SEPTEMBER 2014
TRAVEL, ART AND CULTURE IN ITALY
WINE NIPOZZANO CHIANTI RUFFINA
BORGHI AREZZO, LAND OF TRADITIONS
RIVER PO PEARL MANTOVA, GONZAGA’S TREASURE
VERONA POWER, ART AND BEAUTY
SUMMARY
WINE
5
NIPOZZANO CHIANTI RUFFINA
RIVER PO PEARL
15
MANTOVA, GONZAGA’S TREASURE
BORGHI
25
AREZZO, LAND OF MISTERY
VERONA
35
POWER, ART AND BEAUTY
BELLEARTI
45
ITALIAN STREET ART
THE TRAVELLER
47
MODERN EXPLORER’S ULTIMATE GUIDE
LETTERS, PHOTOGRAMS & ETC BOOKS, MOVIES, ALBUNS AND SOME TIPS
49
I
taly is a deam destination for most people. After all, how many references this lovely place left us in very aspect of our life? Well, most ocidentals have their way of thinking enormously wrought by the Latin language and their thinkers. The languages themselves are full of Italian influences by words, expressions or its structure. Yes, we can go further and identify every Italian approach in food, as our beloved pizza and pasta, the universal passion for wine and ice cream. There are countless books, stories, movies, poems and musics famous around the world. And what about art and architecture? Or fashion and style? Ok. Maybe it is enough. There are so many examples of the importance of Italian culture that make it obviously. Now, imagine to live there. For a year, for more than that. Imagine living among the people, observing their habits and their hands, listening to their language and its different accents that make us crazy. Walking through their streets observing the silent charming of each detail and care of buildings, statues and everything else. The contrast of the old and new. The way these two presences coexists in their life. Their particular relationship with time, the famous Italian rhythm. The deep sense of comunity which survived every great event in history. What we say could take several days. But something can be easily said: it causes deeps impressions in anyone. We are so highly affected living here that is difficult to realize what had changed in ourselves. The sense of aesthetics, of time, of life. Don’t matter. You have changed in some level. This magazine is an effort to share some of the wonders I have been envolved in the years I spent living in Italy. Enjoy!
Texts, photos and design by Pablo de Mello
NI POZ ZA NO
FLORENCE RUFFINA
TUSCANY MAGIC IN THE HEART OF CHIANTI RUFFINA
TUSCANY. CHIANTI. WINE AND TRADITION. An idilic combination that provokes sighs all around the world.Beyond Chianti Classico zone, we will find Chianti Ruffina, where the traditional Frescobaldi family runs a winery famous for experimental good wines. The Castello di Nipozzano, built in the year 1000 as a defensive fortress, became the center
of communal life for the village of Nipozzano. Today the castle houses the wine cellar, where the estate red wines are produced and cask-aged. Castello di Nipozzano also serves as Frescobaldi’s hospitality center and as a site for its fine food and wine initiatives. The estate lies in the heart of the Chianti Rufina
area, covering 626 hectares at elevations between 250 and 400 metres. 240 hectares are planted with Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. The estate’s soil, rich in clay and limestone, plus the dry, well-ventilated weather together compose the ideal terroir for the production of wines that
are elegant, well balanced, and full bodied with firm structures to age well for many years. Those qualities are amply demonstrated by Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG and by the Frescobaldi Montesodi and Frescobaldi Mormoreto crus.
Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina estate produces wine, top olive oil and honey. It also offers restaurant serving local cuisine, visit and winedegustation.
“
Nipozzano is in fact the symbol of the Frescobaldi family estate, in the hills east of Florence in the Chianti Rufina, 260 hectares of vineyards, 90% Sangiovese.
Montesodi
Mormoreto
Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG
F
rescobaldi Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG The most famous wine from the estate is the Chianti Rufina Riserva DOCG. This is the definition of the appellation, a classic Chianti R첫fina consisting of mostly Sangiovese with small amounts of Malvasia Nera, Colorino, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 24 months in barrel, a soft and sophisticated style with bold fruit and savoury touches of toasted espresso.
A
A
section of the vineyards on the estate, the Montesodi vineyard, is bottled separately. This could be the most powerful Chianti produced. The first time we tasted this, the 1995 vintage from barrel, we could not believe it was Sangiovese. It was so dark in color and so rich in texture, we thought it was Cabernet. The 2003 vintage is 100% Sangiovese, and spent 18 months in 100% new barrels.
nother section of the estate is also bottled separately, the Mormoreto vineyard, which is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. It is a big, serious and richly textured wine with beautiful purity of fruit...truly worthy of the separate bottling. The 2003 vintage is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 15% Cabernet Franc and spent 24 months in 100% new barrels.
“
Touch of modernity and chewy sweetness that characterize so many of Frescobaldi’s best wines
A
ccording
he castle of
T Nipozzano and the winery are found east of Florence in the heart of the prestigious territory of Chianti Rufina on the mountainous side that overlooks the valley of the river Arno. Thanks to the perfect balance of altitude, soil and a cool, ventilated microclimate, the varietes enjoy ideal conditions for perfect growth, and produce wines of harmonious character
and great longevity. The vineyard of Mormoreto is the best example of the exclusive marriage of nature and the work of man, an extraordinary terroir where the breezes that sweep across the vines create a ‘murmur’ among the leaves, a characteristic that inspired the name of the vineyard and of the wine.
to popular belief, Nipozzano
knew just how favourable
means “senza pozzo,” or
those conditions were for this
”without a well” and refers
particular vine. The wine of
to the areas east of Florence
Nipozzano became famous,
that were, and still are,
known to fill the glasses of
lacking in available water.
15th century Renaissance
In fact, the only well to ever
masters like Donatello and
grace the land was born of
Brunelleschi. To this day,
great effort, specifically to
owing to the care of the
service the area’s only castle.
Frescobaldi family, this land
Though this absence of water
continues to have splendid
prevented the cultivation of
vineyards, one solitary well,
many crops, it attracted the
and, of course, great wines.
interest of savvy vintners who
“
The wines produced from this perfectly balanced winery are celebrated for their harmonious character and great longevity.
