Tag Archives: World Heritage Site

April 26, 2013 · 10:35 am

Mangia and Vino con Vista in Ravenna: A UNESCO Site in Emilia-Romagna

: Image via Wikipedia

English: Cross. Detail from the 6th century Byzantine mosaic in the apse of the basilica of Sant’Apollinare in Classe (Ravenna, Italy) Italiano: Croce gemmata. Particolare del mosaico bizantino nel catino absidale di Sant’Apollinare in Classe a Ravenna (secolo VI). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Built in 548 A.D. The sights of Ravenna are mostly from the period when Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ravenna houses early Christian Monuments in the Romagna Region www.turismoravenna.it . Ravenna was initially the seat of the Roman Empire in the 5^th century, the Visigoth Empire and finally the Byzantine Italian Empire under Emperor Justinian and Empress Theodora until the 8^th century. Ravenna was the capital of the Western Roman Empire for 150 years.

Dante; Dante Museum, Ravenna, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Dante Alighieri’s portrait by Sandro Botticelli. Tempera 54,7 x 47,5 cm. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ravenna’s proximity to the sea and unique collection of early Christian mosaics and monuments make it a desirable destination. The Torre del Pubblico leans more than the Tower of Pisa. Dante’s tomb is located on Via Dante Alighieri. Beautiful beaches are found in the Punta Marina di Ravenna.

Domenico di Michelino, La Divina Commedia di Dante (Dante and the Divine Comedy). 1465 fresco, in the dome of the church of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence (Florence’s cathedral). Dante Alighieri is shown holding a copy of his epic poem The Divine Comedy. He is pointing to a procession of sin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ravenna flourished under the Byzantine Empire. All eight artistically noteworthy buildings: the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, the Neonian Baptistery, the Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare Nuovo, the Arian Baptistery, the Archiepiscopal Chapel, the Mausoleum of Theodoric, the Church of San Vitale and the Basilica of Sant’ Apollinare in Classe were constructed in the 5^th and 6^th centuries. The octagonal baptistery contains a beautiful mosaic of John the Baptist and Christ.

Ravenna 1996_0016 (Photo credit: thomas alan)

Ravenna’s mosaics are considered to be the finest in the world outside Istanbul. “The artistry of the mosaics and monuments presents an enlightened blend of Greco-Roman, Christian iconography, oriental and Western genres. Ravenna provides a glimpse into artistic and religious relationships during an important period of European cultural history.” UNESCO

Dante gazes at Mount Purgatory in an allegorical portrait by Agnolo Bronzino, painted c. 1530 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ravenna offers an array of annual events including the prestigious summer “Ravenna Festival” with opera performances, classical music and ballet. In September, the Basilica of San Francesco conducts Progetto Dante: “La Divina Commedia nel Mondo” with readings from Dante’s Divine Comedy. The Basilica was built in the 5th century and completely re-built between the 10th and 11th centuries. Dante Alighieri’s funeral was held here in 1321.

Gustave Doré’s illustration to Dante’s Inferno. Plate IX: Canto III: Arrival of Charon. “And lo! towards us coming in a boat / An old man, hoary with the hair of eld, / Crying: ‘Woe unto you, ye souls depraved!’” (Longfellow’s translation) “And, lo! toward us in a bark / Comes an old man, hoary white with eld, / Crying “Woe to you, wicked spirits!” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dante’s death tomb in Ravenna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In the peaceful Piazza dell Popola, or beside the Marina di Ravenna, you can enjoy a pleasant “Vino con Vista.” Have a glass of Rosso Ravenna, Bianco Ravenna or Sangiovese de Romagna Superiore Riserva with your Parmigiano Reggiano. Ravenna is famous for its olive oil from Brisighella, and the vineyards from prestigious Albana.

Think about that Ducati or Ferrari you’ve had your eye on as you watch the Italians enjoy their testosterone infused rides. If you prefer, you can plan your next mosaic tile project as you sip your delicious Lambrusco at one of the charming cafes.

If you dine at Gigiole on Piazza Couvour or Antica Trattoria al Gallo 1909 on via Maggione, try some Tagliatelle Bolognese. In this region, they love cheese and butter; so don’t forget to take your cholesterol medication.

Dine at the Buon Ricordo destination at the Ristorante Hotel Tino in Massa Lombarda @ Via Resistenza, 22 (www.tinomassalombarda.it). The “Ossobuco del Cavaliere” comes with a charming collector plate depicting a knight on horseback. The veal is served with saffron risotto. Dine in the charming courtyard of this hotel.

