.
Now I will fill in some blanks! Somehow I haven’t managed to do the travelog as religiously as at other times…so there are blanks to complete. I am actually writing this on June 5th while the rain is pouring outside our window back at Mondo X. Jack left his new jacket here (a Freudian slip, no doubt!) and we had one night that we hadn’t arranged lodging for…so we came back to our beloved cloister.
After a wonderful day at Orvieto, we drove to Mondo X, the first Monastery of St. Francis, built in 1212. It is a community of healing for recovering drug addicts and a hotel with 7 rooms and the best food in the world! The sun was shining and the place was just as we remembered. It felt like we were coming home. Courtney, who had never been here was more than enchanted as well.
Mondo X, is an amazing "hotel" and is a spiritual community for recovering drug addicts created several decades ago by Padre Eligio. We had visited here 6 years ago on our honeymoon and were returning to celebrate our anniversary. The special treat, this year, was actually meeting Padre Eligio.
The view from the road of Mondo X, St. Francis' first monastery.
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| Entering St. Francis' first Monastery from 1212 |
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| The First Palazza in the Monastery |
We convened for dinner on the patio at 8:00 and I showed the staff pictures from our last visit, 6 years ago. The chef has been here more than 20 years so he was responsible for our fabulous dinner the last time. I told him it was the best meal we’ve had anywhere in the world. He was touched and hoped to live up to that standard. I kept my camera with me again to record the beauty of the dishes once again! The setting was also beautiful! We celebrated our anniversary on the eve of our anniversary with Courtney. We toasted the occasion with proseco and Jack gave me a beautiful bracelet.
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| Celebrating Our Anniversary |
Our seven course dinner included the usual appetizer of sliced meats, cheeses, tapenade of black olives and green olives and delicious breads. Our second course was a pate with duck and a special small brioche. We had a delicious trout filleted at the table and dessert was a vanilla gelato pie with fresh strawberry sauce. (there were some other courses I can’t remember at the moment, I have to look at the hand-written menu they prepared for us!). Needless to say we went to bed quite satiated and we overslept the next morning!
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| With our good friend Courtney! |
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| Visiting The Gardens from which our Vegetables came |
Florence
May 30, 2011 Cetona to Florence
We met Courtney for breakfast in another area of the monastery. She had already had a walk and met Padre Eligio who founded the modern-day convent several decades ago. We saw him in his “street” clothes that morning and he greeted us and we had no idea who he was. What a loving man! We later saw him in his religious attire as he was caring for the flock there.
I took a walk through the gardens and forest below our building and found it beautiful. After that, we took off for Florence. What a mystical spot we were leaving.
The last time I visited Florence was the summer of 1969: a few years ago! We juggled our way into town and found our way to the Residence Michaelangelo where Jack and I were staying. It was just across the river from the historic part of town. This is a private home (more like a bed and breakfast without the breakfast) with 11 rooms, built in 1917 as a “Liberty Villa.” It is surrounded by gardens and has a parking area: both of which added to its appeal!
We dropped off our things and walked up the hill to the Plaza Michaelangelo where we had a vast view of the city. Courtney, Jack and I relaxed with hors d’oeurvres and drinks and planned our visit to Florence. Courtney headed “into town” to her hotel and we met up the next day for a private tour of the historic area.
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| View from Michaelangelo Plaza |
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| 3-D Bronze Map of Florence |
May 31, 2011 Florence
Our guide, a mother of two who grew up in this area, started the tour with an orientation using a bronze map. We then made the obligatory visit to the bronze pig whose well-warn nose is touched by anyone who wants to return to Florence! Our guide took us through medieval to more recent neighborhoods giving us great perspective and history from old times as well as new.
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We stopped in an office of the special “football” game that occurs later in June each year called “Calcio” which is in medieval costumes and where it appears that no rules govern the action. We visited the Chiasso Cornino neighborhood that had baths in the 11th/12th century and was flooded (as we were very close to the River Arno) in 1966. It had an elegant little hotel and shop and a beautiful little garden and a secret little passage way that led to the river right near the Ponte Vecchio. We saw the building of one of the guilds of medieval times that not only represented a trade, but was represented in governing Florence.
