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| June bugs (fire flies) in Tuscany |
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2015. All rights reserved.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
June Bugs in Tuscany
June Bugs in Tuscany - well, June is just ending, but the fireflies are still flashing away on warm evenings in Tuscany. Many tourists, worn out by a day of sight-seeing, miss the pleasures of a stroll along a country road during late evening in Tuscany. Fireflies now, and throughout the summer owls, bats and nightingales. The most commonly seen and heard owl is the civetta, Athena noctua, but with a bit of luck you might also see a gufo, Asio otus, the southern eared owl, which is significantly larger and habitually sits on top of telegraph poles. When the grapes are ripening, you can also hear and sometimes see cinghiali, wild boar, munching away on the grapes.
If it's bugs in Tuscany about which you're seeking information - for example mosquitoes - here's what you want: mosquitoes in Tuscany.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Thursday, 26 June 2014
"Under Petraia with some wanderings" - the second volume of Georgina Grahame's memoirs
Attentive readers will no doubt remember my post regarding the splendid and unjustly neglected volume "In a Tuscan Garden" by an anonymous author since identified as Mrs. Georgina Grahame, an aunt of Kenneth Grahame of "The Wind in the Willows" fame. I closed that post with the hope that I would be able to obtain a copy of the very scarce second volume of her memoirs, "Under Petraia", not a trace of which could be found in any of the big multidealer rare books websites - not even the famous www.bibliophile.net. Well, less than a year later, my very good friend Paul Chipchase, scholar and gentleman, located a copy in Australia and nobly presented it to me.
This second volume was published in 1909, eight years before Mrs. Grahame's death in Florence in 1917 at the age of 79. It begins with a description of her successful efforts to find a new home when the lease on her house, Il Villino Landau, was terminated upon the death of the owner, Baron Landau, in 1903. The new house was located in an area to this day not especially popular with tourists, whether Italian or foreign, namely Castello, in the hills of Quarto, north west of Florence and on the boundary of Sesto Fiorentino (not surprisingly, since Quarto and Sesto refer to the 4th and 6th Roman milestones from Florence. Quinto lies between them and is home to Santo Croce a Quinto, the second most hideous church in Florence, the winner being Michelucci's brutalist Motorway Church). Quarto's main claim to fame is as the location of the Villa Medicea di Castello and, not far away, the Villa La Petraia, another Medicean villa and once the favorite residence of King Victor Emmanuel II.
Villa La Petraia is situated at the location of an old castle first documented in 1362 and which changed owners several times (Brunelleschi, Strozzi, Alessandra dei Bardi, Salutati). The castle was acquired by the Medici when they returned to Florence in 1530 and transferred from Cosimo I to his son, Cardinal Ferdinando in 1568. It was enlarged and transformed into a Villa on the initiative of the latter who became Grand Duke after the death of his brother, Francis I, in 1587. The basic layout of the gardens dates back to the late 16 C, with 18 C and 19 C additions such as the "Piano della figurina" decorated with the Fountain of Fiorenza and the English style park on the northern side, created according to the typically romantic taste that characterised the first half of the 19 C.
Another beautiful Medicean villa in the area, described in some detail by Mrs. Grahame, is the Villa La Quiete. known in the past as the Palagio di Quarto. It is recorded as being a possession of the Orlandini family when it was given to the condottiero Niccolò da Tolentino in 1438. The Medici bought it in 1453. For centuries a convent, then briefly in the 1990's a property of the University of Florence, La Quiete has belonged to the Region of Tuscany since 2008. Its fine italianate garden was created during the 18 C. The curator at that time was Sebastiano Rapi, head gardener at the Boboli Gardens in Florence.
Villa di Quarto, sometimes known as Villa di Castelquarto, Villa Paxton or Villa della Granduchessa, like some of the other villas in the area, possesses, in addition to its giardino all'italiana, a wonderful parco all'inglese. The property has a huge range of tree species and is a botanists' paradise. Villa di Quarto was rented for a time by Mark Twain and it was here that his wife passed away. At least one letter survives from Mark Twain to Mrs Graham (sic), dated 12 April, 1904 and appreciating her charming letter that added grace to the vivid, sunny morning in Florence, but adds, "Our house is a hospital, these 5 months, & the sunshine is all outside of it, there is none within." His stay there was not improved by the owner of the house, his compatriot Frances Paxton, Countess Massiglia, described by Mark Twain's secretary, who had known her previously in Philadelphia, in these words. "Count Massiglia is far away serving his country as Consul in Persia or Siam, and he is likely to stay there too; and it seems to me that for the sake of peace or freedom, he has left this Villa in the hands of the Countess … Here she remains, a menace to the peace of the Clemens household, with her painted hair, her great coarse voice, her slitlike vicious eyes, her dirty clothes, and her terrible manners." Twain himself described her as "excitable, malicious, malignant, vengeful, unforgiving, selfish, stingy, avaricious, coarse, vulgar, profane, obscene, a furious blusterer on the outside and at heart a coward." It must have been an interesting time at Villa di Quarto for all those not actually living there. Alas, we have no word on this topic from Mrs. Grahame.
