Unanchor has published 10 itineraries for Kindle, so stock up – you can get one for Ancient Rome, Paris, New York, Sydney, Seoul, San Francisco, Bangkok,  or Beijing too!

The late 15th-century church of San Pietro in Montorio in Rome was built over top of an earlier one. It was home to Raphael’s Transfiguration (Vatican) over the high altar until the early 19th c. It contains an altarpiece by Antoniazzo Romano, a sculpture by Bernini and some important late Mannerist works.  Marcia Hall suggests that the Del Monte chapel by Vasari and Ammananti is the first counter-reformation work in Rome (except for Michelangelo’s Pauline Chapel in the Vatican; p. 174).

On my very first trip to Rome, I made the pilgrimage up to this church mainly to see what is next to it: the Tempietto. I have since been back numerous times, and it always feels like a delicious discovery.

The tiny, perfect, and beautiful Tempietto by Bramante is accessed through a door at the right of the church (when open) or viewed through a gate outside to the right. The building is actually in the courtyard of the adjacent Spanish Academy, and you’ll usually see it photographed framed by the arch of the little portico in front of it.

Bramante's Tempietto

The church was built on the spot where Peter was thought to have been martyred and it represents one of the only executed plans for a circular church in the Renaissance, despite many artists’ obsession with this form. The interior is luminous and, of course, tiny. Bernini designed the crypt into which you can see via stairs at the back.

To get a sense of perspective, I photographed Tommaso sitting between two columns. This building is intended to be extremely accessible and easy to understand because it’s based on 15th-century theories of circles and proportions in perfect spaces that were believed to be intrinsically connected to the proportions of man. So, Tommaso in there makes sense.

Small, antiquizing details are found on the exterior of the building, which you can get right up into and explore. Head on up the hill – it’s extremely likely that you’ll have this tiny piece of Renaissance architecture all to yourself.

Location: via Garibaldi, Trastevere, Rome.

Open 7.30-12; 16-18. The Tempietto is generally acessible during these hours, closed monday. The entrance gates are to the right of the church. The door to the Tempietto itself is rarely open.

The YouGov survey commissioned by Holiday Hypermarket (a comparison booking website) was conducted online last month and represents a slice of British residents. Perhaps the most interesting results are those broken down by age. Respondents over 55 are more likely to think British food is the best (26 per cent of those 55+), while younger respondents prefer easy Italian food (41 per cent of those 18-34). Women more so than men prefer Italian food – similar to their preference for Italy, I’d say (most of the readers of this blog are women! We all seem to fall for this country).

After Italy and the UK, the third most popular cuisine in Europe is… “Don’t Know” at 17%… (followed by France, where we all know the food is no good at all, Spain, yaknow, they eat too late, Greece, “Other”, Germany, Turkey, Portugal, Ireland (!) and Austria). Don’t know? Maybe the respondents need to get out and travel more!

As Holiday Hypermarket’s marketing manager, Calum MacDonald (that’s not McDonald’s, fortunately) rightly comments: “Food is an integral part of any trip abroad, and sharing meals with your fellow travellers is often where memories are made.”

What are your best food/travel memories? Comment here… and join the conversation on twitter using the hashtag #TravelFoodie !

The day I fell irrevocably in love with Tommaso was June 3, 2000. For our first date, we went to Niki de Saint Phalle’s Tarot Garden in  Southern Maremma. I should have been more aware, then, that if a girl tells a guy in his early 20s that she wants to go to a sculpture garden and he readily agrees, he just wants to get into her pants.

If you want to skip the emotional story and just read about the art park, scroll halfway down this page. Otherwise, read on, for how this first date came to be is a fun story in itself.

Mosaic detail from Niki's park

In preparation for grad school, while I was working as a teaching assistant in Florence after my MA, I took German classes. A young engineer who had just graduated and who was beefing up his language skills was the only other cool person in the class. He consistently denies this version of the story, but I insist that it is true: he asked me out every class. Twice a week, a new German grammatical structure that I never retained and a new invitation for some party in a villa outside Florence. Brought up not to accept dates from which I could not return home independently, we only frequented each other socially twice between January and June, in group circumstances.

My birthday was coming up and it fell on a weekend, so I asked Tommaso to do something together on June 3. He said what, and I said that I’d heard about a sculpture garden somewhere between Tuscany and Lazio and I only knew the artist’s name – Niki de Saint Phalle. Lo and behold, he found the place on the internet (remember, this was still an early era of digital communications) and although it was over three hours away, he agreed to take me for the day, noting that it was also near a great beach, so to bring a bikini. For some reason, I agreed.

On the appointed day – it was hot out – I wore a blue cotton dress and packed a picnic. I still remember what I made, because it was quite absurd: vegetarian sushi rolls (I was living with Japanese girls at the time). Tommaso picked me up in a borrowed car, his father’s red Alfa Romeo, not wanting to disappoint with his mother’s run-down Peugot. And off we went, unsuspecting, to Maremma.

How many couples do you know with a photo from their first date... in a sculpture park?

I credit Maremma with our love. It was instant and certain. It was the longest and best day ever; we experienced some of the best of the area in a beach, an art park, a thermal springs and a medieval hilltown. After 2000, we have returned to Maremma for our anniversary each year, sometimes more often, and finally bought a home here, to which we escape as often as possible.

Niki de Saint Phalle’s Park

And now, about the park. We’ve been to this magical place a number of times, but nothing can ever beat the memory of the first time because we felt like we’d discovered it all by ourselves. Over the years it has become rather more crowded, but is still perhaps the one must-see that Maremma has to offer from an artistic point of view. Looking at the photo above, I realized that the place was full of tourists even then, but we thought we were alone. Like I said, young love…

Niki de Saint Phalle was not the first artist to discover the Maremma area – Mirò, too, was influenced by it – but she was probably the first foreign artist to settle on land here and and build something permanent. The land belonged to friends, but was eventually donated to a Foundation that still today maintains the park. The artist died in 2002.

Jean Tinguely fountain in the foreground

Work on the garden started in 1979 and was completed in 1996, for a cost of 5 million euros! The artist was inspired by the Gaudi she saw on a trip to Barcelona in 1955, and while there is a lot of Gaudi here both in the undulous forms and in the use of mosaic, Niki’s own personality strongly shines through. There is also a significant footprint of her second husband, the artist Jean Tinguely, who is clearly behind some of the fountain pieces but who contributed by doing a lot of the heavy welding and construction work under the large mosaic structures.

Ugo Celletti

Of course, the two artists were not the only people to build such a complex art park. On a recent visit Tommaso spotted an elder but sprightly man whose name tag said “responsabile giardino” and we realized this was Ugo Celletti, whom I had read was the local postman who proved talented at laying mirror mosaic. I went up to him and asked him some questions about the garden, but he was rather more interested in discussing fruit.

21 sculptures in total make up the garden, but some are huge architectural structures, while others are “just” more normal sized installations. They are the figures from the major arcana of the tarot deck which the artist said was an important key to dealing with her own spiritual life.

So important that she built her own house in one of the cards’ figures. The large busty sphynx at the center of the garden was Niki’s residence while working on the space. Inside it is a large and irregularly shaped main room with a table and kitchenette, a sleeping loft, and a bathroom. Which sounds entirely normal until I tell you that it was entirely covered in mirror mosaic pieces (installed by Ugo, he told me).

Tommaso in the mirrored house, 2010

The garden has a tiny chapel with a mirror-encrusted interior, a huge Gaudiesque structure with a high area you can walk on, a tower of Babel and various fountains.

Deeper into the woods of macchia Mediterannea (a type of vegetation typical of this area) you’ll discover other works, like solid feline chairs made of resin, hollow colourful tube structures, and one imposing mosaic figure of death.

Death

Needless to say, calling this a “sculture garden” is reductive. Tommaso was more than pleasantly surprised when the place some art-obsessed girl asked to be taken to turned out to be a magical world of mosaics, perhaps with a love-spell thrown in.

Me in 2000 and 2010. The only thing that is constant is the sculpture and my bad taste in comfortable shoes.

Visitor info

Giardino dei Tarocchi
località Garavicchio-Capalbio (GR)
Open afternoons only, April 1 to October 15, 2:30 to 7:30pm
www.nikidesaintphalle.com

Love - mosaic detail

Italy Blogging Roundtable

This is the one-year anniversary of the Roundtable in which 5 lady bloggers write about a chosen, common topic each month. We’re celebrating by writing about Anniversaries. Here’s what the others have to say – and I’m quite sure they each be very different takes on the topic, so be sure to read them all!

• Melanie: Anniversaries in Italian History: Dates Every Curious Traveler to Italy Should Know
• Gloria: Celebrating your wedding anniversary in Tuscany
• Jessica: A Decade with Italy
• Rebecca: Happy anniversary to us

The Uffizi Gallery has finally woken up to what international museums have been doing for ages: an aperitivo in the museum, with extended evening hours. (I wrote about this phenomenon in 2010 for Illywords.)

Thursdays from April 26 through the end of June, from 7-9:30pm, you can enter the Uffizi for an aperitivo buffet and drink on the upper terrace, and also a visit to the new ‘blue rooms’ – the first section of the Nuovi Uffizi to open to the public, that houses international artists. Booking in advance is required to Firenze Musei and the cost is 10 euros per person.

Despite their late entry into this scene, the Uffizi does well to offer this opportunity as it might attract locals who seldom return to the museum, dissuaded by the long lines of tourists. It encourages visitors to see the new section, without having to slog through the older parts that they have already seen. It also turns the museum into a more social space, which is a proven way to enhance the museum experience.

If you like my fevered musings about museum marketing, I have a blog for that, too.

Andrea Commodi, self portrait.

Present-day Michelangelo fans will appreciate this unusual opportunity to get to know one of Michelangelo’s past admirers: artist Andrea Commodi (1560 – 1638). The museum of Casa Buonarroti in Florence is hosting an exhibit this summer (until August 31 2012) that puts works by Commodi from the Uffizi’s drawing collection (Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe) alongside the original Michelangelo drawings from which he copied, located in the Casa Buonarroti collection.

The exhibit intends to go beyond a simple revelation of an admiration at a distance of Michelangelo by the much lesser known Commodi; curators hope to re-evaluate the critical evaluation of Commodi, who was a student of Alessandro Allori and Santi di Tito, and who had a strong graphic sense and a knack for experimentation that is particularly evident in his life-drawings.

On display are about 40 works by Commodi, who lived in Rome from 1592 to 1622, interrupted by about 3 years in Cortona, where he painted the altarpiece for that Tuscan town’s Duomo. Upon his return to his native Florence, he frequented the circle of Michelangelo il Giovane and was frequently a guest at the home that is now a museum. He donated his self portrait, pictured here, to Michelangelo il Giovane/x

Exhibit Information

“Andrea Commodi. Dall’attrazione per Michelangelo all’ansia del nuovo”
Casa Buonarroti, via Ghibellina 70, Firenze
May 17 – August 31 2012
Adult entry: € 6,50

Each month, starting in May 2011, we have chosen a general topic that could be applied to Italy travel, and written on this theme. After some specific things like “my favourite work of art in Italy”, when Rebecca was a little jealous of my specialty in this topic , we moved on to more general things like “elements” and “roots”. These topics are perhaps more challenging, and have produced the widest range of approaches.

Diana's post about The Elements features this beautiful bowl she made.

Now it’s our one-year anniversary and I’m amazed that we’re still at it. I am so fortunate to have found a great group of girls who are not only good writers, they’re 100% reliable. It’s amazing to see how we’ve respected deadlines all year – except when Gloria had a baby, she was about 3 days late with her post… I think we’ve all grown from the exchange, as we’ve challenged each other to write the best possible article about each topic.

For our anniversary we invited other bloggers to write on any of the topics we’ve covered in the past. Here are the gifts we got from them. Thank you!

May 2011: Our first topic was Why I Write About Italy and more than one invitee agreed that this was a good question. I like both the article by Linda on “Travel the Write Way” about being inspired by her Italian origins, and the funny one by Lisa Choido at Renovating Italy who writes out of passion. Cathy from An Italophile reminisces about her first visit to Pitigliano and her love for Italy.

Nobody chose to write about the topics from June through October, Driving in Italy, My Favorite work of Art in Italy, Back to School and Autumn! The latter two are clearly too seasonal…

November 2011: Our Comfort Food topic has been interpreted by Madonna del Piatto with a recipe for Gluten-free cake and also by A Welchie in Italy who goes for a traditional chicken soup.

December 2011: Last Christmas we blogged about Gifts and other bloggers participated in that one too, but Kate, whom I recently met, took up the topic again to tell us about how she received an easter egg from an impecably dressed eight-year-old on her blog Driving like a Maniac. I had kinda hoped she’d write about driving in Italy…

February 2012: Of all the people who should write about our theme Elements, I’m glad Diana Baur did, for her ceramics make beautiful use of earth and fire, and her writing is wonderfully poetic. Thanks for your post “Elements on A Certain Simplicity.” Diana’s post could also almost fall under January’s topic which was “crafts.”

March 2012’s topic was Roots and apparently nobody else wanted to take up that challenge.

April 2012: We received an invitation to go out for a walk. And last but not least, Melissa, self defined “studentessa matta” has taken up the final topic, Invitations, by inviting us into her beautiful garden. Apparently she does not have my black thumb nor shady courtyard garden .

One final thing: For our birthday we also have created social channels just for our Roundtable – don’t miss a post, please follow @italyroundtable on twitter and join the Italy Roundtable facebook page!

There is a place in which art and architecture are perfectly integrated, in aesthetic style and function, creating a sensation that is both calming and exciting at the same time. The Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence (Southern France, near Nice) is my all-time favourite museum.

It must have been incredible to live in the midst of the art world of the late 50s and early 60s – and have money to be an integral part of it. Patrons Margherite and Aimé Maeght hired the Catalan architect Josep Lluis Sert to create a modern building that stands out from the wooded landscape of the area. It was opened as a museum in 1964. Still essentially in the form it had then, part of the space is dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions while the rest houses the permanent collection.

The architect worked closely with the artists whose works would become integral parts of the structure and its gardens: Mirò, Chagall and others. Both the works and the building are, I think, best described with the adjective whimsical. There is a hapiness and lightness throughout that is perfectly balanced with the serenity of the place.

A younger me (2008)

I have been to this museum twice, in December 2000 with my parents, and in August 2008 because I wanted to share it with Tommaso, my husband. In the summer there are unquestionably more tourists, and this museum is hardly ‘undiscovered’, welcoming 200,000 visitors per year. Despite the crowds, which can be somewhat beaten if you get an early start, it’s best to visit in the spring or summer when you can best enjoy the sculpture gardens. The museum itself is not large, but has various nooks and crannies, sections here and there, and corners of the garden and private chapel that make you feel like an explorer as you make your way around.

Fountains and water are present both inside and out, and in fact thanks to large, frameless windows, in some points you feel like you’re about to step into the fountain. Chagall’s mosaics in this courtyard fountain shimmer under water, while you can sit on a bench in front of the window in zen-like contemplation of the scene.

Art on the walls is hung using a various techniques, sometimes using the full height of the space, other times tiled, or again in some areas arranged in a tight line at eye-height.

Paintings and landscape don’t compete, but rather are in harmony, as frames towards the outside are as important as what’s hung in frames on the wall.

On a larger scale, there are paralells also between the overall shape of the building, with two distinct upwards-curving roof elements, and some of the large sculptures by Mirò outside that seem equally happy. I adore Mirò in this phase.

There is a positivism here that represents the 60s, a moment of creativity and potential that we need to remember and reappropriate right now in this period of crisis. Go now to the Fondation Maeght, and be happy.

Beyond the museum

The Fondation is just outside the town of Saint-Paul. If you park along the road before going uphill to the museum, you can also easily walk into the historical center of the town, which offers 2 or 3 little well-preserved stone streets and charming doors and plants to photograph. Stores are mostly souvenir joints. We found a cute café on a side street that we feared would be too touristy, but that made a good big salad (me) and steak frites (tommaso) for a not terrible price.

Saint Paul de Vence

The area of Nice and Saint-Paul make a lovely 3 day weekend trip from Florence: the drive is only about 4.5 hours and it’s quite scenic too! If you’re coming from the UK, there are some really good low cost flights to Nice from London with BMI.

Nice has a city beach that can be enjoyed for free, and a great pedestrian shopping area with all the best French brands and department stores. It is also strong on modern and contemporary art, and is home to an excellent contemporary art museum, the MAMAC.

Museum Info

Fondation Maeght
623, chemin des Gardettes
Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France
www.fondation-maeght.com

Tickets 14 euros per adult.

Lake trasimeno via Instagram

If you thought Instagram was just a gimmicky way to make crap photos into good ones, think again. I’m a recent convert; very specifically, I converted last week when Kirsten Alana showed a group of us in an iphoneography workshop the amazing things she can do with her iPhone 4s. The take-home message was: if you think of your smartphone as a camera (and apply the same rules and rigour to it as you would to your Nikon), it is a camera. So at a weekend conference in Umbria, when the weather was variable and my free time limited, I used exclusively my smartphone – an HTC Desire – to take pictures. You be the judge.

Assisi

Assisi in black and white

Assisi’s medieval streets are charming, and even in the rain (it was raining here!) a flat photo can be made pretty using the right combination of apps. This was taken with the Android app Camera 360 in HDR mode, then imported into Instagram with the inkwell filter and frame.

HDR flowers

Conversely, any colour can be made into too much colour with the same apps and Kelvin filter.

The official measurements in Medieval Assisi

This is a really cool element on the wall of Assisi’s city hall equivalent: a diagram that was used to indicate the measures for this medieval town (which varied between towns and regions). This detail shows the official size of a roof tile (right) and other types of bricks. Below there are metal inserts that indicated the lengths of things like a bolt of cloth. The photo is taken simply with instagram.

Assisi preparing for medieval fair

A little corner in the medieval streets of Assisi was being prepared for a medieval fair to be held in a few weeks. These wooden frames caught my eye, but lacked interesting light. Solved (I think) by the 1839 filter on the Android app Camera 360, which mimicks the sepia tone and lack of contrast found in some of the first cameras.

Santa Maria degli Angeli below Assisi

People drive through the town below Assisi, Santa Maria degli Angeli, mainly to get to the top. But this modest town is home to a gigantic 17th century church that encloses a much smaller 9th century nucleus called the Porziuncola, which sits like a funny hut in the midst of a grand apse. It’s an important location to the Franciscan order, though to look at it today, you could easily miss this fact, and many tourists do.

I was driving away from Assisi when I saw the church’s facade silhouetted against a dramatic dark grey sky and a ray of light illuminating the guilded saint that tops it. The sky turned purple with the HDR app.

Perugia

These photos by no means provide a fully representative image of Perugia, but are just some really cool details that I spotted in my short visit (this time around – I’ve been plenty of times before).

16th century caryatid in Perugia

I love this 16th century caryatid sculpture on the side of a building, guarding a gate. The camera’s lack of zoom forced me to think of a composition unlike what I would have chosen with my usual 18-270mm lens. I used Camera 360′s Lomo filter for this one.

Perugia: Rocca Paolina

My very favourite part of Perugia is the Rocca Paolina, a sixteenth-century fortified structure imposed on the conquered city of Perugia by the Farnese Pope Paul III. The story is amusing enough to warrant its own post: the people so hated the papal ruler that the fortress defended the ruler against the city more so than the city against the outside! It has now been reclaimed for multiple uses… including, when I stopped by, a forestry convention that resulted in this display:

The famous underground forests of Perugia?

Lake Trasimeno

Wonderful weekends come to an end, so I got in my car to leave Umbria for my more familiar Tuscany. And the skies opened up and there were my very favourite type of clouds doing their riotous display… and as I drove down the Perugia-Bettole superstrada I kept spending a dangerously long time glancing over to Lake Trasimeno, to my left, over which the clouds had opened to reveal that kind of light that makes you think there really is a god. Quick, find the nearest exit and hightail it to water access! I stopped at “Camping la spiaggia” (at what exit I do not know) and begged to be let in (the lady refused, but I was pushy). I had to get the shot before the light changed. And I did.

Lake Trasimeno and those godlike rays of light

More lake trasimeno

Lago Trasimeno HDR (this one makes the water rather unappealing)

The closing credits

The opportunity to learn about smartphone photography and explore the beautiful Umbrian landscape was made possible by the Travel Bloggers Unite conference that I attended. Oliver did an amazing job pulling together great sponsors, speakers, activities, and attendees for an intense weekend of networking and eating. Especially eating. I particularly want to thank Luca of Confindustria Umbria and the Region of Umbria for welcoming us travel bloggers and really pulling out all the stops to show us how awesome their region is. I will be back, I promise.

For readers who want to visit Umbria, I suggest you get ideas from Umbria on the Blog.

And if you want to play with smartphone photography but can’t afford an iPhone, buy an HTC like mine: HTC Desire Unlocked on Amazon.com for US readers or HTC Desire HD for European users on amazon.it

Definition of Schiacciata all’olio

The Florentine schiacciata all’olio, known in Italian as focaccia, comes from the Latin focàcia, meaning cooked over the hearth. Composed of water, flour, rising agent and salt, many varieties around Italy exist. The Florentine one uses a goodly amount of olive oil and large grain salt, and the best is cooked in a wood burning oven. It should be crispy but not hard, oily but not greasy. Clearly an art that can be perfected, or done badly.

Note: this salty treat is not to be confused with the carneval cake called Schiacciata alla fiorentina which is a sponge cake, usually filled with cream and topped with icing sugar.

Best bakeries in Florence by area

*This is the list provided to me, with a few of my own additions, but for the most part it’s all from The Document, including the commentary, except where information required expansion. Information is correct as of December 2011.

Pugi - from the official website

Quartiere 1 (historical center)

• Pugi (piazza San Marco): also available in quartiere 2 (below), frequented by university students and everyone else passing by, the schiacciata and pizza is excellent but costly. Vegetarians beware, there’s lard in just about everything.
• Il Fornaio di via S.Agostino (zona S.Spirito) is reputed to be good.
• Cantinetta da Verrazzano: (ArtTrav’s addition to the list) in via dei Tavolini, tucked in behind the stores of Florence’s tourist area, is a tiny restaurant and take out bakery with some original toppings for a very good schiacchiata. Not cheap if you sit down, and hard to get a spot, but worth it.
• Forno Top: (ArtTrav’s addition to the list) In via della Spada, a pretty well-priced bakery for the central location. More a foccaccia than the Florentine version, the ones with potatoes or zucchini on top are excellent, though a bit oily.

photo: pastamadre.blogspot.com

Quartiere 5 (near GE/ Nuovo Pignone offices)

• La Bottega del Pane (Via Giuliani Reginaldo 12-14r) produces its own bread. While not particularly inviting smell-wise, its amber coloured bread is good, crusty but soft inside, not too much salt or oil. Vote 4/5
• Forno Piuccheppane (Via dei Caboto 43-45) – similar to Pugi (see below), good for lovers of this type of schiacciata. Vote 3/5
• Panificio Alimentari Tabacchi Becagli Rolando (via del Terzolle 4r) has recently celebrated 100 years in business and is a must for any lover of Leonardo da Vinci (??)
• Pugi Gianfranco Panificio Pasticceria (via Doni, 8-10r) – well known location for schiacchiata, the document declares “Buona… da leccarsi i piedi!”

