The Borgias . . .

Lucrezia Borgia, one of my favorite Renaissance ladies, is on the cover of a beautiful book I received for Christmas.  The Borgia Chronicles, 1414-1572, by Mary Hollingsworth, speaks of not only Lucrezia's life but also that of her famous father, Pope Alexander VI, and her brother Cesare, as well as their ancestors and descendants.  Lucrezia, herself, is the ancestress of many of the current European royals, including Juan Carlos I of Spain, Albert II of Belgium, Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, as well as the Count of Paris and the claimants to the Thrones of the Bavaria, Brazil, Parma, Saxony and the Two Sicilies.  I'm looking forward to ordering through Netflix the recent Showtime series, The Borgias, starring Jeremy Irons.

The Palazzo Pitti

Eleonora di Toledo (see post of 12/2/11), who married Cosimo I de Medici in 1539, found the Palazzo Vecchio to be too small for their large brood of children.   So, with her own money, she bought the Pitti Palace on the south side of the Arno.  The Palace has since been expanded, of course, and today houses many galleries.  The Royal Apartments are well worth a visit, although are decorated in 19th century style, as the Palace was used by the members of the House of Savoy, who inherited the Duchy of Tuscany when the last Medici died with no heirs in the 18th century.

That Eleonora could buy the Pitti Palace is a remarkable event in several ways.  Cosimo chose his bride not only for her beauty but for her connections to the Spanish throne.  She was the daughter of  the Viceroy of Naples, which was controlled by Spain at the time.  In a reversal of the usual custom, Eleonora's father insisted Cosimo settle a large dowry on her.  She must have also retained some control over her funds in order to be able to purchase the Pitti.  This would have been a Spanish custom because, for the most part,  women in Renaissance Florence did not have the legal right to make contracts or own property in their own name.

The women of Spain, of the other hand, could and did inherit lands and thrones.  Think of Isabella of Castile who married Ferdinand of Aragon.  Isabella held the throne in her own right, and this legal right followed the Spanish to the New World, and eventually to California.  Women in the western United States could own land and property long before the women in the eastern states, whose property rights were in line with that of England.

Taste, a trade show

I took this photo in March 2008 at Stazione Leopolda in Firenze,where the trade show, Taste, was being held.  The two figures at the right are actually "bellying up to the bar" for a taste of Italian beer.  The venue is a converted train station now used for various events throughout the year. 

Many of the trade shows, which are open to the public, are centered around the fashion industry, including the women's ready-to-wear, which is held in November each year.  In 2011 the show was held for the first time in Firenze at the Stazione Leopolda.  The organization which sponsors the events,  Pitti Imagine, is deeply entwined with all aspects of the garment industry, and was responsible for the first men's fashion show in Italy in the mid-20th century.  Prior to that time, clothing in Italy was made in small tailoring or dressmaking shops.  Much more at the sophisticated web-site:  www.pittimmagine.com

The Costume Gallery at the Pitti Palace

This portrait by Bronzino, of Eleonora di Toledo, who married Cosimo I di Medici, is one I saw in 2010 in a special exhibit at the Strozzi Palace Museum.  The actual costume Elenora is wearing (or one very much like it) is now featured in an exhibit at the Costume Gallery in the Pitti Palace, and may be the oldest extant costume (c. 1560) of Renaissance Florence.  Here's a link to a website that explains more: 

http://realmofvenus.renaissanceitaly.net/workbox/extwomclo2.htm

Another door . . . this one from Orvieto

Monterosso, a month after the flood . . .

I am re-posting this from another blogger, Little Paradiso:

http://www.littleparadiso.com/2011/11/monterosso-month-after-flood.html


If you don't have time to watch the video, look at the stills below.  It's fascinating to see the channels that were constructed below the streets that were supposed to carry off excess water during floods like this.  Apparently, during the last 100 years the channels were either covered for safety's sake, or were neglected, and in any event, not inspected and maintained.  The reconstruction project will include opening up these channels again. 