Other villas in the area include Villa Corsini and Villa Medicea della Topaia. Topaia means "rats' nest" and hence "a dump" but the name of this villa, once a hunting lodge and definitely never a dump, has a much more appropriate origin, deriving from "opus topiarum", the art of topiary.
Mrs. Grahame's new address was given in her letters as "Bel Gioiello, Quarto, Castello, Florence", referring to a two storey farm house dating from well before 1481, belonging to the estate of Villa La Petraia, located on Via Pietro Dazzi (currently number 29) on the northern boundary of the estate of La Petraia - hence the name of her book, "Under Petraia". It is neighbour to another farmhouse at numbers 25-27, known as Villa del Gioiello. Mrs Grahame does not use the name Bel Gioiello in this book. I have been unable to obtain a picture of the house since it remains private property, but the layout of the grounds can be made out from the aerial photo below. The back of the contadino's house to the right forms one side of the quadrangle and the round well opposite seems to have been filled in since Mrs. Grahame's time.
Mrs. Grahame describes the creation of her new garden, slowed by the unfortunate employment of two crooked administrators in succession. The author's age and unavoidable absences prevented her from supervising the work as closely as she had done at Il Villino Landau but within a couple of years a jungle of weeds and areas as dry as "brick dust" had become a beautiful garden, many of the plants having been transferred from Il Villino.
The later chapters of "Under Petraia" are devoted to the "wanderings" of the title and refer to the author's exploration of more northerly parts of Italy, with many lines devoted to her acute analysis of Italian government, character and customs. I was sad to reach the last page and bid farewell to Mrs. Grahame and her gardens.
More about the formal Tuscan gardens of the villas of Tuscany, Italy.
More about the villas of Tuscany .
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
This second volume was published in 1909, eight years before Mrs. Grahame's death in Florence in 1917 at the age of 79. It begins with a description of her successful efforts to find a new home when the lease on her house, Il Villino Landau, was terminated upon the death of the owner, Baron Landau, in 1903. The new house was located in an area to this day not especially popular with tourists, whether Italian or foreign, namely Castello, in the hills of Quarto, north west of Florence and on the boundary of Sesto Fiorentino (not surprisingly, since Quarto and Sesto refer to the 4th and 6th Roman milestones from Florence. Quinto lies between them and is home to Santo Croce a Quinto, the second most hideous church in Florence, the winner being Michelucci's brutalist Motorway Church). Quarto's main claim to fame is as the location of the Villa Medicea di Castello and, not far away, the Villa La Petraia, another Medicean villa and once the favorite residence of King Victor Emmanuel II.
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| The giardino all'italiana of Villa di Castello, Florence |
The toponym for the location does not derive from a castle (castello) but rather from the cistern (castellum) of a Roman aquaduct starting here and running to Florence, constructed by the Roman Senator Marco Opellio Macrino (164-218). Mrs. Grahame refers more than once to the abundant springs in the hills hereabouts. Villa di Castello has a wonderful italianate garden and is a must see for anyone interested in the villa gardens of Tuscany.
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| The Medicean Villa La Petraia near Florence |
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| The gardens of Villa La Quiete near Florence |
Another beautiful Medicean villa in the area, described in some detail by Mrs. Grahame, is the Villa La Quiete. known in the past as the Palagio di Quarto. It is recorded as being a possession of the Orlandini family when it was given to the condottiero Niccolò da Tolentino in 1438. The Medici bought it in 1453. For centuries a convent, then briefly in the 1990's a property of the University of Florence, La Quiete has belonged to the Region of Tuscany since 2008. Its fine italianate garden was created during the 18 C. The curator at that time was Sebastiano Rapi, head gardener at the Boboli Gardens in Florence.
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| The parco all'inglese of Villa di Quarto |
Villa di Quarto, sometimes known as Villa di Castelquarto, Villa Paxton or Villa della Granduchessa, like some of the other villas in the area, possesses, in addition to its giardino all'italiana, a wonderful parco all'inglese. The property has a huge range of tree species and is a botanists' paradise. Villa di Quarto was rented for a time by Mark Twain and it was here that his wife passed away. At least one letter survives from Mark Twain to Mrs Graham (sic), dated 12 April, 1904 and appreciating her charming letter that added grace to the vivid, sunny morning in Florence, but adds, "Our house is a hospital, these 5 months, & the sunshine is all outside of it, there is none within." His stay there was not improved by the owner of the house, his compatriot Frances Paxton, Countess Massiglia, described by Mark Twain's secretary, who had known her previously in Philadelphia, in these words. "Count Massiglia is far away serving his country as Consul in Persia or Siam, and he is likely to stay there too; and it seems to me that for the sake of peace or freedom, he has left this Villa in the hands of the Countess … Here she remains, a menace to the peace of the Clemens household, with her painted hair, her great coarse voice, her slitlike vicious eyes, her dirty clothes, and her terrible manners." Twain himself described her as "excitable, malicious, malignant, vengeful, unforgiving, selfish, stingy, avaricious, coarse, vulgar, profane, obscene, a furious blusterer on the outside and at heart a coward." It must have been an interesting time at Villa di Quarto for all those not actually living there. Alas, we have no word on this topic from Mrs. Grahame.