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| Secret Passage Way to Ponte Vecchio! |
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The Ponte Vecchio was our next stop and the shops were as elegant as ever. What was interesting to learn was how the shops are shuttered from above and below each night. Further, above the shops is a hallway that goes for miles that provided the Medici family with means of traveling across town without having to take the security risk of mingling with the people. We also learned that there is a custom of locking a small lock at the end of the P.V. and throwing the key into the river as a sign of undying love!
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| "Locks of Lasting Love" |
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| The "Backside" of the Bridge, Ponte Vecchio |
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| See the Medici Passage way above the arch. |
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| The Spiritual Center of Florence |
We moved on to the square in the middle of the Uffizi Gallery and visited a temporary exhibition of drawings (sketches) by artists such as Michaelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. What was exceptional about these sketches is the fact that many of them were destroyed by artists and to be able to see how they had prepared for masterpieces was really a special opportunity (photography was not allowed).
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| David's Copy |
) to the center of religion with the Cathedral, Baptistry and tower to the center of affluence of trendy stores and fashion to the convent that became a famous pharmacy and perfumery. We saw one end to the other of Florence! We visited a large building that belongs to one of THE families of history of Florence: The Palazzo Antinori. The family continues to thrive and among other things is in the wine business. We had lunch at the Palazzo in a two story restaurant that seemed to cater mostly to local business people and a few distinguished visitors who knew where to look!
We had a lovely time taking in the tastes and the atmosphere.
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| An Amazing Apothecary that is part of a Convent |
Like many days in Italy, a large lunch was our meal of the day and then we walked more and more all over the city-we went to the San Lorenzo Market (aka a flea market) and looked for ceramic shops. Courtney headed to her hotel and we headed to ours and had a snack in our room before we wound down for the night.
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| Flower in Boboli Gardens, Pitti Palace |
June 1, 2011 Florence
Today’s agenda was the Pitti Palace. This is a great combination of Gardens and Museum all in one spot.
Signor Pitti wanted to outdo the Medici so he began building a palace that would be even more spectacular than those of the Medici. Unfortunately, he ran out of money trying to do so. The irony of it is that the Medici bought the Palace from his family!
As the Medici died out, a family by the name of Lorraine bought the palace and kept it until the unification of Italy 150 years ago (on June 2) at which time it became the Palace of the leader of Italy, the Savoys, and his coat of arms could be found on some of the door handles, etc. It stayed private until the 20th century when it became a museum.
After visiting the gardens, the porcelain museum in them (which was great fun) and the Costume Museum and an exhibit of the process of restoring works of art, we left the Palace. We wandered the neighborhood, had lunch in a local trattoria; looked at the shops on the road that leads to PV from the Pitti Palace side.
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| Contemporary Sculpture in front of Pitti Palace |
We came across an interesting “monument” to Aligi Barducci and the liberation of Florence in 1944. The monument looked like shards of steel and embedded below them were a reflection in stone and bronze of the same design. I was curious and couldn't find anything out. Eventually, after coming home I did some research and find out that the monument marks the spot where Aligi was fatally shot. He was a hero of the Resistance in Tuscany, the protagonist of many actions including the liberation of Florence in ' August of 1944, awarded the Gold Medal for Military Valour Memorial.
One of my best memories of my 1969 trip to Florence was what I remember as a bus and walking trip up to Fiesole in the mountains above Florence. I recall visiting a small monastery that showed the very austere living conditons of monks of prior eras. And the spectacular views. Jack and I decided to take a drive up there despite the fact it was late afternoon and things would be closed or closing. The town is charming and was closing down, but the views were spectacular. I couldn’t find the place of my memory…but we didn’t have much time to research it We drove down the curvy road and found our way back through Florence (many one way streets and blocked off roads in the historic district) and we think we were actually on some roads that we shouldn’t have been on…but we found our way home! We relaxed in our room (which was quite spacious and had a little kitchenette) and had a snack for dinner.
