The Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta on the road from Pienza to San Quirico d'Orcia
59. Masaccio and San Giovanni Valdarno
Christmas is nearly upon us and after limping to the end of the school term we have finally broken up with an extra reward of 19 days of paid holiday!
So what to do on our first day off... Not another art exhibition! Yes, of course, but first a trip to our local shopping mall, Gillli at Prato. We've decided to spend Christmas in England this year, as Annette's sister, Ruth, has had a new baby, Elise. So some last minute shopping for presents to take back.
While we're on the road we decide to check out the Masaccio exhibition on in San Giovanni Valdarno which finishes in two days.
San Giovanni Valdarno is a small town in the province of Arezzo to the south east of Florence. It is also the birthplace of early Renaissance painter Masaccio. (See my earlier post on Masaccio here: http://leestuscanodyssey.blogspot.com/search/label/Masaccio)
None of Masaccio's works are usually here, so it's quite a treat for the town...
Some of the highlights include: Two wooden crucifixes by Brunelleschi and Donatello, normally in Santo Spirito and Santa Croce in Florence. It's interesting seeing them side by side.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the beautiful 'Madonna del Sollecito,' again usually in Florence in the Ufizzi, but here looking radiant and colourful.
Our entrance ticket also allows us to visit the main Basillica, Santa Maria della Grazie in San Giovanni, where there is a very special 'Annunciation' by Fra Angelico, so we go and check it out...
(Original journal entry 19/12/02)
So what to do on our first day off... Not another art exhibition! Yes, of course, but first a trip to our local shopping mall, Gillli at Prato. We've decided to spend Christmas in England this year, as Annette's sister, Ruth, has had a new baby, Elise. So some last minute shopping for presents to take back.
While we're on the road we decide to check out the Masaccio exhibition on in San Giovanni Valdarno which finishes in two days.San Giovanni Valdarno is a small town in the province of Arezzo to the south east of Florence. It is also the birthplace of early Renaissance painter Masaccio. (See my earlier post on Masaccio here: http://leestuscanodyssey.blogspot.com/search/label/Masaccio)
It's a beautiful sunny December day and we enjoy our drive out to San Giovanni for the first time. This special exhibition is bringing together 38 masterpieces by Masaccio and other early Renaissance artists, Donatello, Brunelleschi, Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi. The exhibition is entitled: 'Masaccio e le Origini del Renascimento' (Masaccio and the origins of the Renaisasance).
None of Masaccio's works are usually here, so it's quite a treat for the town...
Some of the highlights include: Two wooden crucifixes by Brunelleschi and Donatello, normally in Santo Spirito and Santa Croce in Florence. It's interesting seeing them side by side.
The centrepiece of the exhibition is the beautiful 'Madonna del Sollecito,' again usually in Florence in the Ufizzi, but here looking radiant and colourful.
Fra Angelico's 'Imposizione del nome al Battista' (Imposition in the name of John the Baptist) normally in the San Marco museum also in Florence.
Here's a link to the exhibition notes:
Our entrance ticket also allows us to visit the main Basillica, Santa Maria della Grazie in San Giovanni, where there is a very special 'Annunciation' by Fra Angelico, so we go and check it out...
(Original journal entry 19/12/02)
58. Mantova
'Fortune Favours the Bold' Virgil
Ludovico Gonzaga
This weekend Florence is going 'Anti-Global' as the social forum comes to town. This means I have Saturday off work! Hurrah! So a weekend in Mantova is the plan, with a special visit to the Gonzaga exhibition that's on at the moment.
Mantova or 'Mantua' in English, is a medium-sized city situated on the Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto borders and nestled in the Po valley. Although it was founded around 2,000 BC by the Etruscans, artistically, culturally and musically it was made famous by the wealthy Gonzaga family during the 14th century. After this, Mantua came under the rulership of the French, Spanish, Austrian Hapsburgs, Napoleon and finally incorporated into a united Italy in 1866. In 2008 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We head off on Saturday lunchtime, as it's only a two and a half hour drive north and in no time we're there. We park up and head for the tourist office and book a room for the night at a local 'agriturismo' farmhouse just outside the city. As we have a few hours to check in, we go for a wander and soak up some of the atmosphere of this very pretty city. By chance we stumble on this famous church, St. Andrea, which is one of the many masterpieces by 'Renaissance man', Leon Battista Alberti, and a real architectural gem it is too! Just round the corner is Piazza Erbe with this 11th century 'round' church, San Lorenzo, Palace and clock tower. Around the back there is a monument to Mantova's favourite son, the 70 BC poet, Virgil
There are outdoor market stalls and the centre is buzzing with locals enjoying a last bit of Saturday evening shopping as of course the shops close at 7.30 here in Italy. We stop at a bar and enjoy an aperitivo, with a 'brachetto,' which is a kind of red spumante... By now it's time for us to go and check in, so we make our way to Corte Nespolo, our renovated farmhouse for the night. It turns out to be very pleasant, definitely one of the best places we've stayed in Italy.
