Val d’Orcia Daytrip

03 Sunday May 2015

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

Tags

Abbazia Sant'Antimo, Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta, Castelnuovo dell'Abate, Daytrips from Firenze, Daytrips from Siena, Firenze, Fondazione Il Bisonte, Italy travel tips, Monteriggioni, Pienza, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Val d'Orcia

CappellaMadonnadiVitaleta

I wrote an email a while ago about my daytrip from Firenze to the Val d’Orcia with my amica Shannon. I have sent that same email so many times to friends planning a visit to Toscana that I thought it would make a great blog post.

Shannon was studying printmaking at Il Bisonte in Firenze for a year and I went to visit her for a week . We decided to rent a car for a day and go exploring. Our start time was delayed and by the time we drove off it was almost mezzogiorno (noon). No plans were made regarding where to go, we just drove away from Firenze then headed south, towards Siena. We passed a sign for Monteriggioni, which neither of us had been to, so that was our first stop. Monteriggioni is a small 13^th Century medieval walled village. Besides the intact 10m high walls and 14 square towers, Monteriggioni’s claim to fame is a mention from Dante in his Divina Commedia: Inferno, canto xxxi lines 41-42:

‘Come in su la cerchia tonda, Monteriggioni di torri si corona’

‘Like a circling round, Monteriggioni crowns itself with towers.’

Hunger set in, but we did not want to take time from our adventure to sit in a restaurant. At the Generi Alimentari (grocery/deli) we picked up some local goodies…prosciutto, finocchione (Tuscan fennel salame), pecorino di Pienza, fresh bread, and 2 glasses of Chianti—all for 11 €! They put it all in a cestino (basket) for us and we ate outside in the piazza. It was the best lunch ever. See for yourself…..

We got back in the car and headed towards the Val d’Orcia. When you see photos or postcards of the classic Toscana landscape with gentle rolling hills, vineyards and cipressi (cypress trees)…this is it!

The entire Val d’Orcia is a UNESCO World Cultural Landscape. When we stopped in Montalcino, there was a sign for the Abbazia Sant’Antimo. I had recently read about this beautiful Romanesque Abbey, so we drove to Castelnuovo dell’Abate, parked the car and walked down.

Sant’Antimo is a heavenly place, in a valley surrounded by vineyards, olive trees and cypresses. Parallel to the bell tower stands a striking single cypress tree. A powerful monastery in the middle ages, Sant’Antimo was abandoned for a short period of about 500 years! Local contadini (farmers) apparently used the crypt as a wine cellar!

Restoration work was done in the 1980’s and now it is home to a small Canonical order. 7 times a day there are vespers and Mass with Canto Gregoriano (Gregorian chanting). Sant’Antimo is worth going out of the way for. Next time I am there, I want to walk the 10.5 km from Montalcino and take the bus back from Castelnuovo.

Castelnuovo dell’ Abate

Between San Quirico d’Orcia and Pienza the scenery was breathtaking, including one of the most photographed places in Italia, La Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta. It is on private property so we weren’t able to visit, but we did lots of admiring from afar.

Cappella della Madonna di Vitaleta-unfinished mixed media painting

There were cipressi (chee•PRES•see) everywhere! I have a fascination with cipressi and love to paint their ‘flame’ shapes and shadows. My nipotine have always called them ‘Zia’s trees’ and they love to paint them too. We came across some random sculpture among the cipressi with signs ‘Si prega di non appogiarsi alle sculture’ (Please don’t lean on the sculptures).

Pienza-formerly called Cortignano was the birth town of Pope Pio (Pius) II. In 1489, he rebuilt it to be an ‘ideal town’ according to Renaissance Humanist design concepts and renamed it after himself. He was a humble man! Because of this early vision of urban planning, the Centro Storico (historic center) of Pienza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I could have spent weeks sketching in Pienza!

After a brief visit to Montepulciano we had to start heading back towards Firenze. Our final stop was Castellina in Chianti to have pappardelle al lepere (thick ribbon pasta with wild rabbit sauce) which was so yummy! The ride to Castellina was spectacular. We somehow ended up on a back road, the sun was setting and everything was sparkly and lavender! Just before mezzanotte (midnight) we arrived back in Firenze and dropped off the car. Our Val d’Orcia adventure lasted exactly 12 wonderfully unplanned hours.