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| Views of Florence from Fiesole |
Bologna
June 2, 2011 Firenze to Bologna
After a full few days in Florence (aka Firenze in Italian) we got ready in a leisurely fashion to drive to Bologna. It is a short ride and we were told that it was an easy one. We drove through the Apennine mountains and later learned that the old Roman Road that went through these mountains and connected Florence with Bologna was destroyed for several centuries, cutting of contact between these vibrant city-states. The mountains were lush with forests and had many tunnels through which we passed…I could imagine how difficult it was to travel by mule all this way!
Bologna is described as having a little bit of all the best of Italy in one city. So we looked forward to seeing it all here! We found our way to the hotel with a little difficulty (if you don’t get off the freeway at just the right moment, you have dozens of more miles to wait for an exit!). My nifty I-phone saved the day and gave us an alternative route. Once settled at the hotel we took off for our first Bolognese lunch. Naturally, I had a pasta with Bolognese sauce and Jack had cheese tortellini (cousin to his beloved ravioli). We made the mistake of having wine with lunch and while we had a good time, the rest of the afternoon proved a bit groggy!
But we persevered and headed along the Via Independence into the historic area and found our way to the Museum of Medievel life. What a great museum! I saw one of the best mosaics up close and personal….Jack liked the rooms with military arms. Below are photos from their collection: illuminated manuscripts, tomb of a professor and the 11th/12th century mosaic.
While the focus was on 12th-14th century, the museum contained objects dating further back and forward. A couple of other interesting lessons:
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| 11th or 12th Century Madonna mosaic that was a "portable" icon |
1. Bologna is a major university town, with what is supposed to be the oldest University in Europe-11th century. The town revered its professors and the museum contained the sarcaphogi of professors with the elaborate carvings showing their reverence.
2. The professors of law also commanded great respect and had influence far and wide.
3. The collection included illuminated manuscripts that were collected at a time when there was a mass sale because of economic downturns (just like the bargains people have been seeking in recent years).
We continued on to the main square (Plazza Maggiore) where we had a cold drink and rested our feet while watching the world go by.
Perhaps because today was a national holiday, the downtown area seemed quite congested with people hanging around the famous sculpture of Neptune, sitting under the porticos and having gelato or beer and people watching. We heard a wonderful young violinist playing on an amplified violin accompanied by her ipod and collecting coins just as in less amplified days.
We noticed an understated tour bus and decided to take a one-hour overview tour of the city which gave us the lay of the land.
Perhaps because today was a national holiday, the downtown area seemed quite congested with people hanging around the famous sculpture of Neptune, sitting under the porticos and having gelato or beer and people watching. We heard a wonderful young violinist playing on an amplified violin accompanied by her ipod and collecting coins just as in less amplified days.
We noticed an understated tour bus and decided to take a one-hour overview tour of the city which gave us the lay of the land.
The tour also helped us to see the many miles (or kilometers) of porticos that were built in Bologna! It was required that all buildings have porticos under which people would walk in a protected fashion. There was only one building that had an exception to this rule. It makes for quite pleasant strolling. 
After walking back to the hotel, we decided it was time to rest up before out trip to Parma tomorrow! En route, we past through a market place with beautiful flowers, olives and everything else you can imagine! Ciao!
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| View from within the Medieval Museum of Bologna |
After walking back to the hotel, we decided it was time to rest up before out trip to Parma tomorrow! En route, we past through a market place with beautiful flowers, olives and everything else you can imagine! Ciao!
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June 3, 2011 Bologna to Parma
My college, Pitzer College, has offered an international program in Parma for many years and the former head of International Programs, Tom Manley, had told me for many years how much he loved Parma. SO, I had to see Parma while we were so close! He recommended a young lady who is an art historian as a guide. Her father coordinates the program in Parma for Pitzer and Elena also teaches international students in Parma. Her Ph.D. is in the work of Benedetto Antelami whose sculptures we saw in Parma. She followed his studios in Italy: a field of study not saturated by other scholars. Not only was Elena Feboli bright, but also a lovely young lady. We enjoyed spending the better part of a day with her in Parma.