Then it's back out to find a restaurant for the evening. Which may be difficult on a Saturday evening... The first 3 or 4 places we find are all booked out. But finally we find a very modern looking place down a side alley. It's all decked out in minimalist style with white plastic furniture, not normally our kind of thing, however the food is very good. We try the local dish, Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin ravioli) which is very sweet! We also both go for the duck, which is ok and for dessert, I opt for some mountain cheeses and Annette gets the waiter to combine two desserts, which he dutifully does! And we have a very enjoyable evening. Finished off by a nice stroll through the huge Piazza Sardello, where we will be returning tomorrow.
http://www.cortaccia.com/
Sunday
After a very strange but tasty cheese and cake breakfast we're off on our art extravaganza. We've booked tickets for the Gonzaga exhibition and head to the Palazzo Te, a palace/villa built between 1524 and 1534 by Raphael's pupil, Giulio Romano. The exhibition celebrates the glorious collection of the prolific Gonzaga dukes that includes over 2,000 paintings and 20,00 precious objects which were commissioned over a four hundred year period. The Gonzagas were to Mantova what the Medici were to Florence and just as keen patrons of the arts. All these works have been scattered to the four corners of the globe, but for three months 1,800 pieces have been returned to Mantova for this extraordinary occasion...
Most of the collection is in the huge Celeste gallery and we stroll round admiring some the masterpieces. Some of my favourites include; Titian's very beautiful 'Woman with the mirror' usually exhibited in the Louvre.
'Love Conquers All' Virgil
Andrea Mantegna's 'Dead Christ', usually in Milan, with its ground breaking perspective
and Correggio's breathtaking 'Mercury and Cupid'.
After the Celeste gallery we take a look at the rest of the Palace - a series of themed rooms frescoed in the Mannerist style by Giulio Romano. In particular the hall of the Giants with a floor to ceiling fresco is impressive.
All 'arted' out for the morning, we drive back into the city and find a small Piazza to have a spot of lunch. The temperature is cold, but the fog has lifted and we sit outside in the sun... re-charged for the second leg of our tour-de-force... The Palazzo Ducale. We have come here to see Mantegna's 1465-1475 Masterpiece, the fresco of the 'Camera degli Sposi' (Wedding Room) There is a time limit for the viewing as it is a very small room, but it's definitely worth the visit! Three of the walls are frescoed with members of the Gonzaga family set in an idealized Roman countryside scene - and on the ceiling is an 'Oculus' with incredible foreshortening features, which was revolutionary for its time. Incredible!
Afterwards we are treated by an impromptu private tour of three special rooms of the Palace which were occupied by the real star of the family, Isabella d'Este, who was primarily responsible for keeping this vast collection together.
Isabella d'Este
(Leonardo da Vinci)
New Wine
As if we haven't done or seen enough, on the way out of Mantova I spot a poster advertising a 'Vino Novello' wine festival in nearby Ostiglia, so we take a little detour to check it out... Ostiglia is a small town, but for four days it has been turned into a huge tent, with new wine from all over the area and for the hefty price of 1 euro you can taste away to your heart’s content! I try about 10 different wines and we buy some dessert wine and a bottle of cream of Amaretto!
'Time flies never to be regained. Perhaps even these things, one day, will be pleasing to remember.' Virgil
(Original journal entry 10/11/02)
This weekend Florence is going 'Anti-Global' as the social forum comes to town. This means I have Saturday off work! Hurrah! So a weekend in Mantova is the plan, with a special visit to the Gonzaga exhibition that's on at the moment.
