CULTURE, HISTORY, TOURISM, POLITICS, FASHION, FOOD, MUSIC, ART & LEISURE
YEAR XIX - ISSUE # 74 - 2019 - USA $ 18.50 WWW.ALLABOUTITALY.NET
CULTURE, HISTORY, TOURISM, POLITICS, FASHION, FOOD, ART & LEISURE - ISSUE #74 - 2019
Art in Lagoon
The forms, Art in Italian Communicating
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LEONARDO, THE HANDS THE BRILLIANT SPEAK! ARTIST The forms, Art
LEONARDO, THE BRILLIANT ARTIST
TRANSPARENT UNIQUENESS Joseph Ferrara
FROM THE SHORES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN TO NEW YORK HARBOR
Vintage Car
GIULIETTA SZ ‘CODA TRONCA’
A MASTERPIECE NETWORK Musei Capitolini, Centrale Montemartini, Mercati di Traiano - Museo dei Fori Imperiali, Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Museo di Roma, Casa Museo Alberto Moravia, Galleria d’Arte Moderna, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, Musei di Villa Torlonia, Museo Civico di Zoologia FREE ADMISSION Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco, Museo delle Mura, Villa di Massenzio, Museo della Repubblica Romana e della memoria garibaldina, Museo Napoleonico, Museo Carlo Bilotti, Museo Pietro Canonica, Museo di Casal de’ Pazzi
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EDITORIAL
ITALIANISM IS BUILT ON GOALS
When I introduce All about Italy, I do not like saying it’s simply a magazine. All about Italy is a project. Portraying Italy is my ambition and also an honor. 22 years ago, when we chose to embark on this adventure, we knew that we would certainly not be bored. In America and Germany, the magazine describes Italy, its creativity, the quality of its companies, the beauty that has never been hidden; the value of a craft that is not easy to find elsewhere. Such as, our piece about the Palazzo Barovier & Toso, a furnace in the heart of Venice that, in addition to glass, also molds time. “Made in Italy” is not simply a label attached to a product, it is a heritage, to be protected and promoted. But a magazine alone cannot accomplish this. That’s why All about Italy is much more than a magazine. The story of Italy starts from our pages and continues on to events that brings together the non-Italian public around Italian quality. Italy is fashion, food, cars, art and more. It is a reality that deserves to be promoted through storytelling and experiences. All about Italy on its journey has combined these two elements into a single platform and today we believe we have the right tools to not only convey a message but also to achieve tangible conditions for growth and development. This commitment always finds new life through the prestigious awards it receives. Recently the honor of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy was presented to me by the President of the Italian Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for our high degree of commitment in promoting friendly relations and partnerships between Italy and other countries. Ad maiora!
Editor in Chief Franco Del Panta
Co-Editor & Vice President Paolo Del Panta
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Franco Zeffirelli The forms, Art
The outlet man
24. LEONARDO,
56. FROM THE SHORES OF THE
THE BRILLIANT ARTIST
MEDITERRANEAN TO NEW YORK HARBOR
Anniversaries
Communicating in Italian
32. CATERINA DE’ MEDICI:
62. THE HANDS SPEAK!
BEYOND THE SHADOWS, THE LIGHT OF A MOTHER QUEEN
Young talent
Art in Lagoon
COMICS AS CONCEPT
68. COMICS BEYOND ART,
38. TRANSPARENT UNIQUENESS Culture, theater, cinema Artisans of another time
74. THE GOOD FORTUNE
44. A STORY MADE OF SILK
TO BE CALLED ZEFFIRELLI
Icons
The sound of Italy
48. “DESIGN IS
78. AN ITALIAN TOWN WITH
A WONDERFUL THING”
A TIGHT SQUEEZE ON HISTORY
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Italian Barber shops
84. ARTISANS OF STYLE Vintage car
88. ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA SZ ‘CODA TRONCA’ Rovagnati recommends
94. ITALY FROM AMERICA Timeless Elegance
98. THE CORNELIANI INTELLIGENT STYLE
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4 PHOTOREPORTAGE 6 PHOTOREPORTAGE 8 PEOPLE 10 ART 12 CULTURE 14 TREND 16 LIKE A LOCAL 18 ITALIAN WELLNESS 20 HOTEL 22 ON THE ROAD
106 ARTEMEST
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Editor in Chief Franco Del Panta f.delpanta@allaboutitaly.net Co-Editor & Vice President Paolo Del Panta p.delpanta@allaboutitaly.net Art Director Francesco Sciarrone Picture Editor M. Fernandez Duna Translator Simona Bares Administration Jenny Cheung Photo Editor M. Beduschi Staff writers & Photos M. Morelli, L. Mancini, E. Pasca, A. Creta E. Rodi, M.Bertollini, M. Pituano, J.Daporto, E.Della Croce, S.Riva, S.Mallinckrodt, D.Proietto, I.C. Scarlett, Y.Leone, M.Baffigi, K. Carlisle
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PHOTOREPORTAGE
GIRO D’ITALIA TURNS 110