Other villas in the area include Villa Corsini and Villa Medicea della Topaia. Topaia means "rats' nest" and hence "a dump" but the name of this villa, once a hunting lodge and definitely never a dump, has a much more appropriate origin, deriving from "opus topiarum", the art of topiary.
Mrs. Grahame's new address was given in her letters as "Bel Gioiello, Quarto, Castello, Florence", referring to a two storey farm house dating from well before 1481, belonging to the estate of Villa La Petraia, located on Via Pietro Dazzi (currently number 29) on the northern boundary of the estate of La Petraia - hence the name of her book, "Under Petraia". It is neighbour to another farmhouse at numbers 25-27, known as Villa del Gioiello. Mrs Grahame does not use the name Bel Gioiello in this book. I have been unable to obtain a picture of the house since it remains private property, but the layout of the grounds can be made out from the aerial photo below. The back of the contadino's house to the right forms one side of the quadrangle and the round well opposite seems to have been filled in since Mrs. Grahame's time.
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| Aerial view of Bel Gioiello Castello Firenze |
Mrs. Grahame describes the creation of her new garden, slowed by the unfortunate employment of two crooked administrators in succession. The author's age and unavoidable absences prevented her from supervising the work as closely as she had done at Il Villino Landau but within a couple of years a jungle of weeds and areas as dry as "brick dust" had become a beautiful garden, many of the plants having been transferred from Il Villino.
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| A photo of the pergola from the book. |
More about the formal Tuscan gardens of the villas of Tuscany, Italy.
More about the villas of Tuscany .
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Visiting Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany
Not everyone coming here thinks of visiting Colle di Val d'Elsa in Tuscany. Part of the reason is that if you are driving through the area, you will probably see only the more modern, lower part of the town and be tempted to give it a miss. However, Colle di Val d'Elsa has a very attractive old town and is in fact an ideal base for a vacation in this part of Tuscany, since there are many sights of interest within easy reach, among them being Sienna (20 km), Florence (48 km) and the whole of the Chianti Classico wine zone as well as Monteriggioni and Castellina in Chianti which are less than half an hour away by car. Certaldo and Volterra are not much further.
The upper part of Colle di Val d'Elsa is the beautiful and very interesting old town and this is definitely worth a visit. It retains its massive walls and main gate, the Porta Nuova, and the attractive streets lined with palazzi that lead to Borgo di Santa Caterina through the Palazzo Campana and so to the Castello di Piticciano, the oldest part of Colle do Val d'Elsa.
The modern lower part of town replaced the area of Colle di Val d'Elsa that was heavily bombed by the Allies during World War II and is now the location of a thriving crystal glass light industry - roughly 15% of the world's crystal glass comes from Colle di Val d'Elsa, and a considerable amount of it is hand-made.
More about what to see and do in Colle di Val d'Elsa.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
What to see in Colle Val d'Elsa
The upper part of Colle di Val d'Elsa is the beautiful and very interesting old town and this is definitely worth a visit. It retains its massive walls and main gate, the Porta Nuova, and the attractive streets lined with palazzi that lead to Borgo di Santa Caterina through the Palazzo Campana and so to the Castello di Piticciano, the oldest part of Colle do Val d'Elsa.
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| Palazzo Campana in Colle di Val d'Elsa |
Crystal glass manufacture in Colle di Val d'Elsa
The modern lower part of town replaced the area of Colle di Val d'Elsa that was heavily bombed by the Allies during World War II and is now the location of a thriving crystal glass light industry - roughly 15% of the world's crystal glass comes from Colle di Val d'Elsa, and a considerable amount of it is hand-made.
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| An example of crystal glass from Colle di Val d'Elsa |
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| Crystal glass blowing in Colle di Val d'Elsa |
More about what to see and do in Colle di Val d'Elsa.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Monday, 28 April 2014
An opportunity to stay at Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany
The Villa Gamberaia is a 14th Century Tuscan villa located on the outskirts of Florence, ten minutes' walk from the ATAF bus stop at Settignano, and famous for its beautiful "hanging" garden. Villa Gamberaia has featured in almost every book about the formal gardens of Tuscany since Platt and Morgan's Italian Gardens of 1884.
While innumerable visitors have made the pilgrimage to visit this enchanting Tuscan villa garden, few seem to have realised that we now have the opportunity to stay at Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany! That's right - you can spend your vacation at one of the most beautiful and famous villas in Tuscany, indeed, in all of Italy, either in the guest houses that have been created in some of the annexes to the main villa or in the main villa itself. The apartments are self-catering and furnished in exquisite and luxurious taste. In addition, the reception rooms and grounds of the villa can be rented for events and Tuscan weddings.
Click here for more information about vacation accommodation and events opportunities at Villa Gamberaia.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| The garden of Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany |
From 1895 until 1925, Villa Gamberaia was owned by the increasingly
eccentric Princess Jeanne Ghyka, sister of Queen Natalia of Serbia, who
lived here with her equally eccentric American companion, Miss Blood,
and thoroughly restored the villa and reconstructed garden. It was she
who substituted pools of water for the parterre beds. Although, as her
great beauty faded, she was only ever glimpsed, if at all, draped from
head to foot in veils, Lady Sybil Cutting of Villa Medici and mother of Iris Origo,
reported being told that the princess would sometimes emerge from the
villa at dawn to swim in the pools. The villa was badly damaged during
WW II but brilliantly restored from 1954 onwards by Marcello Marchi.
