Category Archives: IPad

May 24, 2013 · 11:21 am

Assisi is a UNESCO Site in Umbria Italy

: Image by S Moses via Flickr

The town of Assisi in Umbria is a fascinating place to view Franciscan sites in the Perugia region of Umbria. Assisi is a UNESCO World Heritage site in Italy.

St. Francis of Assisi (circa 1182-1220) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Assisi is the birth and burial place of St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan order. The Franciscans take the vow of poverty. St. Francis and St. Catherine are the patron saints of Italy. Assisi is located at the foot of Mount Subasio. This medieval city is built on a hill. It is closely associated with disseminating the work of the Franciscan Order throughout the world; the universal message of peace and tolerance.

“Its medieval ensemble of artistic masterpieces, such as the Basilica of San Francesco and paintings by Cimabue, Pietro Lorenzetti, Simone Martini and Giotto have significantly contributed to the development of Italian and European art and architecture.” UNESCO

St. Francis (1182-1226) was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 16, 1228. The basilica was founded in 1228 after his canonization. Completed in 1253, it has an upper church and a lower church and is frequently visited by religious pilgrims from around the world. The frescoed basilica is a monument to St. Francis. The Franciscans offer free guided tours in English.

Giotto di Bondone – Saint Francis and Saint Clare – WGA09163 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Simone Martini, fresco detail depicting Saint Clare of Assisi, (1322–26), Lower basilica of San Francesco, Assisi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pietro Lorenzetti fresco detail, Assisi Basilica, 1310-1329. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why Giotto Is a Man of His Time… and Ours (bigthink.com)
The Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence is the “National Pantheon” (vinoconvistablog.me)
Art at the Pinacoteca Vaticana in the Vatican Museums (vinoconvistablog.me)
Bernini’s Church of Santa Bibiana in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)

Crucifixion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Franciscan Allegories: Allegory of Obedience (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Why Giotto Is a Man of His Time… and Ours (bigthink.com)
The Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence is the “National Pantheon” (vinoconvistablog.me)
Art at the Pinacoteca Vaticana in the Vatican Museums (vinoconvistablog.me)
Bernini’s Church of Santa Bibiana in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)

St. Francis of Assisi renounces his worldly goods in a painting attributed to Giotto di Bondone. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dansk: Giotto: Udfrielsen af hæretikeren Pietro,San Francesco basilikaen, Assisi English: Giotto: Liberation of the heretic Peter,Basilica of Saint Francis,Assisi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of the Legend of St. Francis frescoes at Assisi, the authorship of which is disputed. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Prayer of Saint Francis

“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen”

To learn more about Italy read www.vino-con-vista.com Travel Guides.

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Tagged as Assisi, Christianity, Francis of Assisi, Franciscan, Franciscans, Italy, italy travel, Pietro Lorenzetti, Prayer of Saint Francis, Religion and Spirituality, Renaissance, Simone Martini, The Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi, Travel Guide Umbria, Umbria

April 20, 2013 · 11:52 am

I Love Italian Renaissance Art

: Image via Wikipedia

Euro-standard circulation Italian 1 euro coin (national/obverse side). The design represents Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of the proportions of the human body (also known as the Vitruvian man). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Leonardo da Vinci was the embodiment of a Renaissance Man because he excelled at a variety of worthwhile endeavors. He was a celebrated sculptor, painter, architect, engineer and scientist. Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man” represents the perfectly proportioned man.

Image via Wikipedia

Watch the following video showing four major Italian Renaissance artists and their work : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVQBVE9BzYk

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Michelangelo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbZen2OOA3M&feature=related

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Titian, Raphael, Giotto Video:

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBTtjDMBIbk&feature=related

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Botticelli Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOILQzTfYww&feature=related are notable Renaissance artists who were commissioned by wealthy families and popes.

The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Leonardo (Photo credit: Arenamontanus)

The contributions of these artists decorate the walls of churches, palaces and museums around the world. The Renaissance flourished in Italy and Italian masters graced humanity with a wealth of masterpieces

Bartolommeo Vivarini from Venice produced works of art for cities across Northern Italy and down the Adriatic Coast including this altarpiece of “Saint Mark” around 1490.

Cosme Tura from Ferrara painted “Saint George” around 1474 for the Church of San Giorgio fuori le Mura in Ferrara.

Carlo Crivelli from Venice painted the “Madonna and Child” in 1468.

Alessandro Mattia da Farnese from Rome painted the “Portrait of Prince Augusto Chigi” in 1664.

Giovanni di Paolo from Sienna painted “The Madonna and Child with Angels” in 1475.

Sano di Pietro from Siena painted “Saint Catherine of Siena” in about 1450.

Fra Angelico (Guido di Pietro) from Florence painted “The Madonna and Child” in 1411-1413.

Giotto‘s “God the Father with Angels”

Saint Jerome

Bernardino Luini from Milan painted “The Conversion of the Magdalene” (An Allegory of Modesty and Vanity) in 1520 with gesturing hands.

Catena’s “Holy Family”

I love Luca Signorelli’s, ”The Coronation of the Virgin” 1508

Reasons Why The Renaissance Started in Italy (brighthub.com)
So How Did the Renaissance Begin? (vino-con-vista.us)
Vatican Museums (romeinfo.wordpress.com)
Excellent Art Galleries Worth Visiting in Italy (vino-con-vista.info)
Face of Devil Discovered in Giotto Fresco (inquisitr.com)
The devil’s in the details of a Giotto fresco (msnbc.msn.com)

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Tagged as Alessandro Mattia de Farnese, Art, art history, Art of Italy, Bartolommeo Vivarini, Bernardino Luini, Bernardino Luini An Allegory of Modesty and Vanity, Carlo Crivelli, Coronation of the Virgin, Cosme Tura, Donatello, Fra Angelico, Giotto, Giovanni de Paolo, History, Italian Renaissance, Italy, italy travel, Italy Travel Guides, Leonardo, Leonardo da Vinci, Luca Signorelli, Madonna (art), Michelangelo, Mona Lisa, Raphael, Renaissance, Renaissance art, Renaissance Florence, Rome, Saint Jerome, Sano di Pietro, Titian, Travel and Tourism, Trevi Fountain, Venice, Vitruvian Man, Vitruvian Man in a Square and in a Circle

April 18, 2013 · 10:41 am

Top Treasures of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel in Italy

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Carlo Brogi (1850-1925) – “Rome – Vatican – Museo Pio-Clementino – Augustus in his older age”. Catalogue # 8262. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Fresco of Mercury – Vatican Museum – Rome, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Vatican Museums (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A spiral staircase inside one of the Vatican Museums (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Augustus of Prima Porta, statue of the emperor Augustus in Museo Chiaramonti, Vatican, Rome (with white background). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bust of Augustus of the Prima Porta type. Roman artwork, most of the bust is a modern restoration. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Vatican Museums ( Musei Vaticani) are located inside the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection acquired by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the centuries. The collection includes some of the most renowned classical sculptures like the Apoxyomenos (Athlete Washing) in the Museo Pio Clementino that houses works of Greek and Roman sculpture. This statue was discovered in 1849 when it was excavated in Trastevere. This statue is a 1^st century Roman copy of an original Greek bronze by Lysippus.

Athlete Washing at the Vatican Musuem

I can’t resist the ancient “giant head ” sculptures in Rome! They truly relflect the egos that have dominated this town for centuries.

Classic vatican giant head

The museums contain some of the most important masterpieces of sacred Renaissance art. The intricate and elaborate Roman mosaic floors were made from tesserae colored marble.

Roman Mosaic floor of Neptune at the Vatican Museums

Many Roman military leaders were commemorated with statues throughout Rome. The statues were originally painted with vibrant colors like this replica of the Prima Porta Augustus shown below. The original marble Augustus of Prima Porta is also in the museum.