The first ever Giro d’Italia - the most famous Italian Grand Tour - took off from Milan on May 13, 1909. After eight stages and a total 2,448 kilometers, less than 50 of the 130 participants crossed the finish line and the winner was Luigi Ganna (1883-1957). The event was organized, as it still is, by ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’, the most popular Italian daily newspaper dedicated to sports coverage. Since then, the Giro d’Italia has become one of the three most important races of the Union Cycliste Internationale (International Cycling Union), which has included it in its professional circuit along with the other two equally historic international races, the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.With the exception of the years interrupted by the First and Second World Wars, the multiple-stage bicycle race has been run by riders from all over the world every year since its first edition. If the starting point and the route change from year to year, the three-week-long grand tour has a fixed format, which includes at least two time trials, a passage through the Alps, and the arrival - with few exceptions - into the city of Milan, home of the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’. A further reference to the newspaper is also the pink jersey worn every day of the race by the current leader of the race’s general ranking, as this is the color of the paper on which ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ is printed. In the history of the race the record of 5 victories is held by three great riders: the Italians Alfredo Binda (1927, 1928, 1929, and 1933) and Fausto Coppi (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, and 1953), and the Belgian Eddy Merckx (1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, and 1974). While the rider who won the most stages is the Tuscan sprinter Mario Cipollini, who has collected 41 victories. Margherita Pituano
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PHOTOREPORTAGE
VENICE: THE MARCIANA LIBRARY, CUSTODIAN OF TIME The first to want it was Francesco Petrarca, but the writer and philosopher would not see its fruition. But his vision was the first step towards what is now one of the largest Italian libraries and the most important in Venice. In the Marciana National Library you can breathe the scent of the ages, of what is found in the pages of the books wisely kept in the monumental rooms that enrich the Library. Visiting it warms the heart and pleases the eyes. Because the Marciana Library is, yes, first of all, a place of books and reading, but it is also a place to visit if only for the simple reason to spend time surrounded by beauty. Built to house the valuable collection of manuscripts that Cardinal Bessarione, patriarch of Constantinople and papal legate in Venice, had donated to the Serenissima in 1468, the Marciana Library construction started in 1537 and completed in 1560. With over 600,000 printed volumes, not counting incunabula or manuscripts, thanks to many donations and legacies, and through the incorporation of other libraries, Marciana’s inventory has grown over the centuries. Its heritage and its funds are an inexhaustible resource for research from local history to the ancient Classical tradition, in subjects ranging from art history to musicology and from cartography to the rich Venetian publishing history. Then again, among the ancient manuals one can also enjoy the experience of silence, the quiet is preserved within an architecture that communicates the beauty and the essence of the Renaissance. The charm of the Library is perfectly placed among the beautiful attractions of Venice, marking time and continuing to preserve history. Marco Bertollini
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XXX XXX XXX PEOPLE
WHEN “SÌ” IS ENOUGH
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t was the album that marked the end of 2018, but, with good reason, it will continue to resonate in 2019 and for longer. After 14 years of the artists’ absence, Andrea Bocelli gave his worldwide audience the album “Sì”, which has become a bit of a response to his followers as they listen to the previously unpublished work. A word and two letters that for Bocelli represent not only an affirmation, but above all a declaration of love, of openness to the other, “because in this period we too often say no and yes is the word you would like to hear when you ask for the first kiss, the one you express when you agree with someone, when you want to make someone feel good. “ Published in over 60 countries and in seven languages: Italian, German, English, Spanish, French, Russian and Chinese. “Si” brought Andrea Bocelli back onto the world stage and recording scene under the production of the legendary Bob Ezrin. Twelve songs and four bonus tracks that celebrate love, family, faith and hope: a hymn to good feeling sung together with Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Josh Groban, Raphael Gualazzi and his son Matteo, on his debut album. “Fall On Me” is in fact the first duet Bocelli sings with his second son and is on the soundtrack of the Disney movie “The Nutcracker”. For the album, the singer wanted to involve the whole family, including his son Amos and his wife Veronica, currently involved in piano and voice lessons. Andrea Bocelli ‘s “Si” returns him with grace to both the Italian and international music scene. The tenor has seized first place on the list of best-selling albums in America, on the Billboard200, and ahead of “ A Star is born by Lady Gaga.” “Yes, it’s the word you think every time things are going well.” Yes, everything is fine. Alessandro Creta