RIVER PO’S P
MANT
VISITING GONZAGA FAMILY’
PEARL SERIES
TOVA
’S RENAISSANCE TREASURE
PIAZZA SORDELLO
O
ne of Lombardy’s best-kept secrets is in the eastern reaches of the region, making it an easy side trip from Milan. Like its neighboring cities in EmiliaRomagna, Mantova owes its beautiful Renaissance monuments to one family, in this case the Gonzagas, who conquered the city in 1328 and ruled benevolently
Palazzo Vescovile in Piazza Sordello
MILANO VERONA PO RIVER
MANTOVA BOLOGNA
until 1707. They were avid collectors of art and ruled through the greatest centuries of Italian art; encounter the treasures they collected in the massive Palazzo Ducale; in their summer retreat, the Palazzo Te; and in the churches and piazzas that grew up around their court.
PIAZZA SORDELLO Basilica St. Andrea
Palazzo Castiglioni Palazzo Acerbi
I
I’m driving across the Ponte Legnano towards Mantua: the long bridge slices through two mistcovered lakes that form a gigantic moat protecting this majestic city. Suddenly, at the edge of the water, the swirling haze is broken by a dramatic skyline of ancient towers, turrets, cupolas and
domes. Italian friends tell me that Mantua is known as La Bella Addormentata, a sleeping beauty that hasn’t changed since the middle ages. About 40km south of the popular destinations of Lake Garda and Verona, the city somehow gets bypassed by most travellers. The key to the puzzle is the lakes, a remarkable artificial fortification created nearly 1,000 years ago that effectively closed Mantua
from the world. And these encircling wetlands mean the size of Mantua has scarcely altered – even today it takes only 20 minutes to walk across town. The place has been untouched by urban development, and even the present population of around 48,000 is pretty much the same as centuries ago. Italian ecology movement Legambiente voted Mantua as Italy’s most livable city a few years ago, and I’m intrigued to
The historic city of Mantova is often overlooked by foreign visitors but it offers sumptuous cuisine, and one surprising ingredient
THE CATHEDRAL Palazzo Castiglioni
find out what it is like to stay in a place where time seems to have stood still. I check in at the elegant family-run Hotel Broletto in a 15th-century mansion – and only ₏75 for a double room. It is perfectly positioned, between Piazza delle Erbe, the old marketplace whose arched portico is lined with fashion boutiques and lively bars, and Piazza Sordello, a grandiose square with towering palaces and a
striking white marble Baroque cathedral. I decide to get the one must-see cultural sight out of the way, walking across cobbled Piazza Sordello to the Palazzo Ducale: it’s no mere palace, rather a town within the city, the largest residence in Italy after the Vatican. For 400 years this was the home of the Gonzaga family, the dukes of Mantua who ruled until 1707, putting their stamp on everything, much as the
Cathedral
Medicis did in Florence. The labyrinth includes a castle, basilica, courtyards, sumptuous galleries, gardens and more than 500 rooms. Fortunately, most of them are closed off, but there is still plenty to see, from precious tapestries, a glittering mirror-gallery and masterpieces by Raphael, to a zodiac painted as a psychedelic 16thcentury ceiling fresco by Lorenzo Costa. As the sun sets, it
seems the town has set out on a passeggiata, the early-evening ritual of dressing in your finest and taking time for an Aperol spritz or an old-fashioned Americano. The mood changes from one bar to the next. A venerable 19thcentury literary hangout, Bar Venezia on Piazza Marconi is packed with a chic pre-theatre crowd who look like eccentric extras from a Fellini movie, while funky Osteria
LA ROTONDA This is one of the many churches built – according to the tradition - by Matilda of Canossa (10461115). The church is similar in shape to the churches of Jerusalem, and evokes the Sepulchre of Jesus and his Resurrection. It is in close relation with the nearby Basilica di Sant’Andrea, an ideal Calvary where for the Blood of Christ has been worshipped for twelve centuries now. For other aspects, it is also a rare example of Romanesque architecture in the Po area, with a circular plan, deambulatory and women’s gallery full of coeval frescoes.
Libenter on Piazza Concordia has a younger bohemian set who are being entertained by a jazzy DJ and poetry reading. But none compares to historic Bar Caravatti (Portici Broletto 16, +39 03763 21653), one of my top 10 European bars. All of Mantua passes through here, ordering the house aperitif, invented by Signor Caravatti in 1865, and still made from a secret recipe of wine and aromatic bitters. The friendly barman, Max Orondini, says: “This place is like a slice of local life, from the lawyers and businessmen huddled over an espresso in the morning, to genteel ladies slipping in before the evening rush for a stiff Negroni, to the party crowd that turns up after midnight, when you’ll discover that Mantua is not a museum city stuck in the middle ages.� And as every bar competes to offer the most sumptuous complimentary buffet of pizzette, pasta, ham and
Awesome view of the Cathedral
cheeses, I don’t even spend money on dinner in a restaurant. What strikes me about Mantua is that there are no crowds of tourists or tacky souvenir stores, no long list of museums and churches to trudge around. I stumble upon a couple of hidden jewels by the hotel, with scarcely a visitor in sight: the intimate 11th-century Rotonda di San Lorenzo, inspired by Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre church, and the fabulous rococo Teatro Bibiena, where the 13-year-old Mozart once performed. Then it is time to concentrate on what the city is really famous for: its food. Elisabetta Arcari runs a cooking school (peccatidigola.info), where I take on Mantua’s iconic product,
The amazing Alberti’s St. Andrea Basilica