Mantova or 'Mantua' in English, is a medium-sized city situated on the Emilia Romagna, Lombardy, Veneto borders and nestled in the Po valley. Although it was founded around 2,000 BC by the Etruscans, artistically, culturally and musically it was made famous by the wealthy Gonzaga family during the 14th century. After this, Mantua came under the rulership of the French, Spanish, Austrian Hapsburgs, Napoleon and finally incorporated into a united Italy in 1866. In 2008 it was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We head off on Saturday lunchtime, as it's only a two and a half hour drive north and in no time we're there. We park up and head for the tourist office and book a room for the night at a local 'agriturismo' farmhouse just outside the city. As we have a few hours to check in, we go for a wander and soak up some of the atmosphere of this very pretty city. By chance we stumble on this famous church, St. Andrea, which is one of the many masterpieces by 'Renaissance man', Leon Battista Alberti, and a real architectural gem it is too! Just round the corner is Piazza Erbe with this 11th century 'round' church, San Lorenzo, Palace and clock tower. Around the back there is a monument to Mantova's favourite son, the 70 BC poet, Virgil
Then it's back out to find a restaurant for the evening. Which may be difficult on a Saturday evening... The first 3 or 4 places we find are all booked out. But finally we find a very modern looking place down a side alley. It's all decked out in minimalist style with white plastic furniture, not normally our kind of thing, however the food is very good. We try the local dish, Tortelli di Zucca (Pumpkin ravioli) which is very sweet! We also both go for the duck, which is ok and for dessert, I opt for some mountain cheeses and Annette gets the waiter to combine two desserts, which he dutifully does! And we have a very enjoyable evening. Finished off by a nice stroll through the huge Piazza Sardello, where we will be returning tomorrow. 
Sunday
After a very strange but tasty cheese and cake breakfast we're off on our art extravaganza. We've booked tickets for the Gonzaga exhibition and head to the Palazzo Te, a palace/villa built between 1524 and 1534 by Raphael's pupil, Giulio Romano. The exhibition celebrates the glorious collection of the prolific Gonzaga dukes that includes over 2,000 paintings and 20,00 precious objects which were commissioned over a four hundred year period. The Gonzagas were to Mantova what the Medici were to Florence and just as keen patrons of the arts. All these works have been scattered to the four corners of the globe, but for three months 1,800 pieces have been returned to Mantova for this extraordinary occasion...
Most of the collection is in the huge Celeste gallery and we stroll round admiring some the masterpieces. Some of my favourites include; Titian's very beautiful 'Woman with the mirror' usually exhibited in the Louvre.
'Love Conquers All' Virgil
Andrea Mantegna's 'Dead Christ', usually in Milan, with its ground breaking perspective
and Correggio's breathtaking 'Mercury and Cupid'.
After the Celeste gallery we take a look at the rest of the Palace - a series of themed rooms frescoed in the Mannerist style by Giulio Romano. In particular the hall of the Giants with a floor to ceiling fresco is impressive.
All 'arted' out for the morning, we drive back into the city and find a small Piazza to have a spot of lunch. The temperature is cold, but the fog has lifted and we sit outside in the sun... re-charged for the second leg of our tour-de-force... The Palazzo Ducale. We have come here to see Mantegna's 1465-1475 Masterpiece, the fresco of the 'Camera degli Sposi' (Wedding Room) There is a time limit for the viewing as it is a very small room, but it's definitely worth the visit! Three of the walls are frescoed with members of the Gonzaga family set in an idealized Roman countryside scene - and on the ceiling is an 'Oculus' with incredible foreshortening features, which was revolutionary for its time. Incredible!
Afterwards we are treated by an impromptu private tour of three special rooms of the Palace which were occupied by the real star of the family, Isabella d'Este, who was primarily responsible for keeping this vast collection together.
Isabella d'Este
(Leonardo da Vinci)
New Wine
As if we haven't done or seen enough, on the way out of Mantova I spot a poster advertising a 'Vino Novello' wine festival in nearby Ostiglia, so we take a little detour to check it out... Ostiglia is a small town, but for four days it has been turned into a huge tent, with new wine from all over the area and for the hefty price of 1 euro you can taste away to your heart’s content! I try about 10 different wines and we buy some dessert wine and a bottle of cream of Amaretto!
'Time flies never to be regained. Perhaps even these things, one day, will be pleasing to remember.' Virgil
(Original journal entry 10/11/02)
57. The Prince
It's been a month since my friend was here and for us it's the start of a new term. We both have new contracts with the British Institute, which means paid holidays at Christmas, Easter and a whopping 6 weeks in the summer! We're also entitled to free Italian lessons (sorely needed!), art lectures and free tickets to the film appreciation on Wednesday evenings. At the moment they're showing a season of Alfred Hitchcock films, I see 'Strangers on a train', 'Rear window', 'North by Northwest' and 'Psycho'.
Today is a very special day, Prince Charles is on a state visit to Italy and we are going to meet him! Apparently he is the Patron of the British Institute, which has actually been going since 1917. He came here in 1990 with Princess Diana and today is paying us another visit, without his new bird, Camilla.