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

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

About these ads

2 Comments

Filed under Italy, ebooks, vino con vista, UNESCO, World Heritage Sites, Italy Travel Guides, Italian Food and Wine, Italian art, Ancient Rome, Roman Architecture, Rome History, Roman Emperors, Italian Wine, Italian Food, oenogastronomic, Travel and Tourism, Italian Architecture, UNESCO WOrld Heritage Sites in SIcily, Wine, Dante, The Divine Comedy, Ravenna, Ancient mosaics in Ravenna

Tagged as Basilica of San Vitale, Byzantine Empire, Dante Alighieri, Emilia Romagna, Italian wine, Italy, italy travel, Italy Travel Guides, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Roman Empire, Rome, Travel and Tourism, vino con vista, World Heritage Site

April 23, 2013 · 12:57 pm

Top UNESCO Attractions in Turin Italy

Venaria Reale, Torino. Piazza dell’Annunziata (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Torino, Mole Antonelliana, (Italy). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Coat of arms of Turin Italiano: Stemma di Torino che si trova presso Palazzo Carignano, lato piazza Carlo Alberto (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Palazzo Carignano, Turin: back from Piazza Carignano. Italiano: Palazzo Carignano a Torino: retro da Piazza Carignano. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: turin italy piazza castello (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Italiano: Collage di varie foto di Torino (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Venaria Reale (Torino) – Reggia sabauda (Photo credit: giovanni_novara)

Turin‘s main attractions include important Baroque palaces and churches and world-class museums.

Turin is the European capital of Baroque including: Palazzo Carignano, Piazza San Carlo – the city’s meeting point and the San Lorenzo and San Filippo churches. Baroque also characterizes the Royal Residences, the Reggia di Venaria, the Castello di Rivoli.

The city also has elements of Art Nouveau style that embellishes the city’s elegant architectural districts.

Turin was the capital of Italy and has plenty of contemporary art and design.

English: Palazzo Carignano in Turin: main façade, from Piazza Carlo Alberto. Italiano: Palazzo Carignano a Torino: facciata principale, da Piazza Carlo Alberto. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are 15 Savoy Residences that are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/823.

Fronte di Palazzo Carignano di Torino al tramonto. Leggero retouch per esaltare un croma e bordi da stampa anastatica. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

They represent an important cultural route for travelers. Five of the sites are in the city: Palazzo Reale, Palazzo Madama, Palazzo Carignano, Castello del Valentino and Villa della Regina. The others are outside the city boundaries: the Stupinigi Hunting Lodge, the castles of Rivoli – hosting the important Museum of Contemporary Art, Moncalieri, AgliÃ and the Reggia di Venaria. The residences were completed around the middle 18th Century and are also known as the “delightful crown” because they surround Turin like a ring.

Palazzo Madama in Piazza Castello was recently re-opened after a long refurbishment. It was home of the Queen, and is a mix of medieval and baroque rooms. There’s plenty of art religious art and scenes of life in Torino.
Tickets € 7,5

Palazzo Carignano, Via Accademia delle Scienze 5 (close to Piazza Castello).
Castello di Rivoli is located in the small town of Rivoli, east of Turin. It houses one of Europe’s most important Contemporary Art Museums. The Castle of Rivoli is a unfinished XVIII castle that stands on top of Rivoli hills. Corso Francia (France Road) is one of the world’s longest streets and was built because of the desire of the House of Savoy to connect Royal Palace in the center of Turin with Rivoli Castle. You can reach it by bus or taxi.
La Venaria Reale outside the town of Venaria, 10 kilometres north east of Turin. Restored to the baroque magnificence that inspired it when it was built in the mid 17th century for duke Carlo Emanuele II di Savoia, the Reggia of Venaria Reale was inaugurated in October 2007, after two centuries of abandon and decay, and eight years of intense restoration. In the first year since it opened to the public, Venaria Reale has welcomed approximately 1.000.000 visitors becoming one of the most popular spot in Italy. The enormous palace, which has a surface area of over 80,000 square metres, contains some of the most outstanding examples of European baroque architecture: the enchanting Salone di Diana, designed by Amedeo di Castellamonte, the solemnity of the Galleria Grande and the chapel of Sant’Uberto, and the immense complex of the Scuderie, designed by the 17th century genius, Filippo Juvarra. The Gardens now represent a close combination of ancient and modern. Venaria Reale, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is at the centre of the circuit of Royal Residences in Piedmont. To get there: Venaria Express” shuttle bus operated by GTT (freephone number: 800 019152 http://www.comune.torino.it/gtt Bus: routes 72, 11 (freephone number: 800 019152 – http://www.comune.torino.it/gtt) Train: Turin-Ceres line (freephone number: 800 019152 – http://www.comune.torino.it/gtt) Car: Torino Nord orbital road, Venaria or Savonera/Venaria exit. GTT bus ticket with return € 5.Entrance to the Venaria 15 €. (July 2012)

Front of palace Carignano, Turin (Italy) Français : Façade de palais Carignano, Turin (Italie) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Torino, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Museo Nazionale del Cinema is a vertical structure located on 5 floors in in the magical Mole Antonelliana building.

