Torcello

13 Monday May 2024

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Travel, Travel tips

Tags

Daytrips from Venezia, Locanda Cipriani, Risotto di go', Torcellum, Venetian lagoon, Veneto, Venice

The first time I visited tiny Torcello was with my family in 1984. We were staying with family friends in Mestre and their daughter had just gotten married there. One look at her wedding photos and all 9 of us set off on the vaporetto to Torcello for lunch the next morning!

The Romans called it ‘Torcellum’ meaning tower to the sky. Torcello was the first of the Venetian lagoon islands to be populated in 452 after the fall of the Roman Empire, by refugees from Altino fleeing the mainland from Hun invasions. They brought the relics of their patron saint, San Heliodorus with them. Torcello had a cathedral and Bishop before San Marco was even built. Santa Maria Assunta built in 638 is the oldest parish in the lagoon and was the Bishop’s official seat for over 1000 years.

Pre medieval Torcello was a more powerful trade center than Venezia, having close trade ties with Constantinople and Ravenna. In the 10^th century, the population was >10,000. Hard to imagine on 441 m², but it sounds like there was more available land at that time. Commercial activity included fishing, glass making, and export of salt, fruit, wine and even cucumbers.

As Venezia’s prosperity increased in the 15^th century, silting and swamping of Torcello made navigating the ‘laguna morta’ impossible. This led to malaria and depopulation. It was slowly abandoned for Murano, Burano and Venezia-even the bishop was moved to Murano. Most of the 12 churches, cloisters, a monastery and palazzi were looted over time for building materials. The full-time population of Torcello is now 11, including the parish priest.

Torcello is a lovely sanctuary from the crowds, and an opportunity to see the original Venezia. Strada della Rosina connects the pier to the main piazza along a canal. On the right is Ponte del Diavolo, a bridge without parapets (railings). There are several versions of a legend about the ponte, regarding a young couple in love, a witch and the devil. You will pass all the restaurants on the way to Piazza Santa Fosca. The Basilica Santa Fosca is an 11^th century Byzantine church in the form of a Greek cross. Byzantine architecture is one of my favourites, and this one is a gem with a gorgeous interior. It was built to house the remains of Santa Fosca da Ravenna.

Next door is Santa Maria Assunta which was rebuilt in 1008 and has incredible Venetian Byzantine mosaics. The 11^th century Campanile is open 10-17:30 for views over Torcello, Burano, and the lagoon. Admission to the campanile is €6. The Torcello museo is in the former council chambers, admission €3.

Venetian Byzantine mosaics Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello

Aironi and fenicotteri rosa (herons and pink flamingos) can be seen in the marshes from March to September at Casa Museo Andrich-an artist home, museum, nature reserve and educational farm garden. Admission €12. To get there, when getting off the vaporetto, instead of going straight to Strada della Rosina, turn left. I have not been here, but it sounds nice if you have the time.

Torcello is a great place to eat! Local specialties include risotto di gò, made with a small local fish-also called risotto alla Buranella, moeche-a soft shell crab, baccalà mantecato, and carciofi Sant’Erasmo in spring. The first place after the pier is the informal Taverna Tipica Veneziana, a shack in a field with picnic tables serving a limited but yummy local menu.

At Osteria al Ponte del Diavolo (closed Monday), I had a simple radicchio and balsamico salad here with an amazing glass of vino bianco, Torcellum from the golden Dorona grape, which was almost extinct. Unfortunately, the island only produces enough grapes to supply the local restaurants with wine.

Ristorante Villa ‘600 (closed Wednesday) an old 17^th century farmhouse and gardens. This is where my family had seafood risotto in 1984! I still have the receipt!

Ristorante Al Trono d’ Attila (closed Monday) I believe this is where the 1984 wedding reception was held!

The Locanda Cipriani (the same Cipriani as in Harry’s Bar) is a five room upscale resort and restaurant on Torcello since 1935. In 1948, Ernest Hemingway wrote ‘Across the River and into the Trees’ here. Celebrities and royalty have been known to stay here. The restaurant is not as pricey as one would expect.Do not miss the last vaporetto, as there are only 2 places to stay on Torcello- Locanda Cipriani and Bed and Breakfast Ca’ Torcello! There are also 2 places to stay on Burano and 1 on Mazzorbo-which is connected to Burano by a bridge. On the weekends, restaurants can be open till 2300, which is after vaporetto hours. Water taxi back to Venezia is very expensive. Oh and in case you are wondering, there is no shopping on Torcello!

Torcello 1984

Torcello is 10km away from Venezia and accessible from Burano via a 10 minute vaporetto ride daily from 0800-2000. Let me know if any of you have been to Torcello!

Burano

11 Thursday Apr 2024

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Daytrips from Venezia, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Venetian lagoon, Veneto, Venezia

Burano, an island in the north end of the Venetian lagoon, is one of the most colourful places in the world. It is known for merletto (lace) and houses painted in bright contrasting colours. Burano is only 210 m² with a population of 2,800. That is a lot of people for such a tiny place- 13,000 per km². Burano is actually made up of 4 islands separated by 3 canals and connected by bridges. The highest elevation is only 1m! There are no cars-not even for residents, since there are no roads! Burano is part of the city of Venezia, 7 km away.

Burano was settled in the 6^th century by residents of Altino fleeing invaders. They called the island Boreana because it faces north. In the 16^th Century, women on the island started making intricate lace with needles from Cyprus. The lace trade was booming until the 18^th Century, then revived in 1872 with the opening of the Scuola del Merletto (school of lacemaking). I remember when I first visited Burano in 1994, women sat outside their homes doing lacework. There are not many lacemakers now. It is extremely time consuming to make, and as a result, incredibly expensive. Many of the lace works, especially the larger pieces, are machine made imitations, many of them from China.

Emilia Burano, Via Galuppi 1994

For authentic Burano lace, try La Perla Gallery, or Emilia Burano Via San Martino Sinistro 376, and 205 just off Via Galuppi. Handmade monogrammed fazzoletti (handkerchiefs) start at €49.

Houses on Burano have been brightly painted since the 15^th Century. This was common in fishing communities so that fishermen out on the water could find their way home in the fog. Burano is still a working fishing island, although the primary economy is now tourism. An official government request must be sent in to paint a home on Burano as there is a system to the colour scheme. The response lists the colours allowed for that particular site! No 2 houses side by side can be the same colour.

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi is the only piazza on Burano. The church of San Martino Vescovo has a 53m high leaning campanile and a 1727 Crucifixion by Tiepolo. The piazza also has the Museo del Merletto, which has examples of 16^th and 17^th century lace as well as a 6^th Century Istrian stone well, shops, and the comune (town hall).Burano is a photographer’s dream with the rainbow houses, laundry hanging, fishing boats, canals and narrow streets. It is hard to take a bad shot! The wooden Tre Ponti bridge is a great selfie spot. My usual advice would be to just wander and get lost, but Burano is too small to even get lost on! A quick walk around the island only takes about half an hour.