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| Villa Gamberaia seen from the garden |
While innumerable visitors have made the pilgrimage to visit this enchanting Tuscan villa garden, few seem to have realised that we now have the opportunity to stay at Villa Gamberaia, one of the most famous historical villas in Tuscany! That's right - you can spend your vacation at one of the most beautiful and famous villas in Tuscany, indeed, in all of Italy, either in the guest houses that have been created in some of the annexes to the main villa or in the main villa itself. The apartments are self-catering and furnished in exquisite and luxurious taste. In addition, the reception rooms and grounds of the villa can be rented for events and Tuscan weddings.
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| One of the guest rooms at Villa Gamberaia |
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Thursday, 24 April 2014
The upper floor of the Mercato Centrale in Florence has re-opened today
Great news! The upper floor of the Mercato Centrale in Florence has re-opened today. Readers of my posts will know I'm a great enthusiast for the Mercato Centrale in Florence, both for its wonderful Art Deco cast iron architecture (called "Liberty" style in Italian after the Liberty shop in London) and for its amazing contents - edibles of every kind displayed with Italian flair. The upper floor has been closed over a long period for restoration and now we can see that they have not only restored it but created a really pleasing public area, high and light, for sales of food products to take away (cheeses feature prominently) but also to stop for something to eat or drink in a great ambiance.
So this is an additional reason not to miss this architectural gem right in the middle of Florence. And not just for the architecture. The Mercato Centrale is a working market - real Florentines flock here to buy their supplies. Some are restauranteurs and others are Florentine housewives who like the huge choice, freshness and prices of the fruit,vegetables, meat, salumi and sea food on offer.
The Mercato opens Monday through Saturday early in the morning (7 am) and closes at 2 pm. By 1.30 pm many of the stalls are already closed or closing. I'll report back if these hours will be extended with the availability of the newly restored space upstairs.
https://www.facebook.com/florencefirenzeitalyitalia
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| Upper floor of the Mercato Centrale in Florence re-opens |
The Mercato opens Monday through Saturday early in the morning (7 am) and closes at 2 pm. By 1.30 pm many of the stalls are already closed or closing. I'll report back if these hours will be extended with the availability of the newly restored space upstairs.
https://www.facebook.com/florencefirenzeitalyitalia
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
Famous Leonardo da Vinci copy is on display in Florence until 29 June, 2014
The Tavola Doria, a famous Leonardo da Vinci copy, is on display in Florence until 29 June, 2014. The Tavola Doria is a copy, created between 1503 and 1505 by an unidentified artist, of the central part of Leonardo's lost mural painting, The Battle of Anghiari. Leonardo began the work on the original fresco in roughly 1503, on a wall of the Salone dei Cinquecento in Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. However, as with many of his works, Leonardo never got around to finishing it. In 1563, the redecoration of the Salone was handed over to Giorgio Vasari and Leonardo's work was lost. (Some say it might still be preserved under Vasari's fresco, either painted over or on a wall behind the present wall.)
The Tavola Doria was originally a part of the collection of the Doria d’Angria family of Naples who sold it in 1939. Although legally under the control of the Reale Soprintendenza alle Gallerie di Napoli, it left Naples in 1940 by clandestine means. In 2012, it was found in a bank vault in Switzerland, having been been sold in 1993 to the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. The painting was donated to Italy under the condition that it be exhibited alternately for two years in Italy and for four years in Japan, during the next 25 years. The painting has been attributed by some connoisseurs to Leonardo himself, and currently some finger prints on the painting are being analysed in an attempt to match them with prints on other Leonardo paintings.
From July 2014 it will be in Japan, but if you're visiting Florence before that date, you can see this compelling work in the Sala delle Carte Geografiche (Hall of Maps) of the Uffizi Gallery, together with two other copies of Leonardo’s works, Leda and the Swan and Madonna with Saint Anne, painted by unknown 16 C artists.
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014 - 2017. All rights reserved.
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| The Tavola Doria, a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Battle of Anghiari |
From July 2014 it will be in Japan, but if you're visiting Florence before that date, you can see this compelling work in the Sala delle Carte Geografiche (Hall of Maps) of the Uffizi Gallery, together with two other copies of Leonardo’s works, Leda and the Swan and Madonna with Saint Anne, painted by unknown 16 C artists.
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| www.bella-toscana.com |
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014 - 2017. All rights reserved.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
Etruscan exhibition in Cortona, March through July 2014
A not to be missed Etruscan exhibition in Cortona has just opened!
During the second quarter of 2014, there is an excellent exhibition devoted to the Etruscans taking place at MAEC in Cortona. This exhibition, Etruscan Enchantment. From the secrets of Holkham Hall to the wonders of the British Museum, was inspired by recent archival finds related to the Grand Tour of Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (1754 – 1842). During the first years of the 18 C., Coke, known as Coke of Norfolk or Coke of Holkham and who later became an immensely popular MP and an agricultural reformer, was sent on the Grand Tour by his father and his great-aunt. The latter offered him £500 to not go to university, which she regarded as a den of vice, and he used the money to finance his tour.