The Mole Antonelliana was completed in 1888 as a synagogue. The 167.5-meter tower is the highest work of masonry in Europe and it now contains one of the finest cinema museum of Europe. An elevator to the top is available with a ticket.

The National Cinema Museum opened in July 2000. The 5-story exhibition includes themes: Archaeology of Cinema, the Video Camera, a collection of cinema posters, video installations (including a number of small rooms screening clips on themes such as Turin in the movies, love stories and experimental film) and The Great Temple (where you recline in comfortable red chairs and watch classic Italian films projected on giant screens overhead).
In a spectacular setting the museum offers artifacts from the collection of the Maria Adrianna Prolo Foundation including magic lanterns, optical illusions, photographs, drawings, models and other curious items. Amongst a fascinating array of other movie memorabilia, be sure to check out the original cape worn by Christopher Reeve in Superman. If you’re a certain age, that’s incredibly exciting!
The Egyptian Museum is the second most important museum in the world after the one in Cairo and houses an important collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts. It is located on Via Accademia delle Scienze, 6, ☎ 011 561 7776. outside Cairo. Founded in 1824 by King Carlo Felice after acquiring archeologist Drovetti’s collection, the museum contains 30,000 exhibits. It documents the history and civilization of Egypt from the paleolithic to the Coptic era through unique exhibits and collections of objects d’art, articles of daily use and funeral furnishings (including the Altar of Isis, the canvas painted by Gebelein, the intact tombs of Kha and Merit, and the exceptional cliff temple to Ellesjia). The museum is open every day except Mondays and Christmas (December 25th). Ticket are € 7,5.

Di ritorno dalla Galleria Sabauda (Photo credit: kiki follettosa)

Museo dell’Automobile st Corso Unità d’Italia 40. The collection houses over 170 vehicles, from 18th-century carriages to Formula 1 cars. cars.
The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Duomo di San Giovanni. The Cathedral’s Chapel of the Shroud houses the controversial Shroud of Turin, which is stored in a vault below the Duomo.
Quadrilatero Romano is filled with restaurants in the old Roman town, northwest of Piazza Castello.
Via Garibaldi is a pedestrian shopping zone between Piazza Castello and Piazza Statuto.
Galleria Subalpina is a pedestrian passage from Piazza Castello and Piazza Carlo Alberto. It is one of the most elegant places in the city.
Valentino Park, the biggest park in Turin central area. This park is situated along the Po river where you can find the Valentino Castle and the Medieval Village (Borgo Medievale).
Cathedral of Superga. On top of the hill near Turin, this cathedral was built to celebrate a victorious battle against French. Take a trip to Superga by train from Sassi to see the magnificant Vino con Vista panoramic view of Turin. The Cathedral houses the tombs of the House of Savoy. In 1949, a plane carrying the entire Turin FC team crashed near the cathedral, killing one of the greatest football teams ever. At the crash site a plate memorializes the dead. The top of the hill offers the best view of Turin, with the magnificent Alps in the background. You can reach the top by car but also by a little chain-train. Ask for the Trenino per Superga. Chain train with return € 6.Take the straicase inside the church to reach the top,€ 3.
Piedmont´s picturesque Langhe region is the home of Barolo and Barbaresco. Visit the Slow Food town of Bra, Alba (home of the white truffle festival).
Barolo is a delightful wine hamlet, crowned with a castle. Grinzane Cavour is another village with a stunning castle where the annual truffle auction takes place. .In Turin look for a tour of wine estates in Langhe. Head south to the vineyards of the Langhe. Visiting wine estates and the castle of Grinzane Cavour, which also houses a wine museum and regional wine shop with many top Barolos, Barbarescos and Grappas.

: Piazza dell’Annunziata and the parish church, Venaria Reale, Turin, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Armeria Reale (Royal Armoury), Piazza Castello, Turin, Italy, ☎ 011543889. 1. Turin’s Royal Armoury contains one of the Europes best arms exhibits, dating back to the 16th century. The collection was put together in 1833 by Sardinian King Charles Albert.
Porta Palazzo market is 5 minutes from Piazza Castello. It is one of the biggest and most diverse markets in Europe. The markets are open every weekday morning and all day Saturday. On Sunday Porta Palazzo houses a smaller flea market.