Parma, a town of about 200,000 residents is best known for its cheese and ham. Much of its economy is based on food products. But it is a charming town that shares Roman history with much of this part of Italy. The medieval history is much in evidence in the castles and church buildings. The Farneses were a family who came to Parma at the urging of their religious family members. Without a great deal of money, they created a palace
Palazza della Pilotta that is best known now for its amazing theatre. The theatre (I could not take photographs, much to my dismay) was built in 1617-19 and the family held only about 10 performances there in the 104 years they lived in the Palazza. (This part of the Palazza had been the armory before the theatre.) These were major productions-one was even a naval battle as they filled the area in front of the stage with water and had ships on it! The show culminated with fireworks from openings in the middle of the seats!
Palazza della Pilotta that is best known now for its amazing theatre. The theatre (I could not take photographs, much to my dismay) was built in 1617-19 and the family held only about 10 performances there in the 104 years they lived in the Palazza. (This part of the Palazza had been the armory before the theatre.) These were major productions-one was even a naval battle as they filled the area in front of the stage with water and had ships on it! The show culminated with fireworks from openings in the middle of the seats!
The theatre’s stage was seriously raked, helping us to understand the origin of “upstage” and “downstage.” It must have been 50-75 feet from the front of the stage to the back. It was also the first time fixed scenes were replaced with moveable scenes in the history of the theatre: marking a transition from traditional renaissance theatre to baroque fantasy.
Elena, our guide, did her doctoral work on the studios of Benedetto Antelami. She compared his work to others in the region. This was a bit too esoteric to focus on during a 3 hour tour. However, she did help us to focus our attention on his sculpture in the Baptistery and in the Cathedral. The detailed sculpture was amazing and with my 400 mm lens, I could capture much of the detail in the pieces high in the baptistery. His sculptures captured symbols of each of the months and the corresponding astrological signs, and other biblical scenes such as Exodus:
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| Flight From Egypt two pieces in the Baptistery that were old testament: King David and the Flight to Egypt. Both of these pieces kept the color and were beautiful. |
In the piece at the Cathedral that we studied, “Deposition” (from 1178) she pointed to the balance between the left side and right side of the sculpture which is balanced between “good” and “evil.” On Jesus’ right, are the devoted; while on the left are the soldiers-including one playing dice. Also on the left was a figure referred to as a “Hebrew” who was seen as part of the crew that deceived him. The detail in this piece was amazing.
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Deposition by Antelami
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The culmination of our time with Elena was a local lunch of melon with local prosciutto ham, an assortment of other meats served with “torta frita” (fried bread that is like Navajo fry bread) stuffed veal with cheese/flour mixture and (of course) Jack’s ravioli filled with cheese and spinach! Another spectacular meal. The day was a treat in many ways.
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| Parma is also home to Verde and this was an element of the sculpture honoring him there. |
We visited the Cathedral and Baptistery as well as a wonderful convent that had an interesting story too. As I recall, this convent of San Paola (“St Paul”) was a Benedictine convent (the Benedictine sect was founded in Bologna) based on the grounds of a 7th century church. In the late 1400s and early 1500s the convent blossomed under two abbesses. They helped to reconstruct the convent. Giovanna Piacenza found a young artist by the name of Correggio and had him paint frescoes in her private quarters.
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| Elena taking us to the Convent |
According to our guide, this was Correggio’s first commission and later scholars said that if his work had been seen in Rome or Florence during his lifetime (like artists who were better at promoting themselves), he would have become famous earlier. However, in his lifetime, Correggio became well-known only in the area of Parma. After his work in this convent was completed, he was retained to paint frescoes in the Parma Cathedral.
He didn’t complete all of it as he died in the process in the early 1530s. Not much is known about his life, other than he had a wife and 4 children, came from the region known as Correggio and died quite young. The work is amazing.
He didn’t complete all of it as he died in the process in the early 1530s. Not much is known about his life, other than he had a wife and 4 children, came from the region known as Correggio and died quite young. The work is amazing.