Coke was entranced by the Etruscan artifacts that he saw in Italy, both in public displays and private collections. Upon his return to England, he organised and paid for the publication, in 1726, of the manuscript De Etruria Regali by Thomas Dempster (1579 – 1625). A century earlier, Dempster had been the first to assemble a history of the Etruscan people, creating the first “handbook of Etruscology” and summarising everything that was known about Etruscan civilisation up to that time. Dempster was a Cambridge-educated and very quarrelsome Scotch aristocrat. Recommended by Pope Paul V, who had previously incarcerated him as a spy (which he probably was), Dempster eventually found refuge and patronage under Grand Duke Cosimo II. The latter made him a professor in Pisa and commissioned his work on the Etruscans. After three years of intense research, Dempster presented Cosimo with his magnum opus, the manuscript of De Etruria Regali Libri Septem, "Seven Books about Royal Etruria", written in Latin. It was considered a brilliant work by all who saw it.
After publication, the manuscript remained at Coke's Holkham Hall and recently the preparatory drawings and copper plates used for the printing of the De Etruria were found in the archives there. These illustrations formed the inspiration for the present exhibition which shows many of the drawings and paintings from Holkham Hall plus over fifty works from the British Museum, never lent before, and many more from Etruscan museum galleries all around Italy.
The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of excitement that followed the publication of De Etruria, and documents the role of the Grand Tour to Italy in the 18 C and 19 C, and the fascination with the Etruscans and the Etruscan style in Britain during that period. It presents to the public for the first time ever some iconic masterpieces of that ancient people - such as the Aule Metele and the Graziani Putto - alongside the original drawings for De Etruria as well as the Etruscan masterpieces gathered together by the British Museum during the course of three centuries. Many of these Etruscan artifacts are wonderful works of art in their own right, and displayed together form a show that should not be missed.
Exhibition website.
The Etruscans – who were they and where did they come from?
Etruscan Enchantment. From the secrets of Holkham Hall to the wonders of the British Museum.
Palazzo Casali, Cortona. 22 March through 31 July 2014.
Cortona was one of the cities making up the Etruscan Dodecapoli league and parts of the Etruscan walls and gateways, as well as several Etruscan tombs are still to be seen there. In 1727, inspired by the publication of Dempster's De Etruria Regali, the Etruscan Academy was founded in Cortona by three brothers, Marcello, Filippo and Ridolfino Venuti. With the foundation of a museum that houses splendid Etruscan artifacts, the Etruscan Academy of Cortona became the first institution in Europe that specialised in the rediscovery and study of the Etruscans. In 2005, the museum was doubled in size to become the Museum of the Etruscan Academy and of the City of Cortona (MAEC). |
| Etruscan terracotta head from the Etruscan exhibition in Cortona, March through July 2014 |
During the second quarter of 2014, there is an excellent exhibition devoted to the Etruscans taking place at MAEC in Cortona. This exhibition, Etruscan Enchantment. From the secrets of Holkham Hall to the wonders of the British Museum, was inspired by recent archival finds related to the Grand Tour of Thomas William Coke, 1st Earl of Leicester (1754 – 1842). During the first years of the 18 C., Coke, known as Coke of Norfolk or Coke of Holkham and who later became an immensely popular MP and an agricultural reformer, was sent on the Grand Tour by his father and his great-aunt. The latter offered him £500 to not go to university, which she regarded as a den of vice, and he used the money to finance his tour.
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| Bronze masterpiece of Etruscan art at the Cortona exhibition |
Coke was entranced by the Etruscan artifacts that he saw in Italy, both in public displays and private collections. Upon his return to England, he organised and paid for the publication, in 1726, of the manuscript De Etruria Regali by Thomas Dempster (1579 – 1625). A century earlier, Dempster had been the first to assemble a history of the Etruscan people, creating the first “handbook of Etruscology” and summarising everything that was known about Etruscan civilisation up to that time. Dempster was a Cambridge-educated and very quarrelsome Scotch aristocrat. Recommended by Pope Paul V, who had previously incarcerated him as a spy (which he probably was), Dempster eventually found refuge and patronage under Grand Duke Cosimo II. The latter made him a professor in Pisa and commissioned his work on the Etruscans. After three years of intense research, Dempster presented Cosimo with his magnum opus, the manuscript of De Etruria Regali Libri Septem, "Seven Books about Royal Etruria", written in Latin. It was considered a brilliant work by all who saw it.
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| Etruscan bronze portrait bust |
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| Etruscan ceramic from the Cortona exhibition |
The exhibition recreates the atmosphere of excitement that followed the publication of De Etruria, and documents the role of the Grand Tour to Italy in the 18 C and 19 C, and the fascination with the Etruscans and the Etruscan style in Britain during that period. It presents to the public for the first time ever some iconic masterpieces of that ancient people - such as the Aule Metele and the Graziani Putto - alongside the original drawings for De Etruria as well as the Etruscan masterpieces gathered together by the British Museum during the course of three centuries. Many of these Etruscan artifacts are wonderful works of art in their own right, and displayed together form a show that should not be missed.