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

1 Comment

Filed under Italy Travel Guides, Top UNESCO Attractions in Turin Italy

Tagged as Italy, Mole Antonelliana, National Cinema Museum, Palazzo Carignano, Rivoli, Rivoli Castle, Top UNESCO Attractions in Turin Italy, Torino, Turin, Venaria Reale, World Heritage Site

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–

3 Comments

Filed under Ancient Rome, Baroque Art, ebooks, IPad, Italian art, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Peter the Apostle, Renaissance Art, Rome, Rome History, Rome Italy, St. Peter's Basilica, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

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)

How to Decipher the Eternal City of Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
Art at the Pinacoteca Vaticana in the Vatican Museums (vinoconvistablog.me)
Caravaggio ‘ was killed by the Knights of Malta’ (telegraph.co.uk)
Book Review: Caravaggio – Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose (todworner.wordpress.com)

Book Review: Caravaggio – Painter of Miracles by Francine Prose (todworner.wordpress.com)

3 Comments

Filed under Bacchus the Roman God of Wine, Caravaggio, ebooks, Florence, IPad, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Tuscany, Uffizi, vino con vista, Wine Festivals, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Ancient Rome, Bacchus the Roman god of wine, Caravaggio, Caravaggio's Bacchus the God of Wine, Contarelli Chapel, Donatello, Florence, Florence attractions, Florence Travel Guides, Giotto, House of Medici, italian food, Italian wine, Italy, italy travel, Italy Travel Guides, Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo Medici, Michelangelo, Nicola Pisano, Palazzo Pitti, Pitti Palace, Porto Ercole, Renaissance art, Rome, Simone Peterzano, Sistine Chapel, Sistine Chapel ceiling, Tenebrism, The god of wine, Travel and Tourism, Tuscany Travel Guides, Uffizi, unesco, Vasari Corridor, Vatican Museums, vino con vista, Who is Bacchus, Who painted Bacchus, Who was vasari, World Heritage Site

April 10, 2013 · 11:56 am

Visit Magnificent Churches on Rome’s Esquiline Hill

Image via Wikipedia

Here’s a map of The Seven Hills of Rome. The seven hills are: Palatine, Esquiline Aventine, Viminal, Caelian, Capitoline and Quirinal.

Rome, The Piazza and Church of Santa Maria Maggiore (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Visit all of the interesting sights in Rome by using this handy map.

The Egyptian obelisk at the center of Piazza Esquilino comes from the Mausoleum of Augustus.

Visit the magnificent Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica. The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of the four greater basilicas of Rome and it has two facades. One of them is located in Piazza Esquilino. On the opposite side of the Basilica, it is easy to see the front facade with the twin domes.

English: Tabernacle in the Sistine Chapel of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, c. 1590. Bronze angels made by Bastiano Torrigiani, other artwork was made by Leonardo Sarzana based upon a design by Giovanni Battista Ricci. Deutsch: Ziborium der Sakramentskapelle in der Patriarchalbasilika Santa Maria Maggiore, um 1590. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is a church on the Esquilino in Rome, Italy. 41°53′50.4″N 12°29′56″E / °S °W / ; latd>90 (dms format) in latd latm lats longm longs (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

The rear facade faces the lovely Marian Column and has a massive bell-tower. On Corpus Christi, the Pope conducts mass at San Giovanni Church and then leads a procession along Via Merulana to Santa Maria Maggiore.

One of the Roman / Early Christian Nave Mosaics depicting the Story of Moses, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome, Italy (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to legend, on the night of August 5, 356 the Madonna appeared in a dream to a nobleman and the Pope (cannonized Saint Liberius). She asked them to build a sanctuary dedicated to her on the summit of Esquiline Hill. The dream foretold of a blizzard that miraculously occurred in August of 352. There are beautiful mosaics representing the “Miracle of St. Mary of the Snow” in the portico.

Triomphal Arch Mosaics in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, right side, fourth register from up (bottom) Italiano: Roma, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, mosaici dell’arco trionfale, lato destro, quarto registro dall’alto (registro inferiore) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Português: Capela Borghese, Santa Maria Maggio...

Image via Wikipedia

A precious (bronze, marble and lapis-lazuli) relief by Stefano Maderno in Cappella Paolina portrays the pope drawing the plan of S. Maria Maggiore on the snow which had fallen on the top of the Esquiline hill. Although snow usually doesn’t occur in Rome in August, hail-storms are not unlikely to occur. The miraculous “Legend of the Snow” is re-enacted every year at the Basilica on August 5th to commemorate the feast day of Our Lady of the Snow as white rose petals fall from the dome of the basilica.