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ART
‘CANOVA WASHINGTON’ ON EXHIBITION IN POSSAGNO Antonio Canova (1757-1822) has been the foremost Neoclassical sculptor of the late 18th and early 19th centuries and was highly celebrated while he was alive. For this reason, in 1816, he was recommended by Thomas Jefferson to produce a statue of George Washington for the North Carolina Statehouse depicting him as an ancient Roman leader writing his farewell address. The sculpture was unveiled in 1821, but only ten years later a fire destroyed it, leaving behind charred fragments. The Frick Collection, in the past year, borrowed a full-size plaster model of the monument, as well as draft sketches, related engravings and drawings from the Museo Canova in Possagno (Treviso), which they have recently returned. The museum dedicated to the artist in his home-town celebrates this return with an exhibition entitled ‘Canova | Washington‘ that will be on show until April 28, 2019. The exhibition retraces the story of the lost masterpiece, probably the least known public monument among those created by Canova. Curated by Xavier F. Salomon, head curator of the Frick Collection, in collaboration with Mario Guderzo – director of the Gypsotheca and Antonio Canova Museum, of the Venice International Foundation, and of Friends of Venice Italy - the exhibition displays also a portrait of Canova painted in 1816 by Thomas Lawrence. www.museocanova.it Ilona Catani Scarlett
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CULTURE
A SURREAL MATERA ‘Salvador Dalí – The persistence of the Opposites‘ is the title of the exhibition organized by the Dalí Universe, a company that manages one of the largest private collections in the world of works of art created by the Catalan Surrealism master. In 2019, Matera will be the European capital of culture and, among the various artistic and cultural events scheduled for the occasion, it will host the impressive exhibition in a setting that will further increase its dramatic charm: in the open air among the Sassi. The outdoor exhibition, curated by Beniamino Levi – president of Dalì universe – and by the Cuboin group, was recently announced throughout the town by great yellow posters portraying the artists profile and by the words: “I’m coming!” It opened at the beginning of December and it will remain in place throughout the year. A clock dissolved in Via Madonna delle Virtù, a gigantic elephant between Piazza Vittorio Veneto and Via San Biagio, a third work in Piazza San Francesco d’Assisi; other works will be presented in the rock complex of Madonna delle Virtù and S. Nicola dei Greci. In total, about 200 works will be visible, including large and small sculptures, illustrations, glass works and artist’s furniture, along with a multisensorial path, rich in holograms, virtual reality, 3D projections, video mapping. A dedicated Instagram profile will also be created, to collect photos taken by visitors and Dalì lovers. Ilona Catani Scarlett
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TREND
GUCCI WOOSTER BOOKSTORE: AVANT-GARDE ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS Last May, in New York’s SoHo district, the Italian fashion house inaugurated Gucci Wooster, an artistic and cultural gathering space that brings together creativity and innovation, located in a 155-year-old building. An entire block where visitors are offered immersive experiences in an exquisitely pop and psychedelic setting that recreates the atmospheres which pervaded SoHo between the 1970s and 1980s. In this context, the Italian maison, with its creative director Alessandro Michele, created a new project, the Gucci Wooster Bookstore, curated by Dashwood Books. Re-evoking the charm of New York’s small independent booksellers, the new Gucci bookstore focuses on titles dedicated to avant-garde art and photography. The accurate selection of approximately 2000 titles – with prices ranging from $20 to $1,000 – is made by Dashwood Books founder David Strettell, who works to give the bookstore a distinctive character. The offer ranges from new publications to used and rare books, including many out of print volumes. On sale, there is also an eclectic selection of niche magazines that includes fashion and lifestyle magazines, youth culture, art, architecture, furniture, graphics, design, and photography. Furthermore, the shelves will host a range of works by “friends of the house,” including Martin Parr, Petra Collins, and Ryan McGinley. To honor the brand’s Italian roots Strettell chose some titles by great Italian artists like Luigi Ghirri and the filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini as well as books on the Italian Riviera by Claude Nori. In keeping with the aesthetic of Gucci Wooster, the Bookstore will feature restored antique wooden furniture, including bookcases and a large lectern. The new space will help to promote the Gucci Wooster as a cultural meeting place, hosting the launch of new titles in the presence of their authors, and other cultural events. John Daporto