Explore the quieter side streets, browse the shops and have lunch along one of the canals. Being a fishing island, the seafood is exceptional. Try take out fritto misto, assorted fried fish in a paper cone, or the family run Trattoria Al Gatto Nero. a reservation-even in October!

Visit Burano if you are in Venezia for more than 2 days, or if it is not your first visit. Burano and Torcello make a nice daytrip. The busiest time on Burano is from 11am-3pm. Not many visitors stay overnight, but apparently the sunset is gorgeous.

View of Burano from the campanile di Santa Maria Assunta, Torcello

With an ACTV Vaporetto (Venetian water bus) €25 day pass, you can go to 2 of the islands, then cruise around Venezia when you get back. Burano is 45 min by vaporetto #14 (SZ-Lido-Burano) from San Zaccaria, near Piazza San Marco, in front of Hotel Danieli. Vaporetto #12 from Fondamente Nove A goes to Murano and Burano. From Burano, the #9 vaporetto is a 10 minute ride to Torcello. There are also many organized daytrips to the lagoon islands.

For those of you who love this colourful island as much as I do, there is a 2022 trilogy of Hallmark movies about a Burano lace wedding veil bought by 3 friends at an antique store. In the second movie, one of them takes the veil to Burano to find out its history. The family run shop in the movie is based on Emilia Burano, the one in my 1994 photo!

Burano canal 1994

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Venezia~La Serenissima

25 Monday Mar 2024

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Architecture, Art history, Italia, Photography

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Acqua alta, Grand Canal Venice, Italy travel tips, Overtourism, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Veneto, Venice

La Serenissima turns 1603 today! Venezia, a geographically unique engineering marvel, is built on a group of 118 tiny islands in the Venetian lagoon. They are separated by open water and 170 canals, linked by over 400 footbridges. Named after the ancient Veneti people of the 10^th Century BC, Venezia was founded March 25, 421 by refugees from the Roman cities of Padua, Aquilea and Treviso, and the surrounding countryside fleeing Longobard and Hun invasions. They first settled on the sandy islands of Torcello and Jesolo. The land of the islands in the lagoon was muddy, some of it barely above water, and not suitable to build on. Millions of wooden poles or pilings were submerged into the mud and sand to reach the solid layer of earth underneath. The pilings were covered with wooden boards to form the base that the city was built on. Since there was no forest in the area, the wood came from Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro.

Venezia was the capital of the Venetian Republic for almost a century, from 810 until 1797 when it was defeated by Napoleon. In 1866, along with the rest of the Veneto region, it became part of the Kingdom of Italy. The title ‘La Serenissima’ refers to its stability as a government compared to others at the time. Venezia was a wealthy city for most of its history, especially the 13^th-17^th centuries. It was as an influential financial and maritime power and important center of art, commerce, and trade of silk, grain and spices between East and West. This east/west connection is apparent in the art and architecture of the city. The Venetian Lagoon and historical parts of the city within the lagoon became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. The population of Venezia is now about 55,000 and the PATREVE (Padua, Treviso, Venezia) metro area has a population of 2.6 million.

I have been to Venezia 5 times and my most recent visit was following an unintentional 28 year absence! I still remember stepping out of Stazione Santa Lucia the first time, and immediately being filled with wonder and awe at the view. That part hasn’t changed a bit since 1980. This time I was there for 3 days in early October but the weather was like summer. So were the crowds! It was unbelievable how many people were in the streets and waiting in lines! Someone forgot to tell everyone it was not July! I also noted much more expensive it was than the rest of Italia. When I saw the lineups for everything in Piazza San Marco-even for those with reservations, I decided to concentrate on exploring outside. I enjoyed the beautiful weather and only visited a few places that were new to me. I definitely want to see the incredible interior of Basilica San Marco and the 4 Cavalli again, but will wait for a rainy day!

Signore in piazza, Cannareggio

Venezia is shaped like a fish and there are 6 sestieri or neighbourhoods:

Santa Croce the west end ‘mouth’ of the fish is the transportation hub, with the bus and train stations, harbour of San Basilio, and parking garage in Piazzale Roma.
San Marco is the touristy center with Piazza San Marco and Rialto
Dorsoduro is the trendy Southeastern area across Canal Grande and includes Giudecca, Piazza and Ponte Accademia, Collezione Peggy Guggenheim and Santa Maria della Salute
San Polo across the Ponte Rialto, is the oldest sestiere and includes Rialto fruit and fish mercato
Cannareggio the most northern area is less crowded and touristy, more of the ‘real’ Venezia. It includes the Jewish quarter. It is picturesque and the best place to get lost among the calli (streets)
Castello the eastern ‘tail’ of the fish and largest sestiere is host to the Biennale in the Arsenale Naval base
Calcio in Castello

Main things to see and do:Wander aimlessly, get lost and explore! Venezia is a photographer’s paradise, a walkable city and many of the sights are clustered. Walk from Piazzale Roma to Piazza San Marco (40 min-1 hour), explore the ponti (bridges) and narrow calle (streets) look for cisterne (rainwater collection wells), walk along Riva degli Schiavoni to see the gondole bobbing up and down in the water and stop for cicchetti (Venetian snacks).

Cruise Canal Grande. Buy a Vaporetto pass and explore the Canal Grande from the water. Get on in front of Stazione Santa Lucia and cruise to San Marco or vice versa. Canal Grande is S shaped and lined with ~170 majestic palazzi, buildings from the 13-18^th Many of them are fondaco houses, meaning the ground floor was a warehouse and merchants lived on the upper floors with their families. 3 of my favourite palazzi are the Fondaco dei Turchi, the Venetian Gothic Ca’ d’Oro, and Palazzo Dario, which is funky because it started out Gothic but was renovated in Renaissance style. I love to spot interesting boats… the ambulance boat, the dry-cleaning delivery boat, etc.

Piazza San Marco is the main piazza in Venezia and is full of things to see. The multi domed Basilica is at the east end, and the rest is lined with arcades. These were once homes and offices, now shops and restaurants. In the piazza is a 4.5m bronze winged lion, the symbol of San Marco and the Venetian Republic. It is on top of Egyptian granite column brought here in the 12^th Napoleon moved it to Paris but it was returned in 1815. Torre dell’Orologio, the clocktower dates back to the 15^th Century.