A statue of Sixtus V in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Sacra Culla” in Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, in front of main altar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a virtual tour of the basilica http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/sm_maggiore/vr_tour/index-it.html

Under the altar is a crypt housing the remains of St. Matthais, who was the Apostle that was chosen to replace the vacancy left by Judas Iscariot.

Foundation of Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Close-up of Saint Pudentiana in the mosaic of ...

Image via Wikipedia

I love the Basilica di Santa Prassede all’Esquillino. This church was commissioned by Pope Hadrian I in 780. It was built above the remains of a 5th century structure that contained the bones of Saint Praxedes and Saint Pudentiana.

Italiano: Mosaico raffigurante il Salvatore sorretto da 4 angeli posto sulla volta della Cappella di San Zenone nella Basilica di Santa Prassede a Roma. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Image via Wikipedia

These female saints were murdered for providing Christian burial for early martyrs in defiance of Roman law.

Image via Wikipedia

This church houses incredible mosaics and a small piece of a pillar that was used to flog Jesus befor his crucifixion. The relic is alleged to have been retrieved in the early 4th century AD by Saint Helena. She was the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine I. When she was 80 years old, she embarked on a pilgrimage to Golgotha in the Holy Land. She collected relics associated with the crucifixion of Jesus in Calvary.

the Church of Santa Bibiana, Rome, Italy. Facade. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Basílica Ulpia (Photo credit: DivesGallaecia)

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

Image via Wikipedia

Best Places In Rome – The Esqualino And Trevi Fountain Districts (vino-con-vista.info)
Rome: Top 5 Archaeological Sites to Visit from 2012 (vino-con-vista.us)
Rome’s Glorious Colosseum (vino-con-vista.info)
Capitoline Hill Adventures in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
The Beautiful Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva in Rome Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
San Marco is the Church of the Venetian Community in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
Drool over Bernini’s Angels in Sant’Andrea delle Fratte in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
How to Decipher the Eternal City of Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
The Ancient Basilica of Santi Cosma e Damiano in Rome Italy (vinoconvistablog.me)
Insights into the Vatican in Italy: UNESCO’s Holy City (vinoconvistablog.me)

5 Comments

Filed under Attractions in Rome near the Capitoline Museums, Churches in Rome, Italy Travel Guides, Roman Architecture, Roman Emperors, Rome History, Rome Italy, Sacred Art in Rome, Visit Magnificent Churches on Rome's Esquiline Hill

Tagged as Alba Longa, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, Baths of Trajan, Capitoline Hill, Colosseum, Domus Aurea, Esquiline Hill, Judas Iscariot, Mausoleum of Augustus, Pope, Quirinal Hill, Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore, Seven hills of Rome, Stefano Maderno, Viminal Hill, Visit Magnificent Churches on Rome's Esquiline Hill, World Heritage Site

· 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–

Silent Night Holy Night: A Vatican Christmas (vinoconvistablog.me)
From Rome, With Love – A City Holidays Were Made For (vino-con-vista.blogspot.com)
Francesco Borromini’s Church of Sant Ivo alla Sapienza in Rome (vinoconvistablog.me)
Spend a Glorious Vino Con Vista Weekend in Rome: Non Basta una Vita (vinoconvistablog.me)
Travel to Italy – Rome and Venice (vino-con-vista.info)

12 Comments

Filed under Ancient Rome, ebooks, IPad, Italian art, Italy, Italy Travel Guides, Pantheon, Renaissance Art, Roman Architecture, Roman Emperors, Rome, Rome History, Rome Italy, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Ancient Rome, Barberini, Castel Sant'Angelo, Emperor Augustus, Emperor Hadrian, Hadrian, italy travel, King Victor Emanuele, Lorenzo Ottoni, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Mary (mother of Jesus), Minerva, Pantheon, Pantheon oculus, Pantheon Rome, Piazza della Rotunda Egyptian Obelisk, Pope Boniface IV, Pope Urban VIII, Raffaello Sanzio Tomb, Raphael, Roman, Roman Empire, Roman mythology, Rome, rome history, Sain Mary and the Martyrs and the Pantheon, Santa Maria ad Martyres, Santa Maria ad Martyres is in the Pantheon, St. Peter's Basilica, Travel and Tourism, unesco, vino con vista, What are Roman deities, what does the inscription on the pantheon mean, What is an oculus, What is the name of the Pantheon church, when was the pantheon built, where is King Emanuele II tomb, Where is Raphael's Tomb, where is the pantheon, Who built the pantheon, who is buried at the pantheon, World Heritage Site

April 8, 2013 · 8:31 am

The Truth about Bernini’s Baroque “Fountain of the Four Rivers” in Piazza Navona in Rome

: Image via Wikipedia

Piazza Navona is Rome’s fabulous Baroque piazza. The charming cafes and famous fountains make it the perfect “Vino con Vista” destination.