Quartiere 2 (Coverciano/ Campo di Marte)

• Pugi (viale dei Amicis): also available in Piazza San Marco (above), there is always a line up out the door. Vegetarians beware, there’s lard in just about everything.
• Bottega del Pane (via Cento Stelle 7r) – (ArtTrav’s addition to the list)- similar to Pugi in style, but slightly cheaper, with less of a lineup

Sesto Fiorentino

• Panificio Berti, Via Bruschi 190 Sesto Fiorentino, is a hole in the wall bakery in the industrial area behind the Ipercoop. It makes some of the best Tuscan bread AND schiacciata.

Best bakeries Beyond Florence

Passo Consuma

Casentino: Bar/Alimentari Consuma

Famous for decades, miles around, this bar/alimentari located on a stretch of road on the Consuma pass between Florence and the Casentino area, at 1060 meters, is a must for a day trip for anyone who loves schiacciata. It is a stop on the road, or a destination, for sunny-day motorcyclists and cyclists. The one filled with porcini mushrooms is the best.

Aretine area: Alimentari La chiassaia loc.chiassaia Loro Ciuffenna (AR)

The holy grail of bakeries, it ought to be protected by UNESCO, if it isn’t already.

Migliana (PO): Forno di Montagnana (in the main piazza)

In a mountain town between Vaiano e Vernio, province of Prato. We have professional tasters here: sure, you can get schiacciata at the supermarket but it loses all its local properties, like the mountain water, oven and climate that go into this exemplar.

San Casciano (FI): La Bottega di Spedaletto (Via Scopeti 103)

On the left side of the road that goes from San Casciano to Chiesanuova, an excellent bakery with a solid, golden-toned schiacciata. The ones filled with mortadella or finocchiona were much appreciated by official tasters. Vote 4/5

The exhibit takes up almost the whole first floor of the museum. Coming up the stairs, you enter a large room with a permanent collection displayed on either side, but already in this room are gigantic lamps made of knitwear, and a table with sample books from historic archives (the only thing that you cannot touch, and of course I made that mistake…).

You enter into a large darkened room and a series of micro-displays are available to you, like the forest of wools made to look like vines, that you can touch and walk through. A speaker hanging above makes forest noises.

Down one side of this room is an impactful burberry-type wall display, while in the center are poufs made of jacket fabric. It’s nice that you can sit down and just hang out in this space, maybe use the museum wifi (ask for a password downstairs).

At the end of this room is an area with hanging fabrics in a serpentine path that is accented, above, with led lighting and blown around with fans. These delicate fabrics invite you to touch and discover their different textures and fabrication techniques. On the back wall are panels of faux fur that are a lot of fun! Here’s a photo of my friend Anna feeling up the wall.

Another large room extends to your left, where there’s a row of fabulous ‘scarves’ – the best of this Spring’s collection of fashion fabrics arranged in rainbow. Here is a photo of me sticking my little head through the display!

On the right is a gigantic book of samples, like what fabric designers use to show the year’s collection to clients.

In the center of this room are hanging houses that look like they’re made of lace; actually they are some super high tech plastic. You can walk inside all of these. As you can imagine, kids just love this aspect of the show!

The Museo del Tessuto is taking a step towards a dialogue with more contemporary aspects of the city – current production of textiles rather than the dusty past. The statement ‘fabric is everything’ refers to the importance of this production in what follows in the fashion and home décor industries and its potential also beyond. It is not meant to mean that fabric is everything to Prato, although its production is unquestionably essential to the economy of this city, one that has been crippled in recent years due to external competition and the general economic crisis. But the museum wants to suggest that through excellence in fabrics, and through a new way of promoting them – as high fashion, as art, as objects of value in their own right – this is how the city might redeem itself. The show also has potential for tourism, as it is interesting to anyone who likes contemporary art, fashion, or interactive museum experiences.

The lovely video below gives you a sense of just how interactive it is.

The show has punchy graphics, has all wall text also in English, and the museum is very active on facebook, youtube and twitter.

Il Tessuto è Tutto – Fabric is Everything
March 11 to September 9 2012
Museo del Tessuto di Prato
Via Santa Chiara 24
www.museodeltessuto.it
www.facebook.com/museodeltessuto

Opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10 am – 3 pm
Saturday 10 am – 7 pm
on Sundays it is FREE, open 3-7 pm
Closed Tuesday

Disclaimer: Flod, the company I work for, has helped the museum with the graphics and communications of this exhibit.

The term Japonisme (Japonism in English and Giapponismo in Italian) was coined in 1872 in France, by which time there had been almost twenty years of contact between Western Europe and the Eastern country; enough time for some of the European artists to go quite crazy for the essential and spiritual style found in Japanese decorative and fine arts.

Giuseppe De Nittis, Pioppi nell’acqua, 1878 circa, Firenze, Uffizi, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe

The movement was strongest in France, so some of the first Italian artists to be “afflicted” were those studying in Paris. Meanwhile, back in Florence, the eccentric Frederick Stibbert seems to have been an influential collector of Japanese decorative arts, starting in 1870, to the point that villa owners imitated him. Shopping at the antiquarian Janetti, they decorated whole rooms in a Japanizing style (to various degrees recognizable as such).

The exhibit at Palazzo Pitti is divided into seven small sections, of which I wish to highlight just a few.

Italians in Paris

A decidedly Japanese feel can be intuited when looking at the china ink drawing of poplars in water by Giuseppe De Nittis (1846-1884), pictured above, friend of Monet and a decade-long resident of Paris. The French Impressionist painter did 24 canvases of the same trees in 1891; one from the Musée d’Orsay is displayed next to the De Nittis. Both are vertical and asymmetrical, though the monochrome work by the Italian perhaps better captures an Oriental feel.

Monet, Poplars, Private collection, photo: wikipedia

Japan on the skin – the kimono

The kimono becomes an object of great interest to Europeans and Americans at the end of the nineteenth century and a de-riguer accessory for anyone who considered him or herself “into Japan” at the time. Thus it shows up on women in paintings and even in a self-portrait by a female artist, Elisabeth Chaplin (1892-1982). Actually a “red shawl”, the fabric is reminiscent of that used for traditional red-based, floral kimonos, and the artist juxtaposes this fabric with a pose that recalls Bronzino’s portraits, a strange mix of eastern and Florentine. The artist (though not necessarily this painting) was quite well appreciated by the Society of Belle Arti of Florence.

Elisabeth Chaplin, self portrait with red shawl, 1912 circa, Firenze, Palazzo Pitti, Galleria d’arte moderna

Mario Cavaglieri’s portrait of a woman in a sitting room captures an essence of Japan in its vertical orientation and in the mass of folded fabric that extends beyond the seated female figure, recalling the seated geishas of Ukiyo-e prints.

Later, in the 1920s, Japanese influence mixes with Art Deco very nicely, resulting in a fashion that combines elements from both, as can be seen in a design for a dress by the Florentine Thayat, a good friend of Bernard Berenson’s incidentally (catalogue no. 51).

Mario Cavaglieri, Figura femminile in salotto, 1920, Piacenza, Galleria d’arte Moderna ricci Oddi

Japonism in Tuscany

Of the Tuscan artists influenced by Japonism there’s Vito D’Ancona, Telemaco Signorini and a little bit of Giovanni Fattori - two famous Macchiaioli names. The most interesting of these is, in fact, a small Fattori from a private collection (no photo, sadly, has been provided in the press kit). An image of fisherman on the seafront fixing their nets, the strange perspective and limited colours appear to be influenced by manga images by Hokusai, which impact one also sees on Fattori’s contemporary, Signorini. The latter’s oil on cardboard sketch of a bare tree in Settignano, just steps from my own home, also shows an essentialism that seems sympathetic to a Japanese point of view.

Japonism did not exactly die out, but the vogue seems to have slowly dwindled. The exhibit ends with a painting by Mario Cavaglieri from 1955 that is labeled as the “masterpiece of Italian Japonism”. The large oil, as with so many of the works in this exhibit, takes Japanese objects and themes and renders them with flattened volumes and a strong sense of outline, but either the medium or the mindset of the European artist nonetheless lacks the still beauty and magnitude found in just one, tiny, Hokusai print.

Exhibit information

Giapponismo – Suggestioni dell’Estremo Oriente dai Macchiaioli agli Anni Trenta
part of Giappone, Terra di Incanti

Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Palazzo Pitti, Florence
April 3 to July 1 2012

Last year I co-organized Slow Art in Florence 2011 with Palazzo Strozzi’s education department and we had almost a hundred people show up! The year before, while smaller, was very successful - Slow Art Florence 2010 was held at the Church and Museum of Santa Croce. Both times, the approach was much appreciated, and the dialogue fruitful.

If you’re new to Slow Art, the concept is simple: people worldwide, on the same day, are encouraged to look at art SLOWLY! To do so, moderators in various cities devise various approaches. My approach has been to provide a list of things to look at within the exhibition space, and to also give a goodly amount of guidance as to what things you might want to consider for about 15 minutes. Organizers choose a small number of works on which participants concentrate for about 15 minutes each. Afterwards, there’s a group discussion.

This year I won’t be involved – I’ve passed on the torch to the talented ladies at Palazzo Strozzi – but encourage you to sign up! Discussion groups are available in either English or Italian and the event is free, you just pay a discounted (8 euro) museum entrance. The exhibit is “Americans in Florence” (see my review here) and discussion will be held in the courtyard.

If you’re not in Florence but still want to practise Slow Art, sign up in any of 88 participating cities (so far this year).

Sign up here for Slow Art Florence 2012.

The folks at Radio Papesse sent me this cool opportunity for anyone interested in sound design or circuit hacking for noisy results.

Nicolas Collins is a professor of sound design at the Art Institute of Chicago. studied composition with Alvin Lucier at Wesleyan University, worked for many years with David Tudor, and has collaborated with numerous soloist and ensembles around the world. He lived most of the 1990s in Europe, where he was Visiting Artistic Director of STEIM (Amsterdam), and a DAAD composer-in-residence in Berlin. He is the author of the 2006 book Handmade Electronic Music: The Art of Hardware Hacking.

He will be holding a workshop in the hills of Florence at Villa Romana, from May 13 to May 15 2012. It’s called the Homemade Electronic Music and Hardware Hacking Workshop. You are to bring your own soldering iron, radio, batteries, metal items, and various other noisy objects.

If you’re interested in participating, send an email to info@radiopapesse.org. The cost will vary based on the number of participants, but should be around 150 euros. The class will be conducted in English.

For my fellow children of the 70s I enclose a gratuitous photo of a hacked Speak and Spell from Collins’ website www.nicolascollins.com

This month’s Italy Blogging Roundtable topic is invitations, so I took out my collection for you. So get out your kleenex and put on a fancy dress (i think 75% of my readers are women, though men, feel free to put on a dress too) cuz you’re about to be invited to an Italian wedding.

The first part of any wedding, from the point of view of the guest, is receiving the invitation. And any bride or wedding planner will tell you that this sets the tone for the whole event. American brides tremor over colours and graphics that they’ll have to carry through every element to follow. In Italy, invitations are generally simple and traditional, printed on good quality paper, but lacking graphics or colours, allowing brides not to worry about these elements until the last minute.

A typical Italian wedding invitation is a single sheet of good cotton paper, often cream coloured. Text is printed in cursive in brown or blue, oriented either horizontally or vertically and announces the bride and groom’s intention and date. This part is called the partecipazione, and may be sent to any number of people who might attend the church or civil ceremony, or who just should be informed of the marriage. Sometimes a simpler version of this card is printed and sent after the wedding to distant relatives, ex-colleagues and the like.

The announcement card is accompanied by a small card that is given to those invited to the lunch or dinner, which generally is a smaller number of people.

Below is a very nice example of this traditional format, the wedding between my brother in law Gianluca and my now-sister-in-law Laura. As she was the most beautiful bride I’d ever seen, I also want to show you a photo of her arriving at Palazzo Vecchio for their civil wedding in Florence.

Gianluca and Laura - traditional civil wedding invitation

Laura - civil wedding. The dress is Max Mara.

I have a large number of similar types of invitations in my collection, with slight variations. Paolo and Sara’s civil wedding in Greve had green text on the invitation. Claudio and Paola’s church wedding in Florence, just two weeks before ours, also had a traditional invitation, and a very lovely party too.

Paola and Sara - civil wedding in Greve

Claudio and Paola - church wedding in Florence

Perhaps our least traditional friends also had one of the least traditional invitations, as far as Italian weddings go. We met Flavia and Alessandro at our church’s pre-nuptial classes and they became good friends once we noticed their intelligent and ironic take on the whole thing. Their invitation, on pearlized paper, more closely approximates some of the offerings abroad, and it came in a gorgeous pearly blue envelope that I think I used for a craft project some time ago. At their wedding they had amazing decorations made from recycled bottles and dried orange slices with cinnamon stick. I saved one and use it on my Christmas tree.

Flavia and Alessandro - pearlized paper

When Tommaso and I were married in May, 2004, I’d already been to a few weddings, and in the 2 years to follow, we attended a lot more. Friends and family who came from Canada and the States to attend still talk about our wedding, though for Florentine standards it was pretty normal.

Tommaso and I's invitation - inside, Italian

Perhaps the least normal thing about our wedding was the invitation, because we had to make it bilingual Italian-English, and because I still hung on to an American idea of elaborate invitations. My solution was to print an insert on semi-opaque tracing paper that went inside the Italian invite. As I had multiple inserts, I chose a folded style invite, but stuck to a traditional text and layout. This consisted of a very pretty handmade paper with yellow flowers, folded, with the printed page folded inside. For the English speaking guests I put in the translation, plus those invited to the lunch after the ceremony received a small card. I opted for Arial font and no caps on our names, and had the invitation printed in grey. Call me transgressive.

Bilingual wedding invitation - Italian and English solution

Inside of bilingual invitation

One thing that is very different about Italian invitations, compared to the Anglo-Saxon tradition, is the lack of a reply card or strict RSVP method. I made reply cards for my North-American guests, but here in Italy I was dissuaded from doing this. I wrote RSVP on the lunch invitation, but we were instructed not to put a phone number on it (and god forbid an email address). The idea is that if they’re close enough to be invited to your wedding, they ought to know your phone number, and be in contact with someone close to you in order to let you know if they’re attending. This resulted in not having a solid head count – people phoned my mother in law (and she didn’t keep track), or didn’t RSVP at all (since they didn’t seem to know what those four letters meant). A few people who did confirm simply did not show up the day of. I was too happy at the time to be as pissed as I ought to have been.

The happy bride and groom

I was a highly organized bride (you didn’t have any doubts about this, right?) and I also stored copies of every item related to the wedding in a box after the fact, so I am happy to share with you a bomboniere and the menu. The bomboniere is a little container of candied almonds with a slip of paper to remember the date. These are usually attached to a small gift like a little plate or other dust-catching do-dad. As I refused, we gave food to a local charity and attached a scroll about this donation to the pretty baggie. Many people keep these in silver bowls around the house; I eat the almonds and turn the baggies into lavender sachets in my closet. That’s as Martha Stewart as I get.

Actually I was rather Martha Stewarty at the time because I made 100 of these sachets with bows (enrolling multiple girlfriends for help), and also prepared 200 boxed versions as it is tradition to give them out also at the office!

Bomboniere box and bag

One of the fondest memories that we and our 100 guests have of our wedding is of the food. The caterer was Donay, at Villa dell’Ombrellino. I attempted to create a vegetarian menu, and succeeded through the aperitivo and primi, and I am a rare bride who actually ate and enjoyed the food at her wedding. I will never forget the risotto with fiori di zucca, which is still my favourite dish. But it was made clear that at a certain point, people expect… Meat. And so a vitella (veal) was added to the menu (rather to my chagrin, baby calf, poor thing). But the shocker was how it was presented: it was paraded out, flaming, by two waiters. Everyone stood up and clapped for the flaming veal.

If I could do it all again I’d do it the same way, including the veal and all the preparations. And I’d still marry the same guy, too.

Italy Blogging Roundtable – Invitations

Let’s see what my fellow knights have come up with on the topic of Invitations:

• Gloria: When saying no might be a good idea
• Jessica: The Power of an Invitation
• Rebecca: An invitation
• Melanie: Milan Invites Visitors to Discover the Art of Nobel Winner Dario Fo

But wait there’s more!! An INVITATION to you, other Italy Blogger!

As we’re preparing for our one-year anniversary of the formation of the Italy Roundtable next May (hard to believe a whole year has gone by!), we’d like you to pull up a chair (so to speak)! We invite you to choose one of the topics we’ve blogged about in the past year and write a post about it. Please link back to all five of our blogs, explaining the roundtable. We’ll highlight some of our favorites in our own Roundtable posts next month.

Here’s a list of the topics we’ve covered so far – and remember, you can be as creative with your interpretation of it as you like… we sure are!

May 2011: Why I Write About Italy
June 2011: Driving in Italy
July 2011: My Favorite work of Art in Italy
(August 2011: no post this month, we took a vacation)
September 2011: Back to School
October 2011: Autumn
November 2011: Comfort Food
December 2011: Gifts
January 2012: Crafts
February 2012: Elements
March 2012: Roots
April 2012: Invitations (the post you’re reading now!)

(Click here for a search result of all the roundtable posts on arttrav.)

Send one of us a link to your blog post or tag it with #ItalyRoundtable on Twitter so we can find it. Your deadline is May 1. Have fun and we look forward to reading your contributions!

Titian’s Baptism of Christ

A strong diagonal dominates this vertically-oriented painting, with Christ in the center, standing, receiving the gift of baptism from St. John the Baptist.  A devout, elderly patron with a beard at the bottom right is participating in the event. A typical Titianesque landscape extends in the background; a very blue sky is populated by pairs of cherubim. Seeing the work in person allows one to observe the rich colours and the interesting details such as the figure and animals in the background along the line of the river.

This painting is recalled by Marcantonio Michiel in 1531:

“in casa de M. Zuan Ram” nella parrocchia di Santo Stefano: “La tavola del S. Zuanne che bapteza Christo nel Giordano, che è nel fiume insin alle ginocchia, cun el bel paese, et esso M. Zuan Ram ritratto fin al cinto, et cun la schiena contra li spettatori, fo de man de Titiano.”

“In the house of M. Zuan Ram in the parish of Santo Stefano: the painting of S. Zuanne (John) who baptizes Christ in the Jordan (river), who is in the river up until his knees, with a nice landscape, and said M. Zuan Ram depicted until his waist, and with his back to the spectator, by the hand of Titian.”

Based on the will of Giovanni Ram in 1511, and with the help of stylistic comparison, the painting has been dated to between 1511 and 1513, so exactly 500 years ago. This makes it a very early work by the great Venetian artist, who had just recently finished the frescoes at the Santo in Padova.

The painting remained in the Venetian family until the end of the sixteenth century; sold to Rome, it is recorded in 1624 amongst the possessions of Cardinal Carlo Emanuele Pio, and then in 1750 ceded to the Musei Capitolini.

A loan to Siena

Siena, Baptistry

The city of Siena has taken advantage of this exceptional loan – the first time the painting has been moved from Rome – to create a dialogue between it and permanent works at Siena’s Duomo and in other locations in the city. For the occasion, they have produced multi-lingual and multi-media informational material, a video guide, made available numerous guided tours, and simplified the opening hours of all the structures (something much needed in Italy!).

Art, history and faith are the themes of this dialogue that involve works present in the Duomo complex’s crypt, baptistry, high altar and in the chapel of San Giovanni (in which is conserved a relic of the saint’s arm, inside a beautiful 15th-century reliquary!). Most of these works depict, rightly so, Baptism or Saint John; amongst them are a relief by Ghiberti and fresco by Lorenzo di Pietro.

Exhibition Information

Ex aqua et Spiritu – Siena accoglie Tiziano, “Battesimo di Cristo”
March 1 to August 31, 2012
Open daily 10:30 – 19:00
inclusive ticket: € 12,00
www.operaduomo.siena.it

Paul Fryer and his work Pieta at Museo Gucci, Florence

It’s not every day that I find myself in a darkened room with someone who counts Damien Hirst amongst his close friends and collaborators. Okay, I was not alone. It was a press conference at the Gucci Museum in Florence for the exhibit “Lo Spirito Vola” (The Spirit Flies) by Paul Fryer.

Sometimes associated with the group “Young British Artists,” Fryer (not so young – none of them are any more) remained somewhat at the fringe of the group, so his work is not overplayed, and still has a fresh touch to it that is currently much appreciated by collectors and art hedge fund managers. Coming somewhat late to the sculpture scene, he made his mark on the alternative art and music scene of Leeds, where he went to study (and drop out) in the 80s, pursuing instead a career as an “electropop singer” (according to his website – I have no idea what that is) and a transvestite DJ. He now lives and works in London. In 2001 he published a book of poetry that was illustrated by Damien Hirst, and he has had 8 solo exhibits, mostly in the UK. There is no wikipedia page dedicated to him. I have to wonder if he purposefully deleted it himself as an artistic act. A video from his past life, in which I believe that’s him mooning the cameraman, can be found on his youtube channel.

Dressed rather somberly, with a calculatedly scruffy beard and carrying a very masculine hat, the transvestite DJ Fryer is long gone. After an introductory tour of the exhibit by curator Francesca Amfitheatrof, the artist enters the dramatically lit room and we make space for him nervously around his works. We’re a handful of (all female) journalists. The artist speaks in English, of course, and Brenda (from The Florentine) and I feel distinctly at an advantage linguistically. An advantage that would allow us to ask quick and smart questions, given the unique opportunity of speaking with the artist. Brenda does a good job with this (and produces a good article in the newspaper that I recommend you read; I won’t repeat what she wrote).

I, on the other hand, find myself tongue tied. There is something very intimidating about asking questions to contemporary artists, at least for me, for I always fear asking something way too obvious that has already been super-covered in the literature and would thus blow my cover as knowing virtually nothing about contemporary art.