Torre dell’Orologio 1980

Visit Basilica San Marco, built in the 9^th century and enlarged in 1063. Over 8 centuries, golden mosaics and other treasures were added. The exterior is magnificent, with a combination of Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic features. The Western side has mosaic archways while the Southern side has gothic adornments. The Interior has 8000 m² of golden mosaics. Gold leaf is sandwiched between 2 layers of glass tile, giving an illumination effect. The evening tour is apparently spectacular as it is lit up. The Cavalli di San Marco, 4 magnificent ancient Greek bronze horses were brought from Constantinople in 1204. Since 1974, replicas are on the terrace above the entrance, and the originals are inside. They need their own blog post! Admission €3 onsite, €6 online in advance. Extra €5 to see Pala d’oro altar piece and Cavalli. Open 0930—1715, 1400-1715 Sundays. Note….even if booked online, you still have to arrive early and wait in lineups for security.

Palazzo Ducale-Venetian Gothic style former residence of the Doges and Palazzo di Giustizia (courthouse) next to Basilica San Marco. It is now a museum. Cross Ponte dei Sospiri (bridge of sighs) to see prisoners’ last view on their way to execution. Admission €25 Open 0900-1800 daily

Climb Campanile-Take the elevator to the top of the belltower for amazing views. Reservations are booked for a specific time slot €10 Euro, €12 online. May be closed during maltempo-bad weather.

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim Former home of the heiress, now a museum of modern art in the Dorsoduro area. Take a €2 traghetto gondola ride across Canal Grande from San Marco or walk across Ponte dell’ Accademia. Admission €16 open 1000-1800 Closed Tuesdays. Read my post here.Santa Maria della Salute the Baroque church at the entrance to Canal Grande next to Punta della Dogana, has been immortalized by artists Canaletto, Sargent, Turner and Monet. The octagonal church made of Istrian stone has 2 domes and 2 bell towers in the back. Built in 1687 to celebrate the end of the plague (black death) that killed 1/3 of the population. Santa Maria della Salute means ‘Our Lady of Good Health’.

Entrance to the Basilica is free, climb steps to the cupola €4 Open 0900-1200 and 1500-1730. Cupola closed Mondays. Take the ‘ferry gondola’ across from Piazza San Marco for €2. Nov 21 is the Festa della Salute featuring a parade from San Marco to La Salute over a pontoon bridge.

Ponte dell’ Accademia walk over the old wooden bridge for the best views of Canal Grande

Ponte Rialto a covered footbridge lined with shops has great views from both sides. It is the oldest of 4 bridges that span the Canal Grande. The original was built in 1173 and it was rebuilt several times. The present bridge was built in 1591.

Gondola ride Ponte Rialto 1995

Ride in a gondola Gondolas are unique, symbolic of Venezia and have been a means of transport on waterways here for over 10 Centuries, so you really do need to do this! Gondola rides are usually €80 for a 30-40 minute ride and €100 in the evening. If this is not in your budget, or you are travelling solo like me, there are inexpensive traghetti, or gondola ferries you can take with others to cross to the other side of Canal Grande for € Best deal in town! Look for the green ‘traghetti’ sign. There is now a special dock at Piazzale Roma for those with mobility issues to safely get into a gondola.Scala Contarini del Bovolo Cool external 26 m multi arch spiral staircase near Piazza San Marco. It was added to the palazzo in 1499. View of rooftops, the Campanile, the cupole of San Marco and La Salute. €8 admission Open 1000-1800 daily.

La Fenice The opera house was well named! Like the Phoenix it has risen from the ashes after being destroyed by fire 3 times, most recently in 1996. It was reopened in 2003. Admission €12 including audioguide tour. Open 0900-1800

Visit the islands Take the vaporetto to Murano, Burano, Torcello, Lido and San Giorgio Maggiore.

Terrazza Fondaco dei Tedeschi (T Fondaco). Tedeschi are Germans. This was the German merchants’ warehouse, then the post office, now a luxury department store. It is at the foot of Ponte Rialto, northwest end. The rooftop terrace has panoramic views over Canal Grande. Open daily 1015-1800. Entrance is free, reservations are required and the timeslot is only 15 minutes. Reservations must be made on their website.

Feste: Venezia has feste all year round, most of them involve gondola races!

January 6^th Regatta delle Befane-50 rowing club members dress up as La Befana and race from San Tomà to Ponte Rialto, where the finish line is a giant stocking hanging from the bridge!
February-Carnevale the 10 days before Ash Wednesday (22 Feb -4 Mar in 2025).
March 25^th anniversary of Venezia and festa of the Annunciation
Biennale d’Arte held even years. 20 April-24 Nov, 2024
April 25 Festa di San Marco, patron Saint of Venezia
May-1^st since the 11th Century, the Sunday after Ascension Day is Sensa, the marriage of Venezia with the sea
May-Vogalonga, a non-competitive 30Km rowing celebration between canals and the islands. A peaceful protest against damage due to waves from motorboats.
July-the 3^rd Sunday Redentore Fireworks July 20-21, 2024
Late August/early Sept Venice Film Festival on Lido di Venezia Aug 28-Sept7, 2024
September, 1^st Sunday Regatta Storica
October Venice Marathon Oct 24, 2004 38^th annual
November 21 Salute Celebration. Feast of Santa Maria della Salute celebrating the end of the devastating Black plague that killed 1/3 of population
December 7^th-lighting of tree in Piazzetta San Marco
December-Mercatino di Natale in Dorsoduro

Getting there and around:The main airport Marco Polo is 10 km away. Ryanair and some other budget airlines use Treviso airport 40 km away. An airport express bus takes you to Piazzale Roma in half an hour for €10. Then walk or take vaporetto to hotel. Alilaguna waterbus is €15 and has several stops. Shared watertaxi is €35 per person with several stops along the 1 hour route. Private watertaxi is much more expensive.

Train-Stazione Santa Lucia in Santa Croce area. Walk or take vaporetto to hotel. Car parking garage ‘Tronchetto parking’ in Piazzale Roma has a capacity of 4500 cars

Actv Vaporetto is a waterbus and an affordable way to sightsee. Also used by residents to get around and get to work. Single ticket one way €9.50, daypass €25. Passes for 2, 3 and 7 days are also available. It is not necessary to buy these in advance. With my daypass, I cruised to San Marco, then took another vaporetto at San Zaccaria (in front of Hotel Danieli) to Burano and Torcello.

Venezia is a one of the most visited destinations in the world, with over 20 million tourists per year. It is crowded, more expensive than anywhere else in Italia, and struggling with the effects of overtourism. Acqua Alta, high water flooding happens in late autumn to early spring. Usually predictable and lasts only a few hours. Read my post on MOSE.

Cannareggio

I have talked about the crowds, the lines, the expense….but do not let that put you off. There is nowhere else like Venezia with its intricate maze of waterways, art, and unique architecture. Around every corner is another magical scene. The entire city is an extraordinary masterpiece, so I definitely recommend visiting. It can be compared to Santorini, which is crowded and expensive, but incredibly unique and historically rich. My recommendation is to stay 3-4 days. In 2022, only 3.2 million visitors out of 30 million stayed overnight.