the pumpkin, and make a total mess trying to make tortelli di zucca alla Mantovana. This being Mantua, the school is in a 14th-century palazzo – there are even frescoes in the loo. Arcari tells me: “Forget about the trendy restaurants here trying to reinterpret traditional Mantuan cuisine – it doesn’t need it! Be adventurous and sample our specialities at the Osteria delle Quattro Tette [Vicolo Nazione 4, +39 03763 29478] and Trattoria Due Cavallini [Via Salnitro 5, +39 03763 22084].” I can never resist this kind of challenge, and lunch at the nofrills Quattro Tette starts brilliantly. Everyone sits together on ancient wooden tables, there are no
reservations, no credit cards and dishes cost €6-€10 each. They do a delicious luccio, pike in a tangy parsley and caper sauce, while the traditional risotto alla pilota is like no other I’ve tasted in Italy, not cooked and stirred with a brodo, but left to boil and mixed with a thick meat ragù, ending up more like a pilaf. In the evening I have to decide if I am up for the classic Mantuan dish most locals are heartily tucking into at Due Cavallini. Stracotto d’asino is a rich stew, cooked for eight hours using, of all things, donkey meat. Dare I risk the wrath of Guardian readers – not to mention the website comments – and try donkey? I am an adventurous eater, and have sampled some strange
PALAZZO DUCALE The breathtaking Galleria degli Specchi (Hall of Mirrors)
dishes around the globe. And and the facts of life iIn France and Italy eating horse meat is no big deal. So, I decide to put my head in the noose and tuck in to the delicious dish. In many of the restaurants in the town centre, donkey has quietly been replaced by beef to avoid flare-ups with indignant tourists, but my waitress looks me sternly in the eye. “People from Mantua are proud of their cuisine and would never order stracotto of beef.” Personally I reckon donkey and beef taste pretty much the same. On the Sunday morning I do what most locals do and walk around the lakes, along with runners, dog walkers and pram-pushers, then stroll to the southern edge of the city, where the Gonzagas built a decadent pleasure
palace in complete contrast to their austere Ducal palace. Palazzo Te was conceived as a hideaway for 16th-century Duke Federico’s trysts with his mistress. Created by one of the greatest Renaissance painters and architects, Giulio Romano, the palazzo has some of the most spectacular frescoes I have seen. The grotesque giants and monsters in the Sala dei Giganti are so stylised they could almost have inspired Marvel Comics, while the Bacchanalian scenes in the Cupid and Psyche room, where the duke held banquets, probably did inspire the occasional orgy. I have definitely been seduced by Mantua’s quiet charms, and this sounds the perfect way to return.
The luxury of the Palace and its rooms just conferms the Gonzaga’s Family power
palazzo te T
his glorious summer palace took a decade to complete for Federico II Gonzaga, the sybaritic son of Isabella d’Este (see above), designed by Giulio Romano between 1525 and 1535. His splendid Renaissance palace was his retreat from court life and was designed to indulge his obsessions. A tour leads through a series of ever-more lavishly adorned
apartments decorated by the best artists of the day. Gonzaga’s joint enthusiasms for love and sex, astrology, and horses are evident throughout, from the almost 3-D effect in the Hall of the Horses to the sexually overt frescoes by Romano in the elaborate Chamber of Amor and Psyche. The greatest room in the palace, however, is a metaphor for Gonzaga power: In the Sala dei Giganti (Room of the
Giants), Titan is overthrown by the gods in a dizzying display of architectural trompe l’oeil that gives the illusion that the ceiling is falling inwards. The Palazzo Te is also home of the Museo Civico, whose permanent collections on the upper floors include the Gonzaga family’s coins, medallions, 20thcentury family portraits by Armando Spadini, and a few Egyptian artifacts.
Based on the ancient Roman villas designs, Palazzo Te is the Giulio Romano’s masterpiece in Mantua built as a leisure residence. You will surely be impressed by the magnificant Camera dei Giganti where Viale Te 13 site www.palazzote.it/ phone 0376-323-266 hours Mon 1-6pm; Tues-Sun 9am-6pm price 10€ adults, 7€ seniors, 3.50€ children 8-14
Clean and elegant lines makes this church a Renaissement Masterpiece
ALBERTI’S CHURCH
Very fine Glyph statue of the Roman collection
MUSEO DELLA CITTA
SAN SEBASTIANO
PALAZZO SAN SEBASTIANO
T
M
en years before his last masterpiece - the Basilica of Sant’Andrea, Leon Battista Alberti designed this church in Mantua, one of the cornerstones of the Renaissance. It is admirable for its façade which combines classical elements with modern features, such as the crypt, open to the outside, and the original five windows
of the vestibule, which was accessed from the side loggia – and the bright and hefty interior with Greek plan. The Temple, which was a memorial chapel dedicated to the fallen for the country, hosts an urn that contains the remains of some Belfiore Martyrs. where site phone hours price
Largo 24 Maggio, www.cittadimantova.it 0376-288208 Tues-Sun 10h30am-6pm 1.50€ adults, 1€ reduced
antua’s aristocratic D’Arco family lived in this elegant Renaissance palazzo until 1973, when the last member of the family donated it to the city. Though most of the extant palazzo is neoclassical (1780s), the gardens shelter a wing from the 15th century; the highlight of the rooms is
the Sala dello Zodiaco, brilliantly frescoed with astrological signs by Giovanni Falconetto in 1520. Holds a fine collection of Roman artwork, Medieval tapestries, Mantovan church frescoes and more cool relics.
where Largo 24 Maggio, site www.museodellacitta.mn.it phone 0376-367087 hours Mon 1-6pm; Tues-Sun 9am-6pm price 9€ adults, 6€ reduced
AREZ
ZZO WHERE ART AND TRADITION CONVERGE Discover what Guido d’Arezzo, the inventor of modern music notation, Piero della Francesca, famous painter, Petrarch, the illustrious poet, Pietro Aretino, author, playwright, poet and satirist, Giorno Vasari, the famous biographer but also painter and architect, Michelangelo, the renowned and famous painter have in common.