The “Fontana dei fiumi” (Fountain of the four rivers) by Gianlorenzo Bernini in piazza Navona in Rome, Italy. Picture by Alers, August 2004. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It was originally Emperor Domitian’s Circus Agonalis, an oblong sports stadium and the remnants are visible under the street.

The piazza is located in the center of Centro Storico. The area has been inhabited for over 2000 years and was built above Domitian’s ancient stadium designed for Olympic games in 85 AD.

English: Piazza Navona, Rome Français : La place Navone à Rome Italiano: Piazza Navona, Roma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Piazza Navona, Bernini’s sumptuous baroque “Fountain of the Four Rivers” graces the piazza; topped with the “Obelisk of Domitian.”

Pope Innocent X (Giovanni Battista Pamphilj) commissioned Bernini to design the fountain in 1651 near the Pamphilj Palace. The fountain was executed by a large group of sculptors under Bernini’s supervision.

The fountain symbolizes the four continents using symbolic figures of four rivers. The navigability of Ganges River is symbolized by a long oar and represents Asia. It was created by Claude Poussin.

The Danube represents Europe and touches the Pamphili papal coat of arms (symbolized by the Pamphilj dove) because it is the closest river to Rome. It was created by Antonio Raggi.

The Rio de la Plata (above on the right) is sitting on a pile of coins (plat means silver in Spanish) and symbolizes the Americas. It was sculpted by Francessco Baratta.

The Nile represents Africa and the head is cover with a veil because the river had an unknown source of water. It was sculpted by Antonio Fancelli.

Allegorical statue of river Danube. Detail from the “Fountain of the Four rivers” by Gianlorenzo Bernini, in Piazza Navona, Rome. 16/X/2005. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is rumored that Bernini intentionally placed a veil over the face of the “Nile” river statue to prevent the statue from looking at the façade of the church designed by his arch-rival Boromini. Boromini designed the church behind the fountain with the large dome and twin towers (St. Agnes in Agony). However, the façade of that church was actually completed after the fountain was finished.

“Fontana dei fiumi” (Fountain of the four rivers) by Gianlorenzo Bernini in piazza Navona in Rome, Italy: coat of arms of pope Innocentius X Pamphili. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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

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

7 Comments

Filed under ebooks, Italian art, Italy, Italy ravel, Italy Travel Guides, Piazza Navona, Rome, Rome History, Rome Italy, Travel and Tourism, UNESCO, vino con vista, World Heritage Sites

Tagged as Italy, italy travel, Travel and Tourism, vino con vista, unesco, World Heritage Site, Bernini, Piazza Navona, Antonio Raggi, Baroque, Domitian, Centro Storico, Fountain of the Four Rivers, Rome Travel Guide, Italy Travel Guide, Pope Innocent X Pamphilj, obelisk of Domitian, Domitian's ancient stadium, Domitian's Circus Agonalis

April 6, 2013 · 11:09 am

10 Reasons to Travel to Urbino: A UNESCO Site in Le Marche

: Image via Wikipedia

see filename (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: “Euclid of Megara” (lat: Evklidi Megaren), Panel from the Series ‘Famous Men’, Justus of Ghent, about 1474, Panel, 102 x 80 cm, Urbino, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. This picture is meant to represent the famous mathematician Euclid of Alexandria, who was, in medieval times, wrongly identified with Euclid of Megara, the disciple of Socrates. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Le Marche, not far from the Adriatic Sea, the savvy traveler will find the small hill town of Urbino. It is perched between the Foglio and Metauro Rivers.

Urbino (Photo credit: kekkoz)

Le Marche enjoys more than 100 miles of clean Adriatic coastline with long stretches of sandy beaches. The regional capital is Ancona where an annual “Summer Jamboree Festival” is held with bands from all over the world. www.summerjamboree.com

Urbino was declared a dukedom in the middle of the 15th century and has a Ducal Palace with cellars and servants quarters. Raphael and Bramante were famous local Renaissance artists. Urbino’s historic center has a magnificent array of medieval and well-preserved Renaissance buildings nestled in a picturesque countryside setting that was inscribed by UNESCO in 1998. The historic center has interesting sites that include: The Oratory of St. John the Baptist, Raphael’s birth house, the churches of St. Francis and St. Dominic, the Oratory of St. Gaetano, the cloistered convent of St. Claire and of the Church of St. Bernardino. There is a fabulous VIno con Vista panorama of the city from the Albornoz Fortress.