As of June 1, 2024, in an effort to decrease the effects of mass tourism, regulate huge crowds and improve life for local residents, Venezia will be trialing a €5 entry charge. Residents, commuters, students and children under 14 will be exempt, as well as anyone who has booked an overnight stay. Personally, I think the entry fee is too low to be effective. Constant maintenance to prevent more water damage is expensive. Tour groups will also be limited to 25 people (=½ the capacity of a bus) and loudspeakers are banned(yeah!!!). Cruise ships have been banned from the lagoon since 2021 after threats from UNESCO to put it on the endangered list. That is the UNESCO equivalent to ‘the naughty list’!

Hope you all make it to Venezia at some point! Buon viaggio, Cristina

**Photo credits: 1995 Lucia and Donato on honeymoon taken by unknown gondolier. All other photos by me!

Ostia Antica

27 Tuesday Feb 2024

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art history, Italia, Roma, Travel

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

Ancient Roma, Archeology, Daytrips from Roma, Italian history, Lazio, Roma, Roman walks

Ostia Antica, 30 km southwest of Rome was once a thriving town and commercially important seaport. It is now a well-preserved archeological site and at 150 hectares, one of the largest archeological parks in Europe. Founded in 620 BC to harvest sea salt at the ‘ostium’ or mouth of the Tevere (Tiber River), Ostia Antica was Rome’s first colony, a naval base and main ancient seaport. With a population of 60,000 in the 2^nd and 3^rdcenturies AD, it was the hub for import of grain, olive oil, wine, marble, cloth and other goods destined for Rome.

Originally located on the coast, Ostia Antica is now 3 km inland. After the fall of Rome and barbarian raids, the port was neglected and the harbour eventually silted up. It was completely abandoned in the 9^th century AD. Sand dunes and mud covered the city, helping to preserve the ruins and mosaics for us like a time capsule from Ancient Rome.

Ostia Antica was a working class port city, as opposed to Pompeii, which was a resort getaway and playground for the rich and famous. The ruins provide insight into regular, daily life in Ancient Rome and give us a sense of urban planning for the time. There are well preserved cobbled streets, magnificent mosaics, temples, shops, apartment buildings, warehouses, private homes, public baths, warehouses, taverns, inns, a public laundry, theater and even a firefighting service. The earliest identified synagogue in Western Europe (41-54 AD) was discovered in 1961.

Excavation started in the early 19^thCentury, but most of it was done from 1938-1942. Only 40% of the site has been excavated! There is a lot to see in Ostia Antica. Here are some of the highlights:

Thermopolium di Via di Diana Thermopolium is Greek for ‘place where hot food is sold’. A 3^rd C ancient fast-food joint and wine bar with windows that open out onto the street and a marble take-out counter, long table to serve hot food, shelves and a courtyard with a fountain for outdoor dining. Amphorae with cheap wine were stored under the counter. A large fresco ‘menu’ on one wall shows a plate with carrots and beans, a glass of wine, a jar of olives and large onions or pomegranates.
Customers likely topped their food with an ancient condiment called Garum. It was a pungent rotten fish sauce and makes ketchup sound appetizing. On the side of the Thermopolium is a single gated public toilet!

Mulino di Silvano A multiroom bakery built in 120 AD. One room has 3 intact lava millstones for grinding the grain into flour, one for kneading the flour into dough and another still has the ovens for baking the loaves. The bread was sold on site and also transported to sell in Rome.

Teatro Ostia’s semicircular theater survives in excellent condition. Built in the first century BC and expanded later, it is one of the oldest masonry theaters in the world. It can seat 4,000 spectators and is still used for summer concerts.

Public Baths There are several public baths in Ostia. The Baths of Neptune have incredibly preserved mosaic floors of Neptune and sea creatures. We can thank the mud that covered them for centuries! These are often covered up in the winter to protect from the harsh weather.

Public toilets A fine example of Roman plumbing. The toilets consist of a communal marble bench along 3 walls with 20 seats. Each seat had a hole leading down towards a single drain channel fed with running water to flush away waste. Since toilet paper was not a thing yet, a sea sponge attached to a stick was kept in a bucket of saltwater or vinegar for patrons of the toilets to wipe themselves. Yuck!

Piazzale delle Corporazioni (Piazza of the Corporations/Guilds) Located behind the theater, the piazza is a large open air market square with stalls along all 4 sides. Merchants and craftsmen from all over the Mediterranean sold their goods.A small metal model of the piazzale has descriptions written in Braille and Italian.The beautiful black and white mosaics in front of the stalls advertised the goods or services being sold. Stalls included shipbuilders, ropemakers, leather tanners, sailmakers, grain and wine importers, as well as fish and food products. One of the stalls with fish mosaics likely sold the pungent Garum fish gut sauce!

Casa di Diana A complex multifunction residential building -urban planning centuries ahead of its time. Called an insula, this multilevel apartment has ground floor shops, accommodation for the shopkeepers on the 1^stfloor and more modest accommodation on the upper floors. A 150 AD painting of Diana was found inside. It is possible to climb the stairs of other insulae to get to the upper floors.

A visit to Ostia Antica is a nice, half day trip from Roma, although it can be a whole day excursion if you explore more of the huge site and have lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. Ostia Antica is grossly under visited, so it is never crowded! Bring water, a hat, sunscreen and good walking shoes.

Open Tues to Sat 8:30-4:30 in winter 8:30- 7 pm in summer. Admission fee is €18. Free admission the first Sunday of the month. Tickets can be booked online on the official website . A PDF guide can also be downloaded from the website. The museum is worth seeing, but is closed at present.

Getting there by public transportation is easy and cheap: Take Metro line B (Blue line) to San Paolo (or Piramide*) metro station and take the ‘Lido’ commuter train to Ostia. Get off at ‘Ostia Antica’. The ride is 23 minutes. (Do not get off at Ostia Lido Nord or Ostia Lido Centro unless you are going to the beach!)

Use the footbridge to cross the road and walk 5-10 minutes to the main entrance of the Parco Archeologico Ostia Antica. Trains leave every 20 minutes and use the regular metro/bus tickets €1.50.

*If getting there from Piramide, walk out of the metro station and go to Porta San Paolo train station next door to find the Lido commuter train.

Buon viaggio!

Collezione Peggy Guggenheim

30 Saturday Sep 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Art history, Italia

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

20th Century art, Art history, Grand Canal, Grand Canal Venice, Modern art, Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, Venezia

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection is one of the most important collections of European and North American 20^th Century art. This was on my ‘must see’ list for years. An unintentional 24 year absence from Venezia got in the way, but I finally made it!

Located in her former home, the unfinished Palazzo Venier dei Leoni on the Grand Canal, the museum includes Peggy Guggenheim’s personal collection and a sculpture garden. Since 1980, it is part of the Solomon Guggenheim Foundation, which includes Guggenheim museums in New York, Bilbao Spain and soon Abu Dhabi.