F
or those who have finished with Florence, and want to explore the rest of Tuscany, the classic traveller’s route runs either due south – to the vineyards of Chianti, the towers and Palio of Siena and San Gimignano, the hill towns between Montalcino and Montepulciano – or west to Pisa, Lucca and the coast. Aside from Cortona – a lovely town popularised, and in high season very nearly ruined, by Frances Mayes’s wellmeaning memoir Under the Tuscan Sun – eastern Tuscany gets far less attention. That is a huge bonus for those who do make it to the region’s vibrant little capital, Arezzo, just an hour by train from Florence. They come to this half-
forgotten corner, in steady but never excessive numbers, drawn mostly by the joyful frescoes of the Renaissance artist Piero della Francesca, and discover a city rich in art and architecture but mostly free of crowds. As well as being an attraction in its own right, Arezzo is also the jumpingoff point for the Casentino valley, an area dotted with Romanesque chapels, medieval castles – one of which
hosted Dante – and good restaurants. Two important Franciscan sites, the monasteries of La Verna and Camaldoli, lie high in the wooded mountains that ring the valley. Tempted? Here is how to make the most of the city and its region. Eastern Tuscany’s main provincial capital is a bit of a diamond in the rough. Economic prosperity (the town is one of the main centres of Italy’s gold
“Arezzo is a bit of a diamond in the rough.”
jewellery industry) has given it a halo of light industry and ring-roads, but once you get past the outer gauntlet, what a good-looking centro storico it has. Add some fine restaurants and wine bars, and the presence of what is arguably the single most essential artistic draw in the whole of Tuscany – Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross fresco cycle – and it’s a must on any Tuscan road or railway
trip. Its historic heart is, at first, hard to read, because where you would normally expect the town centre to be – at the high point where the main roads converge – lies a placid municipal park, with the ruins of the Medici fortress on one side, the Duomo on the other, and the countryside stretching away below and beyond. Like the punchline of some Buddhist
parable, Arezzo expresses itself in the getting there rather than the arrival, not radiating from a central piazza like so many Tuscan towns but draping its centro storico like a jewel-studded necklace across the side of a hill. If you had to name one point as the cabochon stone in the garland it would be Piazza Grande. Built on a slant and surrounded by an attractive jumble of palazzos, towers and churches in which medieval and renaissance styles vie for supremacy, this is the focal point of Arezzo’s famous antique fair (held on the first Sunday of each month and the preceding Saturday) and the venue for the Giostra del Saracino, a medieval jousting contest between the eight districts of the town, which happens twice a year in June and September
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Il Duomo Nearly 700 hundred years in the making, the Arezzo Cathedral is particularly well known for the stainedglass windows by Fra Guillaume de Marcillat, and the Tomb of Pope Gregory X.
(June 18 – today – and September 4 this year). In the early Middle Ages this space lay just outside the walls and housed the main produce market; it still looks at its best when busy. The slow lava-creep of Arezzo’s urban fabric down from its original hilltop site left its lofty Duomo, or cathedral, looking a little stranded. And although it has some fine artworks inside – chiefly Piero della Francesca’s simple yet striking fresco of Mary Magdalene – this elaborate Gothic barn is not the town’s most handsome
church. That distinction goes to the Pieve di Santa Maria. Its glorious façade seems a playful experiment in receding arches, as the eye is drawn up through four levels from the five solid arches of the ground floor to the 32 columns of the uppermost part of the gallery. Inside, there’s a marvellous 1320 Pietro Lorenzetti polyptych of the Madonna and Saints, stern and touchingly innocent at the same time, like so much trecento devotional art. But it’s the Legend of the True Cross fresco cycle in the Basilica di
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Loggia
The Palace of the Loggias closes the northeast side o the Piazza Grande. Built between 1573 and 1581 to design of Giorgio Vasari, it takes its name from the wide loggias opening on to the square
San Francesco’s Bacci Chapel that most visitors come to see. Piero della Francesca’s masterpiece is such a draw that the chapel, decorated by Piero between 1453 and 1466 for the wealthy Bacci family, is entered separately from the main church. Admission is organised in groups of up to 25 people that depart every halfhour and should be booked (though you’ll rarely have to wait more than a couple of hours for a slot – so if you haven’t reserved, make Basilica di San Francesco your first stop, and visit the rest of the centro storico while you wait
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for your turn to come up). The power and beauty of these story panels – centring on the Empress Helena’s supposed discovery of Christ’s true cross while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land – is extraordinary. It’s the details that always get me: the two grooms deep in conversation stage left while those they serve – the Queen of Sheba and her retinue – are wrapped up in a miracle off to the right; or the beauty of the tree – an oak, surely, bearing the last leaves of autumn – that dominates the Story of Adam lunette. The other big cultural draw in
History Discover spots as the earlier walled Etruscan settlement (6th–5th century BC), the forum of the Roman city was in or near this square, perched between the hills of San Pietro.
Arezzo is the Casa di Vasari, the house that the native son Giorgio Vasari (whose Lives of the Artists chronicles Renaissance creativity and who was a talented artist and architect in his own right) bought for himself in 1541. Over the next seven years, between commissions that took him all over Italy, Vasari decorated the walls and ceilings of the interior with allegorical frescoes on subjects such as “Virtue beating up Fortune and Envy” (this in the central rosette – it’s painted so that as you walk around the room sometimes virtue seems to be winning,
sometimes fortune, sometimes envy, as in life). It’s a shame that none of Vasari’s furniture or tools of the trade are left in situ as it would have been fascinating to get a sense of the life and artistic activity that went on inside this handsome frame – but at least the handsome frame has been preserved intact. Arezzo, though, has a life beyond its cultural magnets. This is a great place to soak up the atmosphere of a Tuscan town that still exhibits the civic pride and community life of the medieval
commune it once was – but away from the tourist hordes that plague San Gimignano or Siena. The best advice if you arrive by train is to avoid the direct route into the centre – along the wide, traffic-plied avenue of Via Guido Monaco – and head instead to the right (east), through Piazza Risorgimento, until you pick up the beginning of pedestrianised Corso Italia, the long axis along which the city’s 13th-century expansion unfolded. Today it’s lined with boutiques, bars and chichi antique and homeware shops (Arezzo’s antiquarian offerings are not limited to the monthly Fiera Antiquaria). Corso Italia is not only the fast track to Arezzo’s main sights; it also acts as a fine decompression chamber between this proud and prosperous town’s modern working periphery and its medieval and Renaissance heart.