Everything has been meticulously planned for months, there is tonnes of security, we have been told what we are allowed to say and do... no mentioning of Diana of course! In the evening all the teachers and staff, dressed in their finery, are gathered in the library. There is a buzz of excitement as he enters...
He is being presented with a sculpture and a book, written by a distant relative, Kinter Beever, about Tuscany. The Institute itself was founded by English statesman and friend of the royal family, Harold Acton and has had many illustrious visitors over the years, being a reference point for Brits in Tuscany.
He moves effortlessly round the room being introduced to the staff. Surprisingly he actually seems quite pleasant, chatting with the common man and shaking everyone's hand, but then I suppose he's used to it. Then all of a sudden, whoosh! He's off into the dark, Florence night and we can breath a sigh of relief and relax! We stay for some drinks and nosh and then disperse too into the cool evening... surreal, but nice!
Here's a link to the British Institute's website
http://www.britishinstitute.it/en/index.asp
(Original journal entry 4/11/02)
The BIF English teaching staff
Today is a very special day, Prince Charles is on a state visit to Italy and we are going to meet him! Apparently he is the Patron of the British Institute, which has actually been going since 1917. He came here in 1990 with Princess Diana and today is paying us another visit, without his new bird, Camilla.
Everything has been meticulously planned for months, there is tonnes of security, we have been told what we are allowed to say and do... no mentioning of Diana of course! In the evening all the teachers and staff, dressed in their finery, are gathered in the library. There is a buzz of excitement as he enters...
He is being presented with a sculpture and a book, written by a distant relative, Kinter Beever, about Tuscany. The Institute itself was founded by English statesman and friend of the royal family, Harold Acton and has had many illustrious visitors over the years, being a reference point for Brits in Tuscany.
He moves effortlessly round the room being introduced to the staff. Surprisingly he actually seems quite pleasant, chatting with the common man and shaking everyone's hand, but then I suppose he's used to it. Then all of a sudden, whoosh! He's off into the dark, Florence night and we can breath a sigh of relief and relax! We stay for some drinks and nosh and then disperse too into the cool evening... surreal, but nice!
Here's a link to the British Institute's website
http://www.britishinstitute.it/en/index.asp
(Original journal entry 4/11/02)
56. Rome 6
I'm very excited as this weekend I'm doing something I've never done before... stay overnight in Rome! I've calculated that I've been to Rome at least 5 times, but always on those dreaded whistle-stop day trips where you have to rush around to see as much as possible in about 3 hours!
It's A 7 am start for our 3-hour drive down to the Eternal city. We arrive and park right outside the walls of the Vatican city. Being a huge Michelangelo fan, one of my dreams is to see the Sistine chapel, but after 5 visits to Rome, I'm beginning to wonder if that's ever going to happen... We try the museum first, but as usual the queue to get in is about 3 million miles long! And it closes at 1.30pm! We agree that it would be useless to join the queue now and decide to come back tomorrow, early!
It's a short walk around the corner to the monumental St. Peter's square, which always takes your breath away every time you see it. Next, we wander over to the Castel Sant'Angelo and along the Tiber river. We're looking for the Tourist Information Centre, which is somewhere near the station. Of course we must find a hotel if we're going to stay the night. They suggest a place just outside the centre near Via Salaria. It's close to an Underground stop which is useful.
.jpg)
After a short drive to our hotel, the Villa Spada, which looks clean and comfortable we have a well earned, rest after our considerable walking... Annette decides to stay at the hotel for the evening, they have a dinner and dance night, far more civilized than being with rowdy football hooligans!
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We head back to the stadium for the 8 o'clock kick off. We find somewhere fairly safe to park and join the throngs of crazy local Lazio fans all dressed in their sky blue. Surprisingly this is my first live football match in Italy, our local team, Fiorentina are having financial difficulties and are not doing too well. AC Milan as usual have a great team, Maldini, Rivaldo, Seedorf, Rui Costa, Gattuso and Pippo Inzaghi. With the added excitement of new aquistion, Nesta, who is playing his first game against his old club! Lazio have Peruzzi in goal, Claudio Lopez, Mihajlovic and Simone Inzaghi.
The game itself is fantastic. There is a great atmosphere with colourful flares, firecrackers and fans going crazy! We are sitting with the Milan fans and are being bombarded with coins and plastic water bottles! A little dangerous for some of the kids present...
Milan score first with a Maldini header and Lazio equalize in the second half for a 'safe' 1-1 draw. We stop for a late night pizza in a bowling alley and then make our way back to the hotel.