Peggy Guggenheim was born in New York in 1898. Her father, Benjamin Guggenheim, one of 7 brothers who made a fortune in mining, died heroically on the SS Titanic in 1912. He and his valet helped women and children into lifeboats, then changed into their best clothes to ‘prepare to go down like gentlemen’. They were last seen on deck chairs by the grand staircase sipping brandy and smoking cigars.

Peggy came into her inheritance in 1919 and devoted her time and fortune to collecting and promoting modern art. She married Dadaist Laurence Vail and they had 2 children. The family travelled to Europe in 1921, embracing the Parisian Bohemian and American expat scene, then moved to London in the 1930’s fleeing Nazi occupation.

A self-proclaimed ‘art addict’ and a rebel, Peggy wanted to distinguish herself from her business focused family. In 1938, she began a career which would affect the course of postwar art. In London, she opened an art gallery called ‘Guggenheim Jeune’, focusing on contemporary art. The gallery lost a lot of money and was closed after a year, then Peggy moved back to France.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection On the Beach Picasso

On the Beach. Pablo Picasso 1937

From 1939-40, with the motto ‘buy a picture a day’, she started buying art in Paris and London like a madwoman. She purchased Cubist and Surrealist works of art when they were not yet popular or held in high regard. Purchases included masterpieces by Brancusi, Braque, Dali, Ernst, Picasso, Mondrian and others. The Germans approached Paris just as Peggy was preparing to open a museum for her collection. In 1941 Peggy fled Nazi occupied France for New York with her ex-husband, their children and her future husband, Surrealist Max Ernst.

The Collection followed them to New York. The Louvre was asked to shelter Peggy’s collection from the war, but the request was denied. The now priceless artwork was crated up with ‘household goods’ written on the customs declaration, and a non-Jewish name replacing Guggenheim, then shipped across the Atlantic. Miraculously, everything arrived safely. Peggy’s actions protected the collection, and also supported artists who were in exile and among those branded ‘degenerates’ by Hitler.

Upward 1929 Vasily Kandinsky Peggy Guggenheim Collection Venice

Upward. Vasily Kandinsky 1929

‘Art of this Century’ was the Manhattan gallery Peggy opened in 1942 to exhibit her growing collection of Cubist, Abstract and Surrealist art. She also exhibited the work of a new generation of young American artists including Robert Mapplethorpe, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko and Robert De Niro Sr. In 1943 the exhibit ’31 Women’ was the first documented all female exhibit in the US

Peggy closed the gallery in 1947 and decided Venezia would be her permanent home. She was invited to exhibit her collection at the 1948 Biennale di Venezia. The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was purchased in 1949, and Peggy lived there for 30 years. Her art collection moved in with her, and the beautiful setting is as much a work of art as the works inside.

Marino Marini L'angelo della città Peggy Guggenheim museum Venezia

L’angelo della Città. Marino Marini Bronze 1948

The Venier family was one of the noblest Venetian families. In 1749 they ran out of money and had family issues which prevented completion of the palazzo. Only the 1^st of 5 planned stories was completed. Lion heads decorating the façade at water level give the palazzo its name. Made of Istrian stone, it is often mistaken for a modern building because of its low, wide façade. In the late 19^th century, the abandoned construction site and garden were purchased by the Levi family and began to take on their present look. There were various other owners and renters until 1949.

From 1951 until her death in 1979, Peggy opened her home and collection to the public for free 3 afternoons a week from March to November. The Peggy Guggenheim Collection opened in 1980, managed by the Guggenheim Foundation as stipulated in her will. In 2017, Peggy’s granddaughter Karole Vail was appointed Director of the Collection.

The Collection has 400,000 visitors per year and includes 326 paintings and sculptures. These include masterpieces of Cubism, Surrealism and Abstract expressionism as well as the works of prominent Italian Futurists and American modernists. Artists represented include Giorgio de Chirico, Gino Severini, Georges Braque, Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miró, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Constantin Brancusi, Alberto Giacometti, Arshile Gorky, Vasily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Rene Magritte, Piet Mondrian, Max Ernst, Marino Marini, Jackson Pollock and others. It is a 20^th Century art history textbook come to life.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection is located in the Dorsoduro area, across the Grand Canal from Piazza San Marco. It is between the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute and Ponte dell’Accademia. To get there take a ‘group gondola’ across to Santa Maria della Salute for €2 then head right or cross the Ponte Rialto and head left. Admission is €16 for adults. Hours 10-18 Closed Tuesdays and December 25^th.

Ciao, Cristina

Procida

31 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Campania, Chiaiolella, Ischia, Italian Capital of Culture, Italian islands, Marina di Corricella, Napoli, Slow travel, Southern Italy

When I mentioned to anyone that i was going to Procida, the response was ‘Where is that?’ It was the 2022 Italian Capital of Culture, but still not well known outside of Italia. Procida (pronounced PRO·cheedah) is one of the Flegrean Islands off the coast of Napoli and is part of the city of Napoli. It was created by the eruption of 4 volcanoes, which are now submerged and dormant. Overshadowed by its sexier neighbours Capri and Ischia, Procida is the least visited of the 3 islands. It has a tiny area of 4.1 km², but with a population of 11,000, Procida is one of the most populated Italian islands. It is still mainly a fisherman’s island, a living, working place where real people live. The main industries on the island are the port and fishing. Tourism is #3.

Procida has a laid-back, slow travel vibe-even in the most popular areas. You will not find any resorts, fancy spas or tour groups and the shops cater more to locals, closing for ‘la pausa pranzo’ from 1-5 pm. Even finding somewhere to buy a few souvenirs was hard! In the summer and on weekends, many of the visitors to Procida are Napoletani going to the beach.

Procida has been featured in movies, most notably the beautiful, multi award winning 1994 film Il Postino and the 1999 psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley. Both films were set in the 1950’s-60’s. In the 1963 Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton film Cleopatra, Procida -with the baroque duomo clearly in the background-was briefly featured as the ancient city of Tarsus where Cleo’s barge arrived to meet Marc Antony. There are signs posted at various filming locations on the island.

Marina Grande is the main port where ferries (traghetti) and hydrofoils (aliscafi) arrive. Here you will find sorbetto coloured buildings, the main bus stop and ferry terminal, several restaurants and bars, a gluten free bakery Il Piccolo Forno Senza Glutine, and ONE gift/souvenir shop.

A 20 minute uphill walk from Marina Grande to the other side of the island (~20 min) brings you to the most visited area. Walking uphill towards Terra Murata is the spectacular view of Marina di Corricella with its limoncello and pink grapefruit coloured 17th century fisherman’s houses and the duomo of Santa Maria delle Grazie Incoronata. I found Marina Grande colourful and cute, but nothing compared to this view. The walk is steep, but if mobility is an issue the C2 bus stops here.