The ex-chapel in the Palazzo recently renovated by Gucci is now a contemporary art space with a temporary exhibit that will be renewed once or twice each year thanks to an agreement with the collector Francois Pinault. Two works from this collection, as well as a third from the artist’s private stash, make up this installation. They are Ophelia, Pietà (The Empire Never Ended), and Ecce Homo. These can be described very essentially as a wax figure of the dead Shakespearean character suspended in a tub of resin; a ghastly wax Christ on an electric chair (after crucifixion); and a box with a bird’s nest and an egg of metal in it. Which might not seem like much; thankfully there’s a whole lot of thought and workmanship that went into the three pieces. As the artist spoke, I came to appreciate the works rather more than when I first entered, when I might have thought these pieces were just meant to provoke. Being shown in Italy, religious works will always provoke more than in non-Catholic countries.

Paul Fryer, Pieta. Detail of upper section. Photo: please credit Alexandra Korey

The Pietà may be the most famous piece in the room. It’s actually a multiple, though each 2/3d scale Christ is painstakingly handcrafted. Not an updated story of Christ in which his sacrifice is through electrocution rather than crucifixion, as Fryer is keen to point out, since the wounds of the Passion and Crucifixion are clear. Incredibly real, each hair is applied singly, and the dried blood looks, frankly, real. The artist tells us that the wounds had to be inflicted on the finished wax figure, and that his assistants refused to do it. The version we have in front of us is actually rather more tame than the one made for his friend Damien Hirst, whom Fryer asserts “likes bloody things,” so he went all out on that one.

Detail of feet. Photo: please credit Alexandra Korey

This one was also exhibited in a cathedral (in Gap, France in 2009) where it garnered a goodly amount of controversy that was not intended by the artist nor the Bishop who strongly wanted the work on display over Holy Week. Fryer declared: “Scandalous is not Jesus in the electric chair, but the indifference to his crucifixion.” (source)

Ophelia (White), photo: Paul Fryer

Maybe I felt more at home with Ophelia and all the references that jumped to mind seeing her, for it is here that I gathered enough courage to ask Paul Fryer a question. And he very kindly told me I was off my rocker, no, um, just slightly incorrect in my interpretation. A ghostly white Ophelia floats in the same pose of surrender – hands up and to the side – as Millais’ pre-Raphaelite depiction of the Shakesperean figure, but Fryer’s interpretation is literally (but not figuratively) black and white. A woman with a modern figure, wearing a plain black silk dress, lacks the romantic adornment and drama of the 19th-century versions. The reference here is clear, and the artist confirms this.

Paul Fryer, Ophelia. Detail of installation in Florence, Museo Gucci. Photo: Alexandra Korey

The Renaissance art historian in me can’t help but see an earlier reference, and with it a line of thinking, so I dare ask, or rather comment: “The medium of wax, here in Florence, is easy to associate with the wax anatomies at La Specola, and Ophelia’s passive pose makes me think of that museum’s passive, pearl-adorned ‘Venus’ (complete with removable abdomen); this in turn is related to a whole tradition of anatomical imagery that portrays women, in death, as passively offering themselves up for inspection, and men, by contrast, as heroic.” I even managed to get this out rather eloquently, I thought. Fryer says he’s familiar with the wax anatomies, and influenced by them, but he doesn’t intend Ophelia at all in a negative, anti-feminist way. He sees her as a positive figure, not a victim but a symbol of spiritual acceptance.

Unquestionably the fil-rouge amongst the three works is a Christological one – Ophelia’s upturned palms, Christ’s bloody ones, and the title and material (thorny vines) of the Ecce Homo. They were not designed to be displayed together, but they make sense.

This is Fryer’s first exhibit in Italy and also his first trip to Florence, he tells Brenda and I over lunch in a posh room that overlooks Piazza della Signoria. Amazing to think that he has waited this long to come to such an important art city; he says the time was just right now.

I have to appreciate Gucci Museum’s desire to go beyond the “company/ branding museum” format by offering a contemporary space. I have my doubts, though, about how many people (ie. tourists here to see fashion) will really appreciate it. Florence lacks contemporary art of this caliber, and Gucci has the klout to bring it here. But the museum’s entrance fee of 5 euros is steep if you’ve already seen the Gucci collection (even if the items in it rotate within the themes assigned to the rooms). It’d be nice if they could offer some opportunities for free entrance for locals, or a separate 2 euro ticket to see the contemporary section.

Exhibition Info

Paul Fryer, Lo Spirito Vola
Gucci Museo, Piazza della Signoria, Florence
March 17 to September 3, 2012

When the chocolate egg is bigger than the kid's head. Francesco at 19 months.

If you are spending Easter weekend in Florence as a family with kids, Laura (our kids’ columnist) suggests the following activities. Note that in Italy, Easter Monday is a national holiday and everything is closed.

Easter Sunday ceremony

Florentines and visitors all look forward to the strange Easter tradition of the explosion of the cart (scoppio del carro) that takes place around 11am outside Florence’s Duomo. The story is much recounted (you can read about it also on The Florentine) and goes essentially as follows. On Easter day, Pazzino de’ Pazzi hoisted the flag of Crusaders on the Holy City’s walls. For that, he received three stones of the Holy Sepulcher (you can find them in the Santi Apostoli church) which, back in Florence, he apparently used to start a holy fire. The modern incarnation of this is a cart full of fireworkds that Florentines call ‘Brindellone’. It is first processed from piazzale del Prato and stops at Piazza del Duomo between Battistero and Cattedrale. At 11.00, while inside they are singing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo”, the cartis ignited by flying dove that comes out of the Duomo with a fuse in its ass. 150 musicians, flag throwers in historical costume and a crowd gather outside to celebrate.

Bad weather activities

After lunch on Easter Day if the weather is bad you can book and participate to one of the activities organized at Museo dei Ragazzi in Palazzo Vecchio (piazza della Signoria in Florence).

Museo dei Ragazzi activities (photo from their flickr)

From 4 years you can join the “Perfumed tale of painted nature” (at 11.00 and 15.00 – ticket for adults 6,00€ – also on Friday 6^th April h.11.30 and 16.30 and on Saturday 9^th at 15.00) a poetic history 70 minutes long of all the fruit and flowers frescoes that Cosimo I de’ Medici and his wife Eleonora di Toledo created inside the Palace. Other activities are available the days before and after Easter such us “Court life”, perfect for those who visit this museum for the first time (from 4 years old at 14.00 on Friday 6^th and at 10.00 on Saturday 7^th April) to discover the daily life of Cosimo I de’ Medici, Eleonora di Toledo and their 11 children. You can imagine the wonderful parties and lunches/dinners organized in the Great Hall and private details compared with the present times. The visit ends in the Gallery of Renaissance costumes where you can look, touch and even try cloaks, shoes, hats of XVI century.

State museums in Florence (Uffizi, Accademia, Pitti etc) will be exceptionally OPEN both on Easter Sunday and on the Monday (their normal closure day). Only the museum of San Marco is closed. We suggest going to Palazzo Davanzati with kids!

Good weather activities

Dino exhibit in Florence with kids. Photo from the official website: http://dinosauricarneossafirenze.tumblr.com/

If the weather is good over your Easter weekend in Florence, I suggest you visit the exhibition “Dinosaurs in the flesh” from March 1 to September 2, 2012. It is open 10am – 7pm at the Giardino dei Semplici and Orto Botanico (Museum of Natural History, via Pier Anton Micheli 3 in Florence) that offers entertainment and scientific knowledge… 100% made in Italy. The tickets costs 10,00€ for adults (with reductions 8,00€ with the Coop card, for example) and 4,00€ for children from 4 years old, and includes entrance to the Palaentology Museum. Important note: The exhibit is CLOSED on Easter Sunday, but open on Monday.

Francesco aged 3.5 years

Francesco (aged 3.5) at first scared by the 40 hyper-realistic renderings of prehistorical creatures and 9 painted backgrounds… but then he started to get used to the idea by touching them. At the end, he asked a dinosaur: ”What’s your name?” There is also interesting information available about how, working together, palaentologists, illustrators, artisans, special effects masters, computer modeling and 3D experts made this exhibit. There are loads of educational activities to be booked (15 days in advance) together with the exhibit, a couple of them suitable for smaller children like DinoPuzzle and Dig and discover the past (2 hours each). As far as I can tell they are all in Italian, but ask when you call – a child with minimal bilingual ability can probably interact just fine anyway.

We were unable to find any more activities for kids of any age over Easter weekend, a time that, despite the saying “Pasqua con chi vuoi” (have easter with whoever you want) really does tend to be dedicated to family gatherings and eating lots of food (big lunches both on Easter Sunday and Pasquetta). Prepare for this down time by planning walks in parks, outside town, or preparing rainy day craft activities inside your home or hotel.

Easter Monday traditions

The day after Easter is called ‘Pasquetta’ and in Italy we generally do the “gita fuori porta” – day trip. If the weather is good, most of us in Florence and Tuscany go to Versilia (Forte dei Marmi, Pietrasanta, Lido di Camaiore, etc.) to spend the first day on the beach walking, making sand castles, having fish, sunbathing with friends. If you want to eat, most of the bathing establishments already have their restaurants open for lunch.

Pasquetta on the beach at 7 months

There are thousands of day trip options around Florence, most of which require a car. You can search the Tuscany day trips section of ArtTrav for ideas.

In Florence itself, expect all stores to be closed on this day.

Where to buy the best traditional Easter cakes

The awesome eggs at Vestri

Custom chocolate Easter eggs at Vestri (Borgo Albizi 11 in Florence) where you can custom order the egg in advance. Choose the kind of chocolate (black, white, with nuts, et.c), size (big, medium, etc.) and bring the “surprise” you want the recipient to find inside. This customized Easter surprise is very appreciated!

Colomba (Easter cake in the shape of the dove) at Carapina (via Lambertesca 18 r close to Ponte Vecchio or in piazza Oberdan 2r) you’ll can buy a great dove made in Tabiano Terme (near Parma) with all natural ingredients… and with the delicious Carapina icecream inside. You can choose between different flavours – Artusi, vinsanto, chocolate etc. Put the ice-cream colomba in a hot oven for a few minutes before serving: the ice-cream will melt with colomba for an unforgettable taste!

The topic of this issue of #Italychat is… Florence. You can ask questions – or shoot sly commentary – about any aspect of Florence, from travel advice to expat life. And I’ll try to answer your questions. Let me remind you that I’m rather expert in practical things like transportation or real life, and impractical things like art, but as a long term resident of the city, I have never slept in a hotel in Florence, nor do I eat out very often, so specific questions about hotels and restaurants are best avoided.

Here’s how the chat will work. Follow @dreamofitaly and @arttrav on twitter. Do a search for #italychat (and save that stream if you can) so you can follow the conversation. Tweet your question with the hashtag #Italychat. @Dreamofitaly will be sorting the questions and assigning them an orderly number format (such as Q1, Q2…). I’ll answer the questions with the form A1, A2 etc. Anyone else following the discussion can also contribute answers (in fact, I hope they do – I probably won’t be able to give the best answers to everyone!).

That’s all! see you on twitter!

This is a guest post by a writer whose style and knowlege I much admire – Elisa writes a Tuscan travel blog about Maremma, my favourite part of Tuscany!

There is something undeniably alluring about seeing a side of Tuscany that’s not in one of your travel agent’s well-thumbed holiday brochures. Maybe it’s the nostalgic dream we all have of finding that tiny provincial Italian town where the locals still sit in their gardens and watch the world pass by. Or maybe we just want to gloat authoritatively to friends back home about that ‘hidden oasis’ we found and how there wasn’t a tourist menu or souvenir shop in sight.

Whatever it is, the Tuscan Maremma ticks all the boxes when it comes to idyllic undiscovered destinations. The area presses its back to the borders of Southern Tuscany and Lazio so intently that you often wonder what region it wants to be in. The locals are sometimes called the sentinels of Tuscany, not by geographical definitions, but by something all together more innate. La cultura contadina or farmers’ culture is fastidiously preserved in the Maremma so that centuries’ old Tuscan traditions are not forgotten and the stories of the famous butteri (Tuscan cowboys) and briganti (brigands) are told to eager children again and again.

You could spend years exploring the Tuscan Maremma and only see a fraction of what this incredible area has to offer. So to start you off, here are three Southern Maremman towns where the dishes are all the sweeter because they were made to old family recipes and the locals still don’t quite understand what all the fuss over their homes is really about.

Montemerano

Montemerano (Photo Elisa Scarton)

In Montemerano’s Piazza del Castello, medieval homes are almost entirely covered by the vines that have wound their way from old wine barrels up to burnt terracotta roofs. Every day, the same woman who has been watering all of Montemerano’s flowers for a decade carefully carries her red jug from pot to pot, stopping to chat to the Montemeranesi in the old town. These locals have lived in the same homes for generations. They’ve never had cause to leave. And why should they? Their homes were built by the Sienese knights of the 16th century. They’re sturdy and undeniably beautiful, made from butterscotch coloured stones that immediately remind tourists of scenes from Under the Tuscan Sun.

Montemerano doesn’t have a list of attractions you can visit and tick off with the satisfied sense that you have seen everything this town has to offer. In Montemerano, the real experience is in strolling through the streets and hidden piazzas, trying one of the small family run restaurants and sparing a special moment or two to admire the utterly understated, but completely beloved Chiesa di San Giorgio

Don’t miss: Montemerano’s annual festival of dragons and medieval magic, the Festa di San Giorgio, in April.

Sovana

Sovana (Photo Elisa Scarton)

Sovana has always been called the Regno della Maremma or Kingdom of the Maremma for it has seen Etruscan royalty, artist and poet kings and religious idols come and go in the millennia since its founding. Though it’s easy to see who has left the most lasting memory. On one end of town, a crumbling 12^th century fortress is all that is left of the Aldobrandeschi kings, while on the other, the magnificent Il Duomo di Santi Pietro and Paolo stands as one of Europe’s most beautiful and last remaining Romanesque cathedrals.

In between the two monuments, Sovana unfolds as a town untouched by the centuries. Dotted between the houses are the small artisan workshops that make bespoke silk pieces and beautiful ceramics. The Sovanesi are natural artists. It’s in their blood. The Etruscans who set roots in Sovana, Suana as it was called then, were famous for their striking ceramics. The modern Sovanesi have kept the colours of their ancestors, the vibrant blues, reds and yellows, alive in their art today.

Don’t miss: The Etruscan necropolis in the Parco Archeologico del Tufo just outside of Sovana where these Etruscan hues can still be see on the magnificent statues and tombs.

Capalbio

Capalbio (Photo Elisa Scarton)

Behind their walled fortress, the Capalbiesi live a seaside sort of life. From the first warm day in early spring to the first drop of autumn rain, they spend their siestas outdoors, reclining on the benches of the parapet wall, sticking their heads into the small bars for a coffee or a vin santo to while away the afternoon.

Capalbio is the last Southern Maremma town. Just beyond the wall, Burano Lake, sometimes called Walt Disney’s Lake for its enchanting flora and fauna, marks the start of a nature park that encompasses as far as the eye can see. But it’s what you don’t see that draws the tourists to Capalbio. Hidden behind the thick Mediterranean brush just outside of the city are some of Tuscany’s most incredible beaches. You won’t be able to resist making a beeline for Chiarone Beach, where the soft sand has been attracting political VIPs for decades.

Don’t miss: Capalbio is also home to the eccentrically fantastical Giardino dei Tarrochi, a garden filled with giant, handmade mosaic statues fashioned by French-English artist Niki de Saint Phalle.

Elisa Scarton is an Australian journalist who came to Tuscany for a year, fell in love (how cliché!?), and decided to stick around. Not one to keep paradisiacal holiday destinations to herself, she now writes a blog and online travel guide about the infinitely beautiful Tuscan Maremma, so that others can get a taste of la dolce vita.

Are you an expat?

Test #1 to determine if you’re a permanent expat with roots (and I don’t mean when you haven’t been to the hairdresser in a while): A new acquaintance asks you “How often do you go home” and you answer “most nights, unless I am with my lover.” People always want to know how often I go “home” to Canada, at which point I say “oh, you mean to my parents‘ house!”

Test #2: Count the number of people you know in your chosen city. Count how many you know in your home town. Use whatever criteria you want – I’d say “knowing” people means regular interaction on social media or email or in real life, that I’d make an effort to visit more than once a year. If the number of people you know “here” is more than “there”, you are probably a pretty solid expat.

Test #3: You need a new health card/ building permit / knife sharpening service/ or whatever. Do you know where to get it within a radius of 15 kilometers? If yes, you have arrived.

Do you want roots? this might help.

Everyone has a different story, different reasons to settle down in another country, different goals, and different needs. Me? I came to study and loved it, then I met “the guy,” kept studying elsewhere, but found it logical to be here. As friends “couple up” and have kids, having a one-to-one social life with friends tends to be difficult, but it’s important to me to have friends and activities beyond my “couple” relationship. It’s not easy to meet new people beyond the workplace, and for a lot of expats there may not even be a formal workplace. Here are a few tips that I found helpful in making myself at home in Florence.

1) Business networking. I am part of a business network group called ToscanaIN. It was actually my husband who got me into it. Just about every city or area has some kind of networking group; some are fun, some are really dull. I was lucky that this one turned out to be a lot of fun, and has introduced me to a large group of diverse people. Some have become closer friends, others I see at monthly events. Either way, we both get out about once a month to go to these events and mix with other people. There are also groups for businesswomen, mommy support groups, and even Girl Geek Dinners in many cities around Italy and the world – find the one that works for you. (Yes, Rebecca, I realize that in a small town it’s a whole lot more difficult. But I’ve seen women in small towns become part of the local sagra planning committee… you do what it takes, I guess.)

2) Twitter. I am not kidding. Especially if you’re a blogger, it’s really easy to go on twitter and meet other like-minded writers in your area. If you’re just a regular technology geek, you might find events like meetups for twitter users – in Florence there are occasional pizza dinner meetups organized on twitter. (Disclaimer: regular common sense applies. May cause headache, nausea, or sudden death. Parts sold separately by Mattel.)

3) Give yourself a mission. If you’re new to a place, get to know it well. Take the time to explore it by foot and go see everything there is to see. Then, create a meaningful relationship with some element of it, or, put in another manner, give yourself a mission. For me, blogging about art and life in Florence was a mission that helped me get to know the city but also to put down these roots as I became a kind of “expert” that has put me in touch with lots of people.

Notice that I did not say “learn the language” (a given) nor “frequent expat groups” (nothing wrong with other expats, but why separate them out?). I am sure readers will have much to add to this, and I look forward to your comments.

Roots by the Italy Blogging Roundtable

This is a monthly blogging project in which us five female knights of the roundtable write about a pre-determined topic each month. Here’s what the others have to say about roots:

• Jessica: Tracing your Italian Roots
• Rebecca: Zen and the art of making gnocchi
• Gloria: Roots and Other Roots
• Melanie: The world’s first botanical gardens

Cantagallina, Scene in a Village Square with a Church, Princeton University Art Museum

Here is what Lia is able to tell us about the work:

The drawing is a typical work by the etcher and draughtsman Remigio Cantagallina (1582-1656), who produced numerous landscape drawings throughout his career. I personally love the way he inserts people in his city views and landscapes. There is almost always at least some person seated and seen from the back that seems to reference us as the viewer and creates a vantage point for the scene before us.

He was born in San Sepulcro (Sansepolcro) and this view reminds me of towns around Arezzo, and could even be his home town.

Cantagallina’s work was greatly influenced by northern printmakers like Paul Brill and in fact, the artist traveled to the Netherlands in 1612-13.  Many of Cantagallina’s drawings are composed of tight hatching recalling the work of his northern colleagues and reminding us of his print production. This work is particularly striking for its dramatic use of wash that creates chiaroscuro affects.

The Princeton sheet is dated on the wall at left next to the tree: “6 di luglio 1633.” He inscribed the date on many of his drawings indicating that they might have acted as a type of personal journal. For this reason we believe that the places represented are accurate reflections of what they looked like at the time, so the town in this drawing ought to be identifiable.

detail of church

Detail of piazza with ruined building that likely is no longer

We need to take into account that the piazza represented here may have changed over time, though the church is a likely landmark. There may be newer buildings nearby and the angle from which the drawing was made may no longer be a viable approach to the space, making it hard to identify. Lia and her colleagues hope that readers who live in the area might recognize the church, piazza and town. Please help by commenting below!

Photo used with permission, full details: Remigio Cantagallina, Italian, 1582 ‑ after 1633. Scene in a Village Square with a Church in the Center Middle Ground, Pen and iron gall ink and brush and brown wash over black chalk, 24.8 x 39.1 cm (9 3/4 x 15 3/8 in.). Princeton University Art Museum. Museum purchase, Laura P. Hall Memorial Fund x1956‑32. Photo: Bruce M. White

Tommaso and I just got back from a week’s “settimana bianca” (snowboard holiday) and, as we truly enjoyed it, we’re sharing various parts of our experience for future travelers. We stayed in Corvara in the Alta Badia area of the Dolomites with another couple and their child. We chose this area due to the proximity to Florence and its renowned beauty and good services, and we were not disappointed.

If you are planning a trip to this area, here is some practical advice – how to get there, where to stay, and where to eat. See my other posts for the best runs for snowboards, four things to do in Alta Badia, Breakfast on the slopes, and Corvara for kids.

How to get to Corvara in Alta Badia

The short and easy drive from Florence to the Dolomites in general makes me wonder why we would ever holiday outside of Italy! While the area close to Brixen/ Bressanone is close to the highway and short enough a drive for a long weekend from Florence, Alta Badia is accessed by one of two mountain roads that are best taken for a week long trip.

If you are driving here arriving from the south, take highway A1 towards Bologna, then take A22 after Modena towards the Brennero Pass. Exit at Chiusa and follow for Ortisei / Selva di Val Gardena, them Corvara. This road goes over a curvy mountain pass but we think it is fastest. On the way home we tried the other approach via Bressanone, Brixen and Brunigo, which has more tunnels, but also a lot of traffic.

Passo Gardena

If you are arriving in Italy by air, you will probably need to take the train for a bit until Bolzano. From there I would recommend getting a car rental, because you will need that liberty to move around once you arrive.

It is possible to take a bus to this area, for example, with the integrated public transport system the bus from Bolzano (train station) to Corvara takes about 2.5 hours and costs 17,50 euro. Once you are in Corvara you can go anywhere in town by skibus (5 euro for 7 day pass) or foot, but your evening activities would be limited to that town since the bus between towns does not run late. I hear there are at least two nightclubs in town if you are into that kind of thing. I would not know – we chose to ride early and enjoy evenings in together!

Where to stay in Alta Badia

This is where we stayed!! Nice eh?