Battista Sforza, Duchess of Urbino. Portrait by Piero della Francesca. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Urbino’s illustrious past rivals Florence in terms of its cultural significance during the Renaissance. This town attracted many humanist scholars and Renaissance artists in the 15th century. These trailblazers ultimately influenced cultural developments elsewhere in Europe. Urbino became a Ducal city during the Renaissance.

For more information visit: http://www.le-marche.com/

Portrait of a Young Woman (best known as La Muta), Raphael, 1507-1508, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. Urbino was the birthplace of Raffaello Sanzio in 1483. He lived at Casa Natale di Raffaello and his former residence warrants a visit. The birthplace of Raphael is a small 14th-century building with a charming interior courtyard. What was probably the artist’s first important work, a Madonna and Child, is located in the first-floor room where he was born in 1483. His superb artistic skills adorn the walls of the Vatican in his legendary “School of Athens” masterpiece.

Italiano: Scuola di Atene English: The School of Athens – fresco by Raffaello Sanzio (w) Español: La escuela de Atenas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Urbino: Palazzo Ducale & Duomo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

2. Visit the elegantly proportioned Palazzo Ducale that was built for Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his wife Battista Sforza as a defensive structure in 1460 designed by architect by Luciano da Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini.

It is one of the most beautiful architectural works of the Italian Renaissance. The palace is perched high on a hill with panoramic views of the countryside. The façade of the palace is flanked by two dominating towers. Montefeltro was a patron of the arts who ruled Urbino from 1444-1482. The 3rd Sunday in August, attend “Festa del Ducca” in Urbino to honor the Duke.

Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

3. The palace houses the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche (The Marche National Gallery) and holds the most significant collection of Marchigiana art. This museum is the home to works by Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Tizano, Paolo Uccello and Luca Signorelli.

4. The elegant, Neo-Classical Duomo was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1789. It was done by Giuseppe Valadier, Architect of the Holy See.The impressive cathedral is in Piazza Duca Federico and has a beautiful painting of the “Last Supper” by Federico Barocci. The cathedral/Duomo was largely rebuilt in the late 18th century, during the papacy of Pius VII who completing the reconstruction left unfinished during the reign of Clement XI.

Urbino (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Urbino, Marche, Italia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5. Have a “Vino con Vista” at La Vecchia Fornarina close to Piazza della Republica. It is the oldest restaurant in Urbino. Order some fish stew with a glass of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (DOC) , a crisp white wine. Order some red Piceno (DOC) vino at the Mamiani Hotel on Via Bernini and enjoy the beautiful view. Duke Federico preferred sour cherry wine made from marasca cherries called Visner. After dinner, order some chocolate and sip some chilled Visner as you toast Federico Montefeltro. He was the enlightened lord that was instrumental in transforming this lovely city. Distilled wines like aniseed liqueurs are popular in this region (Mistra and Anisetta).

6. Visit the Umani Ronchi Winery. Try some Medoro Marche Sangiovese or Le Busche Marche Bianco (www.unmanironchi.com). Visit the International Wine Label Museum in Cupramontana.

7. A haven for Foodies, the cuisine has been influenced by Romagna to the north and Abruzzi to the south. From polenta to porchetta and white truffles, the regional specialties of the Marches include: ”Olive all’Ascolana” stuffed with mince, eggs, cheese and dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in olive oil; Stoccafisso in Potacchio, Brodetto and Coniglio in Porchetta. Fossa cheese is aged while buried in a pit. “Vincisgrassi” is lasagne with mushrooms, truffles and chicken livers covered with bechamel sauce and baked to perfection. Cannelloni, maccheroncini di Campofilone and cresce tagliate are popular first courses in the Marche. In sea-side areas the “Arrosto Segreto” is made with mackerel, anchovies and sardines; this cooking process allows the fish to be cooked on both sides at the same time like a fish panini. In Urbino, the delicious braciola is stuffed and braised in white wine. Try some Prosciutto di Montefeltro. You can sign up for Cooking School at: http://www.latavolamarche.com

8. In August, attend the “Sagra delle Frittelle” of Massignano in the Ascoli Piceno fortress. This Fritter Fest is a 50 year old Italian Food Festival. The Macerata Opera Festival is held in Sferisterio from July 15 to August 15 www.maceratagallery.it.

9. More notable holy places include: the 14th-century Oratory of St John the Baptist with outstanding frescoes by Luca Signorelli and the 14th century Church of San Francesco with an interior that was redesigned in the 18th century. The Church of San Domenico is basically a 13th-century structure with an articulated portal that was added during the Renaissance period, surmounted by a beautiful oriel window by Luca della Robbia. The Santa Chiara and San Bernardino monasteries are good examples of Renaissance architecture.