“Discover Arezzo is a unique pleasure”
{ Corso Italia
To enjoy the beautiful architecture and monuments of the beautiful Arezzo, we recommend a stroll along Corso Italy, one of the main arteries that cut the historic center of the beautiful Tuscan capital.
Facade of the Palazzo della Fraternita dei Laici
For centuries, Italian Corso is the main street of the town, lined with important historical buildings such as the fifteenth-century Palazzo Bacci, Palazzo Altucci of the thirteenth century and the so-called Tower of the Bigazza 1351, remodeled in the Fascist era to become the tower of the Littorio. The course is also home to houses of worship that preserve priceless art treasures, such as the thirteenth-century St. Michael’s Church, in which you can see a table of 1466, depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints, by Blacks of Bicci.
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Trattorias The cuisine from the Arno, Chiana and Tiber Valleys, boasts traditional products that date back centuries. Try classic Mugello tortelli (a potato filling and meat ragù).
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Acquacotta
Chimera
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The Chimera, a bronze statue from Etruscan times dating back to the V century B.C. has become the symbol of the town.
Try the delicious Aretine special dish Acquacotta (“cooked in water”) with fried onions, tomatoes, egg and cheese.
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Saracen Joust The historical reenactment of ancient game of chivalry takes place every June in which four quarters of the town struggles for the coveted golden lance.
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Pieve
The symbol of Arezzo is certainly the church of Santa Maria della Pieve, a shining example of Gothic, unfortunately revisited several times over the centuries, dating back to 1008.
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Palazzo Pretorio
This gorgeous palace is the result of the 14th/15th century fusion of buildings that belonged to the noble familes. It was the seat of the Capitano del Popolo. The facade bears witness to this with its rich collection of coats of arms of the PodestĂ , Capitani and Florentine Commissari who governed the town over the centuries.
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The streets
Lost yourself exploring the medieval streets
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Casa di Vasari This is the amazing house which the famous Renaissance painter and writer Georgio Vasari lived in whilst he was in Arezzo. He decorated it himself and the frescoes and ceiling decorations can still be seen.
{ Il Prato
Located between the Cathedral and the Fortezza, is the oldest city park system and most of suggestive, for the elevated position, the masts secular, placement in an area of ​​ great archaeological interest, waiting to be properly valued. It occupies the surface of a vast natural depression, which some centuries ago separated two hilltops, corresponding to the settlements of the Cathedral and the Fortezza. Bridged the gap over the centuries, the area was settled in garden venue for concerts, horse races at the round, along with air shows and fireworks from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The current extension from the Fed brings southern bastion of the fortress (near which are visible archaeological remains of the Roman age), was achieved in the first half of our century. Dates back to 1928, the marble group of the monument to Francesco Petrarca, by Alessandro Lazzerini, placed in the center of the park.
VERO
ONA
“
There is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself. Shakespeare
w
illiam Shakespeare overstated the case when he wrote: “There is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself.” Nevertheless, few visitors would deny that this riverwrapped city in northeastern Italy is a heavenly destination. Verona not only looms large in literature, it occupies an enviable location near the entrance to the Brenner Pass, which made it
strategically important for Romans eyeing the Alps. The quality of ruins from their imperial age, together with a wealth of medieval churches and Renaissance palaces, helped earn this city UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Factor in the Italian traveller’s holy trinity — fine arts, fashion and food — and you’ll understand why Verona is so hard to resist.
Passion
La Casa di
Giulietta
I
t could be argued that “fair Verona” launched Shakespeare’s career: after all, it provided the backdrop for the comedic love story that is widely considered his first work — The Two Gentlemen of Verona. It was a tragic treatment, though, that made the greater mark. Romeo and Juliet was of course fiction, but the frenzy the play has caused here is very real. Casa di Giulietta (23 Via Cappello) is
the epicentre of activity and, each year, an estimated half a million devotees squeeze into its miniscule courtyard to look at Juliet’s supposed home. The resulting scene is more circus than sensuous: witness the thickly-coated “gum wall” or the endless sprawl of graffiti. But Shakespeare — a man who clearly knew how to play to the masses — probably wouldn’t mind. If you don’t either, feel free to observe the scene, rub the bronze statue of Miss Capulet for luck, or post a love note, as Amanda
Seyfried did in the 2010 flick Letters to Juliet. For €6, you can enter the actual 13th-century house to see a few themed displays and, more importantly, step through yonder window onto the stone balcony where the ultimate Instagram photo op awaits. The tourism board has mapped out a self-guided walk that also features Casa di Romeo and the quiet tomb attributed to the star-crossed lovers in the cloister of San Francesco al Corso, a medieval Capuchin monastery.
Piazza delle Erbe
T
he crowds at Casa di Giulietta are a relatively new phenomenon compared to those that gather around the corner at Piazza delle Erbe. Originally the site of a Roman forum, it morphed into one of Italy’s most eye-popping squares. The Piazza is a market by day
(though the titular erbe — or herbs — have largely been replaced by tourist trinkets); in the evening it is where hip locals sip neon-orange spritzers made with their preferred aperitivo, Aperol from nearby Padua. The antique tower, fabulous fountain, ancient arches and frescoed Renaissance residences make Piazza delle Erbe postcard perfect. Other must-sees for architecture enthusiasts
include the Castelvecchio a crenellated castle-turned-art museum stocked with works by Titian, Tintoretto, Canaletto and the like and the Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, an outstanding example of Romanesque style notable for the intricate bronze bas-reliefs which adorn its 12th-century doors. For an overview of the city’s beautiful buildings, ascend to the top of the 84-metre-high Torre dei
Lamberti, off Piazza delle Erbe — on a good day you will get a panoramic look at Northern Italy. Can’t tackle 368 steep steps? An elevator will whisk you up. You’d do well to invest in a money-saving Verona Card if you intend to spend a lot of time perusing museums, monuments and churches. A two-day version costs €15 and covers admission to most of the top attractions.