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LIKE A LOCAL
THE “NEGRONI SBAGLIATO” IN THE DESIGNERS’ BAR IN MILAN After working two decades on preparing drinks for Ernest Hemingway, Clara Agnelli and Giuseppe Brion, among others, in the exclusive setting of Cortina, Mirko Stocchetto, in 1967, brought that culture of drinking to Milan where he bought Bar Basso. Since then the bar crystallized over time, immune to changing fashions, an unchanging and reassuring place, where generations of Milanese enjoyed an iconic cocktail created by mistake, the “Negroni Sbagliato” (Wrong Negroni). The famous Negroni cocktail recipe is one part gin, one part sweet red vermouth, and one part Campari. One evening in 1972, Stocchetto, while preparing a Negroni mistakenly reached for a bottle of sparkling wine instead of the gin one concocting a Negroni Sbagliato. The new cocktail was a hit over the years, served in an over-sized glass with a single large cube of ice, it has become Bar Basso’s blessing and curse. Maurizio Stocchetto, Mirko’s son, who started working behind the counter in 1976 when he was 16, confesses: “We always felt a bit like Frank Sinatra, forced to always sing ‘Strangers in the Night’. The Negroni Sbagliato is our bestseller and communication tool. Its success gave us visibility and put us on the international map, even if we do not have fun preparing it.” In half a century, Bar Basso has become a point of reference in the city and its patrons have included workers, professors of architecture, right-wing and left-wing students, politicians and industrialists, models and photographers, journalists and stylists, as well as celebrities like Adriano Celentano, Giorgio Gaber, Enzo Iannacci, Jasper Morrison, Stefano Giovannoni, and Ron Arad. Bar Basso, via Plinio 39, Milano www.barbasso.com Sascha Mallinckrodt
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ITALIAN WELLNESS
VALTER LONGO, THE YOUTH SCIENTIST Director of the Longevity & Cancer Program of FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology in Milan and also director of the Longevity Institute of the University of Southern California, Valter Longo has been included by the Time magazine in its 2018 list of the 50 most influential people transforming health care. Longo is internationally known for his research in juvenile medicine and his fast-mimicking diet, developed on the basis of 25 years of research and explained in his world bestseller ‘The longevity diet’, which has been published in 15 languages, with 500 thousand copies sold just in Italy and the USA. The American newspaper Aging Cell published an article written by Longo and entitled ‘Programmed longevity, youthspan and juventology‘. In his work, the scientist presents his theory introducing two new words that complement the term ‘aging’: ‘youthspan’ – the period of life in which an organism remains not only healthy but also young – and ‘juventology’ – the new field of research dedicated to understand the mechanisms responsible for the youthspan. According to Longo, the aging process has been studied for thousands of years, but the research focused on why people age, and never explored why and how they remain young. With his research, he is filling this gap. Longo believes that the secret to staying young is a diet designed to trick your body into thinking it’s fasting. His results, as presented in his book, showed that calorie restriction, low-protein, and plant-based eating style with regular periods of fasting, shift the body’s metabolism and enhances the power of cells to help protect against chronic and cardiovascular diseases. This kind of diet, in fact, helps people lose weight and body fat, lowers blood pressure and decreases levels of a hormone linked to aging and disease. John Daporto
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HOTEL
VENICE UNMASKED In one of the most evocative cities in Italy conserved amid architecture and art is a pearl that is set in a unique urban environment. Imagine a visit to Venice: a gondola ride on the Grand Canal, some picture taking in Piazza San Marco to upload on social networks and, finally, a walk on the Rialto Bridge. After having fully carried out these “duties” of a tourist and spending pleasant hours walking along the canals of the Serenissima, it is time to return to the hotel for a well-earned rest, a refreshing meal or, why not, an aperitif to end the day. It will be important to fully recover one’s energy needed to spend another day in one of the most famous and appreciated of Italian cities. A jewel of a city that every year is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists and which has enchanted world-renowned writers like Truman Capote, Marcel Proust and Herman Hesse. In this setting, on the banks of the Grand Canal stands a hotel that mirrors the Venetian style. This is the Ca’Nigra, a building perfectly situated a few hundred meters from Piazza San Marco and the Gran Teatro La Fenice. The Ca’Nigra Lagoon Resort is a hotel that combines tradition, history and modernity. As far back as the 1600s this building shares a beautiful piece of history with the city and has established itself as one of the most appreciated and renowned Venetian hotels. The four-star hotel takes its