10. Attend glorious “Holiday Festivals and Events” in the town of Candelara in December in the province of Macerata and also in the town of Fano in Giardini Amiani.

Italiano: Veduta della città di Urbino dalla collina del castello. Si ammira la Cattedrale e il Palazzo Ducale sulla sinistra. (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 Italy read www.vino-con-vista.com Travel Guides.

10 Comments

Filed under Italy, ebooks, vino con vista, UNESCO, Italy Travel Guides, Italian Food and Wine, Italian art, Italian Wine, Italian Food, Travel and Tourism, UNESCO WOrld Heritage Sites in SIcily, Wine, Urbino, Marche, Federico Barocci, Luca Signorelli, Federico da Montefeltro, Renaissance Artists, The Marche National Gallery, 10 Reasons to Travel to Urbino: A UNESCO Site in Le Marche

Tagged as 10 Reasons to Travel to Urbino: A UNESCO Site in Le Marche, Adriatic Sea, Baroque Marvels Art Exhibition in San Severino Marche, Christmas in Italy, Christmas in Urbino, Federico Barocci, Federico da Montefeltro, Festa del Ducca in Urbino, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Holiday Events in Italy, italian food, Italian wine, italy travel, Italy Travel Guide, Luca Signorelli, Marche, Palazzo Ducale Urbino, Paolo Uccello, Raphael, Renaissance, School of Athens, The Marche National Gallery, Travel and Tourism, unesco, Urbino, vino con vista, World Heritage Site

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)

23 Comments

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

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

March 23, 2013 · 9:56 am

Holy Week in Majestic Madrid Spain: Semana Santa

Image via Wikipedia

Holy Week is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Holy Week in Majestic Madrid is a spectacle to behold.In 1561, King Philip II (1556-1598) decided to move his court from Toledo to Madrid. In 1616, King Felipe III ordered the construction of Plaza Mayor to be built upon the former Plaza del Arrabal.

It was designed by Juan Gomez de Mora who used the Madrilenian Baroque Style. The Square contains 136 houses with 437 balconies from which 50,000 people can witness events in the Plaza. In the center, the equestrian statue of Phillip III watches over his masterpiece.

Español: Escultura en El Escorial. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There are interesting UNESCO World Heritage sites near Madrid that you should visit. The Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial is a historical residence of the king of Spain, in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, about 28 miles northwest of Madrid. It is one of the Spanish royal sites and functions as a monastery, royal palace, museum and a school. The Escorial has a royal monastery and La Granjilla de La Fresneda, a royal hunting lodge. Originally it was a property of the Hieronymite monks, it is now a monastery of the Order of Saint Augustine. It is one of several Spanish royal sites and was the residence of the royal family. The palace was designed by King Philip II and architect Juan Bautista de Toledo to serve as a monument to Spain’s central role in the Christian world.

The Palacio Real de Aranjuez (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Detail of the interior of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez (Community of Madrid, Spain). Español: Detalle del interior del Palacio Real de Aranjuez (Comunidad de Madrid, España). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Another interesting UNESCO site is the Royal Palace of Aranjuez. The landscape around was developed by the Spanish royal family over a course of three centuries and contains innovative horticultural and design ideas. The area was the exclusive property of the royal family until the 19th century when the modern civilian city developed.

El Escorial. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s a panoramic view of Plaza Mayor http://www.panorammer.com/panoramas/plazamayormadrid_f.php

Madrid has celebrated the events described in the New Testament including the death, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ since the 15th century. During Semana Santa ( Holy Week) there are many candle-lit processions in Madrid.

On Holy Thursday (Jueves Santo) at the Colegiata de San Isidro, the Virgin Maria Sanrisima de la Esperanza and Jesus del Gran Poder are brought out of the church through the main entrance by the costaleros http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWi3WxSAhPY.

On Good Friday (Viernes Santo) the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno leaves the Basilica del Cristo de Medinaceli in Plaza de Jesus and parades down the Puerta del Sol and Plaza Cibeles. The Procesion del Silencio starts at the Church of Santisimo.

On Domingo Santo (Easter Saturday), the Holy Burial takes place in Plaza Mayor. The culminating activity takes place in the afternoon on Easter Sunday in Plaza Mayor. The Tamborada del Domingo de Resureccion assembles drums to replicate the tremors that occurred when Christ died on the Cross http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOpQoD9dp4Q&feature=related.

Monasterio de El Escorial Español: Monasterio de El Escorial. Fachada sur. Deutsch: Südfassade der Schloss- und Klosteranlage Real Sitio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Happy Easter from your Travel Buddies @ www.vino-con-vista.com.

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