The Vatican Museums
Sunday am and we check out of the hotel at 7.30am! A little early for Annette, but then this morning we are on a special mission... Sistine Chapel! We drive back to the Vatican, arriving at around 8 am. Already the crowd is sizeable. We find the end and join it to see what happens... Finally it starts moving and after only 2 hours, we're in! The entrance is free as today is a special day of culture in Italy. The problem is, we have 17 museums to get round in three and a half hours!!! Obviously going to be impossible to visit all of them, but anyway I'm here to see the Sistine Chapel first, anything else will be a bonus. To make no mistake I head straight for the sacred chapel, which Annette has seen before, what a culture vulture! Clayton says he will go at his own pace and meet us in there. So I'm rushing through coridoors of masterpieces without looking, just to make sure I get to see the Sistine Chapel. And finally I'm there... after years of looking at pictures of it and reading about it I'm finally standing beneath it, in the flesh... And it doesn't disappoint. The ceiling was restored between 1980 and 1994 and the newly discovered colours are dazzling. The ceiling is lower than I imagined and therefore closer to the eye. It is an unbelievable sight. For me, the greatest work of art ever created. Every single figure seems to be alive and breathing, in colours as fresh as the day Michelangelo painted them into the plaster. A shame I can only spend an hour or so soaking up this magnificence. Eventually we tear ourselves away to check out some of the Museum's other masterpieces.
The next 'must see' is the Raphael room. Here I also get to see one of my favourite frescoes, the School of Athens, which is actually frescoed on a whole wall and is part of a three wall cycle including the Parnasus and the Disputation of the holy sacrament. Again breathtaking, as master painter, Raphael, has skillfully arranged personalities from the classical world on a fantastical staircase, giving them the faces of his contempories, Leonardo, Michelangelo and even a cheeky self-portriat!
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/SchoolAthens.htm
After checking out the Apollo Belvedere, which is a sublime marble copy of an original bronze by Leochares, a couple of other pieces I must see are the Belvedere Torso and the famed 'Laocoon.' This is the Greek marble group which was rescued out of the Tiber river in the 15th century, both pieces inspired the young Michelangelo. The Belvedere Torso is easy to spot in a wide corridoor and very impressive, the Laocoon a little harde to find. I eventually spot it in a small alcove... Wow! Laocoon was a Trojan prince, who was responsible for the proverb we know today as 'Beware of Greeks bearing gifts' He warned the Trojans of accepting the wooden horse, but was ignored... For this, or some other indescretion, Poseidon or Athena had him and his two sons killed by two huge Serpants. This is the subject of the marble group attributed to three sculptors from the island of Rhodes, Agesander, Athenodoros and Polydorus. I can see how Michelangelo was inspired on his eternal quest to produce the perfect male torso...
Suddenly our Vatican experience is over... What a sin to put 17 museums together and have opening times of 9.30am-1.30pm!!! One of the frustrations of Italy...
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
.jpg)
We meet up with Clayton for lunch on the run and have the rest of Rome to see this afternoon. We take the Metro to our next stop, the Colisseum. I think the best way to first see it is walking up the steps of the Metro, kind of like a Gladiator's view. I remember seeing it this way for the first time many moons ago... Usually I just look round the outside, I've never been inside. Seeing as it's a day of firsts and the entrance is free, we all go in and catch a guided tour.
It turns out to be very interesting, as the enthusiastic guide tells us about those crazy, egotistical Emperors and their silly shennanigans.
We walk down the broad Imperial way, past the Forum up to Piazza Veneto and the very out of place white Vittorio Emanuele monument and on to the Trevi fountain where we stop for a very 'touristy' afternoon Cappuccino! (don't tell my Italian friends!) and soak up some Rome atmosphere...
Our last stop is the Spanish steps, before heading back to the car and our 3-hour drive back to Chianti.
(Original journal entry 29/9/02)
It's a short walk around the corner to the monumental St. Peter's square, which always takes your breath away every time you see it. Next, we wander over to the Castel Sant'Angelo and along the Tiber river. We're looking for the Tourist Information Centre, which is somewhere near the station. Of course we must find a hotel if we're going to stay the night. They suggest a place just outside the centre near Via Salaria. It's close to an Underground stop which is useful.
.jpg)
Tonight there is a big football match, Lazio vs AC Milan and as Clayton is a big football fan, we're planning to see it. We pick up the car and stop off at the Stadio Olimpico to see if we can find some tickets. The stadium is part of the huge Foro Italico complex, which was built by Mussolini and hosted the 1960 Olympic games. We manage to buy some tickets for only 15 euro each, that's about 10 pounds!