Christmas in Florence

One of the ways I stay in touch with Florence when I am away is to watch television shows about Italian cooking.  I have two current favorites, both on The Cooking Channel:  "Extra Virgin," about a Los Angeles actress who marries a Tuscan farmer; and "David Rocco's Dolce Vita."  David Rocco and his wife Nina live just outside Florence, and Sunday Nov 27 will be the airing of their Christmas program, "A Very Rocco Christmas," which will feature stuffed and fried squid; spaghetti with braised octopus; and Christmas shopping in Florence.  The re-runs are well worth watching for the street scenes.

Il Porcellino

For whatever reason, today seems an appropriate day to be thinking about Il Porcellino, the bronze statue of the cinghale, or wild boar, which sits in the Straw Market in the middle of Florence.  The tradition is to put a coin in the mouth of the boar (which is a fountain), rub the snout for the good fortune to be able to return to Florence.  So far, it has been working for me.  Now, thanks to Karen, who runs the blog, www.AnAmericaninItaly.com I have another connection. a story written by Hans Christian Andersen.  Here's the story: 

http://www.andersenstories.com/en/andersen_fairy-tales/the_metal_pig/

Thanks, Karen!

"Tuscanizing" my Thanksgiving Feast

I'm adding chestnuts to my California Wild Rice Dressing, and remembering what fun it was to pick chestnuts off the ground in the forest north of Grosseto . . .

The Lives of Renaissance Women . . .

. . . in the 1400's and the lives of early Western pioneer women in the late 1800's and early 1900's were not that different.  I realize that the more I learn about Tuscan housewives living in the small villages and towns, the more I began to recognize the similarities of their lives and the lives of my great-grandmothers, who were early pioneers in the West.  In Origo's "Merchant of Prato" there is a great deal of correspondence between Francesco, the merchant, and his much younger wife, Margherita.  They lived apart much of the time, he in Florence and she in Prato, and thus the need for frequent communication.  Letters were carried back and forth between husband and wife by courriers on horseback or mule.  Five hundred years later, in rural California, mail was still being delivered via horseback.

Botticelli's "Primavera"

Botticelli's "Primavera" shows Venus clad in a camicia (chemise, shift), the first layer of women's clothing in the Quattrocento.  Note the round neckline, which would change to a square yoke in the following century.  The fabric was most likely cotton or very fine linen, not silk.

Florentine Renaissance Dress

While not my favorite figure in Ghirlandaio's fresco cycle, I have chosen this example to illustrate the second layer in red (the gamurra), and the third layer in blue (the cioppa).

Fashion in the Quattrocento (1400's)

I have been immersed for the past few days in research on the dress of Renaissance women in Florence.  Apparently there are no extant garments, so everything we know is either pictorial (mainly frescoes) or from descriptions in correspondence.  I have just reached the chapters in Iris Origo's "Merchant of Prato" in which the wardrobes of the master and mistress are detailed.  Women had basically three types of garments:  a camicia, or chemise, sometimes called a shift, next to the skin; a gamurra (or camora), a gown worn as the middle of three garments; and the cioppa or giornea, which were types of overdresses.  One of the best opportunities to study further will be when next I go to Santa Maria Novella and visit Ghirlandaio's fresco cycles in the Tournabuoni Chapel.

Gorgonzola . . .

Gorgonzola with pears and walnuts on arugula is one of my favorite salads to serve in the fall.   My problem has been finding a gorgonzola that tastes like the cheese I buy in Firenze.  Finally, something close, but it goes by the name, "Blue Castello."  I bought it at Trader Joe's, and I've also seen it at Baron's.

Room with a View

I collect doors . . .

The Scents of Italy

My favorite perfume is called "Tuscany,"  by Estee Lauder.  Why are you not surprised?  I also have one that I wear in the evening called "Sicily," by Dolce & Gabbana.   And next time I am in Florence I am headed back to:

Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di S.M. Novella  Via della Scala, 16

Founded officially in 1612 (although actually dating back to 1221 at the arrival of the Dominican friars in Florence), the Officina is one of the world's oldest pharmacies. Its halls showcase a vast range of preparations and products, including perfumes, essences, soaps, unguents, spirits, balsams, colognes, aromatic vinegars, and liqueurs, all still made in accordance with the ancient formulas. But that's not all: the beautifully frescoed rooms of the Officina are a veritable museum of original furnishings and the ancient tools of the pharmaceutical trade.