This story is also interesting in that the Abbess, Giovanna (Giovanna da Piacenza), came from a well-known family whose crest included the “crescent” and could be found several places in her rooms. She was quite strong-willed and when the Pope wanted to interfere with the work she was doing at the convent, she stood up to him. She protected her nuns and the conflict could be seen symbolically in some of the artwork in her private quarters. There was a saying over the fireplace: “Ignem gladio ne fodias” which translates as “Don’t poke the fire with a sword.” This was interpreted as a warning to the Pope not to interfere with the life of the convent. Apparently he (Pope Leo X) wanted to return the convent to more cloistered ways. Instead it was a center of culture-with writers and artists visiting.
I found a bit more on this art work and its sponsor at this website: http://www.moreonart.com/post/view/25/Correggio-s-Conundrum/
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| Fresco in Convent |
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| Convent Fresco Detail |
Other Architectural Elements: Medieval Streets (that are mostly gone):
And houses painted yellow!
There was an art piece creating by youngsters in honor of victims of an earthquake: quite an assemblage!
We heard about damage to the Palace during WWII and learned that it was Allied Forces who were hunting out the Nazis who had taken control of some of this area. They were aiming for the nearby train station. We also got to see this moving sculpture in honor of the partisans who fought and lost their lives.
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| A flower that looks like our Desert Bird of Paradise! |
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| A very contemporary bridge we passed under en route to/from Parma |
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After a day of seeing the most beautiful mosaics in the world and taking close to 1000 photos, you can imagine my dismay when it appeared that the memory card in my camera had failed.
I was getting an error message that I could not figure out. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast (and it was by then after 5:00 pm) and I had limited access to the internet to try to reach help. When my first attempts at accessing help failed, I acquiesced and went to dinner. But the skies opened up and a thunderstorm occurred and it was pouring! We were taking the recommendation of our Rome food tour guide to go to a restaurant she thought was great. We decided on a cab (since it was a 20 minute walk in the torrential downpour) and got ourselves to the restaurant at shortly after 7:00. Voila! But then, they said they did not open till 7:30….and by the way, did we have a reservation, since they were fully booked.
The day was coming to a bad ending.
I convinced Jack to stop in a little wine bar around the corner to wait out the storm, have a glass of wine with the customary snacks (olives, cheese, ham, bread, etc) and decide our next step. We decided to go to the restaurant at which we had our first lunch….we made our way there through drips and crowds and it wasn’t open! How can a restaurant not be open on Saturday night???? Would we ever eat? Would life turn back around for the better? I took hundreds of pictures of Jesus and Mary and many of the other ancient prophets such as Moses and David today. Certainly a miracle or two could happen????
Well we settled on a local (touristy) restaurant, settled in with some wine and food and felt better. We walked home as the rain had really stopped and I prayed for my camera miracle….and friends, as I sit here typing my 1000 photos are almost transferred (wait, I’ll check…). Yes! They survived!!! Hallelujah!
Well, with that taken care of…..
I can breath a sigh of relief.
I’ll show you some photos soon.
Meanwhile. Ravenna. What an interesting little town!
For such a small town it had quite a powerful history.
In the 5th century Ravenna,the capital of the Western Roman Empire, became the center of late Roman mosaic art. There are some who would argue that the greatest Byzantine mosaics can be found in Ravenna. Certainly, we were astounded by the beauty, craftsmanship and durability of this artform over thousands of years!
Justinian the First was Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodora was apparently quite a powerful lady. Story is that she was a courtesan, an actress, who caught Justinian’s eye and he married her. She was bright and influential and, as the saying goes, while he was the “head” of the household and the empire, she was the neck that turned the head. In the center of his kingdom was the Basilica of St. Vitale that depicts Jesus and Justinian together, with Theodora watching on. Her powerful position in this mosaic is a testament to her power in that era.
Another powerful lady was Galla Placidia. She was supposedly buried in a tomb next to St. Vitale’s. However, she died in Rome so it is thought she might really have “ended” up there. I have a description of her life and impact below. It is interesting how she could have seen her life from the point of view of victim...but apparently turned those "challenging times" into opportunities to make a difference.