After a short drive to our hotel, the Villa Spada, which looks clean and comfortable we have a well earned, rest after our considerable walking... Annette decides to stay at the hotel for the evening, they have a dinner and dance night, far more civilized than being with rowdy football hooligans!
.jpg)
We head back to the stadium for the 8 o'clock kick off. We find somewhere fairly safe to park and join the throngs of crazy local Lazio fans all dressed in their sky blue. Surprisingly this is my first live football match in Italy, our local team, Fiorentina are having financial difficulties and are not doing too well. AC Milan as usual have a great team, Maldini, Rivaldo, Seedorf, Rui Costa, Gattuso and Pippo Inzaghi. With the added excitement of new aquistion, Nesta, who is playing his first game against his old club! Lazio have Peruzzi in goal, Claudio Lopez, Mihajlovic and Simone Inzaghi.
The game itself is fantastic. There is a great atmosphere with colourful flares, firecrackers and fans going crazy! We are sitting with the Milan fans and are being bombarded with coins and plastic water bottles! A little dangerous for some of the kids present...
Milan score first with a Maldini header and Lazio equalize in the second half for a 'safe' 1-1 draw. We stop for a late night pizza in a bowling alley and then make our way back to the hotel.
The Vatican Museums
Sunday am and we check out of the hotel at 7.30am! A little early for Annette, but then this morning we are on a special mission... Sistine Chapel! We drive back to the Vatican, arriving at around 8 am. Already the crowd is sizeable. We find the end and join it to see what happens... Finally it starts moving and after only 2 hours, we're in! The entrance is free as today is a special day of culture in Italy. The problem is, we have 17 museums to get round in three and a half hours!!! Obviously going to be impossible to visit all of them, but anyway I'm here to see the Sistine Chapel first, anything else will be a bonus. To make no mistake I head straight for the sacred chapel, which Annette has seen before, what a culture vulture! Clayton says he will go at his own pace and meet us in there. So I'm rushing through coridoors of masterpieces without looking, just to make sure I get to see the Sistine Chapel. And finally I'm there... after years of looking at pictures of it and reading about it I'm finally standing beneath it, in the flesh... And it doesn't disappoint. The ceiling was restored between 1980 and 1994 and the newly discovered colours are dazzling. The ceiling is lower than I imagined and therefore closer to the eye. It is an unbelievable sight. For me, the greatest work of art ever created. Every single figure seems to be alive and breathing, in colours as fresh as the day Michelangelo painted them into the plaster. A shame I can only spend an hour or so soaking up this magnificence. Eventually we tear ourselves away to check out some of the Museum's other masterpieces.
The next 'must see' is the Raphael room. Here I also get to see one of my favourite frescoes, the School of Athens, which is actually frescoed on a whole wall and is part of a three wall cycle including the Parnasus and the Disputation of the holy sacrament. Again breathtaking, as master painter, Raphael, has skillfully arranged personalities from the classical world on a fantastical staircase, giving them the faces of his contempories, Leonardo, Michelangelo and even a cheeky self-portriat!
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/SchoolAthens.htm
Suddenly our Vatican experience is over... What a sin to put 17 museums together and have opening times of 9.30am-1.30pm!!! One of the frustrations of Italy...
http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/MV_Home.html
.jpg)
We meet up with Clayton for lunch on the run and have the rest of Rome to see this afternoon. We take the Metro to our next stop, the Colisseum. I think the best way to first see it is walking up the steps of the Metro, kind of like a Gladiator's view. I remember seeing it this way for the first time many moons ago... Usually I just look round the outside, I've never been inside. Seeing as it's a day of firsts and the entrance is free, we all go in and catch a guided tour.
It turns out to be very interesting, as the enthusiastic guide tells us about those crazy, egotistical Emperors and their silly shennanigans.
We walk down the broad Imperial way, past the Forum up to Piazza Veneto and the very out of place white Vittorio Emanuele monument and on to the Trevi fountain where we stop for a very 'touristy' afternoon Cappuccino! (don't tell my Italian friends!) and soak up some Rome atmosphere...
Our last stop is the Spanish steps, before heading back to the car and our 3-hour drive back to Chianti.
(Original journal entry 29/9/02)
55. Man in the Mirror
Our first year in 'Bella Tuscany' is nearly over and this week we have the privilege of hosting one of my good friends from England. To protect his privacy I shall refer to him by his middle name, Clayton, thereby shielding his real identity to all but his closest acquaintances and family.