The statue of Augustus Caesar was discovered in 1863, in the Villa of Livia at Prima Porta, near Rome. Augustus Caesar’s wife, Livia Drusilla, retired to the villa after his death. The sculpture is now displayed in the Braccio Nuovo of the Vatican Museums.

There are 54 galleries (salas) in the museums. The last one is the Sistine Chapel. You will witness one of the oldest and most comprehensive art collections in the world! Let’s take a look at some of Vatican Museum’s treasures and masterpieces.

Vatican Museum Treasures

The Goddess of Fertility

1.Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16th century. They were visited by 4,310,083 people in the year 2007.

The Vatican Museums trace their origin to one marble sculpture, purchased 500 years ago; the sculpture of Laocoon.

The story of Laocoön was the subject of a play by the Greek writer Sophocles. According to Greek mythology, Laocoön was killed after attempting to expose the ruse of the Trojan Horse by striking it with a spear. The snakes were sent by Athena, and were interpreted by the Trojans as proof that the horse was a sacred object. The most famous account of these events is in Virgil‘s Aeneid. Laocoön warned his fellow Trojans against the wooden horse presented to the city by the Greeks. In the Aeneid, Virgil gives Laocoön the famous line Equo ne credite, Teucri / Quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes, or “Do not trust the Horse, Trojans: Whatever it is, I fear the Greeks even bearing gifts.” This line is the source of the saying: “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.”

The statue was unearthed in 1506 near the site of the Domus Aurea of the Emperor Nero in Rome, in the vineyard of Felice De Fredis near the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Laocoon in Vatican Museums

Pope Julius II, an enthusiastic classicist, sent Giuliano da Sangallo and Michelangelo Buonarroti to examine the discovery. On their recommendation, the pope immediately purchased the sculpture from the vineyard owner. The pope put the sculpture of the Trojan “Laocoön and His Sons” who were named Antiphantes and Thymbraeus in the grips of a sea serpent on public display at the Vatican exactly one month after its discovery. It is believed that the scultures wre from the island of Rhodes and there names were Agesander, Athenodros and Polydorus.

2. The Stanze della Segnatura are four rooms decorated by Raphael. They formed part of the apartment situated on the second floor of the Pontifical Palace that was chosen by Julius II della Rovere (pontiff from 1503 to 1513) as his own residence and used also by his successors. The pictorial decoration was executed by Raphael and his school between 1508 and 1524. I love Raphael’s “Baptism of Constantine” and the “Deliverance of Saint Peter.”

Raphael’s Baptism of Constantine

Raphael’s ceiling

Raphael’s Deliverance of St. Peter

3. The Sistine Chapel houses Michelangelo’s brilliant frescoes on the ceiling and lunettes above the windows. Here’s a virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html

In 1473, Pope Sixtus IV commissioned Giovannni De Dolci to build a chapel for Papal ceremonies. This Sistine Chapel is located in the Vatican Museum a few blocks away from St. Peter’s. It is famous for its architecture and its elaborate decorative frescoed interior. Many Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio and others contributed to the magnificent art display in the Chapel.

Commissioned by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512.

Sistine Chapel Ceiling by Michelangelo

He resented the commission but the ceiling and The Last Judgement (1535–1541) is Michelangelo’s crowning achievement in painting. The “Last Judgment” is located on the wall behind the main altar and was completed in 1541.

Saint Jerome holding his flayed skin with Michelangelo’s self-portrait

Pope Paul III commissioned Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” (1536-1541). It represents a vortex of divine, human and diabolical bodies. Some souls are blessed and reach paradise and others are damned and cast down into an inferno.

Vatican Last Judgement Information Board

There are information boards in the Cortile della Pigna that will help you navigate the art in the Chapel.

Check out the large Roman bronze pinecone that was once a fountain. It is positioned in front of the niche in the courtyard.

Michelangelo’s Ceiling in the Sistine Chapel

One of the primary functions of the Sistine Chapel is that it is a venue for the election of each successive pope in a conclave of the College of Cardinals. During a conclave, a chimney is installed in the roof of the chapel. The smoke from the chimney serves as a signal. If white smoke appears, it is generated by burning the ballots of the election. The white smoke signifies the election of a new pope. If a candidate receives less than a two-thirds majority, the cardinals send black smoke up the chimney. This is created by burning the ballots along with wet straw and chemical additives, therefore it signals that the election has not been successful.

4. The Gallery of the Busts (Galleria dei Busti) is where many ancient busts are displayed in the Museum of Antiquities.

Ancient busts at the Vatican Museum

The Bust Room in the Vatican Museum

5. The Map Room at the Vatican Musuems is incredible. The barrel vaulted ceiling of the “Gallery of Maps” is the hallway that leads to the former residences of the popes. The map room illustrates stories of the saints and events charted on the wall maps. It is located on the west side of the Belvedere Courtyard in the Vatican. This magnificent hallway contains a series of painted topographical maps of Italy. The maps are based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti. The gallery was commissioned in 1580 by Pope Gregory XIII.It took Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels.

A Map of Sardinia at the Vatican Museums

6. The Sarcophagus of Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine is located in Sala a Croce Greca. The ornate object is carved from red porphyry stone with Roman horsemen and barbarian prisoners from the 4^th century.

St. Helen’s Sarcophagus

7. The Pinacoteca Vaticana was commissioned by Pope Pius IV in 1790. The collection was first housed in the Borgia Apartment, until Pope Pius XI ordered construction of a proper building. The designer was Luca Beltrami. The art gallery contains paintings by Giotto, Lippi, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio including:

Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint Jerome

Fra Filippo Lippi’s Coronation of the Virgin

1. Giotto, “The Stefaneschi Altarpiece”

2. Fra Angelico, “Madonna and Child with St. Dominic, St. Catherine and the Angels

3. ”Filippo Lippi, “Coronation of the Virgin”

4. Bellini, “Pieta” (1471)

5. Pinturicchio, “Adoration of the Magi” (in the Borgia Apartment)

6. Leonardo da Vinci, “St. Jerome” (1480) Raphael’s Oddi Altarpiece, “Crowning of the Virgin” (1503) and “The Foligno Madonna”

Caravaggio’s Entombment

7. Caravaggio’s, “The Deposition” shows Christ’s hand brushing againstthe tombstone.Saint John the Evangelist and Nicodemus, the Pharisee and doctor of law, struggle to support his body.The Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene are bent toward Jesus.This painting was originally commissioned for a church in Rome but it was moved here when itwas returned from France.

“The Vatican Museums Under the Stars” Exhibit is open from May 6-July 15 every Friday. Get your tickets on-line, get there early and proceed to the Sistine Chapel immediately. I was fortunate enough to almost have the entire Chapel to myself!!

After admiring the amazing art, helix staircase and sculptures collected by the papacy since the 15^th century in the Vatican Museum, have a Vino con Vista by enjoying a glass of Cesanese or Montepulciano di Abruzzo wine in one of the charming neighborhood cafes like Bar Santa Anna or Pizzeria il Migliore on via Santa Anna.

Vatican Museums Helix Staircase by Giuseppe Momo in 1932

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides. To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

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Tagged as Apoxyomenos, Arts and Entertainment, Attractions at the Vatican Museums in Italy, Augustus of Prima Porta, Catholic Church, Domus Aurea, Michelangelo, Neptune, Pope, Pope Julius II, Prima Porta, Prima Porta Augustus, Renaissance art, Rome, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Trojan Horse, Vatican CIty, Vatican Museum, Villa of Livia

April 17, 2013 · 10:56 am

St. Peter’s Basilica in Italy’s Vatican City

St. Peter’s Basilica at Early Morning (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

: Image via Wikipedia

In 1506, Bramante was commissioned by Pope Julius II to renovate St. Peter’s Basilica, originally built by Constantine from 324-329.