Castel Vecchio
A
5-minute walk west of the Arena on the Via Roma and nestled on the banks of the swift-flowing Adige River, the “Old Castle” is a crenelated fairy tale of brick towers and turrets, protecting the bridge behind it. It was commissioned in 1354 by the Scaligeri warlord Cangrande II to serve the dual role of residential palace and military stronghold. It survived centuries of occupation by the Visconti family, the Serene Republic of Venice, and then Napoleon, only to be destroyed by the Germans during World War II. Its restoration was initiated in 1958 by the acclaimed Venetian architect Carlos Scarpa, and it reopened in 1964. The ground-floor rooms, displaying statues and carvings of the Middle Ages, lead to alleyways, vaulted halls, multileveled floors, and stairs, all
as architecturally arresting as the Venetian masterworks from the 14th to 18th centuries -- notably those by Tintoretto, Tiepolo, Veronese, Bellini, and the Verona-born Pisanello -- found throughout. Don’t miss the large courtyard with the equestrian statue of the warlord Cangrande I, with a peculiar dragon’s head affixed to his back (actually his armor’s helmet, removed from his head and resting behind him). A stroll across the pedestrian bridge behind the castle affords you a fine view of the castle, the Ponte Scaligeri (built in 1355 and also destroyed during World War II; it was reconstructed using the original materials), and the river’s banks.
where Via Roma, on the Adige River site www.comune.verona.it/Castelvecchio/ phone 045-806-2611 hours Mon 1:45-7:30pm; Tues-Sun 8:30am-7:30pm price 2.50€
Basilica di
San
ZENO
T
his is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture in northern Italy, built between the 9th and 12th centuries. Slightly out of the old city’s hub but still easily reached by foot, San Zeno (as it’s often referred to), dedicated to the city’ indow, the Ruota della Fortuna (Wheel of Fortune). This pales in importance compared to the facade below -- two pillars supported by marble lions and massive doors whose 48 bronze panels were sculpted from the 9th to the 11th centuries and are believed to have been some of the first castings in bronze since Roman antiquity. They are among the city’s
most cherished artistic treasures and are worth the trip here even if the church is closed. Not as sophisticated as those that would adorn the Baptistery doors of Florence’s Duomo in the centuries to come, these are like a naive illustration from a children’s book and were meant to educate the illiterate masses with scenes from the Old and New Testaments and the life of San Zeno. They are complemented by the stone bas-reliefs found on either side of the doors, the 12th-century work of Niccolo, who was also responsible for the Duomo’s portal. The 14th-century tower on the left belonged to the former abbey, while the free-standing slender campanile on the right was begun in 1045. The massive interior is filled with 12th- to 14th-century frescoes and crowned by the nave’s ceiling, designed as a wooden ship’s keel. But
the interior’s singular highlight is the famous triptych of the Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints, by Andrea Mantegna (1459), behind the main altar. Napoleon absconded with the beautiful centerpiece -- a showcase for the Paduaborn Mantegna’s sophisticated sense of perspective and architectural detail -- which was eventually returned to Verona, although two side panels stayed behind in the Louvre and in Tours. Look in the small apse to the left of the altar for the colored marble statue of a smiling San Zeno, much loved by the local Veronesi, in an act of blessing.
where Piazza San Zeno site www. chieseverona.it phone 045-592-813 hours Mar-Oct Mon-Sat 8am-6pm, Sun 1-6pm; Nov-Feb Tues-Sat 10am-1pm and 1:20-4pm, Sun 1-5pm price 2.50€
DU O MO
B
egun in the 12th century and not finished until the 17th century, the city’s main church still boasts its original main doors and portal, magnificently covered with low reliefs in the Lombard Romanesque style that are attributed to Niccolo, whose work can be seen at the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore. The church was built upon the ruins of an even more ancient paleo-Christian church dating from the late Roman Empire. Visit the Cappella Nichesola, the first chapel on the left, where Titian’s serene but boldly colorful Assumption of the Virgin is the cathedral’s principal treasure, with an architectural frame by Sansovino (who also designed the choir). Also of interest is the semicircular screen that separates
the altar from the rest of the church, attributed to Sanmicheli. To its right rises the 14th-century tomb of Saint Agatha. The excavations of Sant’Elena church, also in the Duomo complex, reveal a bit of 6th-century mosaic floor; the Baptistery contains a Romanesque font carved with scenes from the Nativity cycle. Don’t leave the area without walking behind the Duomo to the river. Here you’ll find the 13th-century Torre di Alberto della Scala tower and nearby Ponte della Pietra bridge, the oldest Roman monument in Verona. There has been a crossing at this point of the river since Verona’s days as a 1stcentury Roman stronghold when the Teatro Romano was built on the river’s northern banks and the Arena at its hub.
“
Duomo Santa Maria Matricolare, is a fantastic mix of Romanesque and Gothic elements, a truely masterpiece of the Veronese religious architecture
where Piazza Duomo site www. chieseverona.it phone 045-592-813 hours Mar-Oct Mon-Sat 10am-5:30pm, Sun 1:30-5:30pm; Nov-Feb Tue-Sat 10am-1pm and 1:30-4pm, Sun 1-5pm price 2.50€
TEATRO RO
OMANO
T
he oldest extant Roman monument in Verona dates from the time of Augustus, when the Arena was built and Verona was a strong Roman outpost at the crossroads of the Empire’s ancient north-south, east-west highways. There is something almost surreal about attending an open-air
performance of Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona or Romeo and Juliet here -- even if you can’t understan rs as the site itself) housed in a lovely old monastery is included in the ticket price. On Sunday (only), the promenade is open to the public.
where Via Rigaste Redentore site www.comune.verona.it phone 045-800-0360 hours Mon 1:30-6:45pm; Tues-Sun 8:30am-6:45pm; during theater season 9am-3pm price 1€
L
T
he bestpreserved Roman amphitheater in the world and the best known in Italy after Rome’s Colosseum, the elliptical Arena was built in a slightly pinkish marble in the 1st century A.D. and stands in the very middle of town, with the Piazza Brà on its southern flank. Built to accommodate more than 20,000 people (outdone by Rome’s contender that could seat more than twice that), it is in remarkable shape today (despite a 12thc. earthquake that left only four arches of the outer ring standing), beloved testimony to the pride and wealth of Verona and its populace. Its acoustics (astoundingly good
for an open-air venue) have survived the millennia and make it one of the most fascinating venues for live performances today, conducted without microphones. If you’re in town during the summer opera performances in July and August, do everything possible to procure a ticket for any of the outdoor evening performances. Even operachallenged audience members will take home the memory of a lifetime. Other events, such as orchestral concerts, are staged here whenever the weather permits. Check with the tourist office for more information. The cluster of outdoor cafes and trattorie/pizzerias on the western side of the Piazza Brà line a wide marble esplanade called Il Liston; they stay open long after the opera performances end. Enjoy some serious post-opera people-watching here.