name from the ambassador Costantino Nigra, a poet and diplomat of the late nineteenth century who used to stay in the rooms of the resort. In addition to the luxurious rooms, the Ca’Nigra offers guests a Byzantine-Gothic garden, that perfectly combines rose bushes and fruit trees, overlooking the Grand Canal. The two gardens (protected by the Belle Arti association) are open not only for hotel guests, but also for banquets and receptions, and even just for an aperitif, overlooking the most famous and romantic canal of the Serenissima. The suites of the hotel, decorated with original furnishings of the 1700s, frescoes and mosaics, welcome and fully immerse the guest in the Venetian style. Each room at Ca’Nigra Lagoon Resort is a perfect fusion of classic and contemporary, elegance and style, just like Venice. Ca’Nigra Lagoon Resort Santa Croce 927 30135 Venice, Italy Tel. +39 041 2750047 info@hotelcanigra.com www.hotelcanigra.com Giorgio Migliore
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ON THE ROAD
PANIGALE V4 R AND ALL THE DUCATI INNOVATIONS With the ‘Ducati World Premiere 2019‘ the house of Borgo Panigale has unveiled three brand-new motorcycles, the Panigale V4 R, the Diavel 1260, and the Hypermotard 950. Ducati also presented the rest of its impressive 2019 line, for a total of nine bikes. Ducati CEO Claudio Domenicali stated: “Ducati has achieved extraordinary maturity and represents some of the best aspects of the Made in Italy in the world. Today our company has an extremely modern and wide range developed on the fundamental values of style, sophistication, and performance. This year, in addition to the first major modification of the entire Scrambler line since its launch, the Diavel and the Hypermotard, two motorcycles that are very popular with our brand’s fans, have been completely revamped. Security standards and ease of use are now solidly represented, at the same time the decidedly sporty soul of the brand is always present and stronger than ever. The Panigale V4 R is, in fact, the most powerful series bike ever made by Ducati. We are also very satisfied with our digital presence, where we have recorded excellent growth results, proving the extraordinary attractiveness of Ducati’s global offer.” The Ducati ‘fun bike’ par excellence, the new Hypermotard 950, is a full 4 kg lighter than the previous model and mounts a renewed 937 cm3 Testastretta 11° engine with a more muscular 114 hp, combining greater pulling power with new electronics to ensure smoother control. The new Diavel 1260 offers more assertive outlines and higher performance, is more fun on mixed-road routes and offers greater comfort for both rider and passenger. Its sport naked soul is evident in the Testastretta DVT 1262 engine, capable of delivering 159 hp (117 kW) at 9,500 rpm.The undisputed star of the World Premiere 2019 was the Panigale V4 R. The modifications extend far beyond the engine and suspension set-up: they also include the fairing, designed and developed by Ducati Corse in close collaboration with the Ducati Style Centre to improve aerodynamic efficiency. An actual road-legal WSBK category competition bike, it represents the technical foundation for the official Ducati Superbikes that will compete in the World Championship. www.ducati.com Marco Bertollini
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Forte dei Marmi, Tuscany Via Salvador Allende, 31 55042 Forte dei Marmi (Lu) - Tel 0584 787181 fax 0584 787296 www.hotelbijou.it e-mail: info@hotelbijoufortedeimarmi.it
The Hotel Bijou is located at the very heart of Forte dei Marmi. It’s only 700 metres from the beach, the traffic-free zone is in close proximity and you can easily reach the hotel by bike or on foot. This makes the Hotel Bijou the perfect place not just for those who love the sea, but also for shopping, art, golf, walking, enjoying tasty food, a glass of fine wine or some peaceful place where having the chance to relax. Hotel Bijou rooms have terrace or balcony, breakfast is served in an extensive garden till noon and parking spaces and free Wi-Fi are available for guests. The hotel organizes cooking classes and wine and oil tastings. The staff provides a top class service from the moment of booking to the time of checking out. Hotel Bijou is the ideal location to enjoy Versilia lifestyle and also to visit Cinque Terre. Complimentary bicycles are available for All about Italy readers.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The forms, Art
In honor of the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death, Italy celebrates the Tuscan genius with a calendar of events that link Rome, Milan and Florence, the main centers of his activity. From Norway to France, there are no shortage of European initiatives.