Terra Murata (walled land) the highest and oldest part of Procida, is a fortified medieval village at the top of the island. Abbazia San Michele Archangelo is an 11^th Century Benedictine Abbey turned into a church. Palazzo d’Avalos built in 1563 became a prison in the 1800’s until it closed down in 1988. Tours of the prison (€13,) need to be booked at least 2 days in advance so I was not able to go. The roof has sweeping views of the entire Bay of Napoli, including Ischia, Capri and the Amalfi coast. Check out John’s blog post about the prison for more information. The 15^th Century Santa Margherita Nuova monastery was under renovation, so I was not able to see that either. The postcard views from up here are absolutely mozzafiato-breathtaking! A friend asked me how I took the cover photo over Marina di Corricella. ‘Hai volato?’ Did you fly over it?

The walk down to Marina di Corricella (Kor·ree·CHEL·lah) with houses built on top of each other, is steep and looks lived in with plants and laundry hanging out to dry. Some typical features of Procidano architecture, besides the pastel colours, include exterior staircases and arched windows. This area is completely vehicle free.

The marina is a full working harbour with colourful fishing boats, and fishermen with their nets. There are several restaurants, bars and gelaterie. I enjoyed a limoncello spritz and taralli while watching the fishing boats. La Locanda del Postino is a restaurant where Mario, il Postino, sat to write poetry to Beatrice in the movie. Some fishing boats offer a ‘giro dell’isola’ from here. Terra Murata can be seen from the Marina below.Chiaiolella (Kyay·oh·LEL·lah) on the West tip of the island is the area where I stayed. Spiaggia Chiaiolella is a dark volcanic sand beach with warm, shallow water and amazing sunsets. At the end of the beach is a long walking bridge to Vivara, a tiny green satellite island and nature reserve. Ischia is seen past Vivara in the photo.Around the corner is Marina di Chiaiolella, full of boats and seafood restaurants. I enjoyed a delicious, reasonably priced seafood meal with a glass of Falanghina at Crescenzo. The walk back up to the hotel is up a narrow street lined with useful stuff like small supermercati, shops carrying beach essentials, a Tabacchino and a few takeout restaurants. There is also a gorgeous jewellery store and a linen shop where I bought Franco a coppola.

There are 4 other beaches on Procida. Spiaggia Cala del Pozzo Vecchio is the one where Il Postino was filmed. I will have to go there on my next visit. The beaches all have black volcanic sand, except for the small beach by the port, La Lingua which is rocky.

Procida can only be accessed by sea. Unless you have a private boat, that means by ferry or hydrofoil from Napoli, Pozzuoli or Ischia. Napoli to Procida is 1 hour by ferry and 40 min by hydrofoil. Ischia is 20 min away by hydrofoil-the same boat stops at both islands. From Napoli the hydrofoil cost me €19 to go and €18 to return. The ferry is about €15.
Procida can be a daytrip from Napoli or Ischia, but I would recommend staying overnight if you can. The sunsets are worth it! **Note that from November to March there are less ferries running and some restaurants and hotels are closed.

From April until October, only residents of Procida are allowed to bring cars onto the island. Scooters, bicycles and ebikes are available for rent. 4 minibuses cross the island; from the port to Chiaiolella (L1 and L2), Corricella (C2) and Il Postino Beach (C1). Tickets are €1.60 each, or get a daypass and use it like a ‘hop on/hop off’ bus. These buses go fast and the streets are only about 8 inches wider than the bus! In the mornings, you may have to wait for a few buses, as they are full of people going to the beach and going to work. Even the motorini and bikes go fast, so crossing the narrow streets can be a challenge. Everyone is in a hurry to get to the beach and drives like they are in Napoli!

A bit about my trip….. I was in Procida with my cugina Maria from Ontario August 8th and 9th. It was not a weekend. We took the 7 am bus from Orsara di Puglia to Foggia, then the bus from Foggia to Napoli. In Napoli, we took the metro from Stazione Garibaldi to Municipio and walked the short distance to Porto Molo Beverello where we took the hydrofoil to Procida. Quite the trek to get there! We did not book the ferry in advance. We arrived at our hotel at about 2:30 pm. I booked the hotel only 2 weeks in advance. Ideally, we wanted to stay 2 nights at Hotel La Casa sul Mare which is near Santa Maria delle Grazie in Marina Corricella, but they only accept summer reservations for a 3 night minimum stay. I booked Hotel Riviera which was only available for 1 night, so we spent the second night in Napoli. Hotel Riviera was absolutely lovely-right at the bus stop and walking distance to Spiaggia Chiaiolella. We were pleasantly surprised that our room had a balcony with a view of Marina Chiaiolella, Vivara and Ischia! This is where I sat to write all of these notes while drinking €1.60 red wine and watching the sunset!

Buon viaggio, Cristina

Polpo e patate

20 Tuesday Jun 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Mangiamo!, Photography, Puglia, Recipes, Travel

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Cooking octopus, Imerovigli, Mattinata, Octopus and potato salad, Polpo, Santorini, Southern Italy, Traditional recipes

Polpo is one of the joys of visiting the Adriatic in summer. Polpo or polipo is octopus, from the ancient Greek polypous, meaning ‘many footed.’ In Italiano, polpo and polipo are both correct terms for octopus! It is one of my favourite foods…I love it grilled, or in a summer salad, especially polpo e patate, a cold potato and octopus salad. Last year, between camping on the beach in Mattinata, a family wedding, a side trip to Santorini, and mamma’s kitchen, there was a lot of polpo in my life. In this post, I will share some of my polpo photos, instructions for cooking, and how to make polpo e patate.

I had polpo each of the 5 days I was in Santorini. There it is called Octapodi χταπόδι, meaning ‘eight footed’. The view from the landing outside my hotel room in Thira was the perfect place to sketch. When I finished sketching, it was too nice to leave. Instead of going out to dinner, I walked to a restaurant and got takeout octapodi with couscous. I brought my feast back and ate it at my sketching spot while watching the sunset. Yiasou!

In Imerovigli, I had this orgasmic fava bean puree with grilled polpo, caramelized onions and capers. I have to try making this some time. Also in Imerovigli, I had a late night dinner of grilled octopodi on potatoes.

Santorini’s small port has a few seafood restaurants, where I had this very Greek grilled octopodi with oregano.

This photo was taken at the outlet mall in Molfetta. Yes, polpo is mall food in Puglia!

The day after the matrimonio in Puglia we had a long table dinner in an olive grove by the beach in Mattinata. This is the gorgeous polpo e patate! #cookinggoals!

When camping on the beach with my cugini, we often grill polpo and then make a salad with it. The mobile fishmonger il pescivendolo (pesh·ee·ven·DOH·loh) drives around to the different campsites selling fresh seafood. More about this in Campeggio sul Gargano. We also have polpo on the grill when we go to my nonno’s olive grove for a grigliata.