Exhibition website.
The Etruscans – who were they and where did they come from?
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| www.bella-toscana.com |
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Saturday, 8 March 2014
American girl in Italy - an iconic photo shot in Florence, Italy
How did this great photograph come about and who are the people in it?
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| "An American girl in Italy" taken by Ruth Orkin |
And what about the good-looking guy on the Lambretta scooter? That was none other than Carlo Marchi, one of the offspring of the Italian chemicals magnate, Ferruccio Marchi. After a scandalous and short-lived marriage to a French woman, he was sent by his father to America in 1956 for a "change of scenery". After a playboyish start, he studied business at Columbia and was soon part of the jet set, with numerous friends in Hollywood, including Henry Fonda and Gregory Peck at the start of their careers. His second marriage, to Gioia Falck of the Milanese steel dynasty, lasted more than fifty years and produced three sons. His sister married into the Frescobaldi family. He died in Florence in 2012, aged 82.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, 26 February 2014
Another two newly-renovated rooms open at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
The Uffizi gallery has opened a further two renovated rooms, "Green" Rooms numbers 33 and 34, located next to Room 35, the Michelangelo Room (Sala di Michelangelo), on the second floor. The two new rooms, which, before restoration, used to house works by 16 C Tuscan and Lombard painters, display Roman copies of Greek sculptures, as well as paintings, related to the famous Giardino di San Marco which was created as a kind of art school or academy by Lorenzo de' Medici, il Magnifico, and where Michelangelo did some of his early training.
The Giardino di San Marco was dotted with classical marble statues, portraits and sarcophagi to instruct the sculptors of the early Renaissance about what the ancient Greeks were capable of doing, with the aim of replicating those skills in Florence.
The restoration of these rooms forms a part of the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of death of Michelangelo last week on 18 February.
Among the 39 works displayed in the Green Rooms, there are 35 works that have come out of storage, providing yet another reasons to visit or revisit this fabulous art museum.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| Roman copy of a Greek original, in a new room at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence |
The restoration of these rooms forms a part of the commemoration of the 450th anniversary of death of Michelangelo last week on 18 February.
Among the 39 works displayed in the Green Rooms, there are 35 works that have come out of storage, providing yet another reasons to visit or revisit this fabulous art museum.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Friday, 31 January 2014
Tuscan winery vacation accommodations
I recently visited the Il Santo winery on the outskirts of Greve in Chianti. I'd forgotten just how good their wine is. Il Santo is also an excellent example of the kind of Tuscan winery vacation accommodations available in this area of Chianti - both comfortable and economical.
Budget travellers without a car will find Il Santo additionally attractive because it is within reasonable walking distance of the Florence bus stop in Greve (1 km). The owner and manager is the kind and attentive Alessandro Turchi.
Il Santo offers accommodation for up to 11 persons in four small apartments, two of which are air conditioned. Each has a private entrance and its own outdoor table and chairs on a terrace or in the garden. The views are panoramic, taking in the Il Santo vineyards and olive trees, and then the forested Chianti hills. The large swimming pool is available to guests and there is a good WiFi connection.
The great thing about Il Santo as a Tuscan vacation location is that it is centrally located in Chianti, half way between Florence and Sienna, making it an ideal base for exploring almost every corner of Tuscany. Greve in Chianti is on the Via Chiantigiana, one of the most scenic motoring routes in Tuscany, if not in all Italy.
You can't go wrong choosing Il Santo as your holiday home in Tuscany.
More about Azienda Agricola Il Santo near Greve in Chianti, Tuscany.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| View out from Il Santo Tuscan winery vacation accommodations |
Il Santo offers accommodation for up to 11 persons in four small apartments, two of which are air conditioned. Each has a private entrance and its own outdoor table and chairs on a terrace or in the garden. The views are panoramic, taking in the Il Santo vineyards and olive trees, and then the forested Chianti hills. The large swimming pool is available to guests and there is a good WiFi connection.
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| Dining room of one of the vacation apartments at Il Santo |
You can't go wrong choosing Il Santo as your holiday home in Tuscany.
More about Azienda Agricola Il Santo near Greve in Chianti, Tuscany.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Thursday, 30 January 2014
A great vacation apartment with pool in Chianti
Are you in search of a great vacation apartment with pool in Chianti? I have an excellent recommendation for you! Il Cascino is a former Tuscan farmhouse and farm buildings that have been converted into vacation apartments which are available at very economical weekly rates. The holiday apartments sleep from 2 persons up to 12 persons in two of the larger apartments opened into one another. There is a beautiful swimming pool for the guests with plenty of deck chairs available, and the whole property is surrounded by a dense forest of cypress trees.
The great virtue of Il Cascino vacation apartments is their location just 1 km away from the beautiful mediaeval walled village of Montefioralle and 2 km from Greve in Chianti, the gateway to Chianti. There are two restaurants in Montefioralle which is within easy walking distance of Il Cascino, while Greve offers everything you need for a great holiday in Tuscany, including restaurants, a supermarket, many speciality food outlets, a post office, banks etc. Greve lies halfway between Florence and Sienna, so that both cities, as well as the entire Chianti Classico region, are easily accessible by car and, in the case of Florence, also by bus (one hour to the centre of Florence).
