Lee's Tuscan Odyssey: Roberto Bolle

In 2001 I came to live in Italy. I had some fun, wrote a journal and this is the blog of my story...

"Tuscany is a state of grace. The countryside is so lovingly designed that the eye sweeps the mountains and valleys without stumbling over a single stone. The lilt of the rolling green hills, the upsurging cypresses, the terraces sculptured by generations that have handled the rocks with skillful tenderness, the fields geometrically juxtaposed as though drawn by a draughtsman for beauty as well as productivity; the battlements of castles on the hills, their tall towers standing grey-blue and golden tan among the forest of trees, the air of such clarity that every sod of earth stands out in such dazzling detail. The fields ripening with barley and oats, beans and beets. The grape-heavy vines espaliered between the horizontal branches of silver-green olive trees, composing orchards of webbed design, rich in intimation of wine, olive oil and lacy-leaf poetry. Tuscany untied the knots in a man's intestines, wiped out the ills of the world. Italy is the garden of Europe, Tuscany is the garden of Italy, Florence is the flower of Tuscany." Irving Stone from my favourite book " The Agony and the Ecstacy" A fictional biography of Michelangelo

Showing posts with label Roberto Bolle. Show all posts

235. Bolle Ballet

Our second trip to the Teatro Communale this year and we're going to see one of the hottest male ballet dancers in the world, Roberto Bollet. (He danced at the Queen's 50th Jubilee)

This evening he is performing two dances. A classical piece from Mozart's Pas deux and a more modern piece called 'Por le petit mort' by Tchaikovsky. Both dances are superb.

After the interval the company perform some of Romeo and Juliet by Prokoviev. For us it is a memorable evening seeing one of the world's great dancers, although one stupid woman down the front isn't so happy with the modern interpretation...

179. Giselle at the Teatro Communale

Well we are bidding a very sad farewell to the Teatro Communale... After only a year in this very upmarket area of Florence, Corso Italia, we are moving on.

What better way to go out in style than by a trip to see the Ballet. It's actually my first complete Ballet, as I've only ever seen highlights. What a superb initiation as Italy's latest rising star, Roberto Bolle is performing! And what a splendid performance it is!

All the dancers are wonderful, the scenery and music are beautiful too and after all, how often does a trip to the theatre take less than two minutes? I'm going to miss this place...