Emperor Constantine built a glorious crown for St. Peter’s tomb over the site where his bones were preserved.

Inside St. Peter’s Basilica (Photo credit: diluvienne)

English: Wide angle View of the altar inside St. Peter’s Basilica (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Statue of St Peter by Arnolfo di Cambio in St Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Façade of St. Peter’s Basilica as seen from Saint Peter’s Square. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St Peter’s Basilica (Photo credit: JP..)

Saint Peter’s Basilica is built above the site where Peter the Apostle was crucified, martyred and buried in the year 64.

English: Bernini’s “Gloria” surmounting the “Cathedra Petri”, also by him. Saint Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St. Peter was the first apostle and the first pope. He is always carrying his key.

Saint Peter’s Square (Photo credit: jimmyharris)

St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City (Photo credit: kvsankar)

Since Rome is a place of pilgrimage, a “Scave Tour” is available with advanced reservations and allows you to visit the tomb of St. Peter and the archeological excavations beneath the basilica. Travel from the Baroque church to the Romanesque sanctuary to the Roman cemetery and tomb of Peter the Apostle. The crypt is located under the Papal Altar. Pay hommage to St.Peter in the Basilica.

The Basilica contains the work of some of Italy’s finest sculptors. Vatican City is the world’s smallest country and occupies 109 acres; it has been a sovereign state since 1929 and is ruled by the Pope.

St. Peter’s Square is equipped with large video screens. When pilgrims and tourists converge upon the area for festivities, spectators have a bird’s eye view of the main event.

The red granite obelisk was brought to Rome from Egypt by Emperor Caligula in 37 AD. It was moved to this square in 1587 by Domenico Fontana.

The statues surrounding the obelisk represent the zodiac. There are two 17^th century fountains in the square. The fountain on the right (1613) is by Carlo Maderno who also designed the façade of the church. The fountain on the left was added by Bernini in 1675 by Carlo Fontana.

English: A 5×6 segment panoramic image taken by myself with a Canon 5D and 70-200mm f/2.8L lens from the dome of St Peter’s in Vatican City in Rome. Français: Image panoramique composée de 5×6 photos prises par David Iliff à l’aide d’un appareil Canon 5D et une lentille 70-200mm f/2.8L à partir du dôme de la Basilique Saint-Pierre au Vatican. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Columns and Corinthian pilasters decorate the façade. The central balcony above the main entrance is the “Loggia of Benedictions” where the pope delivers the benediction after his election and gives his weekly blessing. Below the cupola, Bernini’s workshop created 13 statues: Christ the Redeemer, John the Baptist and eleven apostles. St. Peter and St. Paul’s 19^th century statues welcome visitors on the ground floor of the basilica.

St. Peter’s statue by Giuseppe de Fabris holds the golden key that he received from Christ.

St. Paul’s statue by Adamo Tadolini holds the sword that symbolizes his decapitation in Rome.

The dome of the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The building on the right is the Pope’s residence. The Pope appears every Sunday at noon to say the Angelus and give his apostolic blessing. The colonnade surrounding the square was designed by Bernini between the years 1656 and 1666. They represent two outstretched arms welcoming the faithful to the Basilica. There are 140 statues of saints watching over the Basilica above the colonnade.

St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are five bronze entrance doors. These sacred doors are symbolic and functional. From left to right these doors represent: Death, Good and Evil, the original door from the old basilica, the Sacraments and the Porta Santa (Holy Door). The Holy Door is only opened during Jubilee years so that religious pilgrims can receive the Pope’s special blessing.

Holy Door in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Sculptor: Vico Consorti (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Michelangelo’s Pietà in St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. Français : La Pietà de Michel-Ange située dans la Basilique Saint-Pierre, au Vatican. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides to Italy and Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

To learn more about Romevisit www.vino-con-vista.com. Buon Viaggio–

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Tagged as Ancient Rome, Arnolfo di Cambio, Basilica, Basilica St. Peter, Bramante, Carlo Fontana, Carlo Maderno, Catholic Church, Egyptian Obelisks in Rome, Emperor Constantine, Holy Door, italy travel, Italy Travel Guides, Jubilee Celebration, Martyr, Peter the Apostle, Pope, Pope Julius II, Porta Santa, Rome, rome history, Rome Travel, Rome Travel Guide, Saint Peter, Saint Peter's Square, Scave Tour, St. Peter's Basilica, Travel and Tourism, Vatican CIty, vino con vista, What is the Vatican, Where is St. Peter's Basilica, Who is St. Peter, Why does saint Peter have a key, World Heritage Site

April 16, 2013 · 11:26 am

I Love Caravaggio

Caravaggio (Photo credit: Carmen Alonso Suarez)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Sacrifice of Isaac (detail) – WGA04139 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio, Resurrection (Photo credit: Martin Beek)

I love art and Caravaggio is one of my favorite artists. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a famous Baroque Italian artist.

A portrait of the Italian painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio (1572-1610) (Michelangelo Merisi)

Michelangelo Merisi, named Caravaggio, Italian painter, was born in Caravaggio in 1571 and died in Porto Ercole in 1610. Caravaggio trained as a painter in Milan under Simone Peterzano who trained under Titan. He moved to Rome in his early twenties. He died at the age of 38 of a fever in Porto Ercole in Tuscany.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Fortune Teller – WGA04082 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

caravaggio (Photo credit: u m a m i)

Between 1592, “when Caravaggio arrived in Rome, to the end of Gregory XV Ludovisi’s pontificate in 1623 was one of the greatest artistic period’s of all time.” Many great artists converged on Rome in that period: Caravaggio, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni and Rubens.

Rome has many of Carravaggio’s masterpieces. They are on display in churches, museums, places and former residences of nobility. Travel to Piazza Venezia, Piazza del Popolo, Villa Borghese and the Vatican City to view his work.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Calling of Saint Matthew (detail) – WGA04117 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Caravaggio depicted his subjects with intense realism. His revolutionary use of light is a technique known as Chiaroscuro that blended shifts of light and dark. This is also called Tenebrism. Tenebrism uses dramatic illumination “where there are violent contrasts of light and dark and darkness becomes a dominating feature of the image.”

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Calling of Saint Matthew (detail) – WGA04115 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew (detail) – WGA04123 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

His first public commissions in Rome were about Saint Matthew the Apostle: the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew and the Calling of Saint Matthew. These were completed between 1599-1600 for the Contarelli Chapel in the church of the French congregation, San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew (detail) – WGA04125 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Martyrdom of St Matthew – WGA04121 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Between these two paintings in the chapel, he also painted The Inspiration of Saint Matthew in the altar in 1602. These three adjacent canvases by Caravaggio in the Contarelli chapel represent the story from the Gospel of Matthew.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – The Inspiration of Saint Matthew – WGA04128 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Italiano: Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, cappella Contarelli. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One of my favorite Caravaggio paintings is Bacchus (the Roman god of wine). You can find Caravaggio’s Bacchus at the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy.

Image via Wikipedia

If you want to go on a Caravaggio Treasure Hunt in Rome you can also visit the Galleria Doria Pamphili for more paintings.

Just a short walk from Piazza Venezia in the Galleria Doria Pamphilj on Piazza del Collegio. Admire “Riposo dalla fuga in Egitto”, “Maddalena” and “San Giovanni Battista”.

[ C ] Caravaggio – Judith Beheading Holofernes (1599) (Photo credit: Cea.)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Martha and Mary Magdalene – WGA04101 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At Galleria Doria Pamphili on Via del Corso you can admire the “Rest on the Flight from Egypt”

Michelangelo Caravaggio 027 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rest on the Flight into Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

and “Pentilent Mary Magdalene”

Michelangelo Caravaggio 002 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Then visit the Church of St. Augustine to see the “Madonna of the Pilgrims”

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Madonna di Loreto – WGA04156 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Musicians (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Sick Bacchus – WGA04072 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Medusa – WGA04108 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Borghese gallery (Piazzale Scipione Borghese, www.galleriaborghese.it/ has many pieces; the world’s greatest collection including: ”Giovane con la canestra di frutta”, “Bacchino malato”, “San Girolamo”, “Madonna dei Palafrenieri”, “Davide con la testa di Golia” and finally “San Giovannino”.