The Chianti Classico wine region is rightly very popular as a holiday destination with its beautiful landscapes, villages, abbeys, castles and towers. Chianti is also a good base for visits to almost every corner of Tuscany due to its central location. Although you can reach major sights by public transport (bus to Florence and then by train or bus), a car is extremely helpful in getting around Tuscany in an efficient manner.
More about Il Cascino Chianti Classico vacation apartments.
Self-catering holiday apartments and B&B rooms in the Chianti Classico wine zone.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| A double bedroom in one of the Tuscan vacation apartments at Il Cascino. |
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| The swimming pool of Il Cascino vacation apartments in Tuscany |
More about Il Cascino Chianti Classico vacation apartments.
Self-catering holiday apartments and B&B rooms in the Chianti Classico wine zone.
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| www.bella-toscana.com |
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2014. All rights reserved.
Saturday, 25 January 2014
Pienza is a must see when you visit Tuscany
The little town of Pienza in the Val d'Orcia of southern Tuscany seems to the visitor to be an ideal town, filled with light, human in its balance and proportions. This is no accident. Enea Silvio Piccolomini, a Renaissance man in every sense, as Pope Pius II, had his native village of Corsignano rebuilt to embody in urban form the humanist ideals of the architect Leon Battista Alberti. The work was supervised by Bernardo di Matteo del Borra Gamberelli (1409–1464), better known as Bernardo Rossellino, and the outcome was a model for many later Renaissance towns and cities. Corsignano is now known as Pienza, from the name of its greatest benefactor, Pio II.
Without doubt I can say that Pienza is a must see when you visit Tuscany. The focal point for a visit to Pienza is the trapezoidal main piazza which is defined by four buildings: the Palazzo Piccolomini, the Duomo, the Palazzo Vescovile and the Palazzo Comunale.
To me the three storey Palazzo Piccolomini is one of the most beautiful secular buildings of the Renaissance, enhanced as it is by an interior courtyard and a splendid italianate garden on the south side, looking out over the Val d'Orcia to Monte Amiata in the distance. This integration of the garden into the architecture of the villa, together with the wonderful vista beyond the garden, is the hallmark of Renaissance domestic architecture.
A visit to Pienza can comfortably be combined with visits to the wine towns Montalcino and Montepulciano, or a visit to Villa La Foce, if formal gardens are among your enthusiasms.
And let's not forget that the sheep of the Val d'Orcia together with the skill of its artisans make Pienza the home of the best Tuscan pecorino, ewes' milk cheese. Don't forget to buy some during your stay in Pienza!
More Pienza tourist information.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| Pienza seen from the Val d'Orcia |
Without doubt I can say that Pienza is a must see when you visit Tuscany. The focal point for a visit to Pienza is the trapezoidal main piazza which is defined by four buildings: the Palazzo Piccolomini, the Duomo, the Palazzo Vescovile and the Palazzo Comunale.
To me the three storey Palazzo Piccolomini is one of the most beautiful secular buildings of the Renaissance, enhanced as it is by an interior courtyard and a splendid italianate garden on the south side, looking out over the Val d'Orcia to Monte Amiata in the distance. This integration of the garden into the architecture of the villa, together with the wonderful vista beyond the garden, is the hallmark of Renaissance domestic architecture.
A visit to Pienza can comfortably be combined with visits to the wine towns Montalcino and Montepulciano, or a visit to Villa La Foce, if formal gardens are among your enthusiasms.
And let's not forget that the sheep of the Val d'Orcia together with the skill of its artisans make Pienza the home of the best Tuscan pecorino, ewes' milk cheese. Don't forget to buy some during your stay in Pienza!
More Pienza tourist information.
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Tuscany tourist information - tourist information
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
Saturday, 7 December 2013
A good place to stay in Tuscany in the cool Chianti hills
If you're planning a visit to Tuscany during the popular spring and summer seasons, you no doubt know that in some areas heat can be a problem. When it's hot, a good place to stay in Tuscany in the cool Chianti hills is Casa Mezzuola, due both to its high altitude, which guarantees cool breezes almost every day, and its beautiful swimming pool. This agriturismo was once a tiny "borgo", a hamlet clustered around a tower that was later converted into a farmhouse. Some of the architectural elements date back to the 12 C, when the tower was an outlying watch tower for the Castello di Montefioralle, across the valley from Mezzuola. This agriturismo is located on the upper slopes the Val di Greve, in the middle of the Chianti Classico wine zone between Florence and Siena.
Casa Mezzuola offers three self-catering vacation apartments located in the various former farm buildings. They accommodate two people each, and one of them has the possibility of sleeping an additional two persons. They are imaginatively furnished in Tuscan country style, each has an private outdoor garden and sitting area and all have access to the swimming pool. There is a reasonable WiFi signal and the Chianti market town of Greve in Chianti is about 3 km away along country roads. If you won't have a car, the owner will pick you up from the bus stop in Greve. Central Florence is one hour away by comfortable bus.
Casa Mezzuola is an owner-direct Tuscan vacation rental - you are dealing directly with the owner so there are no agency fees and he will answer any questions you might have before booking.