Do you have a favorite scent connected with Italy?

Santa Maria Novella

Music in Firenze

One of the great things about being in Florence is the opportunity to hear wonderful music, sometimes in unusual and unexpected circumstances.  Many times I have slipped inside the beautiful little church, Chiesa Santa Maria de' Ricci, near Casa di Dante, because there is someone practicing on the organ for a concert later that night.  Now someone is posting that there are regular performances evenings at 6 pm, which would make a lovely addition to any passagiata.  Here's the post:  http://www.anamericaninitaly.com/2011/11/09/organ-music-at-santa-maria-de-ricci/

Women Artists

When I am in Italy, I like to have a "theme."  Next trip one of our themes will be "The Lives of Women."  One of my favorite artists is Artemisia Gentileschi, about whom several books have recently been published.  Two of my recommendations:  Artemisia  (Alexandra Lapierre) – a well-researched biographical novel about the life of Artemisia Gentileschi, a female painter who was a contemporary of Caravaggio, and who worked in Florence in the early 17^th Century.  On the same subject, The Passion of Artemisia (Susan Vreeland) is a lighter read, and is of some interest to us in Southern California, as the author lives in San Diego.

An American in Florence, . . .

. . . Bernard Berenson, advocated the reconstruction of the Ponte Santa Trinita to be “as it was, where it was” after the Germans destroyed the bridge during their retreat in 1944.  Berenson, an art historian, who lived and worked in Florence, gathered donations to pay for the reconstruction and insisted that the original materials be used, as opposed to cheaper concrete that the Italian State wanted to employ. The final reconstruction of the Ponte Santa Trinita was finished in 1958. Upon completion, it stood as it did prior to the war, with much of the original pieces recovered from the river, including the four statues of the season. For his noble efforts and persistence, Berenson was awarded honorary citizenship. (source:  www.theflorencenewspaper.com)

Ponte SantaTrinita from the Ponte Vecchio

Another song that reminds me of Florence . . .

. . . is "O mio babbino, caro," which Brightman sings beautifully.  This soprano aria is from the opera "Gianni Schicchi," written by Giacomo Puccini in 1918.  The setting is 14th century Florence, and when the soprano sings of buying a ring in Porta Rossa or throwing herself off the Ponte Vecchio, I can see those beautiful settings in my mind's eye.

Time to Say Goodbye . . .

. . . is the English title of one of Sarah Brightman's more popular songs.  I prefer the Italian title, "Con te Partiro`" which if translated directly, means "I will depart with you."  Either way, this song and others on Brightman's album, "Classics," remind me of Florence.  One of the charming things about my favorite city is the number of street performers in public spaces.  Very often there is someone doing the Brightman songs outside the Uffizi or in Piazza della Repubblica.  Do you have songs that remind you of specific cities?

www.savevernazza.com

The mission of Save Vernazza ONLUS (an Italian nonprofit organization) is to 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.

The town of Vernazza was destroyed by massive flooding and subsequent mud slides on October 25, 2011. As a result, Vernazza is buried under 4 meters (13 feet) of mud, rocks and debris. Save Vernazza ONLUS was founded by 4 expat American women who have lived in Vernazza for years, originally arriving as tourists from 6 to 16 years ago. We fell in love with the place and its’ people and relocated to create families, businesses and friendships in Vernazza. Our goal is to reach out to international communities to provide an easy, direct way of donating money which will be used for the restoration and preservation of Vernazza.

Americans in Florence

"Americans in Florence" is the title of the exhibition opening in March 2012 at the Strozzi Palace Museum in Florence.  With that theme in mind, I want to recommend some books:   The Sixteen Pleasures (Robert Hellenga) -- The story of a young woman's journey to Florence as a “mud angel” following the flood in 1966 that destroyed so many books and artifacts. Lots of behind the scenes info on local sights woven into some pretty good fact-based fiction.   A sequel, The Italian Lover (also by Robert Hellenga) is set in Florence some 30 years later when the first book is being made into a movie.  A perennial book club favorite author, Hellenga is much admired for his uncanny way of getting into the mind of a female protagonist.