However his visit does give me the perfect excuse to indulge in some tourist-like sightseeing and in particular a 2-day visit to the eternal city, Rome.
A 9.30 pick-up from Pisa airport and already he's looking in the shop windows, not at the wares, but to check that his hair is in place! We arrive home in the Chianti to a late night supper, prepared by the lovely Annette and catch up on all the latest Worthing gossip.
Thursday and we meet up in the city again and buy tickets for the Uffizi for Tuesday. Unfortunately his excellency, David, is being restored at the moment, so I take Clayton into Santa Croce to check out the 'Giotto' Frescoes. Fortunately he resists looking too long at the marble tombs as his reflection is a little blurred! We finish day 2 with a cool sunset of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo.
Friday and a scenic drive to San Gimignano with a stop off at our now second home, Villa San Andrea, for some wine tasting and purchasing of more '98 Chianti Classico Riserva. I enjoy walking round the medieval streets of this beautifully hill- top, towered town and Clayton... well, I thought he seemed interested in the shops until I realize that he's still looking at his reflection in the window!!! And this time I'm not exaggerating... maybe his parents should have named him Narcissus! At this point I will skip our weekend trip to Rome... (Next Blog Entry)
(Original journal entry 2/10/02)
54. Populonia, Campiglia Marittima and Bolgheri
After a wonderful afternoon at Massa Marittima we motor on to the coast... first stop is the very pretty gulf of Baratti, there is a small harbour and sailing school here and also one of the most important Etruscan burial sites at nearby Populonia, but we don't have time to look round, instead we drive up to the tiny village of Populonia Alta. Here there are a few crafty shops and bars and a 15th century fortress overlooking the Tyrrhenian coastline.
By now it's getting quite late and we have to find somewhere to sleep... so we head back into San
Vincenzo and manage to find a small, cheap room for the night!
We pop into town for a late night fish dish at 'La Bussola', the place is still buzzing, with people just hanging on to the last remmnants of summer...
Sunday and we enjoy a lazy breakfast in town and then decide to head up to another old mining town, Campiglia Marittima. We stroll round the small mainly residential town. The main square is simple and has a few bars and restaurants.
We stop for lunch here and as Autumn is coming I have a wild boar pasta dish and then wild boar stew main course! We drive back to San Vincenzo and relax on the beach in the late summer sun...
Our drive home takes us by way of yet another famous Tuscan landmark, Bolgheri. Bolgheri is a small town that can be reached by a 4.9 km drive from San Guido. This 4.9 km road is lined with 2,540 huge cypress trees and the is dead straight, making it an incredible sight to behold and drive along! The road was immortalized in a famous Italian poem written by local resident, Giossue Carducci and many Italians have bad memories of having to learn it by heart at school...
We drive along it, open mouthed and stop to take some photos, before finally heading home. A very long and enjoyable weekend, with some very nice new discoveries!
When I got home I bought a book of Carducci's poems, but they are only available in Italian. I have searched for an English translation to no avail. However I have found several bad translations and have tinkered with them and come up with this... (My sincerest apologies to the purists)
Here is a link to the poem in full...
http://leestuscanodyssey.blogspot.com/p/b-s-g.html
(Original journal entry 14/9/02)
53. Massa Marittima
With all these diversions we're not going to reach the coast before dark, so we decide to stop and check out Massa Marittima, 8th Century hill-top mining town on the edge of the Maremma region.
The Etruscans and Romans once mined copper, lead, iron and even silver in theses hills and the town was nearly wiped out in the 1600's by the malaria that spread from the Maremma marshlands.
We stop for a late picnic lunch enjoying as usual our stunning Tuscan views. Today it's towards the 1,000 metre volcanic hills of Montieri.
By now it's early afternoon and we enjoy a pleasant stroll through the old town, which at 380 metres has spectacular views of the valley below and narrow, winding medeival streets that lead to the main square, 'Piazza Garibaldi'.
We wander the ancient streets, losing ourselves in this enchanting town, free from the hoards of tourists we witnessed in Cortona.
Next we stumble onto a pretty outside cafe, under a colonnade with a view of the Porta al Salinitro. Afterwards we climb up the tower and walk along the ramparts over the Arco Sanese for some more great views and a couple snogging away in the corner!
(Original journal entry 14/9/02)
52. Sfuso and Sunflowers
The first two weeks of September haven't been brilliant weather wise, although we have been lucky with the weekends. The forecast isn't great for this weekend, but we take a chance anyway and plan to drive to the coast. We've packed overnight bags, picnic hamper and head off Saturday morning...