As mentioned, we stayed in the town of Corvara. We had a very good deal on an apartment rental through my husband’s work, and we shared it with another couple, giving us budget to spend on fun things (see below)! A small two bedroom in this area averages upwards of 1500€ per week in mid season. We stayed at Tino and Sara apartments, rented through Agenzia Tablé. The agency was not particularly helpful and they charged for every little extra (like sheets!) but the apartment was lovely, in bio-architecture that felt very solid, full of light, quiet, warm, and also well-located at an easy walk to stores. Corvara is quite expensive and chic, frequented by the very well dressed; I had never been anywhere like it before. From town and most of the hotels and apartments you can directly access the slopes at Boe or Col Alt, the latter being the location of the first chairlift in the entire Dolomites!

Two towns over is San Cassiano, which also has a gondola into town (Piz Sorega, see below). Despite the presence of two very fancy hotels, this town is slightly more down to earth and you might find a deal at a B&B that costs less than the area average.

The local decor sense tends towards the kitch unless you pay through the nose. We determined that “renne” (reindeer) are a unit of measure here and zero renne is the most desireable, that is, a warm but modern style with absolutely no deer heads, silhouettes or statues in sight.

Where to eat in Alta Badia

Let’s start by saying that nothing comes cheap in this area. And that food is calorie-packed, generally good, although overly meaty for a vegetarian. Specialties include canederli in brodo (a kind of giant round dumpling with prosciutto in it, floating in broth), spätzle (spinach and potato pasta substitute), grilled meats, and strudel of course. It’s hard to find a bad meal here; the worst that can happen is that service may not be great, or that the cost-value ratio is skewed.

On the slopes, we suggest avoiding Club Moritzino at Piz la Ila, an anomalously overpriced and awfully decorated chalet that doubles as a nightclub when the lifts are closed. Rather, for a nice lunch in a classy setting go to Las Vegas (despite the name) at Piz Sorega. Or, just steps down from la Ila lift, Utia Bamby advertises organic meat on the grill and the fact that “if you want french fries, go elsewhere.”

Hotel Armentarola dining room

For a special dinner, we loved the restaurant at Hotel Armentarolain San Cassiano. The service was absolutely perfect – formal but not affected – and they are attentive to special needs and to children. There is a gluten free menu and vegetarian options. I had gnocchi with radicchio and the salad bar. Tommaso had a potato cream soup followed by the excellent Venison saddle on juniper sauce with polenta, while Fabio tasted a local dish called Gröstl (potatoes and sausage) and Laura had the Suckling pig cutlet on Prosecco-sauerkraut. The atmosphere was memorable. 100 euros per couple with wine.

We had a fabulous week in Alta Badia and are already talking about returning in 2013!

This is a sponsored post, with thanks to Budget.

For a solid intermediate to advanced boarder I recommend our …

Three favourite runs

• Bamby B run off the Bamby chairlift or the Piz la Ila gondola: excellent for carving in the first half, a good even steep angle in the second half for short turns down the side. A great cardiovascular workout!
• Gran Risa (red) access from Bamby or Piz la Ila: the famous run for world cup races has a red (american blue square equivalent) or black route. The first part is steep and icy, black, which then divides into a challenging black, or a very long and pleasant red. There are some flat bits that are easily dealt with if you properly judge where to pick up speed. At the bottom of the red is a chairlift to connect you to La Villa town or gondola.
• Piz Sorega red run under the gondola that departs from San Cassiano: slightly easier than Bamby B, excellent for carving the whole way down.

Here is a little video of me on Piz Sorega practicing carving with Tommaso on very mushy, slow snow (it was very sunny the whole week we were there).

 

Runs to avoid

Any snowboarder knows that the worst part of riding on a mountain with connected ski areas is crossing from one area to another. In this part of the Dolomites, each named peak tends to have just a few runs, so there is a lot of connecting to do. The three favourite runs mentioned above are near each other. If you’re staying in Corvara, you’ll need to get home from those areas (San Cassiano/ La Villa) at the end of the day.

There is a connecting blue run from La Villa to Col Alt in Corvara. Do not take it. It is a series of flats, and even uphill parts so you need to have the confidence to pick up a lot of speed to do them. While I found myself flying over rises, a more intermediate boarder may well fall or not make it up the rises; in fact our friend Fabio did a lot of walking. Continuing down is exhausting, with 2 places where you have to strap out and cross the road. Rather, finish your day in style by taking the Gran Risa down to La Villa and take the public bus to Corvara that stops just beyond the parking lot. The bus runs about every half hour and costs 1,50 euro per person.

If you’re heading over to Piz Sorega, the red run is great (above) but the blue run on the other side is a long, flat, and exhausting pain in the rear. Similarly, we suggest avoiding the blue run off Biok.

Last but not least, if you’re staying in Corvara and thinking you might take an easy chair for your first run, do not take chair number 29 and the blue run beside it, which is simply a flat connecting run that goes over a narrow bridge and is particularly infuriating.

A winter vacation in Alta Badia in the Dolomites is ideal for lovers of skiing and snowboarding; a bit less so for those who don’t go out on the slopes, although you can go sledding, hiking, or snowshoeing, or enjoy spa treatments at luxury hotels in the area. There is no question that it is not a cheap area for a holiday, though sometimes you might find last minute ski deals that make the price more tolerable!

Here are four things we particularly enjoyed and suggest you don’t miss if you’re in Alta Badia.

1) Skipass 2.0

As highly connected social people in our regular life, we cannot resist sharing our vacation experiences online. And the Dolomiti Superski Pass helps us do this, and boast about how much we accomplished on our week off, thanks to RFID technology. The skipass contains an antenna that is read by near field readers at the access point to all the lifts in the area. Since the tickets can hold a certain amount of data about how you move around on the mountain, why not make that data available to the user? That’s just what they do when you log in to utilizzo.dolomitisuperski.com where I learn that I rode approximately 70km of slopes or almost 15,000 meters, using 17 different lifts. I can even see a map with the lifts I took, animated in order of usage.

Needless to say I also made good use of Foursquare while I was there, and became mayor of a few ski lifts. I also tried the Dolomiti Superski’s application, for iphone and android, called SkiBeep. It is useful to plan routes between ski areas (which gets complex on the paper map) and should also track your time and distance, but the program still needs some work as I often got server timeouts and crashes.

2) Anything sponsored by BMW

There is some healthy competition between sponsors BMW and Audi at Alda Badia and neighbouring areas, resulting in well financed signage, technology, and activities. We would drive a bimmer if we could afford one, so enjoyed the brand’s prominence at Corvara. It made us feel almost chic enough to be there.

In 2012 at Col Alt, BMW set up a timed grand slalom course on an easy slope. Called BMW xDrive Cup, you can use the course with your skipass. As you beep through, the cameras start and you are recorded and timed. You can watch the movie at the base of the Col Alt lift or online, though it takes a few days for the data to appear on the website. Here I am on my third try – I cannot seem to beat 26 seconds, even if i run straight into a gate like in this run!

The men in our group also went to test drive the X5 and X6M at the base at La Villa. The cars are big, fast, consume a lot of gas and have tons of electronic gadgets like video feedback for everything including backing up a curve. It sounds like they had a good time! Check out the photo of Tommaso with the beast.

3) Pre-opening breakfast on the slopes

If you pay extra to do only one thing on your trip, do this! At the restaurant in the Col Alt “rifugio” (chalet), on Tuesday and Thursday mornings you can book a very special breakfast before the slopes open. Ride up on a grooming machine (there’s room for about a dozen people) at 6:50am and see the sun rise pink over the mountains. Get a gorgeous buffet of local foods including fresh cheeses, speck, eggs, breads, jams, streudel and more. Then, if you can still move (in fact we tried not to overeat), ski down on the freshly groomed runs before anyone else messes them up. The lifts open at 8:30. Read more and see all the photos of breakfast at Col Alt here.

4) Massage and spa treatments

If you are staying at a rental apartment as we did, you probably do not have easy access to a spa/ wellness area, which are for the most part attached to the luxury hotels. We went around looking for the best prices, style, and service of spas in Corvara. Many hotels do not accept non-guests in their spa areas, even with paid treatment.

Tommaso and I enjoyed the administrations of Karin Kem at Hotel Marmolada; this India-trained local woman determined that we needed to push out toxins and have a good sports massage. In the photo above you see me in a special detox waterbed cocoon like thing, slathered with mountain mud, arnica and salt, while Tommaso is relaxing after the massage, with volcanic stones placed at key points on the body. We liked the natural products used and felt very relaxed and ready to hit the slopes the next day. Another location that comes recommended is the spa at Hotel Post, where again they use natural products and offer some multi-treatment packages for beauty and relaxation.

With thanks to Inghams.co.uk

The buffet breakfast at Rifugio Col Alt and the opportunity to ride down on the fresh groomed slopes before anyone else was the highlight of our snowboarding week in Corvara. Every Tuesday and Thursday, if the minimum participant number is met, breakfast is served in the very nice restaurant in the chalet at Col Alt; to participate you need to phone to reserve – details below.

We left the house before 7am to walk to the base of Col Alt (no ski bus at that time) and found the snow cat that takes us up!

The ride up was bumpy and steep. Towards the top we saw the peak of Col Alt ahead…

We piled out of the cat…

And into the chalet. The restaurant is all windows and skylights on one side, facing the rising sun which was already starting to heat up the day.

The food speaks for itself.

Bathed in sunlight, we tried to limit our intake of strudel because we knew we had to make it down the hill soon.

Ready to hit the slopes before all the skiers mess it up!

Breakfast and transport, 28 euros per person. Book via phone +39 0471 836324, www.rifugiocolalt.com

Ghirlandaio, Sassetti Chapel, Santa Trinita, Florence

Medici money may be the most apparent in the city, but it’s not the only example of patronage thanks to banking profit. It was Cosimo il Vecchio who commissioned Filippo Brunelleschi to build the present version of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici family’s parish church in the 15th century. Cosimo’s Tomb and the Funeral Monument of Piero and Giovanni de’ Medici are by Verrocchio. The family library is housed in the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (Laurentian Library) designed by Michelangelo, next to the church. The whole complex is extremely close to Palazzo Medici (later Riccardi), the prototype of the Florentine Renaissance palace, which Michelozzo built for Cosimo. Cosimo de’ Medici also funded the rebuilding of San Marco around 1437, a former Dominican convent that is now home to numerous works by Fra’ Angelico, who lived here and painted the frescoes in the friars’ cells, the Chapter House and other rooms.

Palazzo Rucellai

Chapels in Santa Maria Novella belonged to such merchant families as the Bardi, the Rucellai, the Strozzi (frescoed by Filippino Lippi) and the Gondi (the chapel, designed by Giuliano da Sangallo, houses Brunelleschi’s Crucifix). And of course the Strozzi and Rucellai families’ wealth is highly visible in this area in their palaces – the Rucellai palace by Alberti can be visited from the outside only on via della vigna nuova.

Inside Santa Croce

Many of these family names show up again at the Basilica of Santa Croce in which chapels frescoed by Giotto and his school belong to the great houses that owed their fortune to trade and banking: the Bardi, the Peruzzi, the Baroncelli, the Rinuccini, the Castellani and the Alberti. Later, Andrea de’ Pazzi commissioned Brunelleschi to build the Pazzi Chapel; Cosimo de’ Medici had Michelozzo rebuild one wing of the convent for novices, and Tommaso Spinelli, treasurer to Pope Paul II, paid for the construction of the 15th century cloister.

Oratory of the Buonomini, photo archivio fotografico Regione Toscana

Money is highly apparent in the chapels of the church of Santa Trinita, in particular in the chapel of Francesco Sassetti, in which Domenico Ghirlandaio and his assistants painted the Stories of St Francis, including a view of a northern city which may be Geneva or Lyons, where Sassetti was in charge of the local branch of the Medici Bank. Also depicted are Sassetti himself and his family, together with Lorenzo the Magnificent and his progeny in splendid robes and jewels. From the same years and in a similar narrative style, frescoes by the school of Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Oratory of the Buonomini di San Martino depicts the Buonomini group’s social work from about 1480–1485. Restored in the spring of 2011, this is the only Florentine painting cycle of the period with a non-religious theme.

Even the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel, by Masolino and Masaccio, fit into this theme because they are linked to a diplomatic mission to the court of the Egyptian sultan in 1422 by Felice Brancacci (the man who commissioned the frescoes) to win preferential trading terms for Florence.

Finally, the Uffizi Gallery houses works connected with the Arte del Cambio (or Money Changers’ Guild), including a panel by Orcagna with the Stories of St Matthew (1367) from a pillar in the church of Orsanmichele. It is also home to Botticelli’s most important masterpieces which have become veritable icons of the Florentine Renaissance.

To get a sense of what life might have been like in the fifteenth century, two palazzi turned into museums recreate a wealthy merchant family’s home: the Horne Museum, with its rich art collection in a period setting, and Palazzo Davanzati.

Source: Palazzo Strozzi press office, with some changes.

Piazza Duomo with a green lawn (a one-day event)

Beyond the many permanent tourist attractions in Florence and Tuscany, like churches and museums, temporary exhibits, major concerts, fairs and other events make life or a holiday here more varied. To help you plan your 2012 holidays in Florence and Tuscany, here is a description of events to look forward to. As these get announced throughout the year I will be updating the information in this post as it arrives.

Temporary Exhibitions and arts events in Florence

Palazzo Strozzi offers excellent temporary exhibits in Florence and I always write about them here on arttrav. The Spring/Summer show this year is Americans in Florence. Sargent and the American Impressionists, which will be on from March 3 to July 15 2012. The contemporary area of this museum will show a related exhibit of contemporary American artists called American Dreamers. Reality and Imagination in American Contemporary Art from 9 March-15 July 2012.  After their summer closure, the main exhibit area will show The Thirties. The Arts in Italy during Fascism (22 September 2012-27 January 2013)

You should know that 2012 is “Vespucci Year” (Anno Vespucciano) in Florence, a year to celebrate the Florentine nativagor Amerigo Vespucci, who gave America its name. The Florentine newspaper is writing a monthly column (directed by yours truly) on this topic and we’re keeping an eye out for Vespucci events that celebrate relations between Florence and America.

Culture week 2012 (Settimana della cultura) is scheduled for April 14-22; there are free entrances to all state museums in Italy as well as various special visits, openings, conferences etc at this time (all announced rather last minute, usually on the Mibac’s official website in italian).

We are looking forward to Florens 2012 in November, a major international conference on themes related to cultural heritage, with associated events interesting to the general public. A bi-annual event, last time they staged a copy of the David in the various places it might have been installed, and also put down green grass in piazza Duomo for a weekend.

Tapestries at the Uffizi

The “Un Anno ad Arte” lineup in Florence’s state museums (Uffizi, Accademia and Pitti, primarily) is the major temporary exhibits in the city. These are:

• La Galleria degli Arazzi: Epifanie di Tessuti Preziosi (‘The Tapestry Gallery: Epiphany of Precious Textiles’), March 20 to June 2, Uffizi Gallery
• Japan, land of myth – April 3 to July 1, Palazzo Pitti – three exhibits in one, including one on Japanism in Tuscany
• Arte torna Arte – July 8 to September 4, 2012, Accademia
• Myths and stories in renaissance maiolica at the Bargello, May 16 to Sept 16 2012
• International Gothic style in Florence – June 19 to Nov 4, Uffizi Gallery
• The new frontier: history and culture of the native americans, Palazzo Pitti, July 3 to Dec 8 2012

Temporary Exhibitions in Tuscany

The shows in Tuscany are announced even later than those in Florence, so far this is what I could find!

Siena: Until April 9 is the exhibit of erotic illustrator Milo Manara that has extreme pop appeal (lots of fans on facebook)!

San Gimignano is home to an excellent contemporary art gallery, Galleria Continua. From 11/02/2012 – 31/03/2012 there are two solo exhibitions KADER ATTIA – ‘Essential’ and Brazilian artist CARLOS GARAICOA – ‘Sin Solución’.

In Pisa at Palazzo Blu, after a series of modern masters shows (Picasso, Miro et al), they’re doing a show called Storie dall’altro Mondo, l’Universo dentro e fuori di noi (Stories from the other world, the universe inside and outside of us) which appears to be photographs of the cosmograph.

Concerts in Florence

If you are interested in attending something alternative and artistic, an interesting series of contemporary art and electronic music performances called “Live at the Museum” have been organized in the Museo Marino Marini in Florence by International Feel. The dates are Carter Tutti (UK, March 30), Mouse on Mars (Germany, April 13), Sic Alps (USA, April 27), Nurse With Wound (UK, May 18).  Concerts start at 9:30pm and entrance costs 20 euro.

If classical is more your thing but you want something more intimate than a whole symphony orchestra, check out “Meet the soloists” organized by the Maggio Musicale orchestra soloists who will give a small concert after introducing themselves properly to the public (and taking questions) every Monday night in 2012, 9pm, Conservatorio Statale di Musica di Firenze Luigi Cherubini, Piazza delle Belle Arti 2. Concerts cost 15 euros donation to charity.

In the Spring Celtic music fans can look forward to Loreena McKennitt (April 18 at Obihall Florence) while for some old time Italian music go see Fiorella Mannoia on March 30 at Mandela Forum, or the more pop/sexy guy Tiziano Ferro on April 25 at the same location.

The city is already buzzing about the Madonna concert that will be in Florence on June 16 2012 at the stadium, 2 days after her concert in Milan. Tickets go on sale for the general public on February 13 here. It is her first time playing Florence in 25 years.

Alanis Morisette will be playing in Florence on July 20 2012.

Two other big concerts announced at the same time are Bruce Springsteen June 10 in Florence and Radiohead July 1 at Florence’s Cascine park.

Major concerts in Tuscany

If you grew up singing hippy songs like I did you’ll want to see James Taylor in Lucca on March 10 2012!

At the Lucca Summer Festival (for 2012 the dates are June 29 to July 19) the big names playing are: Norah Jones, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Blink-182.

Dance performances and events

Danza in Fiera is a dance trade show where there are all sorts of dance shows and also tryouts and booths and more (Feb 23-26).

Usually in the summer there is a programme called Estate al Bargello; the 2012 dates have not yet been announced but it runs from May to September and has performances in the courtyard of the Bargello museum.

Recently a website with dance events in Tuscany has been opened up so check out www.dotlinedanza.it for listings.

Special markets, fairs and “sagre” (country fairs)

In the cold winter weather, carnevale still preceeds lent and easter. Carnevale in Tuscany is synonymous with Viareggio, where you can go see floats that make fun of Italian politics (they’re not super easy to understand, I think, if you don’t know something about current events here). In 2012, the carts will be on display on the Sundays of February 5, 12, 19 and 26 and Saturday, March 3. There is a free parade on Fat Tuesday, February 21, while the other parades require tickets (yes!) which you can reserve at www.viareggio.ilcarnevale.com.

If you love antiques and artisan work, Florence’s Artigianato e Palazzo weekend is for you, a kind of sale and display of high quality artisan work in the gorgeous gardens of Palazzo Corsini May 11-13 2012, info at www.artigianatoepalazzo.it.

If you have a sweet tooth Florence has some fairs for you: in February (10-19) there’s the artisan chocolate fair in Piazza della Repubblica. In May is the much awaited gelato festival, the 2012 dates are May 23-27.

This post brought to you thanks to www.thomson.co.uk.

I guess I’m just thinking that the elements are not particularly friendly these days. But a post about these things would be no fun. So the art historian in me decided on a challenge: to come up with historic misfortunes to befall churches in Italy and to think about what we have learned from these disasters, if anything.

Earth

The element Earth becomes destructive when it moves on its own. Italy has suffered many earthquakes over time. Most recently, the city of Aquila in Abruzzo was completely destroyed, and little is being done to reconstruct it.

Acuila, cupola of Santa Maria del Suffragio, photo ANSA

In September 1997, a massive earthquake hit the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. Because of its position, the church shook hard and was much more damaged than the rest of the town, which nonetheless suffered greatly. And while international effort rushed to restore this important artistic masterpiece, in part due to its impact on tourism, work on other buildings lagged.

During the earthquake, the frescoed vault in the first bay of the basilica collapsed, killing engineers and monks who were inside evaluating the damage of an earlier tremor. This was recorded on video by the photographer Ghigo Roli who had just finished documenting the entire building and its artwork on film the night before. About 200 square meters of vault and fresco were lost, containing works by Giotto, Cimabue, and their workshops.

I first visited Assisi in July 1997, and then again in the summer of 1999. At that date I remember seeing videos and information about how the restoration was proceeding. Life-size reproductions of the destroyed frescoes were printed, and upon these, fragments of plaster were being assembled. Four standing saints were fixed up in this manner and installed in their original location in 2001. The restoration of all wall paintings in the upper church was completed in 2005 (source: KHI).

What did we learn from this disaster? Experts revealed that the reason the church was so badly damaged was that wooden beams were replaced with reinforced concrete ones in the 1950s, a process that had been applied to many Italian monuments, and that was not at all seismic-friendly. In 1998, the Italian Ministry of Culture and the European Commission held a conference to discuss the damage and restoration of the church and potential preventative measures. A year later, the EU Commission announced in a press release that a solution had been found by one of their research groups, and that “custom-made shape memory alloy (SMA) devices will be used to connect the tympanum wall to the roof” in the first heritage application of this technology. I was unable to find out if this was indeed carried out. Indeed, the Assisi quake raised questions about potentially damaging interventions on other important monuments like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Padova’s Scrovegni Chapel, nicely summarized in this article by ArtWatch International. I may be wrong, but I have not heard of much being done to address these issues, and I imagine that we will continue to only patch up damage, like at Pompeii, rather than prevent that damage from happening.

Water

North aisle of Santa Croce, Nov 1966, photo Bazzechi (KHI)

There are too many flood disasters to pick from these days, but the great flood of November 1966 in Florence always tugs at my heartstrings. The most dramatic photos show rushing water in the streets, monuments will all know and love. The photos of ruined artworks are less exciting to look at but I want to talk about the flood at the Church of Santa Croce because of its very long lasting effects on the art world. In the photo above we see mud on the ground as the water retreated, and you can see the line on the wall (still today in person) where it had reached.

Cimabue’s 13th century crucifix, one of the most important works of this period, was irreparably damaged. In the photo by Bazzechi you see the work being transported to the Boboli Gardens after the flood. Its restoration was completed only 10 years later, and it hangs now, in its reduced state, in the museum of the church of Santa Croce, where it always makes me sad.

Cimabue's crucifix being moved after flood, Photo Bazzechi KHI

For many years I thought that the paintings in the Vasarian altars in the side aisles of this church were nothing too spectacular. They are dark and in bad condition; in fact some still have patches of rice paper on them to hold them together after flood damage. When on a visit to Santa Croce a few years ago I found a “new” work in the museum that makes me realize that probably those large, dark works are much more exciting than they look, but they are awaiting restoration (in fact some have come out from restoration and look very nice). Bronzino’s Descent of Christ into Limbo came out from restoration only in 2008 after having been damaged in the flood (and also misplaced); I have spent quite some time admiring the colours, forms and details of this important mannerist work that has been saved from obscurity… 40 years later.