This photo of mamma washing polpo in our tiny kitchen in Orsara di Puglia was popular on Instagram. She made a salad, without potatoes but still yummy! The second one was cooked in a tomato sauce the following day.

People apparently do all sorts of crazy things to tenderize polpo. It does not need to be beaten against rocks, bashed with a meat tenderizer, or hung on the clothesline! It just needs to cook in water long enough to tenderize the tough chewy collagen, which is about 1 hour per kg. Once cooked, it can be eaten, grilled, pan seared in olive oil or saved to use later. Freezing also helps tenderize, so previously frozen polpo does not need to cook for as long.

Polpo is hard to find in Canada! I bought a pack of 4 legs/tentacles from Spain, but then had to freeze it as I could not use it right away. Here is my ‘measurements optional’, flexible recipe for polpo e patate. It is made with the legs only, as I am not as adventurous as mamma!

Ingredients: 1 kg (2.2 lbs) polpo

500 g (1.1 lb) potatoes

Good quality extra virgin olive oil

10 ml (2 tsp) lemon juice, freshly squeezed

10 ml (2 tsp) chopped prezzemolo-Italian parsley

2-3 cherry tomatoes

1 bay leaf

Splash of vinegar

100g chopped celery and/or carrots

15 ml (1 tsp) capers

1 garlic clove, finely chopped (optional)

Peperoncino (optional)

sale, black pepper

Instructions:

Wash and rinse the polpo. I had already done this before freezing it.
In a pan, add salt, bay leaf, cherry tomatoes, lemon slices and a splash of vinegar. Cover with water
Bring to boil, then lower heat and cook 1 hour. It should be tender enough so that a knife can pierce the polpo with little resistance.
Turn off heat and let sit in the cooking water to cool
Pick up and immerse 3 times in the hot water if you want the tentacles to curl.
When cooled, polpo can either be grilled, pan seared, made into a salad, or stored in the fridge for up to 3 days
While cooling, cook potatoes in boiling salted water. Peel and cut into pieces
Cut cooled polpo into rounds or pieces. Add to a bowl with potatoes, olive oil, pepper, lemon juice and prezzemolo. You can also add finely chopped garlic and capers, or peperoncino for a little spice. Add celery, carrots and cherry tomatoes and mix. Add extra prezzemolo and lemon slices for garnish

I didn’t have any celery and was out of capers. Use whichever of these ingredients you have at the time. The photos weren’t taken in the best light, but it was delicious! My next one will look like the one I had in Mattinata!

Are you a polpo fan too? Have you ever cooked it yourself? Let me know in the comments. Buon appetito, Cristina

Un altro giorno a Napoli

12 Friday May 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Italia, Photography, Travel

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Caravaggio, Napoli, Napoli Centro Storico, Southern Italy, Street art, UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Last week, after 33 years, SSC Napoli won the Series A title and the 2022/23 Scudetto. The last time they won was 1990, when Maradona played for the team. This is a big deal! The streets of Napoli are always vibrant and exciting, but I would have loved to see the celebrations. The stalls of San Gregorio Armeno likely sold more Napoli team figurines than Presepio pieces this week!

In honour of the big win, I am writing about Napoli-the city. If you have already read my post Un giorno a Napoli, this one is a continuation…..another day in Napoli! In June, I took a spontaneous trip to Santorini, flying in and out of Capodichino, Napoli’s airport. On the way back, I stayed the night and took the bus back to Orsara di Puglia the following afternoon.

My primary objective was to finally see l’ultimo Caravaggio, the artist’s last painting, which up until 1990 was attributed to one of his followers. Read about my adventure seeing the ‘wrong’ Caravaggio in the post.

Since it was close to the new location of the painting, I stayed on lively Via Toledo, near the award winning Toledo metro station and in between the port and Quartieri Spagnoli. Read about the new exhibition space and my visit in Gallerie d’Italia Napoli. There is still 1 Caravaggio painting left for me to see in Napoli on my next visit-at the Museo di Capodimonte!

The Chiostro di Santa Chiara is another place I missed on previous day trips. The church was built starting in 1310 and the chiostro or cloister is well known for the addition of Rococo style majolica tiles in 1742.
Santa Chiara is located on the 2km long street known as ‘Spaccanapoli’ meaning ‘cut across Napoli’ because it cuts the centro storico in half. It is one of the 3 Decumani, east/west streets in the grid layout of the Greco-Roman city of Neapolis.

Napoli has the largest Centro Storico in Europe and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. Think of it as an open air museum. Via dei Tribunali was decorated with a lot of laundry for some reason!

Nunspotting on Via San Gregorio Armeno. I did not buy any Presepio accessories or Napoli team figurines, but perhaps these sisters did?

I walked past the Duomo just in time to see a dramatic wedding kiss. The bride was clearly satisfied! The Duomo Santa Maria Assunta was built over the site of a temple to Neptune. It was damaged in a 15th century earthquake and repeatedly renovated, resulting in a mishmash of styles and a Neogothic facade.

Walking down Via Toledo to the end, passing Piazza Plebescito, I ended up at the waterfront and a view of Vesuvio. Hopefully I will be back here at the port in a few months to take the ferry to Procida.

Sfogliatelle were consumed, of course. This crunchy layered pastry, filled with sweet ricotta, lemon and candied peel is amazing. Sfogliatelle in Napoli are delicious and inexpensive. I had one served hot from the oven at Antico Forno Attanasio, Via Ferrovia 1-4 just a few blocks from Piazza Garibaldi. At €1.30, why stop at just one? I bought a whole bag to bring back to Orsara! I also had one from Pintauro on Via Toledo 275, the oldest sfogliatelle place in Napoli. It was heavenly!

More street food heaven… I had a cuopo friggitori Napoletano. This is a paper cone filled with fritto misto-a mixture of fried stuff-fish, vegetables and pizze fritte. Yum!Graffiti is elevated to a fine art form in Napoli. I wrote a post on Napoli street art, and saw some new stuff. ‘Consumerism Street’ was taken on Via Toledo. The small print under the sardine can says ‘Alla fine siamo tutti uguali’/In the end we are all equal.

In a tradition of pay it forward, Napoli has ‘caffè sospeso‘. This is a ‘pending caffè’, paid for in advance as an anonymous gift. Someone asking if there is a caffè sospeso available would receive it for free. This is actually an old tradition that has recently had a resurgence.

Still haven’t visited Napoli? What are you waiting for? To quote myself …’Napoli is underrated, misunderstood and does not get the love it deserves, except from fans of Elena Ferrante novels. News of corruption, the Camorra and ongoing garbage crises give it a bad rep. It it ironic that everyone-including many Italians- fears for their life and thinks it is just a crime pit, when Napoli is actually safer than most large North American cities. It is vibrant, wonderfully chaotic, full of life and passionate, friendly people. Napoli has an ‘edge’ to it and is anything but boring’.