Vernazza in better times . . .

Packing my suitcase in advance

OK, I'm not able to return to Florence until spring, but my bag is packed.  Here's why:  it's fire season here in Southern California, and I need to have a bag packed anyway, just in case I have to evacuate.  I've put in my bag the things I would wear either in the spring in Italy or in the fall here in California--lightweight black and tan jacket, black cashmere sweater, black pants, cotton T-shirts, flat black shoes.  I hear wide pants are "out" in Florence, so I may need to go shopping . . .

Thinking about spring . . .

Thinking about gardens . . .

Today I am thinking about the gardens of Florence.  The Boboli Garden is the most famous, but newly renovated and now opened in the same Oltarno neighborhood is the Giardino Bardini.  It's been closed for decades, so seeing it, especially in the spring, will be a rare treat!  I've pulled out my old book, "The Garden Lover's Guide to Italy," by Penelope Hobhouse, for some info on the other gardens in the area.  I remembering how beautiful the wisteria is in April.

John Singer Sargent

Each time I go to Italy, I like to have a "theme."  Sometimes it's an artist--Giotto, Artemisia, have been recent themes.  Once I did "Overview of Western Civilization" when traveling by car throughout Southern Italy and Sicily.  This next trip one of the themes will be John Singer Sargent, an American artist who was born in Florence.  The Strozzi Museum will have an exhibition entitled "Americans in Florence," which opens March 2, 2012:  http://www.palazzostrozzi.org/Sezione.jsp?idSezione=683

Monterosso update

Reposted from Rick Steves' Graffiti Wall:
FYI - Ristorante Miky survived with minimal damage and Ca Du Gigante and the Cantina (more the cantina) sustained lots of damage from the flooding. In the New Town we are incredibly lucky it was just water. We are working round the clock with friends, family and the community to repair, rebuild, and save our town. Thank you all so much for your kind words and prayers and thoughts.
Christine Mitchell
Monterosso al Mare,  10/28/2011

One of the best-kept secrets

For reasons unknown to me, Florence does not widely advertise the wonderful bargain, membership to the state-run museums.  The membership is called" Amici degli Uffizi," and is sold at a special office in the Uffizi.  The family pass is 100 euro for two adults (I've had a lot of different "sisters" over the years) and two children, and entry is good for an entire calendar year.  You just flash your card and a picture ID at the museum guard and you get to go in front of all those people standing in line!  The card can be used at the Uffizi, the Pitti, the Bargello, the Accademia, and more.  It's a way better deal that the Firenze card for 50 euro that is only good for three days.

Monterosso during happier times . . .

Flooding in Liguria and Tuscany

Today I am just sad, watching the videos of the devastation caused by flooding, Tues Oct 25, yesterday.   Especially hard hit was  Monterosso, one of the Cinque Terre, which I visited in 2005.  I'm wondering where else the flooding is bad?  It's another reminder that Mother Nature is really in charge.  Has anyone read Robert Clark's Dark Water, flood and redemption in the City of Masterpieces?  It's the best book yet about the devastated Florence in November 1966.

Prato

I'm thinking about Prato today.  It's 20 minutes from Florence by train, and costs less than 4 euro for a round-trip ticket.  I started reading Iris Origo's book, A Merchant from Prato, again last night.  It'a a biography of sorts, and is based on Sr. Datini's documents, which were sealed up inside a wall of his palazzo, from the time of his death in the early 15th century, until some time in the 19th!  I think his palazzo is still there, and open to the public. Has anyone been to Prato recently?

The Ponte Vecchio, my own photo, and my screen saver.

Dreams of Italy

I have a box of treasures.  It sits under my coffee table in California, and when I get "homesick" for Tuscany, for Firenze in particular, I pull it out and start dreaming/planning my next trip back.