Leonardo, the brilliant artist S
cientist, artist, engineer and thinker, Along with the Codex a series of drawings Leonardo da Vinci, more than anyone else, will be displayed which are on loan from the is the man of the Renaissance. He shaped Vatican Library, the Royal Library of Turin and an entire era with his own works and inventions the British Libraryd. But above all, four tables and gave glory to the Belpaese beyond time and chosen from the Atlantic Codex, on loan from the space. For this reason, 2019, the year of the 5th Biblioteca Ambrosiana of Milano, which perhaps centenary of his death in 1519, will be dedicated are the documents that more than any other, to the commemoration of the great master with conferred on Leonardo the title of genius. events from the Italian peninsula that will also The exhibition is the fruit of two long years of cross the Alps. preparation, during which, in addition to the Firstly, we start in Florence, the cradle of Codex, about 80 sheets and numerous incunables Humanism, where at the Uffizi Gallery you’ll were collected, describing bird flight, and find an exhibition called “Leonardo da Vinci’s other observations as he travelled towards his Codex Leicester. subsequent Florentine Water as a Microscope appointments. From of Nature “. The March 8th - July 14th, With hundreds of international events gallery has in fact Palazzo Strozzi will and events, the celebrations for advanced the events hold another not to of the Leonardian be missed exhibition the 500th anniversary of the death year, the well-known dedicated to Andrea of Leonardo da Vinci have begun manuscript, which del Verrocchio, in is focused mainly on whose workshop many scientific writings of the leading artists returns to Italy after thirty-six years. Thanks to of the time were formed, notably Botticelli, the support of Bill Gates, owner of the Codex Perugino and Leonardo himself. The exhibit, since 1994, the famous manuscript, full of called “Verrocchio, Master of Leonardo”, comes annotations, sketches and innovative reflections from a collaboration with the Bargello National on the Moon and on the Earth, written by the Museum and will pass the baton in the second genius in the early 16th century, are at the center half of the year to the last of the three major of the exhibition curated by Paolo Galluzzi. events that will take place in the Tuscan capital:
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The forms, Art
An exhibition dedicated to botanical studies conducted by the Da Vincian, and created thanks to the partnership with Aboca (Info on www.palazzostrozzi.org). From Florence we move to Milano, the city where Leonardo moved to in the late 1400s to work at the court of Ludovico Il Moro. Here he diligently studied engineering and architecture, although he never completely abandoned drawing and painting, as shown by one of his most famous works in the world, “Il Cenacolo” (Da Vinci’s Last Supper), in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie. However, at the center of the Milanese celebrations dedicated to the artist there is another of his amazing works. It’s less known but of equally extraordinary workmanship. This is the
Man of science, painter, sculptor, inventor, military engineer, set designer, anatomist, thinker: Leonardo is the Renaissance Man, endlessly searching for knowledge Sala delle Asse (Room of Wooden Boards), at the Castello Sforzesco. Closed to the public for years during a long restoration (opened briefly for Expo 2015). On May 2nd, the day of the genius’ death, the room will open and once again we can observe the arbor pergola complex designed by Leonardo for the decoration of the room up close. One can see the interweaving of mulberry tree fronds and symbols referring to the Sforza duchy. From the catwalks installed after the removal of the scaffolding, you will then be able to enjoy the freshly refurbished Monocromo fresco in the lower part of the eastern wall and the preparatory drawings, revealed by the laser removal of the plaster. In parallel to this highly anticipated reopening, on one hand, is an exhibition of original drawings by the master Leonardo da Vinci - Notes and drawings about water pressure on the walls of a container - Leicester Code Courtesy Bill Gates / © bgC3
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The forms, Art | ALL ABOUT ITALY
Above: Gallerie degli Uffizi, Room 35, the new area dedicated to Leonardo where you can admire at “The Baptism of Christ”, “The Annunciation” and “The Adorer of the Magi”.
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The forms, Art | ALL ABOUT ITALY
in the ducal chapel of the castle. Added, with the aim of showing the original configuration of the Sala delle Asse, and, on the other hand, a series of international conferences about the last ten years of the genius’s life, organized by the Vinciana Collection, in collaboration with the City of Milano and Mibact at the Palazzo Reale. Also worthy of mention are the events that will open in the capital, where the father of the “Mona Lisa” worked between 1513 and 1516 at the court of Giuliano de Medici. The main events are at the Leonardo da Vinci Experience Museum, an immersive tour dedicated entirely to the Tuscan artist. The “Leonardo-Psychedelic Genius” show was set to start on December 14th, while in the next few months there will be several activities which also include films. The machines on display in Rome were created by the Bottega Artigiana Trifernate based on Leonardo’s projects, together with certified reproductions of the canvases and will actually land on the big screen thanks to the film “Io Leonardo”, starring Luca Argentero and produced by Sky and Progetto Immagine. For the occasion, the museum has decided to publish a book on the permanent exhibition that goes through the inventions and the art of the genius vinciano and is available in five languages (Info on www. leonardodavincimuseo.com). All the events promoted for 2019 have been reviewed and approved by the Committee for the Celebrations of the Leonardian year, created by the Ministry of Culture in February On the right: the Sforzesco Castle of Milan. Below: the Leonardo da Vinci Museum Experience, the only one in the world with his masterpieces reproduced in full size and worked with materials and methodologies typical of Renaissance era workshops.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | The forms, Art