Pienza

Val d’Orcia daytrip

Buon Viaggio! Cristina

Over Lago Maggiore

22 Sunday Mar 2015

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

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Angera, Eremo Santa Caterina del Sasso, Isola Bella, Isola Pescatori, Isole Borromee, Italy travel tips, La Rocca d'Angera, Lago Maggiore, Lounge Bar La Noce, Milano daytrips, Palazzo Borromeo

A few years ago I went to Angera on the eastern shore of Lago Maggiore to visit my cugini Rosa and Pasquale and their family. They own Lounge Bar La Noce which is right on the lake. Pasquale took me up for a spin in his ultralight and I ended up with some ‘vista d’uccello’ (bird’s eye view) shots of l’Isole Borromee, 3 small islands in the Italian part of Lago Maggiore.

Isola Bella is named for Contessa Isabella D’Adda, wife of Carlo Borromeo III. It was once a big flat rock in the lake with a tiny fishing village. Over a 40 year period in the 1600’s soil was brought in to build 10 terraces for the gardens and a summer palace. Famous palace guests include Napoleon and Josephine.

Isola Madre is the largest of the 3 islands. The 16th Century Palazzo Borromeo was built by Count Lancillotto Borromeo -what an awesome name! The English style Giardini Botanici dell’Isola Madre (Botanical Gardens) were built in the 18th Century on the site of a citrus grove.

Isola Superiore dei Pescatori -usually just called Isola Pescatori, is named for the fisherman. The village has about 50 permanent residents, and a few of them are actually still fishermen. Isola Pescatori was owned by the Borromeo family until the middle ages but is now part of Stresa. There are several hotels and restaurants on the island and taxi boat service from Stresa.

Eremo Santa Caterina del Sasso, a monastery founded by a man shipwrecked during a storm. He swore that if he survived he would dedicate his life to building a monastery on the site.

La cabina di pilotaggio (cockpit) & i piloti! I don’t remember how we managed to take this blurry selfie in the cockpit?

La Rocca d’Angera on the hill with Lounge Bar La Noce below. Photo Pasquale D’Ambrosio.

Angera (pop 5600) was an important lake point in Roman times, when it was called Angheria. Today it is most famous for La Rocca d’Angera (Castello Borromeo) a fortress on top of a 200m hill overlooking Lago Maggiore. The 1989 RAI miniseries ‘I Promessi Sposi’, based on the 1827 novel by Alessandro Manzoni was filmed here. La Rocca is also home to Il Museo delle Bambole, a doll museum. The Borromeo family still owns La Rocca d’Angera, Isola Bella and Isola Madre but they are accessible to the public. Boats to l’Isole Borromee (www.navigazionelaghi.it) are available from the lakefront towns of Stresa, Laverno, Pallanza and Intra. Some hotels and restaurants also have their own private boat service.

Angera is a nice day trip from Milano. There is no direct train but the closest route is the train to Sesto Calende then bus to Angera or the train to Arona and then a ferry across the lake to Angera. Buon Viaggio!

Centrale Montemartini

15 Sunday Feb 2015

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

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

Al Biondo Tevere, Art history, Art Nouveau, Basilica San Paolo Fuori le Mura, Capitoline Museum, Centrale Montemartini, Cleopatra, Industrial archeology, Italy travel tips, Roma, Stile Liberty, Temple of Apollo Sosiano, Via Ostiense

Centrale Montemartini is an amazingly awesome, undervisited museum and a stunning example of 20^th Century industrial archeology. Built in 1912 in Art Nouveau style (Stile Liberty), it was the first public electric plant in Roma, providing power for the surrounding area until it was abandoned in 1963. Luckily the amazing architecture and historical importance saved it from demolition!

Amazon warrior in front of a diesel engine

In 1997 during the Capitoline Museum renovation, Centrale Montemartini was used for a temporary exhibition ‘Le Macchine e gli Dei’ (The Machines and the Gods). In 2005 it became a permanent space for part of the Capitoline collection, with all of the original thermoelectric equipment left in place. Now you can visit a unique display of classical sculpture against an industrial backdrop of steam boilers, diesel engines, catwalks twisting pipes and gauges. It’s a blend of ‘vecchio e più vecchio’ (old and older), a stark contrast of ancient and industrial, art and science. Antique white marble appears translucent against the blackness of the machinery. The space is immense and silent, with high ceilings and tall windows providing natural light. The works of art are carefully chosen and placed so there is space to appreciate their beauty while you walk among them and contemplate the passage of time.