A "new" Bronzino for Santa Croce

How many paintings like this are still hiding in storage somewhere in Florence, waiting for appreciation (and funding)? Or on a lesser scale but equally important, how many books are there in the Biblioteca Nazionale that are still “alluvionati” (flooded) and inaccessible for study? 46 years after this flood we are still removing the mud. In Florence, much has been done to prevent another disaster from the Arno; experts say it is highly unlikely that this will happen again. But meanwhile, in other areas of Italy, disaster is just waiting to strike, and human stupidity is helping it along.

Air

While air can be extremely dangerous to the body in Italy (the colpo d’aria can be fatal), it seems to do less harm to buildings than it does in America. In over a decade of living here I have only seen one little tornado out over the sea, versus the tornadoes that seemed to come through the rustic camp I attended in Canada every year.

I tried to find churches or important buildings damaged by tornadoes or anything else air related and the best I could come up with is that the sanctuary of the Madonna di Loreto was supposedly transported – through air - by angels in the 13^th century; this is a tale of construction, but you figure that their taking away the stones from Nazareth constituted a form of destruction first. But anyway, recent research shows that the Angeli family brought the stones over by boat, so the element involved is in fact water, not air!

A tornado (tromba d’aria) did take out the roof of the archbishopral palace in Padova in the 18^th century. But Padova was more hurt by air raids than by anything natural – allied bombing took out much of the church of the Eremitani and ruined Mantegna’s frescoes in the Ovetari chapel there. Padova was subject in fact to 40 air raids, while Verona was bombed 30 times and 15 raids on Vicenza destroyed the cathedral and historic center. These are just some examples of the terrible damage of WWII bombs in Italy.

Eremitani, Padova, after air raid

Fire

To talk about destruction by fire is almost too easy. The Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD comes to mind – a week in July in which two thirds of the city was destroyed while Emperor Nero was lying on the beach at the coast. The fire was blamed on the Christians (there’s my hook to churches), took out a lot of temples, and made way for the Domus Aurea.

Actually, before the Ancient fire, I thought of the “Fire in the Borgo,” a 9^th century fire in Rome represented in a Raphael fresco in the Vatican. No churches were burned that I know of, but The Church claims responsibility for stopping the fire (in the person of Pope Leo IV).

Raphael's Fire in the Borgo

I asked Agnes from Understanding Rome if she knew of any churches destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the Renaissance or Baroque periods and she came up with an impressive list off the top of her head: Santo Spirito in Sassia and Santa Maria in Traspontina were both rebuilt after fires during the Sack of Rome, and in the 19^th century San Paolo Fuori le Mura was damaged by fire.

Florence, too, was often subject to fire in the middle ages, when the tightly populated city was built mostly of wood. Giovanni Villani recounts, in his Chronicle of Florence, various fires in the summer of 1325 including one in via del Parione “next to the church of Santa Trinità, and 14 houses burned, and 5 people died.” He does not mention if the church was at all damaged. Often fires like this took place because of uprisings against a family or person who tries to barricade himself safely inside a home, resulting in arson of that home that spread to the whole area. This is pretty much what happened in 1311 to poor Mr. Calvacanti who tried to hide in his house when an angry mob was after him for killing messer Pazzino de’Pazzi. But alas, for my purposes, no churches were harmed in this fire.

For a famous church damaged by fire in Florence I must look no further than the Church of Santa Maria nel Carmine, where the Brancacci Chapel by Masaccio and Masolino was only slightly damaged by the massive fire in 1771 that caused the entire rest of the church to be rebuilt in the disconsonant Rococco style. Centuries of oil burning caused dark deposits on the frescoes which was compounded by the fire, and the true colours of this work only came to light in the late 1980s restoration.

Conclusions, of sorts

I have, in my head, the male voice of a 1960s or early 70s documentary narrating a conclusion like “and so, man’s constant battle against the elements…” Why is it that the phrase “battle against the elements” is one of writing’s worst clichés? I’ve gone on too long, and think that my questioning in each section summarizes our relationship with water and earth, in particular, in Italy when it comes to cultural heritage: patch up and clean rather than prevent. Because prevention costs money, and the coffers are empty. Too many monuments don’t even have enough money for regular operation and maintenance (for example, the Biblioteca Nazionale in Florence sometimes has to turn the heat off in the winter because they cannot afford to fix leaking pipes). And in the midst of the worst economic crisis in recent history, when we are all called upon to sacrifice in order to pull the EU out of this mess, I fear little will be done to prevent further disasters to our endangered cultural heritage and landscape.

Italy Blogging Roundtable

And with that perky message, I hope that my fellow knights have come up with something nicer to say about these poor four elements. Check out the other Italy Blogging Roundtable posts on this blog and read what they have to say about this and past topics.

• Jessica writes about “Italy’s Active Volcanoes“
• Rebecca writes “Earth: 47, Morto che Parla”
• Melanie reports on Braving the Elements: A Rare Snowfall in Rome
• And Gloria talks about The Elements and the Seasons: Fire and Water

Designed for a general audience and with no exams or papers to worry about, the course consists of a series of thematic talks by local experts that provide a good introduction to important aspects of this topic. I will be giving one of these talks.

Some of the themes included are:

• From religious to secularized image
• The Foundling Hospital and its museum
• Emblems of  virtue, power and beauty: The female profile portrait in the Quattrocento
• Midwife manuals: early printed images of the fetus in the womb (that’s me)
• Women as patrons of art
• Sexuality and the erotic in Renaissance art
• Visits to the Uffizi, Bargello, Palazzo Vecchio, Galleria Palatina, Museo degli Argenti and the Costume Museum

My talk on midwife manuals stems from research that I presented at RSA in Venice in 2010, which gives me the opportunity to revise this for a more general public and also think about where I might publish it some time. It’s rather too long and complex for this blog, I’m afraid. Prints and books are often excluded from art history courses and may not be considered “art” in the same way as we consider a portrait painting. Yet this printed material had a large influence on the way that people perceived many things, and in this case these popular printed texts tell us something about midwifes, doctors, and womens’ bodies. For your viewing joy here is a page from one of these books.

Rueff 1554, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, all rights reserved

The course costs 450 euros and you can enroll online.

Francesco spots a shark

Laura’s back with her child-centered articles – this time an itinerary for a winter weekend in Genova with activities and museums for kids, including what (and where) to eat!

Last week we took a long weekend in Genova. For children it’s got a famous acquarium, the “city of children” and the Museo Luzzati (cartoons). But it’s also a really fascinating city for adults with its old and modern corners, the melting-pot at the harbor and the noble palaces in the center. And good food based on fish, herbs, pasta, and vegetables. Here’s what we saw and ate!

We went there by train (Firenze-Pisa then Pisa-Genova – about 130,00€ with a Trenitalia family promotion) and reserved at the confortable Cairoli Hotel (via Cairoli, 14) whose very nice personnel suggested excellent places to eat and visit. A room (with a tiny bathroom) was 90,00€ a night, breakfast included.

Dessert at Douce

We arrived in the afternoon and walked to Piazza De Ferrari (a square with a European feel) and to see the San Lorenzo Dome (with a sad lion, according to Francesco). We enjoyed a break at Douce, in piazza Matteotti, with the maître patisser Michel Paquier identified as “Pasticciere emergente 2012” by the Gambero Rosso guide – see the photo for the excellent dessert. Later we had an aperitivo with fried blue fish and ‘farinata’ (made with chickpeas flour) at Friggitoria Carega in via Sottoripa 120 in front of the harbour.

We bought a specially priced combined ticket to visit the Acquario di Genova and Città dei Bambini e dei Ragazzi (Childrens’ City) in the Porto Antico area (it was half price till the end of January otherwise it costs 20,00€ for adults and 5,00€ for children of 3 years).

Francesco enjoys games at Childrens' City

The Childrens’ City appears to be less busy in the morning than in the afternoon. There are areas for children of any age with labyrinths, educational spaces, water games, strange mirrors and musical instruments, etc. For older boys and girls there are many scientific and technological corners. Have a look at the program as there are interactive readings, special initiatives (space, stars, biodiversity, etc) for children of any ages!

For lunch we opted to check out the newly opened EatItaly, with a view of Genova harbor and a lovely selection of Italian enogastronomic specialties, followed by an ice cream at Grom.

In the afternoon we visited the Acquarium. An infinity of pools full of any sort of fish from Piranhas to Sharks, Dolphins, Penguins, etc… But what do all children like best? Nemo (clownfish) of course.

The acquarium offers an unforgettable event that we weren’t able to participate in, the “Notte con gli squali” (night with sharks) for 7 to 13 years old children who have a sleep over in front of the sharks’ pool.

Genova acquarium with stroller, photo flickr @angelagennaro

To relax you can visit “L’albero delle lettere” (via del Canneto il Lungo 38) a bookshop for children and adults any language speaking with a  rich program of interactive readings (3-5 years), creative ateliers, exhibitions and guided tours.

At night a rich starter with affettati and cheese + a glass of wine at Taggiou (vico Superiore del Ferro, 8 ) and then at Gaia restaurant (with high chair) 20 metres far from the hotel (vico dell’Argento), where we had traditional recipes with innovative ingredients.

The day after we walked cross the Magazzini del Cotone (an example of restored industrial architecture) arriving at the Porto Antico.

Then we went to the Luzzati Museum (Emanuele Luzzati is one of the most famous and poetic Italian illustrators – an artist!) with an exhibition of Mordillo (wonderful!), storyboards of a tales illustrated by Luzzati with videos ongoing and a great bookshop. There are also laboratories to book every Saturday at 15.00 inspired by one of the tales illustrated by Luzzati but they are only for children aged 5 and up (5€ each participants with two adults entering the Museum for free followed by a Tigullio milk break included in the entrance).

Francesco tired after the Luzzati museum

We then walked in a different part of Genova: to the old fashioned buildings and streets near the Embriaci square and tower, Teatro della Tosse and Museo di Sant’Agostino, arriving at piazza delle Erbe where we had our last farinata and cheese focaccia with pesto (yum) sitting at Bar Berto. We also stopped for coffee and to pick up some local products for presents (Amaretti di Volteggio di Cavo and chinotto marmalade) at Bar Pasticceria Marescotti (via di Fossatello 35/37).

Bye bye Genova! See you soon… but not too soon because you’re no good for my diet!

Catch up with Laura De Benedetto on the with and within network for women and moms, and read her other Florence for children posts on this blog!

Francesco and daddy fabio at the port

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, 2004 (it does not look like this any more)

On Presa Diretta the thing that shocked me most was that they demonstrated how people are building again on fault lines and flood plains, and that local administrations are issuing these permits. Do we not learn anything from disasters? They showed how the mountains above Vernazza ceded and a wave of mud came down, a wave that would not have happened had there been healthy trees and no development on the hillside (from what I understand, at least).

The folks at Pubblica Assistenza Riomaggiore have set up a “buy a pixel” donation system on the model of the million dollar page. As donations come in, the picture will change from flooded Vernazza to the way it used to look – in the photo above (which incidentally brings more traffic to this website than any article). I purchased 10 pixels right on the beach at Vernazza on the hopes that some day soon I’ll be able to pitch my total shade umbrella there and enjoy a restored town. I know that it will take a lot more than my 25 euros to reach that goal, which is why crowdfunding is a great thing.

This is just one of the many initiatives out there to collect donations, which are added to actual physical efforts on the territory. Last November, after the floods hit Genova as well, I launched a collection, 2 euros at a time, through my work at The Florentine Press, which we then donated to the Red Cross (CRI). Save Vernazza was created by three American women who have lived in Vernazza for years to, in their own words:

Rebuild, restore and preserve the town of Vernazza by raising funds for immediate reconstruction and long-term cultural and environmental projects for the benefit of Vernazza’s community of residents and visitors.

Meanwhile Cinque Terre.com’s blog, that is very active on twitter, seeks to provide information about the Cinque Terre in general and promote continued tourism to the three towns that were not affected by the disaster. Unquestionably, tourism is a two-sided blade that provides much needed funds to the area, but also encourages wild development that harms the earth, unless tourists themselves rise and demand sustainability.

On the topic of sustainability I’ve already published an interview with one of the American women making a documentary on how corruption and development have ruined the Cinque Terre, in which residents themselves propose solutions. I hope that that post encouraged some donations and that the movie will come out soon so that the English-speaking world can be better informed about the plight of this delicate territory.

As for me, I tend to use words rather than my wallet to instigate change; this is a rare donation on my part! Awareness comes first, action next. Let’s all do what we can to help.

The concept of the multi-course Italian meal, as my readers surely know, is reserved for special occasions (like Sunday lunch at my in-laws, or for Christmas Eve menus). More often we’ll just eat a “primo” (often rice or pasta based). The “piatto unico” actually has a historic role in Italian cooking, and is well suited to our current busy lifestyle. As the book summary explains:

The traditional, classic peasant style of cooking known as cucina povera features dishes that are well-balanced with ingredients emphasizing grains, legumes, and vegetables and smaller amounts of costly meat, seafood, and cheese. Piatti unici are also often associated with religious festivals or funerals, times when regular meal-making is interrupted and people rely instead on dishes that can be made in advance and reheated.

Tommaso and I suggested friselle as something we often make for a fast lunch in the summer – in fact, we bring it for picnics at the beach! Friselle are like dried out bagels cut in half, that you dip in water to soften, and then top with oil, tomatoes, and if you want also mozza or tuna. Toni has developed this into an actual recipe, check it out! In my version, the mini tomatoes are cut into 2-3 pieces and touch the bread first, which allows the bread to absorb the flavour and water of the tomato. Mozza I then add in cubes, though I prefer tuna.

The book is one worth having if you’re looking for simple dinner ideas: it includes a substantial number of vegetarian options presented in eight chapters: Prime-Time Pastas; Minestroni and other Big, Bountiful Soups; Mostly Grains and Vegetables; Braises and Stews; Roasted, Grilled, or Sautéed; Insalatone and other Cold Plates; Eggs and Cheese; and Pizza and Panini.

Interested? buy Piatto Unico on amazon.com

Taglionlini with arugula pesto and cherry tomatoes, Photo: Tina Rupp

Giulia Scarpaleggia

AT) Your blog is not only beautiful but provides delicious recipes. How long have you been writing it, and what factors inspire you to write (ie. how do you come up with the recipe or post ideas?)

GS) I started my blog on the 1st day of February 2009, so it’s almost three years now. I started a blog, after mo

re than one year of passionate foodblog reading, because I wanted something to call mine, a place to post recipes, photos and my thoughts about daily life.

At the beginning I was into foreign and ethnic food, so I was inspired by this desire to experiment whatever was far from my daily culinary world.

Then I started to feel the urge to explore the world that everyone – especially those abroad – loves, and where I had the good fate to live: Tuscany. So back to home cooking and family recipes, to discover my roots and my smell and taste memories.

Now my focus is the ingredient. I look for fresh, seasonal, preferably local produce. I’m not a fanatic or a control freak, but my aim is to use the best products of the season, and from there to develop a recipe.

Usually each recipe is related to a story, and the story is inspired by my life, my dreams or my memories of the childhood. I’m quite a romantic person!

Mac and cheese, click for her awesome recipe!

2) Tell us about the services you are now offering in person, beyond the blog.

My first cooking class for foreigners dates back to 2006, and it was a way to spend a different evening with an American friend. I realized there was something special in cooking together with people belonging to different food cultures because it gave us the chance to understand us better, and I managed to show to the fullest what my region was through ingredients and cooking rituals. This is the main reason I enjoy teaching cooking classes.

Now my basic offer is a three hour hands-on cooking class during which we have the chance to create a complete menu, from appetizer to dessert, using only the freshest seasonal ingredients. Every dish is usually introduced by a family story or a local tradition, because this is how I learned to cook, listening to my grandma’s or mum’s stories in the kitchen and watching their movements among pots and pans. The class  can be held in my family kitchen, located in a traditional country house in the heart of the Tuscan countryside, between Siena and Florence or, by request, in a rented villa or apartment.

Along with cooking classes there is also the option to take tours to a local cheese farm, a beautiful and rustic organic podere, and a farming estate producing Chianti Classico wine, Extravirgin Olive Oil, and raising the rare Cinta Senese pigs.

I’m also organizing two week long tours with the Art centre Verrocchio in Casole d’Elsa (Siena), with three hands-on cooking classes, daily trips to markets and local farms, to have a firsthand experience of our production: wine, extra virgin olive oil, goat cheese and pecorino cheese, Chianina, Cinta senese and seasonal vegetables.

The last idea I had was inspired by my friends’ requests: a custom cooking class. Juls’ Kitchen on Demand was the solution:  you choose the theme of the class, you call me and I arrive directly at your doorstep with my car loaded with pots, pans and supplies. I just need a kitchen that may contain from 5 up to 10 people and some basic equipment, the rest is up to me!

zucchini!

3) You’ve taken a big risk during a moment of crises. What makes you think that this business will work?

My dreams, my hopes and a sturdy faith in fairytales!

This is how I face my life, if I have a dream I do all that I can to realize it, and my dream is to have an independent job related to food: cooking food, teaching how to cook food, writing about food and taking pictures of food.

In this serious moment the old style secure jobs are even more impossible to obtain, I think the solution is to invest time, strength and sleepless hours to discover and pursue your passion, because it’s the only richness that doesn’t lose value!

Besides this, you need planning: I’ve been blogging for three years now and teaching cooking classes for more than one year as a second job. So, when my primary job ended I was not left alone in the dark, I had already contacts, skills and ideas for the future, now I have also the time to turn them into reality.

Last but not least, I live in Tuscany and I love Tuscany. Isn’t it one of the best places in the world to deal with food?

4) Big dreams or plans for the future?

My aim is to become a food writer along with a cooking class teacher, because I re-discovered after so many years how I love to write, I’m actually in love with words, and I feel a powerful energy when I tap on my keyboard, telling stories, recipes and episodes related to food. Maybe I am just a wordy person, but, seriously, I feel the urge to write!

Next to my literary ambitions, have I ever told you I love England? Yep, I love England, London, English humour, the English people and even the English rain, oh, and Jamie Oliver as well! So one of my big plans is to teach a few Tuscan cooking classes in England, once in a while, but I’m still working on this project!

5) As you know, I recently failed at making gnocchi. When I sign up for a gnocchi making lesson with you, what vegetarian menu would you propose to go around them?

It will depend on the season, because I strictly use seasonal produce, but there could be a soup – ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, acquacotta, panzanella -, a raw salad with nuts and honey, some roasted vegetables or a vegetable flan (I love spinach flan!), and obviously a dessert, from tiramisu to tiny rice cakes, my favourite as a child.

Catch up with Giulia at her blog Juls’ Kitchen or book a lesson by emailing her at juls@julskitchen.com. I wish her all the best and look forward to our vegetarian cooking lesson!

Colisseum viewed from Colle Oppio Park

I’m a big advocate of the Slow Travel and Slow Food movement. If you’re not familiar with it, the basic idea is that the modern world is attracted, and addicted, to things in fast forward, and one has to make a conscious effort to go against that tendency and slow down – not because doing things slowly is necessarily better, but because some things require more time to do them properly. When you speed it up, you ruin it. For example, to make a good zuppa di fagioli (bean soup), you need at least a few hours, and you should have soaked the beans the night before. If you speed that up, you’re going to be eating some nasty, crunchy beans.

Rome is no different. For a crazy, frenetic city, the best things it has to offer require that you are not in a hurry. It takes time. Ever heard of La dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing)? They don’t call it La dolce fare tanto in fretta (the sweetness of running around).

How do you reconcile this when you only have 2-3 days? Well, It’s not easy. There is some major stuff to see without creating serious guilt – nobody wants to admit that they came to Rome and didn’t go to the Vatican. And yet, the Vatican is a big commitment and frankly, it’s not much fun [editor’s note: arttrav knows how to have fun in the Vatican, it’s a matter of perspective...]. I’m not suggesting you cross it off your list (actually, I am), but I’m going to make some suggestions of things you need to fit in to your short stay, beyond all the churches and museums and archeological ruins. If you miss some of the major sites, that’s fine. You will have experienced what Rome is about, what it has to offer, and what it feels like.

1) In the evening, go into the center and get a gelato and go for a stroll.  There’s San Crispino, a famous gelateria near the Trevi Fountain that’s worth starting at. Take the A line subway to Spagna and walk from there. Get your gelato, pass by the fountain, throw in your coin to ensure a trip back, and then head over to the Pantheon for a prosecco (Venetian champagne) in the piazza. Or just stroll without a destination. Get lost in the labyrinthine streets of the center.

2) Go to the Borghese Gallery

Probably the best collection of art EVER – and managed in the most painless way imaginable. Since you’ve booked ahead there’s no lines and you can only stay 2 hours, which is right when museum fatigue kicks in anyway*. Get the audio guide – it’s well worth it and you’ll get so much more out of the experience – you’ll actually appreciate Bernini and Caravaggio. Afterwards, get one of those big buggy-bikes and ride around the Villa Borghese. Look at the view of the city from the Pincio and sit in the cafe near the lake and have a coffee. [*note that this is the opinion of the guest poster, not of arttrav, who got kicked out of the Borghese trying to stay beyond the time allotted, 2 hours is nowhere near enough, and museum fatigue is a myth.]

3) When going to the Colisseum, head there by way of the Colle Oppio park which was built out of the remains of Trajan’s bathhouses and over Nero’s “Golden House”. Stop for a Campari and soda, or an Aperol (orange flavored aperitif) at the cafe in the park. It’s a great way to first see the Colisseum.

4) Go to Testaccio, an overlooked, blue-collar neighborhood of Rome near the Tiber river, across from Trastevere.

Testaccio, flickr user @telwink

In ancient times, this was the main trade neighborhood for goods coming and going into Rome, and takes its name from Monte Testaccio, a man-made “mountain” created from broken pieces of discarded terra cotta pottery. Take a stroll through the market, or visit the Città dell’Altra Economia, a sort of haven of all things organic (bio) in what was once the city’s slaughterhouse. Eat at Pizzeria at Da Remo, an inexpensive, a quintessential neighborhood pizzeria experience.

5) Stay in an apartment and cook something for yourself. The markets in Rome are amazing. The mercati rionali are neighborhood ones. Head to Piazza Vittorio for the cheap, gritty, good stuff if you’re near Termini, or there’s the market in Testaccio which is also the real deal. Or get some fresh mozzarella, olives and bread and make a picnic to have in a park – there’s the Villa Torlonia, the Vila Ada, the Villa Borghese, and the Villa Celimontana. In the summer, these parks often have open air cinemas and music. You can see some food shopping advice here from some kids (mine) who are particularly “in-the-know”.