We walked across town, past charming shops and cafes and buildings from different centuries and found way way to the Baptistery,
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| St. Vitale's Basilica |
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| Detailed look |
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| Theodora with her entourage |
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| Justinian getting recognition from Christ as leader of church and state |
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| wonderful mosaic detail! |
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| Floors are mosaic, too! |
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| Tomb of Placidia (supposedly) |
Another powerful lady was Galla Placidia who was born in the east circa 388/390, was the daughter of the emperor Theodocius I(379-395) and his second wife Galla. She was the half-sister of the emperors Honorarius b.393 (q.v.) and Arcadius (383-408). In the early 390s, she was granted her own household, which made her financially independent. In 394 she was summoned to Milan, and there she witnessed the death of her father in early 395.
When the Visigoths attacked Rome in 408, Placidia remained in the city, where, for whatever reasons, she concurred in the execution of Serena. By the time of the sack of Rome in 410, Placidia seems already to have been in Gothic hands. She was carried off with them to Gaul, and in 414 she was married in a Roman wedding ceremony to the Visigothic chieftain Athaulf at Narbonne. She may have been one of the causes of his eventual pro-Roman outlook. She subsequently traveled with the Goths to Spain and bore Athaulf a son, Theodosius, who died in infancy, thus destroying an opportunity for a possible Romano-Visigothic rapprochement.
In 416, after Athaulf's death, Placidia finally was restored to the Romans. In the next year, rather against her will, she was wedded to the powerful Roman general Constantius, to whom she bore two children, Justa and the future emperor Valentinian III. In 419 she and her husband became involved -- on the losing side -- in the controversy over the election of a new bishop of Rome. She personally summoned the African bishops to a synod in Italy, and three of the letters she wrote in the matter still survive. In 421, Constantius became co-emperor in the west and she was made Augusta (Empress); their elevations, however, were not recognized in the east. After Constantius death in the same year, she quarreled with her brother, and with her children sought refuge in Constantinople with her nephew, the eastern emperor Theodocius II (402-450).
After the defeat of the western usurper Johannes in 425, the eastern government belatedly recognized the claim of Placidia's son Valentinian to the western throne, but only at the price of part of the western empire. The two accompanied the eastern army to Italy, where Johannes was overthrown and Valentinian was proclaimed Augustus of the west in 425.
Placidia served as Valentinian's regent for the first twelve years of the young emperor's reign. An early supporter of the new regime was the Count of Africa Boniface, who had not recognized Johannes. A rival for influence was Aetius, who had the support of the Huns. But Placidia's initial choice for supreme general was a certain Felix, who in 430 was murdered on the orders of Aetius: according to one report, Placidia herself had instructed Felix to kill Aetius. Meanwhile, in Africa Placidia's erstwhile ally Boniface had declared his independence, and after Placidia sent an army against him, Boniface was said to have responded by inviting the Vandals to come to his assistance. The Vandal threat became so great, however, that a reconciliation between Boniface and Placidia was reached. In 432, Boniface returned to Italy and defeated his rival Aetius, but was killed in the process. After a brief period of exile, Aetius was restored to favor and became Patrician and Master of Soldiers. The rise of Aetius, coupled with Valentinian's eventual majority, worked to reduce Placidia's direct authority, although she continued in a position of influence up to her death.
Galla Placidia was a devout Christian and patroness of religion. She was involved in the building and restoration of several churches. In Rome, she assisted in the restoration of the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls and contributed to embellishments of the church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. In Ravenna, she built churches of the Holy Cross and of St. John the Divine. The latter was the result of a vow she had made in 423 when she and her children were caught in a storm on the Adriatic Sea: the dedicatory inscription reads "Galla Placidia, along with her son Placidus Valentinian Augustus and her daughter Justa Grata Honoria Augusta, paid off their vow for their liberation from the danger of the sea." Placidia also favored the church of Ravenna in other ways, seeing to its elevation to the status of archbishopric. She also built a church of St. Stephen at Rimini.
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