The 400 pieces include ancient Roman sculptures, rare Greek originals brought to Roma, and Roman copies of Greek originals. They date from the 5^th Century BC to the 4^th Century AD and were found in the late 19^th and early 20^th Century. Most of the works are on the upper floor in 2 massive rooms.

Partial female head, discovered in the garden of Villa Rivaldi in 1933 during construction of Via dei Fori Imperiali

In Sala Macchine (Machine Room or Hall of the Machines) 2 hulking diesel engines are surrounded by Roman replicas of Greek statues. At one end, a reconstruction of the pediment of the Temple of Apollo Sosiano depicts a battle between Greeks and Amazons. These pieces are Greek originals found in the 1930’s near the Theater of Marcellus. Above this installation hangs the old ‘carroponte‘ (Gantry crane).

Centrale Montemartini, Sala Macchine

Other ‘meraviglie’ (wonders) include a bust of Cleopatra and the giant head, right arm and feet of an 8m high statue of the Goddess Fortuna found near Largo Argentina. Her feet look very modern with their ‘infraditi’-thong style sandals!

Sala Macchine. Bust of Cleopatra (to the right of the large statue)

Sala Caldaie (Boiler Room) is named for its 15m steam boiler and features a large mosaic of a hunting scene found near Santa Bibiana. The mosaic is surrounded by sculptures once adorning lavish Roman homes.

I especially like the statue of Polimnia, muse of poetry and dance. She has her elbows resting on a pillar and her shawl casually wrapped around her. My other favourite in Sala Caldaie is the Sphinx Frieze, which seems to glow against the red brick wall.

Sala Caldaie. Sphinx Frieze with Acanthus Spirals. This was part of the Gardens of Sallust and likely represents the victory over Antony and Cleopatra.

There were only 4 or 5 other people in the museum both times I visited. One of the staff told me that from October to May they have a lot of school groups visiting through their educational program, but June to September is not very busy. This is opposite to most other museums! I definitely recommend this amazing place, especially if you want to get away from crowds and lineups and see something truly unique. Even people who don’t like museums will appreciate this one-or at least find it oddly fascinating!

Centrale Montemartini is in the Ostiense area on the left bank of the Tevere. It is south of Roma’s historic center but very accessible by Metro B line Garbatella stop. When leaving the metro stop, you will cross a pedestrian bridge and then reach Via Ostiense. Bus 23 goes along Via Ostiense and Stazione Ostiense is also nearby.

The view on exiting Garbatella Metro Stop. Via Ostiense is in front, where the yellow building is. Il Gasometro is behind it. Centrale Montemartini is just to the left.

The Basilica of San Paolo Fuori le Mura is walking distance, one metro stop away. In between the Basilica and Centrale Montemartini is one of the oldest restaurants in Roma, Al Biondo Tevere at Via Ostiense 178 www.albiondotevere.it serving Roman cuisine overlooking the Tevere.

Centrale Montemartini

www.centralemontemartini.org Via Ostiense 106, open Tues-Sun from 09-19. Admission is € 7.50 for adults or €16 for the Capitolini Card (valid 7 days). The Romapass can also be used. Don’t forget your sketchbook!

Ciao, Cristina

Le Isole Tremiti

16 Wednesday Jul 2014

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

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

Alidaunia, Diomedes, Fellini, Il Gargano, Isole Tremiti, Italia, Italian history, Italy travel tips, Parco Nazionale del Gargano, photography, Puglia, Southern Italy

San Nicola and Cretaccio seen from above the helipad, San Domino

The Isole Tremiti (ee∙SOH∙leh treh∙MEE∙tee) are an archipelago of 3-5 islands-depending on what you consider an island-in the Adriatic Sea, 22 km off the coast of Italia. The Tremiti, considered ‘le perle dell’Adriatico’ (the pearls of the Adriatic), have been inhabited since at least the 4th century BC. They are part of the Parco Nazionale del Gargano (Gargano National Park) http://www.parcogargano.it and have been a protected Marine Nature Reserve (Riserva Naturale Marina Isole Tremiti) since 1989. The clear waters make the islands a popular spot for snorkeling, scuba diving and even bird watching.