L’ARENA Milan’s La Scala or Parma’s Teatro Regio may offer performances more likely to attract serious opera fans, but none offers a greater spectacle than the Arena di Verona.
where Piazza Brà site www.arena.it phone 045-800-3204 hours Mon 1:30-7:30pm; Tues-Sun 8:30am-7:30pm July-Aug summer opera season 9am-3:30pm price 6€, 4€ for students and 1€ for
VIA MAZZINI Verona’s cool and ellegant beating heart
“A man who has not been in Verona, is always conscious of his sadness, from his not having seen what it is expected a man should see about beauty�
_ITALIAN _STREETART
BELLEARTI
the Italian street art scene has achieved an European reputation by the early years of this decade, with the emergence of three scenes related to Milan, Bologna and Rome. The first of the three focuses on a massification of interventions to intercept an audience as possible, with decorations of small and medium sizes, always in great contrast with the municipality and the city government. The second has instead developed a style that makes every massive decoration rather than a serial tight interventions through the streets, passing sometimes overshadowed by a disused factories and metropolitan areas. Rome has its importance with regard to the stencil technique, thanks to Sten & Lex, active since 2001 and considered one of the pioneers of the “Stencil Graffiti� in Italian. Milanese protagonists of this movement, intended for their relevance to the wide public and not necessarily insiders, are the pop artist Bros and street poet Ivan Tresoldi, and Ozmo, who proposed the first-level interventions national in 1999, Pao and his penguin
panettone, illustrarocker TvBoy. Of the Bolognese school, as well as particularly meaningful with reference to the stylistic experiences and practices mentioned above, are Blue, street artist and video maker now world-famous, Ericailcane, whose imaginary hybrid humans and animals led him to also be one of the most known Italian street artist in the world, and Eron, active in the nineties between Rimini and Bologna was voted the best street artists from the Italian magazine AL magazine and has exhibited his work in museums and galleries in mondo.Importante mention the duo of artists nut and Stefy thanks to their past experience in the world of writing ours. In the late 2000s, the movement took different paths and is now partly institutionalized in the report in collaboration with the municipalities with which often cooperates with museums, galleries and large corporations. In recent years street art is evolving and very close to the now painted form, we are proposing different forms of street art. Banksy, with his work in various museums showed that street art can also work on the city not only with graffiti but also with various interventions.
street artist pastel _Florence
street artist mural painting _Riomaggiore | Liguria
street artist grafitti _Vicenza
MODERN EXPLORER’S ULTIMATE GUIDE
the
n r e d o m r e l l e v a r t Intrepid. Curious. Dynamic. Fast. Easy going. Connected. A dreamer that
makes it happens. The world is small. Everything is interesting. Come and go. A contemporary trailblazer. Enjoys to meet people. Takes a coffe anywhere just to hear the natives talking. Tastes a glass of wine or a burning cachaça. Walks through dark alleys and over the suggestive Venetian bridges. Fears no losts in wineyards or forests paths. Envolves himself among a strange football club fans an sing their proud chants. Explores castles, museums, shops and someone dinner room with the same passion. Well, the modern traveller is anyone who walks through the world’s ways. You and me.
LETTERS, PHOTOGRAMS & ETC
ALBUMS
“has transcended limitations and genres while maintaining his unmistakable voice”
“Turn Blue finds the Black Keys getting deep with themselves in several ways”
“That labyrinthine style create a sound that is utterly sui generis out of step”
B
T
C
ox sets this colossal should come with
roadmaps. At 34 discs, the
his may be a weird statement to make about
hosen Lords not only
From his beginnings in 1990
marks the exclamation
as Italy’s humble answer to
point on the project, it
Bruce Springsteen’s everyman
set will surely intimidate the
popular rock bands, but the
comprises James’ first
arena-sized rock, Ligabue
novice listener. In today’s
Black Keys are survivors.
proper full-length record
has never drastically altered
ADD world, being presented
The majority of the duo’s
since Drukqs. While this
his formula. Amazingly, as
with nearly two decades of
colleagues from the early
is basically a sequenced
stereotypical as the formula
material can be paralyzing,
2000s have since called it
highlights package picked
may sound, with the right
especially if the listener’s
quits, but the workmanlike
from the Analord bounty, the
songs and the right charisma
inclination is to absorb the
Akron boys Dan Auerbach
accompanying press release
it still packs a wallop every
music chronologically. The
and Patrick Carney kept
insists it was the full-length
single time. Such is exactly the
upswing, though, is that
their heads down, dutifully
James always intended to
case with Arrivederci, Mostro!,
Hancock’s musical trajectory
churning out gutshot blues-
release. Even if everything
Ligabue’s long-awaited new
during his Columbia run
pop mimicry that carried just
here is already familiar to
album after 2005’s superb
wasn’t stuck in one stylistic
enough of a punch to establish
Analord watchers, it’s a
Nome e Cognome. At least half
lane. Instead, it crisscrossed
them as, at the least, a reliable
welcome return. Boasting 10
the album faultlessly recycles
between such idiomatic routes
stadium-act opening band.
tracks and close to an hour
the recipe described above,
as white-knuckle postbop,
Then: worldwide financial
of music, this comprises
including the three-song take-
Afro-futuristic jazz-funk,
turmoil struck, the buying
some of the busiest and most
no-prisoners opening salvo
roller-skate boogie and hip-
public went from purchasing
idea-packed music from the
of “Quando Canterai la Tua
hop-flavored techno. this
few records to no records at all,
Analord set. Bookended by the
Canzone,” “La Linea Sottile,”
set offers a lot of entrances
dance music infiltrated pop’s
insect electro of “Fenix Funk
and “Nel Tempo”; the first
into Hancock’s fascinating
consciousness, and guitars
5” and the sprawling jitterfunk
single, “Un Colpo All’Anima”;
pathways.
were, prophetically, exchanged
of “XMD 5a”. Chosen Lords
and the terrific closer, “Il
for turntables (or, in keeping
consists mainly of wobbly acid
Meglio Deve Ancora Venire.”
with recent trends, MPCs).
techno and dark IDM.