“San Francesco in meditazione” in the church of the Cappuccini Convento on Via Veneto is also attributed to Caravaggio, while the mythical “Narciso” and the “Decapitazione di Oloferne” are in the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica di Palazzo Barberini.

Other masterpieces by the great Lombard artist can be found in the Corsini Galleria on Via della Lungara (“San Giovanni Battista nel Deserto”), in the Vatican Museum (“Deposizione di Cristo”), in the church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Piazza del Popolo (“Converzione di San Paolo” and the “Crocefissione di San Pietro”); in Sant’Agostino on Via della Scrofa (“Madonna dei Pellegrini”). Finally in San Luigi dei Francesi on the piazza of the same name there is a series of paintings which tell the story of Saint Matthew in the Cappella Contarelli of the church, they are: “Vocazione”, “Il Martirio”, and “San Matteo e l’Angelo”. In the Casino Ludovisi, the last remains of the Villa Ludovisi on Via Lombardia, Caravaggio created frescos in oil on the walls of the alchemy laboratory, painting “Giove, Nettuno and Plutone” in triumph around the sun.

2010 marked the 400th anniversary of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio’s death. He was 39 when he died and had spent half of his life painting professionally. While Caravaggio’s passing came as no huge surprise to his contemporaries, the rest of us have been trying to flesh out his chronology ever since. See, when he painted, he painted in bursts and, usually, out of necessity. There seem to have been long intervals in between painting bursts when life, flight and threats of imprisonment and/or execution took over. Given the circumstances and doing the math, quite a few too many Caravaggio canvases have surfaced over the centuries to be credible.

To learn more about Italy read Dr. Lovero’s Travel Guides . They are available at www.vino-con-vista.com

Vatican Museums (Photo credit: ocad123)

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April 15, 2013 · 11:30 am

The Ancient Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome Italy

Roma-basilica cosma e damiano (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano is dedicated to the two twin brothers who were physicians. Damiano and Cosma soon became patrons of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists and veterinarians.

Português: Interior da Igreja dos Santos Cosme e Damião, Roma. Italiano: Roma: Mosaico absidale nella chiesa dei Santi Cosma e Damiano (527/530, ma con ampi restauri successivi). All’estrema sinistra, papa Felice IV. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They were made famous by a miraculous operation whereby they transplanted an Ethiopian’s leg onto a white man’s body. They never charged their patients for services, so they were known as “silverless.”

Pesellino, santi cosma e damiano (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian before Lisius (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They were both martyred in ancient Cyrus in northern Syria during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian. For centuries, this became the hub of the medical area of Rome where many physicians conducted their meetings.

SS. Cosmas of Damian, Roma Mosaikk,detalje Italiano: Roma: Dettaglio del mosaico absidale nella chiesa dei Santi Cosma e Damiano (527/530, ma con ampi restauri successivi). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pope Felix IV presents Sts Cosmas and Damian with the basilica he rededicated to them. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In 527, Pope Felix IV (526-530) converted two buildings in the Roman Forum to a Christian Church. Theodoric the Great, king of the Ostrogoths and his daughter Queen Amalasuntha donated the library of the Forum of Peace built in 70 by Emperor Vespian and a portion of the Temple of Romulus which was erected by Emperor Maxentius for his son Romulus to Pope Felix. He united the two buildings to create this Basilica. This was the first time that this was done in Rome. The original entrance to the church was from the Roman Forum.

Ss. Cosmas of Damian, Roma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The church was restored in 780 by Emperor Hadrian and in 1632, Pope Urban VIII had the church fully renovated using a design by architect Luigi Arrigucci. The church has two levels. One end of the church is below ground level and is known as the crypt.

The Crypt of Santi Cosma e Damiano

Mosaic apse of Santi Cosma e Damiano

The high altar has a 6th century Byzantine apse mosaic that became the model for other mosaics in Roman churches. The mosaic parousia depicts a majestic Christ wearing a Roman toga holding a scroll. The baroque altar is from 1628 with back and white marble columns from the original altar in the crypt. The picture in the center of the altar is a 13th century “Our Lady of Grace”.

Mosaic of Christ in the Church of Santi Cosma E Damiano

The Basilica of Saints Cosmas and Damian (Photo credit: jimforest)

Saints Damian and Cosma are carrying crowns of martyrdom. They are being presented to Saint Peter (the older one on the right of Christ) and Saint Paul (on the left of Christ) garbed in the white robes of heaven. Saints Damian and Cosma are dressed in grey togas. The faces of the two brothers are almost identical. To the left of the Saint is Pope Felix holding a model of his church and hovering over his feet are three Barberini bees signifying that the restoration of the church was done during the pontificate of Urban VIII. To the right of Saint Damian is St. Theodore, a soldier-martyr.

Saint Peter and Saint Damian in Rome Italy

Pope Felix with Cosmas and Saint Paul

Saint Cosmas and Saint Paul in Rome Italy

The mosaic on the triumphal arch is from the 7th century with an enthroned Lamb of God. The painted ceiling is from 1632 with a fresco by Marco Tullio Montagna of Saints Damian and Cosmas being greeted in heaven by the Virgin and Child. Each end of the ceiling has the coat of arms of Urban VIII with his Barberini bees.

Enter the church through the 17th century courtyard of the Franciscans with frescoes of the life of Saint Francis by Francesco Allegrini.

English: Nativity Scene in Santi Cosma e Damiano, in Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In a room off the cloister there is an 18th century Neopolitan presepio. On November 29, 1988 some thieves stole some of the pieces and they were never returned.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides. Learn more about Rome @ www.vino-con-vista.com

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Tagged as Ancient, Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome Italy, Christian Church, Diocletian, Hadrian, History, Roman Forum, Rome, Saint Peter, Saints Cosmas and Damian

April 11, 2013 · 11:18 am

Saint Paul Outside the Walls: a UNESCO Basilica in Rome

San Paolo Fuori le Mura was erected in the 4^th century. It is one of the four patriarchal basilicas of Rome built at the request of Roman Emperor Constantine I over the burial place of Paul the Apostle.

Front of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls – Roma – Italy. Italiano: Facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Paul Outside the Walls is sometimes called the “Basilica Ostiense” because it is located on the Ostian Way. Paul the Apostle was brought to Rome as a prisioner. He was martyred between the years 64 and 67, during the persecution of Emperor Nero. His body was claimed by a Roman woman who buried it in her family tomb near a vineyard on the road to Ostia. Emperor Constantine placed the Apostle’s body in a bronze sarcophagus with a marble slab over it. At the request of Emperor Constantine in 324, a basilica was built over St. Paul’s tomb.

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Rome) – interior Polski: Wnętrze bazyliki św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura (Roma) – interno (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This first edifice was expanded under Valentinian I in about 370. Since many pilgrims came to visit the site, Emperor Valentine II made plans for a larger building. Emperor Theodosius began the new building and Emperor Honorius completed it.

English: Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Rome) – the tabernacle of the confession Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura (Roma) – ciborio di Arnolfo di Cambio Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie – grób św. Pawła, przykryty gotyckim baldachimem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rom, Sankt Paul vor den Mauern, San Paolo fuori le mura Italiano: Statua di San Paolo di fronte alla facciata della Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pope Leo III, further embellished the building and it became the largest and most beautiful church in Rome under his papacy. Of all the churches of Rome, this one preserved its primitive character for 1435 years. In 1823 it was almost completely destroyed by a fire.