Isole Tremiti Satellite View

Flying into San Domino by helicopter

San Domino is the largest island and has most of the facilities such as hotels, restaurants, the Tremiti Diving Center, and the heliport. It is covered by lush Aleppo pine forest, capers and rosemary, and surrounded by small coves and sea caves. San Domino has the Tremiti’s only sandy beach –Cale delle Arene. The rocky coves are beautiful to explore and swim-but don’t go barefoot! My friend stepped on a riccio di mare (sea urchin) and it was not fun. There is a 2 hour walk around part of the island and bicycles are available for rent.

The small port, San Domino

Cale delle Arene, San Domino-the only sandy beach on the Isole Tremiti

Scoglio dell ‘Elefante, San Domino, looks like a giant sitting elephant drinking from the sea

San Nicola is the administrative and historic center of the islands, and where most of the 400 or so permanent residents live. The 11th Century Benedictine abbey and church of Santa Maria del Mare seem to rise up out of the limestone cliffs, with fortified walls starting at the port. The church has a beautiful 11th century mosaic floor and a Byzantine painted wood crucifix that was likely brought here by monks fleeing from the Crusades.

San Nicola, seen from San Domino

San Nicola Porto

Bagnetto anyone?

Capraia (or Caprara) is rocky and uninhabited except for sea birds. It is named for the capers that grow there. There is no organized transport to Capraia, but local fishermen can be hired to take people over.

San Nicola and Capraia. Yes those are solar panels down there!

Cretaccio is an uninhabited halfmoon shaped block of yellowish clay between San Domino and San Nicola. Cretaccio literally means ‘big hunk of clay’.
Pianosa is 11 km away from the other islands and is the most northern point of Puglia. It can be covered by waves during storms, as the elevation is only 15 m. The waters surrounding Pianosa are in zone A of the Marine Reserve, so access is strictly prohibited except for approved marine research.

Cretaccio and San Domino, seen from Santa Maria al Mare, San Nicola

The islands are sometimes known by their former name ‘Le Diomedee’ or ‘I Sassi di Diomede’ and you see a lot of things in the Gargano area called ‘Diomede’. According to legend/mythology, after the Trojan War, the Greek hero Diomedes settled in the Daunia area (Province of Foggia) and created the islands with 3 rocks he threw into the Adriatic. He was also shipwrecked on the islands with his crew and possibly died here.

La tomba di Diomede on San Nicola.

There is an unmarked Hellenic period tomb on San Nicola that is known as ‘la tomba di Diomede’. His crew was so upset at the loss of their captain that the Goddess Venus took pity on the grieving men and turned them into birds that continue to cry for their loss. The scientific name for the Great Albatross which is common in the area, is ‘Diomedea’. These birds look a lot like seagulls and make a noise that can sound like a crying newborn. In Fellini’s ‘Otto e mezzo’ (8½) there is a scene where a cardinal tells this story to Guido (Marcello Mastroianni).

A Diomedea, San Domino

The islands also have a long history as a place of exile. Emperor Octavius Augustus confined his granddaughter Giulia to San Nicola for adultery with a Roman senator. She remained there until her death 20 years later. One of the necropoli beneath the abbey could be her tomb. Ferdinand, king of Napoli turned the abbey into a penal colony. A hundred years later, another Ferdinand tried to repopulate the islands with criminals and people moved in from the slums. For many years, the Fascists imprisoned those considered a danger to the public on the Isole Tremiti. One of the prisoners held there was Sandro Pertini, future president of the Italian Republic.

Alidaunia flies from Foggia to San Domino daily

I have visited the islands several times by helicopter. As you can see in the photos, the emerald water is so crystal clear you can see the bottom from the air! The wonderful thing about visiting the Isole Tremiti is that there are no large hotels or resorts. All of the hotels are small and surrounded by pine forest, so although this is a tourist destination, it doesn’t feel overrun with people. The Isole Tremiti are accessible by 1-2 hour ferry ride from Vieste, Peschici, Rodi Garganico, Manfredonia and Termoli, or by half hour helicopter ride from Foggia http://www.alidaunia.it .