Also, prepare to come back. If you threw your coin in the Trevi Fountain, this is a guarantee anyway. The Vatican will still be there. You can always hit it on the second or third trip.

Trevi fountain, flickr user @pmorgan67

Steve Brenner and his wife Linda Martinez moved to Rome with the dream of opening an eco-friendly, budget hotel called The Beehive. They also own Cross-pollinate, a vacation rental service for apartment rentals and B&Bs around Europe. They currently live in Orvieto, a medieval hill-town in Umbria, an hour north of Rome.

Other museums included in the initiative are the archaeological museum of Naples, Compendio Garibaldino di Caprera, Museo nazionale etnografico preistorico Luigi Pigorini di Roma, Palazzo Ducale di Mantova, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche di Urbino, Museo dei Balzi Rossi di Ventimiglia, and coming up soon in 2012, Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia, Museo d’Arte Orientale a Ca’ Pesaro in Venice, Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra in Rovereto, Armeria Reale di Torino and Museo Archeologico Santa Maria delle Monache, Isernia. There is no question that many of these museums are not just undiscovered but downright obscure, whereas Mantova, Urbino, and Perugia are a bit better known. Many Florentines have never been to Palazzo Davanzati, so this is a good opportunity to bring the museum-goers of the future to this space.

A press conference yesterday was a bit of a change from the usual monotonous presentation because 2 classes of well-behaved 10 year olds were invited, and the representative from the Mibac often spoke directly to them, which was cute. The children were asked what they liked best of the experience and one answered “the scarpetta scaldamano”, a maiolica object whose function – warming hands – was explained in the booklet. This is exactly the kind of information – how things and spaces were used – that I have always said make the museum experience, and that need to be made available in Palazzo Davanzati, a museum that has wonderful potential for families. Participants are asked to write their opinions of the museum visit online or on a handout, offering them an opportunity to reflect on and verbalize the experience. The feedback may help museums develop more projects like this in the future.

Another cute element of this booklet is a drawing of museum staff and an explanation of the people who work behind the scenes: director, conservator, curator, education services (!!), guards, security and technology staff. This reminds children that museums can potentially provide careers. It does not mention the government concorsi and complete impossibility of getting IN to a job like that, but children should be allowed to dream!

This booklet is a great idea, but it could be improved. Part (but not all) of the text from this handout is available online, but it sure would be great if Focus would make a free downloadable PDF available for posterity. Another nice thing would be if a few thousand copies were printed and given out to families for free, even after this special is over, directly at the museum front desk. Finally, I know that it is an Italian magazine, but I would like to see a similar didactic tool produced in English. Encouraging museum visits with children is important on a local and national level, but your typical Italian parent also has good visual training and may be able to guide a child better than a foreigner. Helping tourism by the provision of material in other languages is equally important, and would not have a much larger cost (for example, I would be perfectly capable of translating these twelve booklets into English for a minimal fee). That said, didactic visits to some of Florence’s museums are available upon advance reservation (see servizio didattica).

Improvements are being made in Palazzo Davanzati since I wrote about it years ago. New informative texts are available in multiple languages in most of the rooms. A welcome desk has finally been installed in the front room, with a little bookshop area, after many years of these staff members sitting at a card table in the courtyard.

With kids or not, visit Palazzo Davanzati and read along to understand the context of the early modern Italian family, a fascinating experience for adults and kids. If you can’t use the Italian material from Focus Junior, print out my guide to Palazzo Davanzati and bring it with you!

“The term ‘luthier’ came about in the 14th century, when people played lutes, and luthiers made (and fixed) the instrument. As lutes fell out of favour and people started playing more violins, violas, and the like, the luthier’s business evolved towards these new instruments.” Stefano indicates a twelve-stringed guitar propped up against the wall: “the first guitars had five pairs of strings because they were a variation of the lute,” which, he explained, has a variable number of strings, most often eight. Now you’d be hard pressed to find someone who plays the lute (or Renaissance music), and the luthier in the literal sense of the term is a rare figure serving a niche market.

Stefano defines himself as a modern luthier – his business card says “Liuteria Moderna” and is illustrated with a psychedelic pattern of electric guitars. The more we talk, the more I figure out that his approach to his profession, and the way he got into it, is both modern and pragmatic, and has nothing of the romance that we normally associate with Italian ‘artisans‘ – a term I doubt he’d use to define himself. Stefano did not apprentice to a master luthier at the age of 16, as I’d imagined, nor does he pontificate about perfect harmonics. He does not feel a connection to the Florentine tradition of artisans nor to the Pratese tradition of making tangible products.

“Ci vuole manualità,” he says – it takes manual ability to do this job, and from the way he speaks of it, working on guitars is pretty simple stuff. Although there is one professional school in Cremona that offers an intensive instrument-maker program, there is little specific training available to luthiers. Stefano came to it pretty much by chance. He had been living in the USA for a decade with his American wife and two kids when they decided to make the move back to Italy in 2006, and a friend offered him a job fixing guitars in a workshop in Florence (he’s since branched out on his own). Before this, Stefano worked in home improvement. His main contact with guitars was playing them: he started at the age of 13, was in a few amateur bands, but stopped when he took up the job of luthier. Sad, no? Not to him: “This work is more satisfying, less ephemeral, than making music,” Stefano says.

Garage workshop

Inside the workshop

We get back to my initial question of how one becomes a luthier, and by this time I’ve pretty much figured it out. Like many in this field, Stefano is self taught. “It’s pretty simple. You take apart an instrument, you think about how the parts fit together, their properties, how they work, and you put it back together… Ci vuole manualità.” As if being good with one’s hands is all it takes. Talking with him, you understand that he knows his stuff, he understands good work and good sound, but he won’t bore a non guitar-head like me with the details.

New bone bridge for 12-string guitar

The bread and butter of Stefano’s job is fixing guitars. I look around the workshop and see about half a dozen guitars in various states of disrepair, amongst skateboards, fishing and knife hobbyist magazines, packs of guitar strings, shells for mother of pearl inlay and deer antlers. Work comes in waves – now, January, is a busy time, as was earlier last year when a client’s wife threw his collection of thirteen basses out the window (guess she’d had enough of that riff from “smoke on the water”).

He shows me a few examples of repair jobs and explains the importance of balancing time and cost with functional needs and the cost of the instrument to start. In each case he’ll discuss with the client what needs to be done, and might offer more or less economical solutions. In the case of a break or crack, sometimes the best solution is a simple repair rather than aiming for a perfect aesthetic result which would require stripping and refinishing. This is especially true now that the finishes on guitars are a shiny, almost plastic shell.

Broken head, fixed, no finish

Does Stefano make custom guitars? He could, but he rarely makes guitars from scratch. It’s just not economical, he explains: for every person who dreams of building the perfect custom guitar, there’s a detractor who says it has no resale value. The fact is that the cost of a handmade guitar, even by the most famous of makers (like Sadowsky Guitars in New York), doesn’t go much beyond 4000 dollars. Working alone, it might take 2-3 months to build a guitar, and it’d be hard to survive on the proceeds. As I said, Stefano’s approach is pragmatic. It makes more economic sense to customize and fix guitars than to build them.

Is there a future in this business? Do kids still play guitar? Yes and no. There are always professional musicians and amateur guitar lovers, and there are still kids who take music lessons. Instruments will always be involved in accidents, and Stefano can help with that. But he has no trouble applying his skills transversally: as he moved from construction to guitar repair, he just as easily could be crafting anything else. He showed me a beautifully smooth knife that he was inspired to make with some leftover stainless steel that he recuperated from a friend’s business: the patient shaping and planing of the handmade knife uses the same skills as planing the body of a guitar.

Stefano is a maker. The kind of person who produces tangible objects that are the past of our economy, but also its future. Makers are a new trend (not that Stefano is trying to be trendy), a kind of backlash in a historic moment overly based on intangible monetary exchanges and service industries (including people like me who make a living writing blogs), rather than on manufacture. Long live those with manual ability and the patience to carry it out!

Bring your broken guitars and your customization dreams to Stefano Giusti in Prato, tel +39 3348921598, email stevostevo68@gmail.com.

* * * * *

The theme of this month’s Italy Blogging Roundtable is Crafts. Read what the other writing knights have to say on the subject:

• Rebecca writes of Crafts in Umbria
• Jessica ambitiously has come up with The Guide to Crafts in Italy
• Gloria writes of lovely Wood, Leather and Flowers (which kinda reminds me of a Donatello statue lecture given by an undergraduate prof of mine on what you can do with leather and feathers… but assume Gloria’s post is not about erotic crafts!)
• and Melanie comes in with Marble Run: Shopping for Traditional Marbled Products in Italy

Terraced vineyards in the Cinque Terre

The two independent filmmakers finished gathering material in Italy in September 2010. It was a documentary focused on wine production as sustainable development, though it focused also on sustainable tourism and related environmental themes. Two weeks later, the most interesting people they filmed got arrested. Scandal hit the Cinque Terre. And not too long later, in October 2011, Vernazza and Monterosso were devastated by flooding and mudslides, flooding that also affected Genova, but that might have been avoided – say the newspapers and the carabinieri – had it not been for overbuilding in the environmentally delicate area.

Sharon Boeckle answers some questions from ArtTrav:

AT: What drew you to the Cinque Terre in the first place? Are you sure it wasn’t Rick Steves?

SB: My first visit was over ten years ago, during an organized tour of Italy with a group of Americans. I had wanted to find somewhere “unusual” and “off the beaten path” to discover, and the Cinque Terre was a quick day trip from where we were at that time (in Tuscany.) I fell in love with the area immediately, and almost every year after I returned and over the years I began to know the area a little bit better. It was through those short visits that I began to see some changes… in 2001, 2002, the Cinque Terre was not quite so full with tourists and the park office was fairly new. Over time, the crowds got larger and the organization of the park grew. I shared all of my observations with Krista, and, together, we thought that that this development would be a good subject for a documentary film. Through research we discovered the restoration of the winemaking tradition and it became our first area of focus, but then, with a 2008 research trip, the area of focus grew.

What scandal hit the area that drastically changed the direction of your documentary?

Two individuals interviewed for the film were arrested just two weeks after we got home; one of them was cleared on all charges, the other is Franco Bonanini, who was the president of the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre at that time. Those arrests took place on September 28, 2010. I am sure you can find objective documentation on what happened and how; I would be prefer to simply state that it was that arrest that changed the scope of our film, but we have no comment on anything else regard to the arrests.

Cinque Terre landscape

Hasn’t Cinque Terre done some things to preserve the environment? I thought I read that they did not allow plastic bottles in the area. Was it just a media ploy?

The ban on plastic bottles and some other restrictions were indeed a few of the many programs implemented by the park to try to sustain the environment of the area.

Name three specific things that you think Cinque Terre must do to pull things together and save the area from itself.

We are not environmental experts or experts on sustainable development or sustainable tourism, and so we hesitate to suggest that anyone outside of the community should comment on what the citizens need to do to “save” the area, if it indeed needs to be “saved.” We care deeply for the residents of these villages, their land, and their traditions, and we wish to allow them to tell THEIR story, to highlight THEIR concerns and struggles, so that they may have a voice in our film, and then to allow the audience members to form their own opinions.

You can support the documentary Vendemmia through the filmmakers’ kickstarter campaign, which ends January 31 2012 and has already reached its 2600$ goal! They set the goal low to be sure to reach it (and 48 people so far have been convinced to help them monetarily) but still need more money for plane tickets and equipment rentals.

April 2011 – Official opening of Le Murate

preserved old cells at le murate

Now it's alive!

The former prison (sometimes known as “le Carceri”) has undergone a long period of restoration, and after a preview in January 2010, it opened fully and officially in April 2011. For the first three months, the superintendant of culture Giuliano da Empoli (who in December left this role, unfortunately) asked a handful of associations and media that have been close to him during the previous months to organize events. As I have been involved in le Murate from the start of Da Empoli’s position at Palazzo Vecchio, I was asked to participate with The Florentine to provide some English-language programming for this space. We had a debate called “culture clash” and 2 knit cafes, all of which were quite successful, I think.

Le Murate has been slowly taking off, rather than exploding, but it provides an interesting cultural hub at the edge of the city, along the viali, in a position that promises to become more important in the future. It takes time to populate a cultural center of this type, but the opening of a bookstore and gallery, and more recently the Literary Cafe’, are steps towards the revitalization of the space.

September to December 2011 – The Search for the lost Leonardo

For many years, my old professor Rab Hatfield (Syracuse University in Florence) has been saying that he knows exactly where, in Palazzo Vecchio, Leonardo’s famed Battle of Cascina was begun – only to be covered up by Vasari. He has in fact published a book about this. I remember a particularly impassioned talk that he gave some of us in the Salone dei Cinquecento in which he explained that certainly Vasari valued Leonardo as an artist too much to just paint over his work, so he built a wall with some space in front of it. Another art historian, Dr. Seracini, has also been working on finding the lost Leonardo for many years. Both scholars have pointed out the words “Cerca Trova” (look and you shall find) on the fresco, thought to be a hint as to where to start digging.

This year, the National Geographic Society got involved in the search, thanks to the intervention of an American photographer named Dave Yoder, who figured that using a gamma ray camera (a technology first developed by someone else) could “image” the painting behind the 12cm thick wall. His kickstarter campaign for $265,000 failed. However, National Geographic made a hefty donation to fund the work, which is going ahead without the gamma camera as far as I understand. And most importantly, Matteo Renzi, mayor of Florence, strongly wanted the research to go ahead – and for a discovery to be made.

Scaffolding went up and work commenced on November 27, 2011. The exploration team used an endoscopic probe (kinda like what they use for a gastroscopy, only finer) which they poked through very small holes (4mm) made in the painting. The only thing they determined is that there is an air space between Vasari’s wall and something behind it. Meanwhile, the Carabinieri looked on after some claimed that the research is damaging Vasari’s fresco, and an interesting polemic (it wouldn’t be italy without polemics) began. 400 signatures sit on a petition against the search behind Vasari for Leonardo, names of art historians for whom I have profound respect: Keith Christiansen, Luke Syson, Salvatore Settis, and also the vocal Tomaso Montanari and the polemical critic Francesco Bonami.

Where is all this going? I have no further updates beyond December 9th and believe that this part of the search is over. It may be stopped forever due to protests. The question remains: what would they do if they were to find Leonardo under there, anyway? Bonami says that an obsession with nostalgia and our (italians’) past keeps us from looking and moving ahead. I have to agree: Florence needs a future right now, maybe even more than more past. (On the topic of 2012 being the year Florentines find their future, read my husband’s reflections here).

December 2011 – New Opera House

The Nuovo Teatro dell’Opera di Firenze opened for a short preview at the end of December with a line up of excellent concerts to ring in the new year (unfortunately I am too cheap to have attended any of them). An attractive building designed by Paolo Desideri of Abdr Architetti Associati, it will house three concert halls when finished, including one outside ampitheatre.

2 years and 160 million euros to get to this point and it seems like a miracle, knowing how long major projects usually take around here. Unfortunately only the first phase of the works has been inaugurated, and after this “preview,” more construction is expected. The structure is expected to really open towards the end of 2012. I hope they pull it off. The Maggio Musicale, whose new home this is, says that we will see a 40% increase in programming, including laboratories aimed at children and families – which would certainly help secure the future of classical music.

December 20, 2011 – Uffizi’s Blue Rooms

Eight new rooms to hold a few hundred old paintings – the first lot of the Nuovi Uffizi restoration project that has been going on, and polemical, for as long as I can remember is complete.

Much has been made of the “sale blu“, billed as a heroic step towards a different museum display. True, the Uffizi has always had (boring) white walls and pietra serena accents in the Vasarian vision of this space. But the blue rooms are nothing new, museologically. I admit, I have not seen them yet, but having seen photos, I am immediately reminded of the Bardini museum, whose blue walls inspired Isabel Stewart Gardner. Bardini Blue was thus popular in the 19th century. Why is it, then, that in the Uffizi’s initial proposal for blue walls in 2008 – when Natalini suggested applying them to the Botticelli room (it could use some sprucing up!) – the sh*t hit the fan? This proposal was shifted to the French, Spanish, and Dutch works about which the public is apparently less sensitive.

*   *    *   *   *

So that’s 2011 art news in Florence as I saw it. A bit heavy towards December, which may be fresh in my mind, or may represent a push on the part of administration to get things done by the end of the year! Let’s hope 2012 brings even more activity and fewer polemicized debates. Happy New year, folks.

Flow

Flow Store- photo mens reverie

Tucked in behind the more famous via Tornabuoni, this place looks like the living room of a rich boys’ chalet, with a few racks of super hipster clothing and accessories. One of the few multi-brand boutiques in Florence, the look is 100% hipster – you need to know how to combine their pieces yourself, or be dressed by their staff… which isn’t much of a problem for most Pitti people, anyway. Their dedicated shoe store opened just a few months ago and is perhaps even more exciting than the clothing store.

Brands carried: JFK 68, Gold Bunny, Department 5, Anachronorm, Checkin’ Out, Filson, Jejia, Red Seal, San Francisco, Red Seal, Noodle Park, 2 Men, Htc, Ben’Barek, Soho, Alternative, Golden Age, Ten C, J.Motors, Moma, Pane Tulipani, Destin Surl, Sus, Milano 35, Collection, Privee, Used, L’autre chose, Orciani, Shoto, Buttero, Diadora, Generic Surplus, Walk Over, Prima Base, Numero 10, Riccardo Forconi, Quoddy, Corsia.

Website: www.flow-store.it (in flash – hey Flow, you could hire us at Flod to make you a new website, it’s just one letter away)
Via de’ Vecchietti 20r
Shoe store on via Sassetti (just go straight towards piazza Strozzi from the main store)

View Larger Map

Société Anonyme

Societe Anonyme bag

Store

A beautiful, bright space in which to hang out, a concept store in the fullest meaning of the idea, with an annexed co-working space that encourages sociability. Beyond clothes by international brands that you certainly will not find anywhere else in Florence, the store carries Frietag bags, lomo cameras, and other lifestyle items.

Designers include: Bag “N” Noun, Comme Des Garçons Play, Giulia Materia, Japan Proxy, Jimi Roos, Mm6 By Maison Martin Margiela, Sawa, See By Chloé, and Société Anonyme’s house brand.

Via della Mattonaia, www.societeanonyme.it

View Larger Map

Bottega Quattro

Bottega Quattro

This attractive, large (200 square meters) space opened in September 2011 and is decorated with recycled, reused antiques. Owner Daniele Fiesoli is the Italian distributor for the label Scotch & Soda, found here along with Fiesoli’s own line and brands Wool & Co. and Milkywear.

Via Rondinelli 9 (no website)

View Larger Map

For more hipster boutique suggestions, if you can read Italian, see this article on te la do io Firenze.

In the city: theatre and more

Teatrino del Gallo (Libri Liberi bookshop) at 15.30 and 17.00: Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th January Teatrosfera presents “I tre porcellini” and “Il pirata Barbanera”, Saturday 21^st Buratta La Luna with “Arrivano i cantastorie” and Sunday 22^nd Teatrosfera with “Robin Hood” ending with “Cappuccetto cambia colore” on Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th of January.

Teatrino del Gallo (Libri Liberi bookshop) at 15.30 and 17.00: Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th January Teatrosfera presents “I tre porcellini” and “Il pirata Barbanera”, Saturday 21^st Buratta La Luna with “Arrivano i cantastorie” and Sunday 22^nd Teatrosfera with “Robin Hood” ending with “Cappuccetto cambia colore” on Saturday 28^th and Sunday 29^th of January.

Pass Teatri Family: Sunday 15^th January Elsinor Teatro Stabile d’Innovazione at Teatro Niccolini (in San Casciano Val di Pesa) presents “Anna è furiosa (Non si può andare avanti così)” for capricious children while at Teatro Cantiere Florida in Florence on Sunday 29^th January will be presented “Cartastorie” a show made of paper and on Sunday 5^th February “Alice nel mondo” powered by Company Blu.  On the same day at Teatro Puccini in Florence Pupi di Stac present “Le avventure di Pinocchio” with their lovely puppets (not included in the PassTeatri card).

La Bottega dei Ragazzi at the Museo degli Innocenti (via dei Fibbiai 2 in Florence close to piazza SS Annunziata) is opened Monday to Friday from 9-13 (on Saturday 10-13) in the morning and 16-19 in the afternoon. They hold a 90 minute Workshop “Play and learn with art” for 3-5 years olds (also in English, if required). You can buy tickets (10€) or cards (20€ for 3 or 50€ for 8 workshops) and you have to book 2 days in advance. Here are the next workshops: Saturday Jan 14, 21 (h.16.30/18.00) and 28 January and Saturday 4 February h.11.00 / 12.30 workshop: “Sons of Italy: papers and colours histories” (3-5 anni with one adult).

Shopping for kids in Florence – a day at the winter sales

January is winter sale time where you can spend half price (and at the end also 70% off) to buy a few thing needed and, especially, to prepare the entire wardrobe for next winter! Here a selection of must-have for children that go to nursery / primary school and the shops where I find them (most of them are in via Gioberti were the density of baby-children shops for square meter is incredibly high and dangerous for your wallet.

Tracksuits – as Francesco is a tiny toddler I need those with elastic at the ankle that I find at Iana (via Gioberti 80 R and via Corridoni 44/46 in Florence) in different materials and colours for less than 10,00€ (full price) that you can pair with T-shirts, sweaters, etc. I suggest you also to visit OVS Industry (via Gioberti, piazza Dalmazia, via Panzani, via Talenti, ecc.) where you can find cheap and confortable clothes at the right price.

Underpants and/or knickers – as Francesco needed about 5/6 a day (now he’s learned to ask for the toilet) I made a deep analysis and I can tell you that the nicest ones are in Benetton 0-12 (with stripes, Snoopy, etc) quite expensive normally (10,00€ for a 3 pack) but affordable during sales (in via Gioberti, via dei Cerretani, via Corridoni, etc.) while at UPIM (via Gioberti 70) there is a 7 pack for the same price.  In the picture Francesco karaoke star with a Benetton wool jumper.

Children shoes – one of the best shops in town is Junior Shoes in the Nove Botteghe courtyard (via Gioberti) with New Balance, Kickers, Bikkembergs, Falcotto and all the best brands. Ask for the card to receive 10% discount and wait for sales but.. you cannot buy baby-shoes in advance. You must try them on and they must fit exactly or it may happen that a sandal will be perfect in… November!