More about Casa Mezzuola holiday apartments in Tuscany.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| Casa Mezzuola - a good place to stay in Tuscany in the cool Chianti hills. |
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| The swimming pool at Casa Mezzuola, near Greve in Chianti, Tuscany |
More about Casa Mezzuola holiday apartments in Tuscany.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2014. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Harry Brewster, the last of the Florentine cosmopolitans
A few years back, I read and greatly enjoyed The Cosmopolites, a book by Harry Brewster who was among the very last of the Florentine cosmopolitans. Discovering Harry Brewster and his family and learning about their life at their home, the former convent of San Francesco di Paola, located in Florence below the Torre di Bellosguardo, expanded my appreciation of the expatriate culture of Florence. I had hitherto approached these "romantic exiles" mainly via my (and their) enthusiasm for Tuscan villa gardens. Since then I've read two more of Harry Brewster's books, namely A Cosmopolite's Journey: episodes from a life and Out of Florence: From the World of San Francesco di Paola. Of the three books, A Cosmopolite's Journey is the wittiest and lightest read, and probably his best book.
Foreigners flocked to Florence from the 18th century onwards and, by the late 19th century, 30,000 of the 200,000 residents of Florence were Anglo-Florentines who had adopted the city as their home. It's often said that Sir Harold Acton was the last survivor of pre-war Anglo-Florentine culture but Harry Brewster outlasted Acton by five years, passing away in 1999.
Harry Brewster was born in Rome in 1910. One of his grandfathers, descended from William Brewster of the Mayflower, was a friend of Henry James, who reportedly used him as the model for Gilbert Osmond in The Portrait of a Lady. His maternal grandfather was the German sculptor Adolf von Hildebrandt, whose studio occupied part of San Francesco di Paola. Harry, with his brother Ralph and sister Clotilde, grew up behind the high walls of what was essentially a rambling Tuscan farm that happened to be only a ten minute walk from the centre of Florence. The Brewsters were American through and through, but, because of their long residence in Europe, no longer qualified for US citizenship. However, when Harry married an English actress, Elizabeth Home, he took on British citizenship and served as a police officer in Kenya throughout the war.
After working for several years as part of the Allied commission administering Berlin and as an attaché at the British Embassy in Rome, he returned to Florence to devote the rest of his life to enjoying his beautiful home, San Francesco di Paola.
His main occupations during the post-war decades were writing and photography. Aside from his autobiographical volumes, he wrote Classical Anatolia and River Gods of Greece, based on numerous visits to classical sites, especially in Turkey and the Middle East, both books being illustrated with his own excellent photographs.
Harry Brewster had three sons. His second marriage was to Fiona Warnant- Peterich and his travelling companion in his later years was the immensely cultured Barbara Emo di Capodilista (née Barbara Steven) who herself passed away in 2003.
If you're able to borrow or buy any of Harry Brewster's books about his life in and around Florence, I recommend them highly. They open a window onto a world of immensely interesting individuals who style of life, although not that far in the past, has more or less disappeared completely.
My recommended Tuscan vacation accommodations:
Greve in Chianti accommodation.
Panzano in Chianti accommodation.
Villa hotels.
Author: Anna Maria Baldini
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| The view from Bellosguardo out over Florence, with San Francesco di Paola hidden among the trees below the crest. |
Harry Brewster was born in Rome in 1910. One of his grandfathers, descended from William Brewster of the Mayflower, was a friend of Henry James, who reportedly used him as the model for Gilbert Osmond in The Portrait of a Lady. His maternal grandfather was the German sculptor Adolf von Hildebrandt, whose studio occupied part of San Francesco di Paola. Harry, with his brother Ralph and sister Clotilde, grew up behind the high walls of what was essentially a rambling Tuscan farm that happened to be only a ten minute walk from the centre of Florence. The Brewsters were American through and through, but, because of their long residence in Europe, no longer qualified for US citizenship. However, when Harry married an English actress, Elizabeth Home, he took on British citizenship and served as a police officer in Kenya throughout the war.
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| Statue of San Francesco di Paola at the entrance to the villa |
After working for several years as part of the Allied commission administering Berlin and as an attaché at the British Embassy in Rome, he returned to Florence to devote the rest of his life to enjoying his beautiful home, San Francesco di Paola.
His main occupations during the post-war decades were writing and photography. Aside from his autobiographical volumes, he wrote Classical Anatolia and River Gods of Greece, based on numerous visits to classical sites, especially in Turkey and the Middle East, both books being illustrated with his own excellent photographs.
Harry Brewster had three sons. His second marriage was to Fiona Warnant- Peterich and his travelling companion in his later years was the immensely cultured Barbara Emo di Capodilista (née Barbara Steven) who herself passed away in 2003.
If you're able to borrow or buy any of Harry Brewster's books about his life in and around Florence, I recommend them highly. They open a window onto a world of immensely interesting individuals who style of life, although not that far in the past, has more or less disappeared completely.
My recommended Tuscan vacation accommodations:
Greve in Chianti accommodation.
Panzano in Chianti accommodation.
Villa hotels.
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Author: Anna Maria Baldini
All content copyright © ammonet Italian Web Site Promotion 2013 - 2016. All rights reserved.
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