From the top: the decoration of the Sala delle Asse in the Castello Sforzesco in Milan; the Château of Chambord, in the Loire, where there is a staircase designed by Leonardo da Vinci; the da Vinci project for a 33-pipe organ, considered the foundation to deigning the modern machine gun. 2018. The committee includes some high caliber names such as Paolo Galluzzi, unanimously elected president and director of the Galileo Museum of Florence, Barbara Agosti, professor of history of the art critic (University of Rome Tor Vergata), Dr. Roberta Barsanti, director of the Leonardiano di Vinci Museum, Dr. Fiorenzo Galli, General Director of the Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milano, architect Pinin Brambilla Barcilon, restorer of the fresco “The Last Supper” in Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milano, Professor Luke Syson, curator of European sculpture and decorative arts at the Metropolitan Museum in New York. A collective effort, as you can well see, focused on the meticulous care of all the events on the calendar. As for the European celebrations, one can only start from France, second only to Italy in terms of the number and tenor of celebrations. Leonardo spent the last three years
The dense program of events is taking shape across the whole of Europe, Italy and especially Rome, Milan and Florence, the central cities of Leonardo’s activity of his life in the Loire Valley, in Amboise to be exact, where he had been invited by King Francis I. Here, he worked hard to design the Chambord Castle, dying before seeing the finished construction. In this idyllic city, between May and September 2019, three main events will take shape: an international architectural competition, a music festival and an exhibition on the spirit of Humanism. In autumn, however, we move north to the capital, where an ambitious exhibition will be set up at the Louvre Museum to collect as many Leonardo’s works as possible, from sculptures to paintings to drawings. Not to be missed are also the exhibition at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands, on the physiognomic studies of Leonardo, a celebration in Stavanger, Norway, and events throughout the United Kingdom, up to March 2020, organized by the Royal Collection of the British Crown. In short, 2019 will be a year of celebration, Italian and European, a year destined to celebrate and better know the life and revolutionary work of Leonardo, the brilliant artist of the Renaissance, immortal symbol of Italy as a cradle of culture and splendor. Beatrice Vecchiarelli
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The forms, Art | ALL ABOUT ITALY
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Anniversaries
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Anniversaries
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In 2019 the 500th anniversary of Caterina de Medici’s birth will be celebrated: a figure that has deeply influenced the cultural and artistic development of Europe
Caterina De’ Medici: beyond the shadows, the light of a Mother Queen
W
hen a personage leaves their She defined a significant turning point in the imprint on history, it is not development of culture and ways of being uncommon for posterity to spread beyond the Alps. It was she who introduced the a nuanced legacy, so that the general picture French court to the tasty Florentine béchamel of this figure becomes a heterogeneous whole, sauce, distinguishing between savory and sweet which displaces and invites us to never stop dishes and starting the glorious tradition of questioning ourselves. The personal story refined French cuisine. Her contribution to the and the legend of one of the most important evolution of culture in France also includes and controversial women in European history habits that are essential nowadays, such as the is saturated by this enchanting complexity: use of a fork at the table and the introduction of Caterina De’ Medici, underpants into daily attire. Florentine, queen and The foreign queen introduced mother, protagonist in the the French to the unknown Together with forks, good and in the bad of the garment as indispensable Caterina De’ Medici brought with history of France and the for a more comfortable and her to Paris what would become Renaissance. easier horseback ride. The The most decisive and only daughter of Lorenzo de macarons, omelets, crepes, violent brushstrokes of the “francesina” (a type of beef stew), Medici, Duke of Urbino, an her biography yield a orphan and eight-year-old onion soup and beignets. view of a ruthless and hostage of his Florentine power-hungry woman, a countrymen. Then at black queen never fully fourteen, at the behest of accepted by the French. A foreigner who, on Lorenzo’s powerful cousin, Pope Clement closer inspection, gave to her acquired and VII, Catherine married Henry, second son of ungrateful homeland a series of extraordinary Francis I, King of France. Relocated to the artistic and cultural innovations. Catherine Parisian court, where she is disdainfully defined de Medici, in fact, did not distinguish herself as “the fat Florentine shopkeeper”. Dumpy, simply as a Machiavellian politician, but above unattractive, pale, with the characteristic all as a bastion of culture. protruding eyes of the De Medici family.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Anniversaries
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Anniversaries
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Her husband was completely indifferent to her. But, in 1547, after the sudden death of Francis of Valois, heir to the kingdom, she is crowned in the church of Saint-Denis. “She was the one who did everything, and the king did not move a straw without her knowing it”, Pierre de l’Estoile writes about her influence. And after ten years of marriage without being able to conceive, Caterina evaded being disowned and ultimately produced nine heirs, including three future kings of France and a queen of Spain. Following the death of her husband during a jousting tournament in 1559, the queen, deeply saddened by the loss, decided to dress for the rest of her life in black. She changed her emblem to a broken spear, with the motto above it in Latin “Lacrymae hinc, hinc dolor”, or “From this come my tears, hence my pain”. At that time, the color of mourning for the royals was white and her decision
She always wore black, adored jewelry, artichokes, astrology and the “forerunners” of macarons. She left her mark everywhere: in the kitchen, in fashion, in art, in culture. to wear black probably helped strengthen her image as a strict and unscrupulous woman. In the novel “The Queen Margot”, written by Alexandre Dumas (the father) even has her poison her son Carlo. Painters immortalize her with a deeply negative aura. In the folds of the story, however, emerges a more multifaceted reality. Catherine, considered a sort of Lucrezia Borgia of the French court, was the victim of defamatory opinions. In reality, when in 1574 her son Henry III came to power, she left him the scepter and supported him as a diplomat and advisor such that all her previous work as regent balances out.