St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome

In 1823, it was rebuilt and enlarged by the architect Poletti and modified by Guglielmo Calderini. It was completed in 1854.

Roma – Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura – resti (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Portrait of Pope Honorius I in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome Italiano: Ritratto di Papa Onorio I nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori la Mura, Roma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Necropolis of Saint Paul outside the Walls in Rome

The interior of the current basilica has 80 monolithic columns of Montorfano granite divided into five naves. On the upper part of the walls, frescoes illustrate scenes from the life of St Paul. Against the internal wall of the facade there are six large alabaster columns presented by the Viceroy of Egypt to Gregory XVI.

St. Paul Outside the Walls Frescoes in Rome

Saint Paul Outside the Walls is located at the site where Paul was executed and buried.

Tomb of Saint Paul in Rome

It is located outside the Aurelian Walls. The the basilica was damaged during the Saracen invasions in the 9th century. Pope John VIII (872–882) fortified the basilica and the monastery forming the town of Joannispolis (Giovannipoli) which existed until 1348, when an earthquake totally destroyed the town.

Fortified Walls in Rome

Map of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

Interior of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome

The Basilica was founded where his followers erected a memorial, called a cella memoriae. In the chapel of the relics, lie the chains that bound Paul the Apostle when he was improsioned in Rome. In the 5th century, this church was larger than the Old St. Peter’s Basilica.

The front of the basilica has ten monolithic columns of red Baveno granite. A huge statue of St. Paul dominates the entrance to the new building. The inscription on the base of the statue says “To the preacher of truth, the teacher of nations”.

Facade of Saint Paul Outside the Walls

The facade mosaic is the work of Filippo Agricola and Nicola Consoni. In the typanum, Christ is seated in the center giving his blessing. On his right side is Saint Peter and on his left side is St. Paul. Below the Lamb of God, the four rivers of Paradise flow. Twelve sheep represent the Apostles who approach the Lamb from the holy cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

Here’s a Virtual Tour of the entrance and central courtyard: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Courtyard/index.html

Facade Mosaic

It was rebuilt by the architect Poletti and reconsecrated 1855 with the presence of Pope Pius IX and fifty cardinals. Many countries made contributions to the reconstruction efforts: the Viceroy of Egypt sent pillars of alabaster, the Emperor of Russia sent precious malachite and lapis lazuli for the tabernacle.

Saint Paul

In the right corner there is a statue of St. Luke the Evangelist. Saint Paul is in the front of the basilica.

Saint Luke

Under the portico, the wall niches have statues of St. Peter and St. Paul by Gregorio Zappala.

Popes Leo XII, Pius VIII and Gregory XVI, personally oversaw the reconstruction of the church. In 1854 Pope Pius IX was able to celebrate the completion of the reconstruction.

Under Pope Gregory the Great (590–604), the basilica was extensively modified. He had the pavement was raised to place the altar directly over Paul’s tomb. The tomb is covered by a Gothic baldachino by Adolfo di Cambio completed in 1285.

Tomb of St. Paul

Here’s a virtual tour of St. Paul’s Tomb http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Tomb/index.html. To make a portion of the tomb visible to religious pilgrims, the floor was lowered forming a confessio where people can pray. Directly below the altar, a grill-covered window reveals the stone sarcophagus. Carbon dating of the contents of the tomb indicated that the remains in the sarcophagus are from someone who lived in the first or second century indicating that they are the remains of the apostle.

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Rome) – the tabernacle of the confession Italiano: Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura (Roma) – ciborio di Arnolfo di Cambio Polski: Bazylika św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie – grób św. Pawła, przykryty gotyckim baldachimem (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over Saint Paul’s tomb, Arnolfo di Cambio‘s Gothic tabernacle is resting on four porphyry columns. The four cornices above the niches of the baldachin have statues of Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Timothy and Saint Bartholomew. Excavations located a first century tomb with a marble slab covering it with the Latin inscription “Paulo Apostolo Mart”. You can see a plaster copy of the slab in the Church Museum located off of the cloister.

St. Paul’s Tabernacle

Arnolfo di cambio (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St. Peter statue by Arnolfo di Cambio inside the Vatican Basilica, dressed with a vestment on St. Peter and Paul feast. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Arnolfo di Cambio also created the bronze Saint Peter statue in St. Peter’s Basillica and the ptesepe in the lower level of Santa Maria Maggiore.

Italiano: Presepe di Arnolfo di Cambio. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Roma, Italia . English: Manger by Arnolfo di Cambio, Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, Italy . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

San Paolo Fuori le Mura’s interior has 80 monolithic columns of Montorfano granite from the isolated mountain on Lake Maggiore. It is divided into five naves. Above the arches over the granite columns, all the way around the interior of the Basilica, there are circular mosaic portraits of all the Popes, from the first to the present. Only the current pope’s portrait is illuminated. According to legend, when this Basilica runs out of space for these portraits of the popes, the world will end.

Statue of St. Paul Apostle in the Basilica San Paolo fuori le Mura (Rome) Polski: Figura św. Pawła Apostoła w bazylice Świętego Pawła za Murami w Rzymie Italiano: Statua di San Paolo Apostolo nella Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura a Roma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On the upper part of the walls, between the large windows, there are 36 frescoes with the scenes from the life of St Paul. Against the internal wall of the facade there are six large alabaster columns presented by the Viceroy of Egypt to Gregory XVI.

Roma – Basilica di San Paolo fuori le mura – 9 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a virtual tour of the central nave of the basilica http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Nave/index.html

In the Apse, there is a mosaic from 1220 showing a majestic Christ wearing imperial colors with St. Paul and St. Luke on his right and St. Peter and St. Andrew on his left. Chirst is holding a book that says “Come blessed of my Father and receive the kingdom prepared for you.”

Apse Mosaic

The palm trees represent paradise. The papal chair has a relief of Christ instucting Peter to feed the sheep.

Jesus

Saint Peter and Saint Andrew

St. Paul and St. Luke in Rome

Here’s a virtual tour of the Apse http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Apse/index.html

Portrait of Honorius III – Detail of the apse mosaic of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (1220) – Roma – Italy Pope Honorius III ordered the mosaic and, following the Roman Catholic tradition, is represented near Christ’s feet. Pope Honorius III (1148 – 1227), born Cencio Savelli, was Pope from 1216 to 1227. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Honorius_III (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You can see Hononius III at the foot of Jesus is the apse mosaic.

The graceful cloister of the monastery was erected between 1220 and 1241. The spiral columns of the cloister were built by the Vassalletto family in 1214 and survived the fire.

Cloister of the monastery of San Paolo fuori le mura (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a virtual tour of the lovely rose garden in the Cloister: http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Cloister/index.html

The death of St. Paul – relief on the doors of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls (Rome) Italiano: La morte do san Paolo – rilievo sulla porta della Basilica di San Paolo Fuori le Mura a Roma Polski: Śmierć św. Pawła – płaskorzeźba znajdująca się na drzwiach Bazyliki św. Pawła za Murami w Rzymie (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From 1215 until 1964 this was the seat of the Latin Patriarch of Alexandria. The Holy Door was last opened in 2000 and there is a large plaque above the door commemorating the event.

The Holy Door (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The door pictured below on the right, is the work of Antonia Maraini and was cast in Florence in 1931. The cross on the bronze door is highlighted in silver and the horizontal bar bears the names of the evangelists. The verticle potion of the cross, has portraits of the Apolstles. The panels on the door depict scenes from the life of Saint Peter on the left and Saint Paul on the right. The figure of Christ shows him giving the keys to Saint Peter.

Holy Door

Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Silver

Visit the Pinocoteca with “Flagellation” by Bramante and other interesting works of art and tour the interesting Museum http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/san_paolo/vr_tour/Media/VR/St_Paul_Museum/index.html.