A place to eat – Gilda in piazza Ghiberti in front of Sant’Ambrogio market is a tiny bistrot were children are welcome! While adults can choose from the rich daily menu (if you are a ToscanaIN member you can eat all you want for 10,00€ at lunch!) the chef will prepare a tomato sauce pasta for children. Enjoy!

A ski weekend or week

Francesco, Fabio and I went on a ski holiday last year so I did a little research – and shopping – for winter holidays near Florence with kids.

First off: a trick for sports clothes – The best deals are to be found just outside of the city at Nencini Sport in Calenzano: it’s worth driving out there. With the fidelity card you’ll receive a discount of every purchase (even at the Outlet area) and you can also buy online. Not only children but also adults can buy at very low prices what they need to practice any sport!

Now you’re ready to ski in Tuscany at Abetone or Monte Amiata where the season has already started (it snowed on the 24^th of December). At Abetone the daily lift ticket costs around 36,00€. At Amiata you can ski on the Vetta and there is a kiddie hill at Macinaie where children younger than 5 years old pay only 1€ if they are with their parents.

But if you want to ski in the Alps, take a week off! We tried a few family hotels with nursery facilities like the Biancaneve at Selva in Val Gardena, a 4-star luxury design hotel where you can leave your children in the morning and see them again after dinner! Try also Bad Ratzes at Alpe di Siusi with a nursery where children play, eat, etc and there are special walks and activities for families. In the photo at the top of this post, see Francesco resting after the sledding (and a big plate of ‘canederlo in brodo’ eaten in the chalet)

A winter recipe to taste: the strudel – Buy frozen ‘pasta sfoglia’,  brush it with melted butter and dust with toasted breadcrumbs, put inside apple slices (put them in lemon juice and sugar before), pine nuts, sugar, grated lemon peel, raisins and cinnamon. Close the pastry, brush with butter and put in a 200° temperature oven for 35 minutes. Done. Serve with custard or cream. Francy loves it (and so do we).

Online Resources for moms in and around Florence

There are helpful communities that list things to do with kids, or give you the opportunity to meet up with local moms. Here are three great resources.

• Firenze per bambini group
• Firenze Moms 4 Moms (English speaking!)
• WithandWithin social network

Check out the previous months’ posts about Florence for Children because while there is some information about events, there are also tips and secrets to make your life as a mom easier in town!

I asked friends from Milan down to Sicily to send their me Christmas menus so we can vicariously eat our way down the boot.

Emilia-Romagna / Lombardy: Patrizia and the Nave-Cerutti family

I asked Patrizia, an old family friend from Milan, what their family prepares for Christmas. They now live in the small town of Somaglia in Lodi province on the Emilia-Romagna border so this menu might be “contaminated”. In the north, the 24^th is generally not celebrated, so this is in truth a Christmas lunch menu for the 25^th.

Casoncelli - photo Essenza in Cucina

Antipasti

• Tartine decorate – white sandwich bread with various toppings, including  butter and anchovy paste, artichoke paste, prosciutto, salami, etc.
• Pollo in gelatina – Chicken salad in a gelatin form
• Mixed cured meats

Primi

• Casoncelli – a type of half-moon shaped ravioli from Bergamo filled with meat, grana padano and herbs, topped with grated grana padano, butter, bacon and sage (Here’s a beautiful recipe from Essenza in Cucina, whose photo is above).
• Pasta with wanut sauce

Secondo

• Faraona arrosto – roast pheasant
• Cima ripiena alla genovese – a Ligurian veal and vegetable stuffed meat loaf; the Milanese variant is fried

Dolce

• Panettone

Cima ripiena - photo Donna Moderna

Lucca, Tuscany: Laura, Fabio and the Rossi family

I asked my friend Laura De Benedetto, of southern origin, to poll her mother in law for what their family will be having in Lucca, since I was interested in a Tuscan representative outside of Florence. Here is their response.

Tordelli - Photo Barattini, see link below

Antipasto

• Mixed crostini with liver pate, sliced cured metas
• Polenta with porchini mushrooms

Primo

• Tordelli Lucchesi al ragù di carne – a meat-filled pasta typical of this region, with a meat and tomato sauce (see a recipe by Aurelio Barattini)

Secondo

• Mixed boiled meats is the traditional dish, served with various sauces
• Boiled or mashed potatoes on the side

Dolce

• Fresh and dried Fruit
• Panettone

Acquapendente, Lazio: the Cammilli family

On the border between Lazio and Tuscany, I wanted to see if my sister in law Laura Cammilli’s family meal was very different from Laura De Benedetto’s husband’s family dinner in Lucca. Her Mom, Silvia, says their own menu has been personalized so much over the years that she’s asked a friend for a more typical menu of their town.

The meal does not start with apetizers because the townspeople believe that this is just a waste of precious time that ought to be dedicated to the proper meal! So we go straight to the primi…

Pasta e ceci - photo Spadelliamo Insieme?

Primi

• Spaghetti al tonno – spaghetti with tuna
• Pasta e ceci – pasta and chick peas (See Recipe from Spadelliamo Insieme)

Secondi

• Baccala’ fritto – fried baccala (salt fish)
• carciofi e cavolfiore fritto – fried artichokes and cauliflower
• Roast eel

Dolci

• Tozzetti – dried biscuits similar to “biscotti” (cantucci di prato)
• Ubriachelli – another dried biscuit, served with wine
• Maccheroni dolci – sweet pasta with honey and wanuts

Taranto, Puglia: the Olivieri family (my in-laws)

For Christmas Eve, one traditionally has fish, while meat is served on Christmas day. Taranto is the “city of two seas” and they say if you don’t eat cozze (mussels) you’re not Tarantino; fish in general abounds in their cooking. Although my in-laws’ family moved to Florence in the early 70s, there are traditional Pugliese elements in their menu, and certainly the extent of the hospitality, variety, and amount of food served is 100% southern Italian. Some parts of the menu have been altered to our personal tastes and to my particular, vegetarian diet. The photos below are actual fish cooked by my father in law and shot hastily with an iphone before being eaten.

Spaghetti alle vongole (not cozze, i have no idea what the difference is) - photo Vincenzo Olivieri's facebook page

A big baked fish - photo Vincenzo Olivieri's facebook page

Antipasto

• Mix di frutti di mare crudi (noci, ostriche e cozze) e al gratin (cozze e ostriche) – mix of raw and baked au gratin seafood

Primo

• Spaghetti con le cozze – Spaghetti with mussels (as Tommaso and I don’t eat this, there is usually a second primo, such as ravioli or spaghetti with vegetable sauce, for us)

Secondo

• Branzino, dentice o orata al forno – baked white fish
• Roasted zucchini and eggplant
• Insalata Russa which is called Salad Olivier in English (potatoes, mayo, egg and other ingredients)
• Green salad (I think this was added just for me)
• Cheeses: mozzarella, caciocavallo and ricotta

Dessert

• Frutta mista fresca e secca – display of fresh and dried fruit, including pineapple
• Panettone, cartellate, sannacchiudere
• Spumante, nocino digestivo

Meal duration: 3-4 hours

Bonus: The central elements of the Christmas Day Menu planned by my in-laws are Lasagna with meatballs, prosciutto cotto and provola cheese; Agnello al forno con patate (roast lamb with potatoes); spinach, fried artichokes. Plus all the various antipasti, fruits and desserts.

Taormina, Sicily: Francesca and her mom Silvana

I expected differences between North and South, but not such great difference between Puglia and Sicily. But Sicily is a very special island region with its own cuisine, and the menu that Francesca has sent me is very different indeed. I think they might actually eat more than my Pugliese family.

Cassata - photo flickr @spersper

Antipasto

• Ricotta a forno – Baked ricotta
• Melanzane arrosto – Roasted eggplants
• Caponata – roasted peppers in oil

Primi

• Maccheroni alla norma – a kind of home made pasta with eggplant and tomato sauce
• Pasta con finocchietto selvatico (wild fennel pasta)

Secondi

• Falsomagro – a giant meat loaf that I’m told takes days to digest (it’s name means “fake thin”)
• Involtini alla siciliana (bracioline)

Dolci

• Semifreddo alle mandorle – almond mousse
• Cassata – traditionally a Christmas dessert, it’s now eaten year round

Francesca leaves us with a sicilian saying:

“Panza cuntenti, cori clementi; panza dijuna, nenti pirduna.”

In Italian that’s pancia contenta, cuore clemente; pancia digiuna, niente perdona; or in English, Happy stomach, lenient heart, empty stomach, no mercy.

So fill your stomach til it can take no more… and know that on the 25^th, and again on the 26^th, you’re going to be doing it all over again. Merciless families like mine will stuff you also on Dec 31, Jan 1 and Jan 6, so ready that gym membership and let out your waistbands – temporarily.

I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family… who are all really good cooks! A big abbraccio and much love to Patrizia, Laura DB, Laura C, Enzo and Francesca for participating in this little “project” by sending menus. Buon appetito.

Merry Christmas to all, from my table (or my in-laws’ table) to yours!

NOTE: I’ve chosen to link recipes in Italian because it’s difficult to find these authentic regional dishes on English websites. I’ve aimed for the most attractive photos, understanding that these might not be the most traditional interpretations.

Sant'Andrea al Quirinale - photo flickr @conormac

Over a century before Bernini’s creations, Martin Luther had begun the Protestant Reformation, highlighting significant cracks in the armour of the Church, and undermining Her temporal and spiritual power. The Roman Church responded with a counter-Reformation. Codified by the Council of Trent, it sought to re-establish the supremacy of the Roman Church, in part through emphasis on the veneration of the Virgin, the saints, their relics and miracles. Dominant among the figures who would carry forward this new impulse was Ignatius Loyola, whose Spiritual Exercises provided meditations and prayers designed to create a state of spiritual ecstasy, and embodied the changing mood.

By the early-seventeenth century, over half a century later, military victories, and wealth from the New World, brought new optimism to Rome. In celebration, a flurry of canonizations followed, including St Ignatius in 1622. The new religious atmosphere required a different aesthetic, and an theatrical style, charged with emotion, developed in distinct contrast to the didactic and austere art which had emerged from the Council of Trent. This new style was suited to the ever-increasing predilection for miracles, apparitions, and saints in ecstasy. The style came to be known as the ‘Baroque’, and its undoubted star was Bernini, himself a follower of the Spiritual Exercises.

In 1658, aged sixty, Bernini was commissioned to design a new church for the novices of the Society of Jesus, the order founded by Ignatius, on the Quirinal hill. It was to replace an unremarkable church on a small, awkward site. Bernini exploited this tricky location to maximum effect by employing a form that would have been anathema to the logical Platonism of the Renaissance a century and a half earlier; while Renaissance architects had favoured the geometric rigidity of circle and square, the ever-changing curvatures of the malleable oval made it the Baroque form par excellence. Moreover its versatility was ideal for concealing the awkward dimensions of the site, with axes which could be as long or short as necessary. At Sant’Andrea, Bernini took advantage of all of these aspects and created an oval plan, unusually placing the entrance and high altar on the short axis.

photo flickr @profzucker

Let’s take a look at the facade, which breaks all the logical rules of Classicism. Walking along via del Quirinale, one is initially drawn into the entrance space by the curve of an exedra. The narrow entrance is more monumental gateway than church entrance. However, its apparent classicism (the archway over the doorway is framed by pilasters and topped with a pediment) belies a number of idiosyncratic and profoundly a-classical features. The area of the archway seems to have swung down and forward, as if on a hinge, to create the protruding portico supported by two columns. The bases of these columns are rotated forty-five degrees to the façade, their corners pointing out toward the visitor: the deliberate application of a solecism which would have Vitruvius spinning in his grave. This ‘pronaos’ is topped with a curved and heavily broken pediment, in louche imitation of the sober pediment above which looks on, unamused. The scrolls of the broken pediment, entirely stripped of any pretence of structural function, frame the crest of the church’s patron, Prince Camillo Pamphilj. If we look down, the semi-circular floor of the portico spills into a flight of concentric steps which seep out, occupying the entrance exedra.

If we raise our eyes above the quadrant walls of this exedra, the sides of the church can be seen curving back, topped with the scrolls of the buttresses. The rigid verticality of the façade is the point of union between these opposing curves but, as demonstrated by the curved portico and stairs, simply cannot contain them; they even force themselves through the façade governed by the sober giant order of pilasters.

Sant'Andrea Interior - photo flickr @wsifrancis

Upon entering, the visitor is immediately presented with the high altar. The unusual positioning of the oval means that the distance between the entrance and the altar is the shortest in the church; a very direct confrontation. After this initial impression, our eyes move around the space, but the darkness of the recessed side chapels, and the solid piers which close the long axis, send our gaze back to the altar.

Reinforcing the focus on the high altar, the entablature which runs right around the interior breaks forward slightly to create a chapel articulated by columns of richly veined red marble which stand out from the two-dimensional pilasters which demarcate the other chapels. Within, the small altar chapel receives light from an invisible source, a device already employed by Bernini at the Cornaro chapel just down the road at the church of Santa Maria della Vittoria.

Guillaume Courtois’ rich painting of the Martyrdom of Saint Andrew appears to be placed on the altar by a host of angels who descend on beams of light of gilded wood and stucco. An apparition is created. As our eyes are drawn to the pediment over the chapel entrance, it is as if this vision cannot be contained by the architectural delineation of the space. The marble figure of Saint Andrew on a cloud appears to have floated up from the altarpiece through the pediment, which curves obligingly to allow him to pass and continue to the heavens, represented by the richly decorated elliptical dome, divided by gilded ribs and decorated with ever-decreasing hexagonal coffers, which seem to be sucked heavenwards through the lantern stuccoed with the dove of the Holy Spirit, which bubbles over with cherubim. Thus the crucifixion in Courtois’ altarpiece is merely a prelude to the truly important fact of the ascension into heaven, and the earthly rules of architecture are irrelevant in the face of divinity. The dynamism of the ascension is emphasised by the darkness of the lower part of the church, while the heavenly dome glows with gilt and white stucco. Radiantly illuminated by windows above the cornice and the lantern, it is the focus of St Andrew’s gaze.

Both inside and out, it is as if the rationality of the classical language of architecture must develop to express that which cannot be expressed rationally; an artistic expression of the religious experiences the followers of the Spiritual Exercises, including Bernini himself, sought to cultivate.

Tourist information

Sant’Andrea al Quirinale, via del Quirinale 29. Open Mon-Fri 8.30am-noon, 3-7pm; Sat & Sun 9am-noon, 3.30-7pm.

Santa Maria della Vittoria, via XX Settembre 17. Open Mon-Sat 8.30am-noon, 3.30-6pm; Sun 3.30-6pm.

About the author

Agnes Crawford is an architectural historian and a licensed tour guide in Rome with her own business, understandingrome.com. Her itinerary “Bernini, Borromini, and the spirit of the Baroque” offers visitors an in-depth exploration and discussion of Sant’Andrea, the Cornaro Chapel, and other sites crucial to the period. On twitter she is @understandrome.

All photos: Wikimedia commons unless specified flickr user

Book suggestions

Love Baroque Rome? Try the following hand-picked book suggestions…

Stumped for a gift giving idea? Look no further than the Medici Archives, conveniently digitalized for us by the Medici Archive Project. This year I was thinking of some Tuscan delicacies in a gift basket, preferably a very large one in order to contain live game animals, a barrel of olives, a Peruvian pig and the rib of a saint. To follow are some of the best gifts given to and from the Medici family, with my suggestions for a modern equivalent. Some of them might fit under your tree.

1) Trout

Francesco I has a predilection for trout, but he didn’t inherit it from his father. At first read, 1575 sounds like it must have been a lean year in Barga, for Baldovini Baldovino sends trout to Florence excusing himself by saying “Here in Barga I have nothing else with which to honour your Highness so I’m sending a few trouts.” However trout appears to be a favourite in this branch of the Medici family and Baldovini must have known it; in 1581 someone else sends trout to Francesco I and in 1587 the Gonzaga’s of Mantua send him more trout. In fact, 48 records reported by the Medici Archive project cite trout; in one case the ducal family went fishing for it in the Seravezza area, but most of the time they’re speaking directly of edibles. In one unfortunate case, the live trout being sent to Cafaggiolo met death en route. All this makes one wonder how the Medici were preparing the fish, although in one instance (1566) we read that the trout were expressly intended for a fountain.

However, the earlier generation of Medici’s did not care for it at all. A very polite thank you note from Cosimo I de’ Medici in November 1549 acknowledges Ferrante Gonzaga’s effort in sending trout pies (by refrigerated courrier?) but says that his wife can’t eat it “because she is on a diet due to a certain disposition, so please don’t go to the trouble of sending any more because she can’t eat them and it is not my nature to be crazy for fish.” As in “thanks but no thanks.” A lesson in tact, eh?

Modern equivalent: Smoked salmon in a wooden gift box. A standard from my family in Canada to my Italian in laws, who love it served with cream on fettuccine. Buy salmon gift box on amazon.

2) Religious gifts

In our modern culture, a scented candle is a standard gift that stocks all Americans’ re-gifting closet (Italians, it seems, do not re-gift, though I have evidence below). In Early Modern Europe, candles were less likely to be scented; it was the thought that counted more. In 1610 someone mailed the Grand Duchess a blessed candle, which surely was worth a lot more than just the wax with which it was made.

A religious gift is always a good gift. In 1611 on December 9, right about ready to put under the tree, the Archbishop of Siena Camillo Borghese sends a small piece of the rib of Santa Caterina da Siena to the Grand Duchess of Tuscany, Maria Maddalena d’Austria, noting that it was not easy to get. Religious poems and books are also frequently objects of exchange, usually by some obsequeious writer who wishes to garner favour.

Modern equivalent: This Tuscany-inspired scented candle with modern lines and faux leather box. It ain’t saintly, but it’s a nice décor item.

3) Exotic animals

A far cry from gifting a kitten, in the Renaissance, parrots, exotic animals in general, turkish horses and hunting dogs make recurring good gifts. In one case the Turkish horses are procured intentionally for regifting, making it clear that there is nothing wrong with regifting if you are a duke. In the documents we read of grey partriges (though no pear trees), a Tunisian cow, gazelles, falcons, an eagle or two, an ostrich and the fossilized horn of a unicorn (no live unicorns though).

A turkish horse, of course. Source? http://dariocaballeros.blogspot.com

Sometimes these animals were more pain than they were worth. In 1572, Antonio Scaramuccia of Torino thanks Francesco de’ Medici for the lynx received as a gift, saying that the animal is quite nice with people it knows, but with others it is quite vicious, as the bearer of this letter might attest. Other letters note the non-arrival of horses sent via the Poste Italiane. I seem to remember once reading about a giraffe that died at sea but can’t dig up the archival evidence at the moment.

Modern equivalent: I don’t believe in giving live animals as gifts, so suggest virtual or stuffed ones. I recommend the virtual stuffed Webkinz hedgehog or one of the endangered species series pictured below, useful to teach kids who think they want a puppy the real value of a pet that cannot get hit by a car.

4) Game Meat and condiments

Wild boar

Antonio Maria Del Monte, abbot of Anghiari, gives Cosimo I a present of two goats and four jack rabbits for the famed 1565 wedding of Francesco I. He has to apologize for not managing to catch this game in a net since the Duke had requested them live: “Dolghomi di non havere possuto haver gratia (sì come desideravo) di farli dare nelle rete per mandarli vivi.” Speaking of game meat, some ducks met their fate in 1572 and were sent with citrus fruit which probably made an excellent condiment. Ditto the large barrel of olives, excellent for aperitivo parties, that Cosimo I sent in 1540 to Giovanni dell’Antella. But what party would be complete without cheese, fruit, salami and wine? Cardinal Innocenzo Cibo, who lived in Massa Carrara, seems to have been true to his last name, as many of his letters mention sending gifts of food to Cosimo I, including cheese, fruit, salami and Trebbiano wine, as well as an eagle (presumably for hunting) and some marble samples from Carrara.

Modern equivalent: Well, it’s against EU regulations to ship cinghiale and other meats, but the Pratese gourmet food distributor Borgo de’ Medici has some meat-free Tuscan delicacies in their gift baskets which can be purchased by email through their facebook-exclusive christmas gift tab; shipping is by UPS.

5) Imported products

Francesco I de’ Medici’s love for the New World has been object of recent scholarly study; he loved receiving gifts of unique items from abroad as much as your average American today adores gifts from Florence. Some of the objects sent are decidedly bizarre – in fact, they’re noted as such in the documents, such as the 1584 shipment from Seville of “dua uccelli bizarrj, un porchetto salvatico del Perù” – two bizarre birds and a wild Peruvian pig.

The Montiero's Hornbill is a bizarre bird. Source: http://www.zestforbirds.co.za/longbill02.html

Modern equivalent: The term “exotic” depends on where you are! If you’re looking for great gifts from Florence and Tuscany, I’ve written about this for The Florentine newspaper!

It’s not over yet

Don’t forget to say thank you after Christmas! Make like Grand Duke Ferdinando II de’ Medici who in 1627 cordially thanks Caterina de’ Medici for a Christmas gift in longhand; now sms and facebook messages are also acceptable. Feel free to type the following Medici text into your cell phone:

“Troppo cortese è meco V.A. mentre ogni anno vuol mandare a regalarmi nel tempo del Natale. La ringrazio però infinitamente di quanto ella mi ha inviato.”

Finally, remember that in Italy, Christmas doesn’t end with December 25, as stockings need to be filled on January 6. “Liberalissima è stata con noi la Befana havendoci così bele cose portate” says the Duchess of Mantua Caterina de’ Medici-Gonzaga who found in her Epiphany stocking a pietra serena table from the Florentine court. If heavy marble tables are not your thing, in my family tradition puts a scratch and win lottery ticket and some chocolates in the stocking.

With best wishes for the holiday season from my family to yours,
Alexandra

Italy Blogging Roundtable

This post is part of a monthly blogging project in which five of us write about a chosen theme. While we usually reveal the theme only on the day we post our articles, December is an exception as we’ve asked other bloggers to participate by writing an “Italian gifts” themed article. Each one of us has picked a few of our favourite contributions and are sharing links to them.

From the regulars at the Blogging Roundtable

• Jessica: 8 of My Favorite Italy Gifts
• Melanie and the gift of Italian culture
• Rebecca writes of the blogging gift (which she certainly has)
• And Gloria has a dang good excuse for not posting her blog on time – she was busy bringing new life into the world. Congratulations to Gloria and Marcel!!