According to an old saying ‘Vedi Napoli e mori’. I hope you enjoyed un altro giorno a Napoli! When you go, have an extra sfogliatella for me! Buon viaggio, Cristina

Gallerie d’Italia Napoli

26 Sunday Feb 2023

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Art, Art history, Italia

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Artemisia Gentilleschi, Caravaggio, Napoli, Napoli Centro Storico, Sant'Orsola, Southern Italy, Via Toledo

Sant’ Orsola, Caravaggio’s last painting, has a new home! If you have read my posts Pio Monte della Misericordia and L’Ultimo Caravaggio, you know about my adventure to Napoli in search of a Caravaggio painting…only to visit the wrong one. The ‘wrong’ one was absolutely amazing, but I still wanted to see the intended one. In June, on my way back from Santorini, I stayed a night in Napoli so I could finally see ‘Il Martirio di Sant’ Orsola/The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula’. It was painted in May 1610, just before Caravaggio’s death. For hundreds of years, it was believed to be painted by one of his followers or ‘Caravaggisti’, Mattia Preti. In 1980 a letter from the agent was found, proving that Sant’ Orsola was painted by Caravaggio. To read more about the letter and the history of the painting, see L’Ultimo Caravaggio.

I stayed on lively Via Toledo, near the Toledo metro station and in between the port and Quartieri Spagnoli, since it was close to the 1500’s Palazzo Zavalos Stigliano. A few weeks before my visit, the Napoletano Collection of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo moved 300 m down the street to Palazzo Piacentini at 177 Via Toledo. Newly renovated Palazzo Piacentini is the new home of Gallerie d’Italia Napoli. It is a 1930’s building and former home of the Banco di Napoli. The design is described as a modern vision of classical architecture and has 10,000 sq ft of exhibition space.

The atrium features L’Atlante Farnese/Farnese Atlas, a 2nd Century AD sculpture on loan from MANN (Museo Archeologico Nazionale Napoli) under an enormous starry wooden ‘sky’. At the far end of the ground floor is an actual branch of Banca Intesa Sanpaolo! The building is home to the permanent Intesa Sanpaolo Collection, which includes Napoletani artwork and paintings from the 17th to the 20th Centuries, a Magna Grecia pottery exhibit, space for temporary exhibits, a library and bookshop, and a bistro.

The star of the permanent collection is Sant’ Orsola. Right beside it is Artemisia Gentilleschi’s Sansone e Dalila/Samson and Delilah (1630-38). This painting is stunning, but I had to check twice to see that it was an Artemisia. Those teeny nail scissors are so tame compared to the usual aggression in her Judith and Holofernes paintings with a giant sword and a lot of blood! Incidentally, on the other side of Sant’ Orsola is a Judith and Holofernes painting attributed to Ludovicus Finson that is a copy of a lost Caravaggio.

A few of my other favourites from the permanent collection include this amazing loosely sketched painting Fanciulla Napoletana o La Zingara (1885) by Vincenzo Gemito.

I absolutely love the screen prints Vesuvius (rosso) and Vesuvius (nero) by Andy Warhol (1985) in the 20th Century collection.

The temporary exhibit while I was visiting was ‘Restituzioni’ featuring projects and art restoration presently funded by Intesa Sanpaolo in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture. There were 200 pieces from all over Italia including paintings, mosaics, jewellery, books and even a giant bell!

Galleria d’Italia Napoli is walking distance from the Toledo metro station. It is open Tuesday to Friday 10-19 and Saturday/Sunday 10-20. Mondays closed. The first Sunday of each month admission is free. Admission is €7. Reduced admission is €4 and those under age 18 get in free. Definitely worth a visit! Ciao, Cristina

Un Matrimonio in Puglia

08 Thursday Sep 2022

Posted by Un po' di pepe in Amici e Famiglia, Feste, Italia, Italian life, Puglia

≈ 15 Comments

Tags

Pugliese Traditions, Santa Maria di Siponto, Southern Italy, Wedding in Puglia

Viva gli sposi! After a 3 year ‘pandemic hiatus’ I finally made it back to Puglia. My trip was earlier than usual to attend un matrimonio in famiglia -a family wedding in June. Gli sposi were Federica and Antonio. The wedding was held at the 900 year old Santa Maria di Siponto. The church is in the architectural style Romanica Pugliese, Pugliese Romanesque. Byzantine and Islamic influences are evident in the pure, simple lines and geometric patterns. The building is square, which is unusual for a church.

Our day started out with heavy rain. My parents, sister, nieces and I ran to the car with our umbrellas for the 1½ hour drive from Orsara di Puglia. Luckily it was sunny by the time we arrived. The ceremony was held at 11 am and the stark white interior of the church was bathed in light!The look on Antonio’s face when he sees Federica at the altar is priceless.

The 4 witnesses, called compari, and the parents of the bride and groom also take part in the ceremony.Federica looked stunning. The wedding dress was handmade by her 91 year old nonna! Nonna Celestina made it with fabric she had kept from the time when she owned a fabric store in Foggia many years ago. The dress is ‘a portafoglio‘ which means that it had a short skirt underneath, visible only when the slit opened. Nonna even made a spare dress, just in case!

Since we were in Puglia, we were surrounded by olive trees. I fit right into the floral arrangements with my olive coloured dress with pink and silver flowers.The reception was held at Tenimento San Giuseppe, 4 km from Foggia. We started out with aperitivo in the main building, then moved to another section for the main meal.

There was un mastro casaro-a master cheesemaker-making nodini, knots of fresh mozzarella.

Later we moved into the cantina for degustazione di vino, where I found a tasty Susumaniello that was too good! Dessert was back in the main building. All of this moving around really helps with digestion!

The dish in the photo above is ‘mezzi paccheri rigate con salsa di gamberl e astice’, pasta with shrimp and lobster sauce. The black smudge on the plate is squid ink. I was too busy socializing and eating to take many food photos, so read the menu and imagine it yourself!Dancing was everywhere. Instead of having to sit through the entire meal and a bunch of speeches and wait for the end of the night to dance, dancing happens throughout the reception. Also good for digestion!One course is served…then dancing, more food, then more dancing, etc. Since the wedding was in Puglia, there was also dancing outside under the olive trees.

Federica likes swing dancing, so there was a swing band and later in the evening, my cousin (father of the bride) and his band played their funky music.

Cake cutting was held outside, at the bottom of the dramatic staircase. In the photo, you can see a bit of Federica’s ‘spare’ dress, while Antonio gestures for us to move out of the way. He probably said ‘livt da nanz’.

Guests take home a little bag of confetti for good luck. These are not what you throw at the bride and groom. They are sugared roasted almonds, sometimes with a chocolate filling. Traditionally there are 5 almonds that represent health, wealth, happiness, fertility and long life. Bomboniere are also handed out at the end of the night. These are a small gift from the bride and groom to thank the guests for celebrating their special day with them.