See some of the fragments of the original basilica. Then stop at the where you can enjoy a Vino con Vista.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides. To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

Pope Francis stops for prayer at Rome basilica

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April 10, 2013 · 10:39 am

Who built Rome’s Historic Pantheon?

: Image via Wikipedia

English: The Pantheon in Rome, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plan of the first ( Red ) (by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa) and of the third (Black) (by Hadrian) Pantheon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

complete cupola of Pantheon Rome (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Pantheon in Rome has occupied its present location for nearly 2000 years. It was originally designed in 27 B.C. as a pagan temple for all twelve Roman deities; supernatural and immortal beings. The deities were Apollo, Ceres, Diana, Juno, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Minerva, Neptune, Venus, Vesta and Vulcan.

Pantheon – Rome (LOC) (Photo credit: The Library of Congress)

Image via Wikipedia

The massive original doors are still used for entry into the Basilica.

Image via Wikipedia

The structure is as wide as it is tall (140 x 140 feet). The 30 foot wide oculus in the roof is the only source of light and was designed to allow the smoke from the burning of sacrificed animals to escape. The hemispherical dome was made from un-reinforced concrete and is still the largest dome in the world of its type.

Circular exterior view of the side of the Pantheon

The coffers for the concrete dome were poured in molds. Eight massive granite columns support the triangular tympanon.

Agrippa was the son-in-law of Emperor Augustus. Agrippa’s name is still inscribed in the trabeation above the portico in Latin and bears the inscription “Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, Consul for the third time built this.”

Pantheon Restoration

Agrippa did not really build the Pantheon; he built an earlier temple on this site in 27 B.C. that was ravaged by a fire. The Pantheon was built in 125 AD during the reign of Emperor Hadrian.

Image via Wikipedia

The Pantheon was given to Pope Boniface IV in 609 and he converted it into a church and named it Santa Maria ad Martyres. Pope Boniface had 28 carloads of martyrs’ bones brought here from various cemeteries in Rome. It became the first pagan temple to be consecrated as a church.

English: An image of the tomb of Umberto I in the Pantheon, in Rome, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Saint Mary and the Martyrs houses the mortal remains of Raphael in an ancient marble sarcophagus. Raphael died in 1520. The bust of Raphael located in the niche left of the aedicule and was completed in 1833 by Giueseppe Fabris.

The tomb of the fist king of Italy, King Victor Emanuele II (1820-1878), has a statue of St. Ann and the Virgin in the aedicule to the left of the tomb by Lorenzo Ottoni.

English: Pantheon, Rome, Raphael's tomb.

Image via Wikipedia

Bronze bust of Raphael on top of the artist's ...

Image via Wikipedia

Most of the marble was recycled for St. Peter’s Basilica. In 1625, Pope Urban VIII (Barberini) removed the bronze from the beams of the portico to make 80 cannons for Castel Sant’Angelo and the four spiral columns of Bernini’s Baldachinno in St. Peter’s Basilica. The colossal bronze doors are original. Today we might consider that a “green” ecologically friendly move but the Roman’s say, “Whatever the barbarians didn’t do, the Barberini did.” The tomb of Victor Emanuele II was then created from bronze that was recast from the Castel Sant’Angelo’s cannons at the turn of the 20^th century.

The general area around the Pantheon is the financial and political hub of the city and includes the stock exchange and Parliament. I think the Cafe Agrippa is a great place for a “Vino con Vista”!

The Piazza della Rotunda is the name of the square in front of the Pantheon. One of Rome’s prized Egyptian obelisks occupies the center of the square. Did you know that you will never get lost in Rome if you follow the obelisks? They are like a Roman GPS system that mark important landmarks in Rome.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Travel Guides to Italy and Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

To learn more about Rome visit www.vino-con-vista.com

Buon Viaggio–

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March 30, 2013 · 12:20 pm

47th Annual VinItaly Awards 2013 in Verona Italy

English: Map of Italy and its districts.

Image via Wikipedia

Piazza Bra Clock Tower (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you follow my posts, you know that I love traveling through Italy’s spectacular wine regions and sampling interesting local wines on my way to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Verona (Photo credit: G_Malaussene)

It is always easy for me to find an incredible Vino con Vista spot. There are so many beautiful vistas in Italy and so many interesting wines that pair well with the Italian cuisine.

Arena di Verona (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s time for VinItaly 2013 in Verona at the
Veronafiere. Vinitaly 2013 is the world’s oldest wine exhibition – founded in 1967. It will be attended by more than 4,200 companies from over 20 countries. This event “provides the wine & food system with the broadest and best-structured world platform for business, promotion, relations with national and foreign institutions, buyers, opinion leaders and consumers.”

Verona Italy Piazza Bra from arena DSC08039 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is a networking system and a newly formed VinitalyWineClub initiative. It includes Sol&Agrifood, Enolitech, OperaWine and Vinitaly International.

Two Tastings will inaugurate and close Vinitaly 2013: OperaWine and the tasting of wines taking awards in the International Wine Competition. As a prestigious parade of the best Italian wines, OperaWine – “Finest Italian Wines: 100 Great Producers” – is the special tasting organized by Wine Spectator for the 2013 edition of Vinitaly.

Palazzo della Gran Guardia, in the heart of Verona located in Piazza Bra on 6 April will host OperaWine – an event dedicated to specialist international professionals with a focus on the US market. Vinitaly will close with a walk around tasting of wines winning special, Grand Gold Medal and Gold Medal awards at the International Wine Competition that was held last November. This initiative is part of the marketing and promotional activity for the best wines taking part in this competition, that attracted entries from companies in 23 countries. for more information visit www.vinitaly.com.

Verona (Photo credit: hayha)

WHEN: April 7-10, 2013

VinItaly awards will be presented during Benvenuto Vinitaly, the gala event organized on the eve of the inauguration of the International exhibition of wines and spirits scheduled 7-10 April at Veronafiere. Jean Smullen and Dave Broom were proclaimed winners of the Communicator of the Year Award

The Vinitaly International Award 2013 went to the Terredora company and American journalist Alfonso Cevola.

” Terredora has been for more than 30 years a landmark in wine production while Cevola over his long career has always promoted Italian wine world-wide. These are the official motivations. Terredora: “since 1978, the year when it was founded by Walter Mastroberardino, the company has been one of the most solid landmarks in what is considered to be a genuine ‘Renaissance’ in the wine sector of the Irpinia region. An ancient land where the growing vines boasts a deeprooted history that the Montefusco-based company has rediscovered through a wager (at that time anything but obvious) on the millennial vines cultivated since Antiquity in the area – Aglianico, Fiano, Greco and Falanghina – while at the same time as introducing innovation, knowledge and people capable of grasping the challenges of the future. Such people include Lucio Mastroberardino who has worked in the family business since 1994, becoming the protagonist of its definitive revival and even taking the important role of President of the Italian Wine Union. His recent and untimely death is a terribly sad loss for the world of Italian wine. This is also why the Vinitaly International Award 2013 is made to Terredora, in the persons of his brother and sister Paolo and Daniela Mastroberardino who will no doubt continue the path marked out by Lucio with the same passion and the same skill.” Alfonso Cevola: “Known as the Italian Wine Guy and a profound connoisseur of great wineries but also of the less famous vines making up the great Italian wine heritage. A great communicator,” the motivation continues, “who transmits his passion for Italian wine and culture through his blog On the Wine Trail in Italy and his intense professional activity that saw him become Director of Glazer’s Italian Wine over the last 21 years and a Certified Specialist of wine and Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News and The Well Fed Network.” The awards will be delivered during Benvenuto Vinitaly, the gala evening organised on Saturday 6 April in Palazzo Verità Poeta, one of the jewels of the historical centre of Verona. Guests will toast the winners with glasses of Prosecco, currently the sparkling wine most famous in the world, in its two varieties: Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore Docg and Prosecco Doc, enjoyed together on this evening of international breadth to highlight the originality of this truly inimitable wine.”