From our holiday season guests – we said we’d pick our favourite five, so with thanks to ALL who contributed, here are just some of them:

• Keith from Velvet Escape talks about Tuscany’s gifts to the world – all the good things that make up my chosen region.
• Letizia aka Madonna del Piatto reminds us that gifts can be non-commercial; in her case it’s the satisfaction of a product well made (organic olive oil) and the appreciation that garners – see her gifts.
• A very nice post on “Cross Polinate” shows firsthand research to find gifts that are 100% made in Florence, by artisans.
• Ashley comes up with some very clever art history geek gifts for Italian Futurists
• Roberta K muses about when we GET our christmas gifts and what to bring to Italian hosts.

Here’s the second post from ArtTrav’s colomnist who will be contributing seasonal articles about what to do in Florence with children.

Laura, mother of three-year-old Francesco (in the photo!), is also the energetic founder of ToscanaIN and is involved in the new social network for women, WithAndWithin.

Three-year-old Francesco is the protagonist of Florence for children. He’s very curious and gets bored very easily. This is our selection of the best things to do in Florence over the Christmas 2011 holidays… with kids. I’ve selected activities appropriate for Francesco’s age group, so this is not a comprehensive listing. At the end you will also find some tips about stores and services that visitors to the city might not know. There are some gift ideas here too!

A fair: Firenze Noel (7-11 December 2011 at Leopolda Station)

This Fair is called “The big Christmas Party” and take place at Leopolda Station (viale Fratelli Rosselli, 6r in Florence) from Wednesday 7 December (h.16-21.30) until Sunday 11 December 2011 (10-21.30) – if you arrive there by bus show the ATAF ticket to have a discount (tickets cost 7,50€ for adults and 5,00€ for 6 to 12 years old children).

What can you find there? Animated readings, circus laboratories (with people and with puppets), kitchen – drawing and dance lessons, gospels concerts, etc. Children will learn everything about circus secrets while adults will try and buy typical food and drink (good for your Christmas meals or as a present).

TEATRO PUCCINI “Per grandi e Puccini” season (untranslatable )

For children from 4 to 99 years old, the show “Canto di Natale” powered by Centrale Produzioni full of humour, warmth and suspence, from Charles Dickens novel in Friday 7 December at 18.00 at Teatro Puccini (via delle Cascine 41 in Florence). A show with shadows and lights, phantoms of our past, with songs and choreographies in a space that always change. Tickets 7,00€. On Saturday 7 January at 21.00 a show for 0 to 100 years old people “Il piccolo principe” by Compagnia Mannini Dall’Orto Teatro from Antoine de Saint-Exupery poetic novel. 400 shows around Italy, often sold-out, make this show a cult of the Italian theatre.

A show for fundraising and another by children

On Thursday 15 December a show held by the Scuola Giotto parents to enjoy their children (3-6 years old) and collect money for their school. Two shows with Santa Claus as guest star, full of fun and music, at 16.30 and 17.30 (free offer) at Sala Esse (via del Ghirlandaio, 38 in Florence). Join and tell other families/children!

FESTA English Theatre in Florence has a childrens’ theatre group that is putting on the classic Hansel and Gretel in English on December 17 at the Chiesa Evangelica Metodista – Via De’ Benci 9 at 5:30pm (it’s free). Performed by kids, for kids.

Caffè Letterario Le Murate book reading for trilingual children!

The new Caffè Letterario Le Murate (Piazza delle Murate in Florence) will be hosting the famous children’s writer Arianna Papini on Saturday 17 December at 17.00 to promote her new book, What would you like to be? (Chi Vorresti Essere in Italian) that will be read in Italian, English and Spanish simultaneously (admission free).  There will be a small workshop afterwards with crafts, singing and dancing. A very cute book for early readers (age 3) – if you miss the reading you could buy the book on amazon: Papini – Chi vorresti essere

UNIQUE: a creativity workshop at FERRAGAMO MUSEUM

The special workshop “Creare la moda” (Create fashion) for 4 to 10 years old children at Museo Ferragamo (Palazzo Spini Feroni piazza Santa Trinità 5r in City Center of Florence) with the aim to explain and teach children what a made-in-Italy object should be. The first workshop is on Sunday 18^th December at 15.30 / 16.30 / 17.30 booking in advance. Children will learn about the Ferragamo tradition with a cartoon and, following the instruction of an expert artisan, creating a shoe with their own hands starting with the choice of the right raw materials.

BIBLIOTECA delle OBLATE – spazio BAMBINI e RAGAZZI

There is a lot to do during the Christmas / New Years Eve and Epiphany days in the Children and Youth section of Biblioteca delle Oblate (the Oblate Library) via dell’Oriuolo, 26 in Florence!

Saturday 17^th December, Thursday 22^nd and Thursday 29^th December at 16.30 by Associazione Culturale Allibratori the animated readings “Notte Nero Pece” (Deep Black Night), “Immaginarie Storie” through Japanese Kamishibai and “Le stagioni di Pallina” (Pallina seasons) while in January 2012 the program will start on Thursday 5^th at 16.30 with the animated reading “Storie a colori” and Saturday 7^th at 16.30 with the puppet show “La Befana e la gallina Bianca”

A place to eat… during your Christmas shopping

TheClubHouse in via de’ Ginori 6r in Florence

A perfect stop in the city center close to San Lorenzo market, where you can order anything you want from pizza to pasta and fish and chips (brunch on Sundays). Children can sit in the comfortable chairs with cushions and waiters are very nice with them. If you are a ToscanaIN member (business networking no-profit association) you can get a 15% of discount on a la carte menu and special offers.

A shop for kids’ presents

Imaginarium in via Gioberti 41r (Le Nove Botteghe): via Gioberti is my favourite shopping street in Florence, and Imaginarium is my favourite toy shop. Every child loves it first for its double entrance (a small door for children like Francesco – see picture of him trying to open the little door by himself) and then for its great puppets, colours, animals, etc.! If you join the Imaginarium Club, you’ll receive a card that gives you discounts and special offers (a different gift every month so you are forced to go and spend there). And now you can download the free app “Imaginarium Natale” (for Apple and Android) to write a letter adding your favourite toys and, after sending it via smartphone, Santa Claus in person will call you up: don’t miss it!

A solidarity gift on behalf of Fondazione Meyer

If you are looking for presents with a different purpose, check in the Fondazione Meyer catalogue. You’ll find unique sweaters, T-shirts, mugs, hats, pencils, books, cards, etc. and you’ll help one of the best children’s hospital in Italy (and sick children will thank you!).

Last but not least an idea to spend some time at home

And if it’s too cold or rainy to go out, why don’t you spend your time making something to eat with your child? You can start from the classic North American Gingerbread biscuits (also a nice way to decorate your Christmas tree or for a Christmas present to your neighbours). And a trick: if you fill this form you’ll receive a Christmas recipe a day until December 24 taken for you and your child from “The secret Santa Claus cookbook”. In fact in 2011 Piccolo Cuoco (a project of the non-profit association Piccolo Artista) has been named Santa Claus’ personal assistant and shares with all of you his secret recipes…

A word of thanks to my readers!

Thanks to Alexandra for the hospitality on her blog. In exchange you can read her interview on the English HomePage of the WithandWithin community, a space reserved for women and moms! And thanks to all of you readers for your comments, shares, likes and retweets of my first attempt at blogging last month (if you missed it, see things to do with kids in Florence in November 2011 – some valid tips in there despite the date). I welcome more feedback on these posts. Please note though that this is a personal selection of events and that these posts contain my own opinion. We welcome your constructive thoughts so that all parents can benefit.

Normally we don’t tell anyone the topic in advance, but our post for December 14 is an exception. Why? Because we want you to participate. The topic is “Gifts” (or presents). It’s inspired by the holiday season, but does not have to be limited to “Christmas gifts.” For this month, we’re inviting bloggers to expand upon the topic of “gifts,” somehow connected to Italy, on their blogs.

Here is how to participate:

1)      From Decemeber 1 to 13 2011, post on your blog about “Gifts” (and Italy).

2)      Include in your post a reference to the fact that this is part of the Italy Blogging Roundtable’s invitation to post on this topic.

3)      Include, at the end of your post, links to the roundtable blogs: ArtTrav, At Home in Tuscany, Italylogue, Italofile, Brigolante.

4)      Let us know by tweeting it with the hashtag #italyroundtable. If by chance you don’t use twitter, email it to one of us (my email address is info @ arttrav.com). We’ll each read them all, and retweet some too!

5)      On December 14 2011 we’ll post on the same topic and include links to our favourite posts by the larger community. We’re aiming to link to five posts submitted by others, but that depends on how many people participate!

After years of going to Maremma for our holidays, we decided to buy a house in a small hill town, population 62. House Hunters International accompanied us on this adventure. We wish to protect this beautiful, idyllic town from “the Cortona effect,” so while some of you know what town we’re talking about, we did not mention it on TV.

For a few days, a small and friendly crew filmed our every move, which did not go unnoticed by people in town, though we tried to be very discreet. I wore makeup and attempted not to swear. Tommaso and I developed a good tv-banter mode that was hard to abandon once the cameras left us. Those of you familiar with the show know that the subjects comment on the various things they see in the three houses from which they must choose. You need to give them stuff to work with, so you have to comment on literally every aspect of the house. Now, anyone who has ever looked for a house in Italy knows that you see some very funky things. While I tried to always find something nice to say, sometimes this was a challenge, and I think the real estate agent and a few home owners out there probably hate us now. All we hope is that after the editing process, we aren’t made out to be horrible, picky people that nobody cares enough to watch for 22 minutes.

I am not allowed to reveal anything about the show, so don’t ask me when it was filmed or how it all ends up. But we finally know the air date for the show – which is why I’m posting about this experience now, rather a long time after it actually happened. So… tune in in the USA on December 10 2011 to HGTV (apparently the show airs at 11:00 PM e/p). The episode is listed on the official website and I believe that the video will be made available online there, but again only for Americans. We will have an airing party in Florence for friends once the DVD arrives, if we don’t hate the way we look on tv; and if I’m allowed, I’ll put part or all of the show up on YouTube for you all to laugh at me.

Below: two of the fabulous places we visited with the crew to show off why we love Maremma.

Laura, mother of three-year-old Francesco (in the photo!), is also the energetic founder of ToscanaIN and is involved in the new social network for women, WithAndWithin.

My three-year-old Francesco is the protagonist of Florence for children. He’s very curious and gets bored very easily. So I’m starting to gather information on activities to keep children busy and parents happy in Florence on the weekends. And guess what? For parents and children living in Florence, there are loads of opportunities, from kids’ areas in libraries to theatre and music! Here is my list of the best kids’ events in November and December 2011.

In libraries and bookstores

Biblioteca delle oblate – spazio bambini e ragazzi

We can start with the Biblioteca delle Oblate (the Oblate Library), via dell’Oriuolo 26, in the city center (200m from the Duomo) that has a Children and Youth section on the second floor (see photo above). The service offers books in Italian and foreign languages, musical CDs, films and cartoons. With a free library card, children can bring home 8 books per month, 2 CDs+2 DVDs+2 cartoons for a week.

From November 6 until December 18 it will be open also every Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 (good to spend there some time during the winter rainy and cold days!). And not only! There is an interesting program of interactive readings, literary games, laboratories, workshops and puppet shows during the weekends for children of any age.

Here are a few examples for smaller children (3/6 years old):

Saturdays November 19 at 16.30 the animated readings by Associazione Culturale Allibratori “Il sapore della luna” (The flavour of the moon) is a journey in the African nights together with savanna and jungle animals; and November 26 at the same time, “Un viaggio da leoni” (A lion journey) in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe: Paris.

Saturday December 3 in the morning at 11.00 “Le letture di Sara” animated readings: “Il guerriero e il saggio” and “Yasmin e le mele d’oro”; and then in the afternoon at 16.30 a puppet show “Storie allegre di Carlo Collodi” (Happy stories of Carlo Collodi) with fantastic people of the visionary Florentine writer and creator of Pinocchio by Associazione culturale Altolà.

Libreria libri liberi & Teatrino del gallo

Another wonderful place to introduce smaller children to theatre is Teatrino del Gallo in the limonaia and garden of the bookshop “Libri Liberi” in via San Gallo 25r in Florence (see photo), which specializes in babies’ and childrens’ books and is now celebrating its eighth year of activities with a two-day party on Sunday November 27 and Monday November 28 from 17.00 to 20.00. The party will launch a new green line, a green room, and workshop and shows focused on nature, recycling and bio breaks.

The shows (at 15.30 or at 17.00) for 3-10 years olds held at Teatrino del Gallo in November will be “Cappuccetto cambia colore” by Teatrosfera on Saturday November 19, an interactive show based on the Bruno Munari storyl “Il meraviglioso mondo di Oz” on Sunday November 20 by Teatrosfera and musicians of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; and “Stanza di Fiaba: Hansel e Gretel” a multisensorial journey in the places of the tale on Sunday the 27^th by Miriam Bardini and Roberta Socci.

Theatre for kids

Pass Teatri Family is an excellent deal for families: it allows 6 entrances for childrens’ shows in different theatres in Florence and nearby for 25€. It means that you can go twice mom+dad+child or three times mom+child and any possible combination. And with Pass Teatri Family you can also have discounts to Museums and Exhibitions around Florence!

Here are the shows on the agenda for November 2011:

Sunday November 27^th you can choose between “All’opera… il lupo e i sette capretti” at Teatro delle Arti (via Matteotti 8, Lastra a Signa (FI)) at 15.30, from the Grimm brothers’ tale powered by Teatrino dei Fondi; or “Boxville – Ballata di Cartone” at Teatro Cantiere Florida (via Pisana 111r ang. Via di Soffiano, Florence) at 16.00, by Compagnia Simona Bucci, appropriate for all ages. An imaginary world made of boxes: big, small, full, empty, a box-city and its inhabitants to have a different point of view of ourselves and the way we interact in our surroundings. The week before at Teatro Cantiere Florida you can book for “Vita da gatti” (not in the Pass Teatri Family program) at 16.00 by Compagnia Ferruccio Filippazzi (ticket 7,00€ for adult and children 3-7 years old)

Sunday December 4 there is “Hansel e Gretel” at Teatro Giotto in Vicchio (FI) at 16.00. Gino Balestrino and sweet puppets made by Natale Panaro follow on Sunday December 11 in“Raperonzolo” at Teatro Comunale Corsini (viale della Repubblica 3, Barberino del Mugello (FI)), Pupi di Stac’s puppet version of the famous tale written by the Grimm brothers, contaminated with Tuscan words and music and the active participation and emotion of the public. Without the Family Pass Teatri card, tickets cost 5,00€ for adults and children.

Child-friendly restaurants and shops

I must say that in Florence (and in Italy in general) it’s really difficult to find a restaurant or a bar with a high chair and a changing table for children (public toilets don’t exist), even if it’s one of the most touristic cities / countries in the world! But things are changing: for a restaurant to be eligible for outside seating on public property, Mayor Matteo Renzi obliges them to have those two baby-friendly objects. There’s hope! But I give you two important tricks in the center of Florence in case of urgent need.

A place to eat: Mc Donald’s has two fast-food restaurants in Florence city center, one in piazza della Stazione 25r (in front of Santa Maria Novella train station) and the second via Cavour 61r (steps from the Duomo). You can dislike or love its hamburger and menu (now you can try McItaly hamburgers created by Gualtiero Marchesi) but once in a while it’s better than many other places especially if you are in a foreign country and need a kitchen that’s always open. Children have their menu with a nice present in it. And they always have baby changing tables in their toilets, so if you need to clean your baby at least you can do so in a comfortable way!

A shop: Prenatal is located in via Brunelleschi 22 beside piazza delle Repubblica in Florence. It’s a must for future moms, as the store carries anything you need for body and birth. But it’s also the first choice for newborns to find anything you need from strollers to linens made for baby-size beds, all kind of clothes, toys and cosmetics. And they know how to create return customers with pre-birth courses, a birth-list, and the Prenatal card that enable you to gain wonderful prizes and discounts. And if you need a 10 minute stop in your shopping session to clean or feed your baby in a quiet place, they have a nursing corner.

Stay tuned on arttrav for more child-friendly posts from Laura! Thanks Laura for the great job… didn’t she do a great job, in English, too?! Laura is open to suggestions for the next kid post, so please add your kid-friendly Florence tips in the comments, or write to her at laura@withandwithin.com. And while you’re at it, why not join withandwithin and see what it’s all about?

For me, the perfect warm mush is Minestrone. Now you’re going to tell me that this means “big soup” in Italian, and yes, for some people, minestrone is soup. But as I’ve learned, the recipe varies from season to place to stove, and for me, my minestrone is warm, starchy, and mushy. And also contains a big lot of fresh winter vegetables.

Minestrone or minestra is a vegetable soup that is present in every region of Italy, with variations as to what starch or protein you add. That is to say, you might add bread, farro, potato, pasta or rice; pancetta or beans. The vegetables that go in vary with the seasons, and the amount of liquid seems to vary in each household. Looking up what other people call “minestrone” to make sure my concept was aligned with that of the rest of the world, I read that some version of this dish was present in Ancient Roman times. Which prompted me to explore the historical aspects of this excellent Italian soup.

Every good writer has her limitations, and as I’ve said before, I am no food writer, and I sure ain’t no food historian either! But every good writer also has good writer friends, and when it comes to historical recipes, Emiko Davies, with her passion for the 19th-century Artusi, is the perfect person to consult. This pre-unification cookbook is a staple in Italian kitchens (but not in mine, where the Joy of Cooking still betrays my North-American roots), and Emiko has been blogging about a monthly Artusi recipe all year. I asked her what Artusi writes about Minestrone, and this is her reply:

This is one of the most memorable of Artusi’s recipes (no. 47). He tells the story that in 1855, the year of a cholera outbreak throughout Italy, he happened to be in Livorno. He goes to a trattoria where he asks what minestre are on the menu that day. “Minestrone”, is the reply. “Ben venga il minestrone,” says Artusi.

That night, he wakes with “una rivoluzione in corpo da fare spavento” (one of my favourite lines in the whole cookbook) and spends the rest of the night back and forth to the bathroom, cursing the Minestrone. In the morning, he takes the first train back to Florence where he immediately feels better and only then he finds out that Livorno was actually hit by the cholera outbreak and that the first victim was his own landlord. “Altro che minestrone!”

He then goes on with his preferred recipe for Minestrone… He doesn’t give any measurements, times or anything else, as I think he assumes everyone has their own recipe for minestrone or already knows it well enough.

This is one of the joys of Artusi – the story with the recipe – and also one of the joys of Italy, in which it is considered entirely normal to talk publicly about one’s digestive system.

I turn to my own bookshelf. In Tuscany, as Judy Witts Francini notes at the end of her recipe for minestrone in Secrets from my Tuscan Kitchen, “this soup is the base of the Tuscan bread soup “ribollita” when it is re-boiled with leftover bread.”

Pamela Sheldon Johns’ recipe for ribollita has four steps for four days. The first day involves making a soup, while subsequent steps make it re-boiled. I asked Pamela if this is what makes it real Cucina Povera: “It was the ingenuity of re-creation… first a vegetable soup, then those leftovers layered with dry bread, then finally ‘re-boiled,’ or reheated on top of the stove. Not a bit wasted and meals provided for days,” she explained to me.

I thought that ribollita had to contain cabbage and beans, and that real minestrone stared out this way too. But the recipe is not at all fixed; this, too, depends on its poor history. Pamela continues: “What we call ribollita today, in poorer times was a way to make a meal of whatever was at hand… a bit of beans, a few potatoes and foraged greens, some stale bread… In reality it was often just dried bread that was softened with a weak broth and a slice of onion to flavor it.” Her recipe suggests some categories of ingredients, but leaves proportions and final choices up to the cook. This is probably why her minestrone looks completely different from mine.

Pamela posted this Minestrone on facebook. It looks nothing like mine. Trust her, she is a chef.

In a small and undated facsimile collection of Tuscan recipes received as a gift years ago from my well-wishing husband, I check out the instructions for minestra di verdura. Like Artusi, no proportions are given. In the case of minestrone, no ingredients are specified at all: “Pulite e tagliate grossolanamente ogni sorta di verdure che possiate avere.” (Wash and chop largely any kind of vegetable that you might have around.) Helpful.

"Ogni sorta di verdura" in a pot.

Minestrone and I met thanks to my mother in law, who is originally from Taranto in Puglia, so don’t ask her about Tuscan cooking. Once she made me a minestra with all the ingredients I can eat. Artusi makes me feel it’s okay to mention that I have some digestive problems, so cabbage and legumes are out of the question. Her ingredients are similar to those listed in Judy’s book: potatoes, squash, zucchini, carrots, green beans, tomato, leek and onion. Judy also includes cabbage and garlic, and my MIL would put in beans and cavolo nero if it weren’t for me. To substitute the effect of chopped greens provided by cavolo nero, I have used bietole, which I don’t know how to say in English. When I make minestrone, I tend to use a rather high proportion of potato as I find more absorbing, starchy foods to be the most comforting.

At the end of this article you’d expect a recipe, right? Okay.

Take whatever winter greens you have around and boil them for an hour or more.

Note: My ingredients are in the photo above. I use canned, peeled whole tomatoes instead of fresh ones in the winter. Tomatoes add colour to the recipe and the acid in them helps neutralize the sweetness of the carrots and squash. There is also rosemary, parsley, oregano and salt, not pictured.

This is what my minestrone looks like. And I find it… comforting.

November Italy Blogging Roundtable

I got so into making this soup, I almost forgot that this is an Italy Blogging Roundtable post, which means I need to post links to other group members’ blogs on the topic of  Comfort Food! Read ‘em all, comment, and share!

• Jessica says “Comfort food is a cultural thing” and I cannot agree more!
• Gloria, our resident Tuscan, tells us about Tuscan comfort food
• Rebecca writes about Eating in the Comfort Zone and I wonder if that’s a clever reference to what I consider to be a very silly American diet book…
• Melanie’s article is entitled Comfort Me With Potatoes: A Tale of Two Tuber Dishes in Italy and I look forward to that (there are potatoes in my Minestrone too!)

Now it’s the end of the first week of November. The trees are finally turned, but the weather is ridiculously warm: it is 20 degrees outside. The summer was long: we were at the beach swimming this year from the first week of May until the last week of September, and I am not one of those people who go into cold water. In fact, I just read that the warmer than usual sea may be one of the causes of the terrible flooding in Tuscany and Liguria’s coastal areas.

These photos were taken in Maremma at the end of October. This week I saw more impressive reds, but off the side of a larger highway, making stopping rather more difficult than off the side roads. Too bad! You’ll have to go see for yourself.

We saw some fun colours and had a lot of fun at one of my favourite farms in Maremma, where we buy vegetables in the summer. In the winter they sell winter vegetables and a lot of flowers. Right now they have zucca (squash or pumpkin) in its various forms. With the beautiful light, the rusty tools and farm doors seemed particularly in tone with the fall colour shoot.