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Anniversaries
The Château de Chenonceau. After King Henry II died, Queen Catherine made Chenonceau her own favorite residence, adding a new series of gardens. In the poisonous climate of the religious wars between Catholics and Protestants, which stirred up in France during the sixteenth century, to avoid further bloodshed, the Queen became the spokesperson of a policy of conciliation, strongly supporting civil tolerance. Her involvement, was never fully explained, on the terrible night of the St. Bartholomew massacre, however, forever determined the stigma as a black queen. In 1572, thousands of Huguenots, French Calvinist Protestants, arrived in Paris for the wedding between Margaret, daughter of Catherine, and Henry III of Navarre, a Protestant noble, and they found death at the hands of the Catholic faction. The role of Caterina De’ Medici in that terrible slaughter remains an unresolved mystery and the cause of the darkest shadows on her image. But today a restoration of her reputation seems to have begun, as she is recognized for her role as an enlightened sovereign and an exemplary female figure. On April 13, 2019, 500 years since the birth of Catherine will be the best opportunity to celebrate the queen of France born in Italy through the different arts she influenced. The Queen Mother, with her innovation, continues to project even now a light of beauty and modernity and awakens and invites the Italians, the French, the Europeans, the citizens of world to see her in a different light. Elisabetta Pasca
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Art in Lagoon
Since the year 1200 a tradition strongly associated with the island of Murano is the production of works of art in glass. The Barovier family is the guardian of this legacy and Palazzo Barovier & Toso is the secular temple of this artistry.
Transparent uniqueness A
furnace in the heart of Venice that, in addition to glass, also molds time. A hot furnace that keeps an ancient craft alive since 1200. A tradition and style now baroque and minimalist, but still capable of marking an era in human history. Barovier glass products are the result of a refined craft, perfected over the centuries, which goes beyond what is currently in vogue and aspires to timelessness. The strength and patience that are necessary to shape the glass from sand and fire are combined with the meticulousness it takes to refine this same art. An art that today is at once so alike and yet so different from that of seven centuries ago. It is still alive today thanks to the descendants of those early Baroviers who, at the end of the thirteenth century, already worked glass amid the canals of the lagoon. Indeed Venice, a city, guardian of secrets and traditions, is the cradle of one of the oldest family companies in the world still in operation. In the 1400s, it was simple blown glass, that became real works of art by working with this material by hand. Thanks to Marietta Barovier, a rare female
Barovier glass is the product of a refined art, perfected over the centuries, which goes beyond trends and aspires towards eternal entrepreneur in the second half of the fifteenth century, who created precious objects appreciated and desired by the aristocrats all over Europe. Among other things, the decorations on the Barovier Cup are attributed to her. Today it can be found in the Murano Glass Museum. Even today, amid the canals of Venice, where the most precious glass in the world is created and appreciated, credit is owed to the Barovier family, which has made such a fragile and delicate material indestructible, thanks to the craftsmanship, art and design capable of resisting the sands of time. What the Barovier have handed down through the centuries is a tradition of sweat and hard work; it is a search for meaning and something that lasts far more than a single lifetime. All this, has echoed for twenty generations.
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Art in Lagoon | ALL ABOUT ITALY
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ALL ABOUT ITALY | Art in Lagoon
THE PALACE On the bank of the Rio dei Vetrai, the historic Murano canal where the most important glassworks are located, stands the ancient Barovier & Toso furnace. To enhance the legacy of over 700 years of passion and skill, the company has created an authentic temple of luxury, the eponymous palace that brings together the wonders created in the heart of the island of glass. The 1920s building, located a few steps from the company’s old headquarters, has been recently renovated and extends over 9700 sq. feet spread over 3 floors. Symbol of sophistication and elegance, the palace is a testament of a Made in Italy that works, that knows how to renew itself and that is envied abroad. It is not just a showroom, but almost
History, tradition and the present-day coexist in the building, blending to uphold and continue a 7-century old tradition.
a “place of worship”, a temple of luxury where the Barovier & Toso creations decorate and complete a sophisticated, elegant, emotional and distinguished environment. History, tradition and the presentday coexist in the building, blending to uphold and continue a 7-century old tradition. Barovier & Toso perhaps has never been so robust and established as it is today, capable of reinventing itself over half a millennium of history and craftsmanship. It is inside Palazzo Barovier & Toso that, since last November, the extraordinary achievements of the Venetian company have been displayed. “We are proud to announce the opening of Palazzo Barovier & Toso”
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