Image via Wikipedia

If you want to learn how to properly pronounce the names of Italian wines, you may want to watch this training video before you go to VinItaly: http://dobianchi.com/selected-reading/italian-grape-name-pronunciation-project/

Verona (Photo credit: IK’s World Trip)

Antinori

Gambero Rosso has published a guide to Italian wine for many years called Vini d’Italia. One of the largest wine events in the world is called VinItaly and is held in Verona, Italy.

Image via Wikipedia

For more information visit: www.vinitaly.com

Image via Wikipedia

Italian Super Tuscan wine from Tenuta San Guido (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here are some interesting Italian wine statistics from Gambero Rosso’s “Italian Wines 2012″ guide:

1. The vinyard surface area in Italy is 700,000 hectares

2. There are 700,000 wine estates

3. There are 30,000 bottlers

4. The average wine production over the last five years has been 47 million hectolitres

5. GDP for the entire wine sector is 13 billion euros; 3.9 billion euros from exports

Italy’s landscape is cloaked with vineyards because winemakers in Italy generally pursue vertically integrated business models that involve growing, harvesting, crushing, aging and bottling their wine. The end product is strongly influenced by the region of origin, the grape that is used in the process and the skill of the winemaker. Piero Antinori’s devotion to winemaking is woven through 26 generations who have collectively spend about 625 years making wine. Marchesi Antinori Srl is an Italian wine company that can trace its history back to 1385. They are one of the biggest wine companies in Italy, and their innovations played a large part in the “Super-Tuscan” revolution of the 1970s.

Image via Wikipedia

Italian Winemaker‘s are very proud of the quality of their wines.

The Italian wine industry provides a wide assortment of wines with various aromas, flavors and textures. The diversity of these wines tends to harmonize with various types of food because of their overall natural acidity.

One of my favorite Italian wines is Amarone della Valpolicella. I find it interesting that Ernest Hemingway also loved wines from Valpolicella. Amarone tends to be pricey. It is made from partially dried grapes of the Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara varieties. It reminds me of decadent chocolate and has a nice velvet finish.

Image via Wikipedia

Amarone

Watch this video about wine in the Venato http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlzWka4w1lY

The extensive latitudinal range of the terroir allows the grapevines to be caressed by the convergence of many natural forces including climate, temperature variation, sunshine, soil, humidity, slope, elevation, sea breeze and rainfall. Terroir is a French word that passionately describes the total impact of a given microclimate’s geography. These forces produce a kaleidoscope of wines in many distinctive wine regions throughout the Italian peninsula.

The Italian winemakers rely on the “appellation” system to control the quality of their wine. This is a French concept known as Appellation d’Origine Controlee. This term is used to describe the region or specific area where wine is produced. Since the amount of good terroir is limited, so is the production of outstanding wines. The Napa area of California and the Bordeaux region of France both provide good examples of the concept of terroir.

Here is a map showing the wine regions of France:

Wine Regions in France

Planeta from Sicily

In northern Italy, wine regions border France, Switzerland and Austria. The grapes that thrive in these regions and the wine that is produced from these grapes are quite different from the wines that are grown in Tuscany or in the volcanic soil of Campania and Sicily. Apulia and Sicily are the largest regional wine producers: they each control about 17% of Italy’s total production. Some regions produce mostly white wines from grapes like Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Vermentino. Other regions produce mostly red wines like Barolo from red Nebbiolo grapes or Chianti from red Sangiovese grapes. The tannins of red wine generally overpower the delicate flavor of fish, so fish is often accompanied by white wine.

Italian wine region of Piedmont (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bolgheri Sassicaia

Beyond terroir and weather conditions, wine making offers many opportunities for winemakers to improve or damage their wine. The diversity of Italian wines can be intimidating to some oenophiles because the names are so confusing. In some regions, wines are named after the grape variety used to make them and in other regions, the wine is named after the village where it is made. Barolo is a village and Barbera is a grape. Sometimes the wine name combines the grape and the village, like Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

In addition, government regulations define areas where specific wines can be made using the acronyms DOCG, DOC, and IGT. According to Gambero Rosso, there are 60 DOCG wines, 332 DOC wines and 119 IGT wines.

To complicate issues further, some vintages are much better and some wineries earn coveted awards and high ratings from wine critics. Italy has 2350 producers and 20.000 wines. Gambero Rosso awarded “3 Glasses” to only 375 of those wines. The top performer is Angelo Gaja, “edging toward a 5th star with 49 awards.” Generally, truly great wines improve with age because they gain complexity and character, just like many people.

The Italian government regulates the wine industry and provides production parameters for winemakers. To understand these parameters, we can construct a pyramid that represents the quality of Italian wine. At the pinnacle, we will place the hypothetical best wine with the most restrictive production guidelines and at the base of the pyramid we can aggregate the table wines that do not have to adhere to stringent quality guidelines.

Image via Wikipedia

These designations formally recognize the areas in Italy that are noted for prestigious wine production. To differentiate these wines the government has created an evolving paradigm with rigid labeling requirements. These rules describe the exact geographic location of the grapes, aging parameters, permissible grape varieties that can be used in blends, alcohol content policies, pruning and trellising systems and winemaking practices.The most restrictive and elite designation is: DOCG, Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita. This designation implies that:
1. The location is certified and guaranteed
2. It requires longer aging periods and lower yields per vine

Piedmonte produces the highest proportion of DOCG wines including Barolo, “The King of Wine.” Watch this video about wine from Piedmonte http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEIYj7LJea4.

I just read a story on Twitter by Alfonso Cevola who generated a new “Complete Regional List” of 71 DOCG Italian wines with a great “Interactive Italy Wine Map.” He also referenced Franco Ziliani and Hande Leimer for “alerting him to this development.”

Alfonso’s Complete (Provisional) Listing of Italian DOCG Wines (as of June 29 2011) :

Amorino Italian Wine

Abruzzo (1)
Montepulciano d’Abruzzo “Colline Teramane”

Basilicata (1)
Aglianico del Vulture

Apulia (4)

Castel del Monte Nero di Troia Riserva (newest)

Castel del Monte Rosso Riserva (newest)

Castel del Monte Bombino Nero (newest)

Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale

Campania (4)
Fiano di Avellino
Greco di Tufo
Taurasi
Aglianico del Taburno

Emilia Romagna (2)
Albana di Romagna
Colli Bolognesi Classico Pignoletto

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (3)
Colli Orientali del Friuli Picolit (including Picolit Cialla)
Ramandolo
Rosazzo

Lazio (3)
Cesanese del Piglio
Frascati Superiore
Canellino di Frascati

Lombardia (5)
Franciacorta
Oltrepo Pavese
Sforzato della Valtellina
Valtellina Superiore
Moscato di Scanzo

Marche (5)
Conero
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona
Verdicchio di Matelica
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico
Offida (Rosso & Bianco)

Image via Wikipedia

Piemonte (16)
Asti – Moscato d’Asti
Barbaresco
Barbera d’Asti
Barbera del Monferrato Superiore
Barolo (including Chinato)
Brachetto D’Acqui (or Acqui)
Dolcetto di Dogliani Superiore (or Dogliani)
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore
Gattinara
Gavi (or Cortese di Gavi)
Ghemme
Roero (Rosso & Bianco)
Erbaluce di Caluso
Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato
Alta Langa
Dolcetto Diano d’Alba

Sardegna (1)
Vermentino di Gallura

Sicilia (1)
Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Image via Wikipedia

Toscana (9)
Brunello di Montalcino
Carmignano
Chianti
Chianti Classico
Elba Aleatico Passito
Montecucco Sangiovese
Morellino di Scansano
Vernaccia di S.Gimignano
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

Umbria (2)
Montefalco Sagrantino
Torgiano Rosso Riserva

Image via Wikipedia

Veneto (14)
Colli di Conegliano
Montello Rosso or Rosso del Montello
Friularo di Bagnoli
Bardolino Superiore
Recioto di Gambellara
Recioto di Soave
Soave Superiore
Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore
Asolo Prosecco Superior
Amarone della Valpolicella
Recioto della Valpolicella
Piave Malanotte (or Malanotte del Piave)
Lison
Colli Euganei Fiori d’Arancio

Revised Map

Click here on Alfonso Cevola’s Wine Trail map and hit the magnify button when you get there to enlarge the map; or click on the map and enlarge…Enjoy! Thanks for you great map Alfonso!!!!