45 minutes US$ 6.90 - mp3 download
Album 40’22’’ - 10 tracks US$ 58.00
Box set with 34 albums US$ 179.00
one of North America’s most
“A proof that Ligabue is celebrating 20 years at the top game.”
368 pages US$ 10.80
BOOKS
“It is forbidden to spit on the swimmers.’ Don’t go to Venice without it.”
“A delightful travelogue in the unique style of one of the greatest writers”
“A swift and brilliant synthesis of finance, politics, and history.”
“Fascinating and envolving.”
I
I
B
T
n 2010, the 50th anniversary of the first publication of
Venice is celebrated one of
n 1844, Charles Dickens took a break from novel
writing to travel through Italy
efore they achieved renown as patrons of
the arts and de facto rulers
hey had met and married on perilously
short acquaintance, she an
the finest travel books on the
for almost a year and Pictures
of Florence, the Medici
American chef and food
worlds most famous tourist
from Italy is an illuminating
family earned their fortune
writer, he a Venetian banker.
destination! Written as James
account of his experiences
in banking. But even at the
Now they were taking another
Morris, this book has been
there. He presents the country
height of the Renaissance,
audacious leap, unstitching
slightly updated without
like a magic-lantern show, as
charging interest of any kind
their ties with exquisite
disturbing its period flavour,
vivid images ceaselessly appear
meant running afoul of the
Venice to live in a roughly
and is being celebrated by
before his - and his readers’
Catholic Church’s ban on
renovated stable in Tuscany.
Faber, the book publisher.
- eyes. Italy’s most famous
usury. Tim Parks reveals
Once again, it was love at first
In the intervening years, Jan
sights are all to be found here
how the legendary Medicis—
sight. Love for the timeless
Morris has proved to be one of
- St Peter’s in Rome, Naples
Cosimo and Lorenzo “the
countryside and the ancient
the finest observers of history
with Vesuvius smouldering in
Magnificent” in particular—
village of San Casciano dei
seen through contemporary
the background, the fairytale
used the diplomatic, military,
Bagni, for the local vintage
eyes, with a string of superbly
buildings and canals of Venice
and even metaphysical tools
and the magnificent cooking,
written books, including
- but Dickens’s chronicle is
at hand, along with a healthy
for the Tuscan sky and the
the trilogy on the British
not simply that of a tourist.
dose of intrigue and wit, to
friendly church bells. Love
Empire. Venice is perhaps his
Avoiding preconceptions
further their fortunes as well
especially for old Barlozzo,
supreme achievement though,
and stereotypes, he portrays
as their family’s standing.
the village mago, who escorts
and remains, for many, the
a nation of great contrasts.
the newcomers to Tuscany’s
best book on a city without
Combining thrilling
seasonal festivals. The story
compare. To be heard on the
travelogue with piercing social
is set in one of the most
way to Venice, whilst there,
commentary, Pictures from
beautiful places on earth–and
and on return.
Italy is a revealing depiction of
tucked into its fragrant corners
an exciting journey.
are luscious recipes.
337 pages US$ 14.00
272 pages US$ 25.00
288 pages US$ 9.00
368 pages US$ 11.00
MOVIES
“Peel off the charm and glamour that attach themselves to screen portrayals of gangsters”
T
he film, following the book upon which it
is based, portrays events
“Hit funny film gives Italy chance to close north-south divide”
A
frustrated postal manager Alberto is
S
built across the Mediterranean in Tunisia. The movie covers some 50 or 60 years, from the late 1920s until the 1980s, in the lives of three generations of a peasant family: the spirited shepherd Ciccio, his
till most celebrated for
son Peppino who becomes a
his Oscar-winning Nuovo
Communist party stalwart
Cinema Paradiso, Tornatore
and his grandson Pietro. The
identifiably similar to actual
city of his dreams, Milan, but
returns to his native Sicily,
movie is about love, marriage,
historical ones; for example,
is banished instead to a hole-in
setting for his best films,
growing up and growing old,
the Scampia feud. In the
the-wall branch in the south.
film’s credits, the filmmakers
So terrified is the family of
thank the districts of Scampia
“down under” that Alberto’s
and Torre del Greco, as
wife stays behind with their
well as the Carabinieri of
son. Alberto arrives in a tiny
nearby Boscoreale: these
town by the sea near Naples in
three suburban areas around
a bulletproof vest and armed
the Bay of Naples feature
with typical northern Italian
cityscapes appropriate for
clichés about the south – it’s
filming this story. The scene at
unbearably hot, dirty and
the truck stop where Pasquale
full of thieves and killers. Of
sees Scarlett Johansson on
course, he’s won over by the
TV wearing one of the tailor’s
warm and friendly locals,
dresses is based on a portion
especially the postman and
of the book where Angelina
a postal clerk, who harbor a
with a sentimental epic
poverty and exploitation, the
Jolie wore a counterfeit dress
secret love for one another and
accompanied by a soupily
Mafia, agrarian reform, the
to the Oscars.
who teach Alberto some of the
commonplace Morricone
rise and fall of fascism, the
impregnable local dialect.
score. With a vast cast, it’s
conflict between communism
shot on a gigantic recreation
and Catholicism, the weight
of his home town of Bagheria
of traditions. Baaría has its
(known to locals as Baaría)
charming moments.
137 minutes 2008
looking for a transfer to the
“A swift and brilliant synthesis of finance, politics, and history.”
106 minutes 2010
160 minutes 2009