First stop is Villa Sant' Andrea. This is the wine estate where our favourite wine that we tasted at last week's wine festival comes from. It turns out to be just up the road! In the Cantina they let us taste the 1998 Riserva we tasted last week plus two other wines, the basic Chianti Classico and a Super Tuscan called Citille. We also spot some huge wooden vats, with the words 'sfuso' written on them... On further explanation it turns out you can also buy wine that hasn't been bottled for 1 euro 55 cents a litre, which works out at 75 p a bottle!!! All we need to do is return with a 5 litre fiasco and fill up! We buy 4 bottles of the '98 Riserva to keep us going!
As we come down the hill, we are greeted by what must be the last remaining field of Sunflowers. Generally Sunflowers are out from late June to early August, so we're lucky to still see some left. We stop and admire one of the symbols of Tuscany and then carry on with our journey to the coast...
51. Cortona
Well I suppose with all the build up to this place, actually coming here for the first time proved a little disappointing.
Cortona is the town where American author Frances Mayes has a house and in her books she waxes lyrical about what an amazing place it is...
Although Cortona is actually a pretty hill-top town which rises up to dominate the
Valdichiana with some spectacular views towards Umbria and just the faintest glimpse of Lake Trasimeno. The spoiling factor is that the small town is crawling with American tourists, so much so that you can hardly move! The once sleepy town has become a pilgrimage for Frances Mayes' fans!
Despite not being able to move we actually have a pleasant enough day here. On the approach up to the 600m town, the huge church of Santa Maria delle grazie dominates. We find a nice spot in the grounds of a 12th Century Monastery to have a picnic and enjoy the warm weather and great views.
There are some Piero della Francesca frescoes hidden away, but far too many people are cramming to get in, we'll just have to return on a quieter day... still a pretty town and definitely worth exploring more out of season.
(Original journal entry 13/9/02)
Cortona is the town where American author Frances Mayes has a house and in her books she waxes lyrical about what an amazing place it is...
Although Cortona is actually a pretty hill-top town which rises up to dominate the
Valdichiana with some spectacular views towards Umbria and just the faintest glimpse of Lake Trasimeno. The spoiling factor is that the small town is crawling with American tourists, so much so that you can hardly move! The once sleepy town has become a pilgrimage for Frances Mayes' fans!
Despite not being able to move we actually have a pleasant enough day here. On the approach up to the 600m town, the huge church of Santa Maria delle grazie dominates. We find a nice spot in the grounds of a 12th Century Monastery to have a picnic and enjoy the warm weather and great views.
Afterwards we wander through the cobbled medeival streets and relax, along with all the Americans on the steps in the towns hub, Piazza della Republicca. The medeival architecture is impressive and the Palazzo Communale especially so.
(Original journal entry 13/9/02)
50. Greve Wine Festival
So nearly a year after my first wine festival in the centre of Florence, we discover that Greve has its very own wine festival and it's held every September. So I must have just missed it last year as we didn't arrive until November. It is actually only the 12th edition, so it must have only started in 1990.
It's a weekend festival starting on the Friday evening and going on to the Sunday. There are lots of different activities planned and we come down to the square on the Friday evening, where they have set up two huge booths, with the bottles all numbered. We pick up 2 glasses, a ticket which allows us to have 8 tastes and a small booklet where all the wines are listed. I have no idea what I'm looking for! But with about 120 wines on show we're only going to get an idea of what's on offer.
To be honest they are all pretty impressive. I'm tending to go for the 'Riserva' wines as they are usually made from the estates best grapes, aged for 1 year to 18 months in huge Slavonic Oak barrels and then aged for an extra year in the bottle. The Riservas are a little fuller bodied than the basic Chianti Classicos, with some more interesting scents of violets and toasted vanilla. There are wines called 'Super Tuscans' here too, sometimes made with Cabernet Sauvignon grapes instead of the usual 'Sangiovese' which is the local grape variety in Tuscany. I'm still getting my head around all this new information...
My top 7 wines at the festival are:
1. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - San Andrea
2. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Carpineto
3. Chianti Classico Cetinale Riserva 1999 - Tracolle
4. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Buonasera
5. Chianti Classico Riserva 1998 - Castello di Meleto
6. Chianti Classico Doccio a Matteo Riserva 1999 Carpasa
7. Farnito Cabernet Sauvignon 1999 - Carpineto
(For my tasting notes on these wines see my wine blog )
We have a few tastes left on our ticket and return on the Sunday only to find that they've almost run out! Thank goodness we came on Friday! However if this happens every year then it's a date that I will have to put in my diary!
(Original journal entry 13/9/02)
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