Salute from Dr. EveAnn Lovero who writes Italy Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com

Trade Mission to Vinitaly 2013 – April 7 to 10, Verona (Italy)

Taste Washington 2012: A Food and Wine Festival in Seattle (vinoconvistablog.me)
Vini d’Italia Tre Bicchieri 2012 in Chicago (vinoconvistablog.me)
Italian Buglioni Wine Dinner at Francesca’s Amici in Elmhurst Illinois (vinoconvistablog.me)
The Ten Most Seductive Places to Drink Wine in Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
20th Annual Paso Robles Zinfandel Wine Festival 2012 in California (wine-festivals.vinoconvistablog.com)
Gioco Restaurant’s Winter Wine Event in Chicago (vinoconvistablog.me)
46th Annual VinItaly 2012 in Verona (vinoconvistablog.me)
Juliet’s Balcony makes Verona Italy the City of Love (vinoconvistablog.me)
Hemingway’s Valpolicella and the Quintarelli Legacy (dobianchi.com)

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Filed under Barolo the King of Wine, Brunello di Montalcino, Brunello Wine, Chianti Classico, DOCG Italian WInes, French wine, Friuli Venezia-Giulia, IPad, Italian Cheese, Italian Food, Italian Food and Wine, Italian Wine, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Rome, Sicily, Travel and Tourism, Venato, Verona Italy, vino con vista, Wine, Wine Festivals in Italy, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as 47th Annual VinItaly 2013 in Verona Italy, Albana (grape), Antinori, Barolo, Beverages, Colli Orientali del Friuli, Denominazione di origine controllata, Erbaluce, Food, Gambero Rosso, Italian wine, Italy, List of wine-producing regions, Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, Piemonte (wine), Pinot Grigio, Pinot gris, Ruché, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vernaccia, Verona, vino, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Wine, Wine Spectator, Winemaking, World Heritage Site

March 25, 2013 · 10:17 am

Incredible Easter with Fireworks in Florence Italy: Lo Scoppio del Carro

Image via Wikipedia

On Easter morning, an ornate 500-year- old, 30-foot cart is paraded through the streets of Florence Italy by a team of white oxen covered with flowers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FmiZNeYbto&feature=fvwrel.

English: Scoppio del Carro2 (Florence) Italiano: Scoppio del Carro2 (Firenze) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The oxen cart is escorted by men dressed as Roman soldiers, city officials, musicians and flag-throwers dressed in medieval costumes from the Porta al Prato to the magnificent Piazza del Duomo . This annual event is called Lo Scoppio del Carro. This ”Explosion of the Cart” celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and a new beginning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIlWMQoTnhs&NR=1

After the 11:00 Easter Mass in the Duomo, the “Explosion of the Cart” will occur in front of the Baptistery at noon. The cart is pre-loaded with fireworks. A wire that stretches from the altar inside the Duomo is rigged with a mechanical dove with an olive branch in her beak called the “Columbina” (little dove) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT5qr1xqbKo&feature=related.

The olive branch and the dove symbolize the Holy Spirit as well as Easter peace. After the parishoners sing “Gloria in Excelsis Deo” (Glory to God in the Highest) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MuHQ2cxPr8&feature=fvst, the Cardinal of Florence will light a fuse that travels from the Church to ignite the cart in the Piazza. The fire is ignited by historic flints from Jerusalem. During this event, the Bells from Giotto’s Bell Tower will be joyously ringing.

The traditional annual event lasts for about twenty minutes. A successful explosion signifies a good harvest and good business in the coming year which translates into good news for the wine-makers of Tuscany.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui8SLFG6h84&feature=related

Lo Scoppio del Carro festivities originated in the First Crusade when Europeans seiged the city of Jerusalem in an attempt to claim Palestine for Christianity. Bishop Ranieri took over Jerusalem during the First Crusade and on July 15, 1099, Pazzino di Ranieri de Pazzi‘s army defeated Jerusalem and hung a Christian banner on the walls of the Holy City. Pazzino de Pazzi, a wealthy Florentine, was the first man to scale the walls of Jerusalem. As a reward, his commander-in-chief, Godfrey IV de Buillon gave him three chips of stone from the Holy Sepulcher of Christ which he brought back to Florence in 1101.

Scoppio del carro (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

These flints were held by the Pazzi family for many years and were used to spark the “New Fire” which symbolized new life. The fire was shared with other families to help ignite things around the house like candles and fireplaces. These lights were put out on Good Friday and then lit again on Easter Sunday.

scoppio-del-carro1_17 (Photo credit: bwohack)

The city of Florence assumed the responsibility and the tradition of passing the fire from Jerusalem. For many years, the stone chips were kept in the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Porta, but in 1785, the Holy Sepulcher stones were moved to the Chiesa degli Santi Apostoli. Watch this slide presentation to see the event:

http://firenze.repubblica.it/cronaca/2012/04/08/foto/lo_scoppio_del_carro-32965499/1/

The capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders on 15 July 1099 1. The Holy Sepulchre 2. The Dome of the Rock 3. Ramparts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Holy Fire has traditionally been struck from these ancient flints at Eastertide to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. In 1494, the Cart Explosion was lit in front of the Baptistery for the first time. They were also lit on the street corner of the Pazzi family. The lighting in front of the Pazzi family was discontinued in 1900. Over 500 years ago, the exciting tradition of lighting fireworks on Easter Sunday assumed its present form in Florence.

To learn more about Italy read my Travel Guides @ www.vino-con-vista.com. Happy Easter!!

Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

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Filed under Easter Spectacle with Fireworks in Florence Italy: Lo Scoppio del Carro, ebooks, Florence, Florence Baptistry, Florence Italy, IPad, Italian Architecture, Italian art, Italian Cheese, Italian Food, Italian Food and Wine, Italian Wine, Italy, Italy ravel, Italy Travel Guides, Renaissance Art, Renaissance Artists, Santa Croce in Florence, Savonarola, Tuscany, Uffizi, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Bishop Ranieri took Jerusalem during the First Crusade, Christ the Redeemer, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Easter, Easter Spectacle with Fireworks in Florence Italy: Lo Scoppio del Carro, Europeans seige Jerusalem during the first Crusade, Fireworks and Doves in Florence for Easter, First Crusade, First Crusade to claim Jerusalem, Florence, Florenced and the First Crusade, Godrey IV de Buillon, Holy City of Jerusalem, Holy Sepulcher of Christ, How do they celebrate Easter in Italy, Italy, Jerusalem, Pazzi, Pazzi Family in Florence Italy, Pazzi Family of Florence and the First Crusade, Scoppio del Caroo in FLorence Italy at Easter, Scoppio del carro, Scoppio del Carro in Florence at Easter, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

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Incredible Easter with Fireworks in Florence Italy: Lo Scoppio del Carro

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Luca Signorelli is best known for his “Last Judgement” in the Cathedral of Orvieto.

Dr. EveAnn Lovero writes Italy Travel Guides and Vino Con Vista Travel Guides can be purchased at these sites.

To learn more about Italian art read www.vino-con-vista.com Travel Guides. Ipad version available .

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