FOLLOWING THE TRAIL OF THE GODS

A perfect Easter holiday excursion for lovers of trekking: “Il Sentiero degli Dei” (the Path of the Gods) that runs along the mountainous coastline of the Amalfi Coast.

The 9-km trek runs from Agerola to Positano and takes an estimated 4-5 hours (one way), over the crest of the Lattari Mountains with breathtaking views at every turn.

Visitors can choose between two alternative routes - the “Sentiero Alto” (High Path) that leads steeply up the mountain side or the more gentle “Sentiero Basso” (Low Path) passing through Nocelle. Both paths offer panoramic points with views over the bay, the colourful towns of the Amalfi coast, the Island of Capri and the Li Galli archipelagos where the sirens tried to trap Ulysses, as well as drinking fountains of pure spring water. On route, walkers pass traces of ancient cave dwellings, abandoned peasant houses and the celebrated “Grotta Biscotto.

Info: https://ilsentierodeglidei.net

Posted on 01 Apr 2023 by Editor

PERUGINO: CELEBRATED ART WORK REUNITED

The section of a celebrated polyptych by Perugino has finally been re-united to its other panels for the major exhibition in the National Gallery of Umbria celebrating the 5th centenary of the death of the Renaissance maestro. The greater part of the Polyptych of the Certosa di Pavia featuring the Madonna and Child flanked by the Archangels Michael and Raphael are part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery, London, which has lent the panels for the occasion. Only the upper part of the work, featuring God the Father Blessing, has remained in its original site, while the central panels were so clumsily removed some time in the past that the foot of the Christ Child has been amputated.

The Perugino Exhibition, “Il Meglio Mastro d'Italia” (Italy's Best Maestro) which runs till the 11th June 2023, features over 70 works, many from some of the world's major galleries and collections, including the National Gallery of Washington, the Louvre, the Uffizi, the Gemaldegalerie of Berlin and others and gives a unique opportunity to study the development and career of an artist who, in his heyday was hailed as “the best maestro in Italy”.

Lauded for much of his life, especially for his unequalled use of colour, Pietro di Cristofono Vannucci (better known as Perugino) 's career unfortunately took a dip when he was in his late 50s, probably due to over-production and too much reliance on his apprentices to help him carry out the flood of requests and assignments that kept pouring in. A commission of an altar piece for the Church of the Holy Annunciation in Florence was refused because he had used figures copied from other of his works. Giorgio Vasari, the historic chronicler of “The Lives of the Artists”, described him as having “a rock-hard brain” and recounted that he took Michelangelo to court because he had accused him of being “clumsy in his trade”. Perugino retired after these episodes and his fame was overtaken by that of one of his ex-pupils: Raphael Sanzio.

The exhibition intends to give a more balanced view of an artist now universally acknowledged as “a leading maestro of the Renaissance.”

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.075.58668436 www.perugino2023.org gan-umb@cultura.gov.it

 

Posted on 28 Mar 2023 by Editor

VAL DI NON: APPLE BLOSSOM & PHANTOM BRIDGES

April is Apple Blossom time in the mountain Valley Non (Val di Non, Trentino, Alto Adige) a district of Trentino bordering on the Dolomites. The Val di Non is celebrated for its apple production and organizes special itineraries to the orchards, the farms and the best viewing spots for blossom photography. There is also an “Adopt an Apple Tree” initiative, aimed at families, who, for a modest fee, have exclusive rights to all the fruit it produces the following autumn.

Another special attraction of the valley is its “phantom bridges” that rise out of the waters of the 8 km-long Santa Giustina lake. The lake, formed by the damming of the Noce River in 1951, covers the valley floor, submerging the old farms, hamlets and mule tracks that once traversed the area.

Every spring, however, the water level is lowered and three ancient bridges, including one dating back to Ancient Rome and another medieval, emerge from the water like phantoms from another age, constituting another major tourist draw..

When it was built, the Santa Giustina dam was the highest dam in Europe, rising to a height of 152,50 m..

Info: www.visitvaldinon.it www.adottaunmelo.com

Posted on 23 Mar 2023 by Editor

FORLI IN GRAND STYLE

The town of Forlì (Emilia-Romagna) has launched a major exhibition centred on changing dress fashions from the period between 1789 and 1968 entitled L'Arte della Moda. L'eta dei Sogni e delle Rivoluzioni” (“The Art of Fashion. Times of Dreams and Revolutions”).

The exhibiton, running until the 2nd July 2023 in the prestigious seat of the ex-monastery San Domenico, now the Civic Museum, offers a rare full immersion in the changing customs and costumes that evolved from the period of the French Revolution through Romanticism, then Impressionism, Symbolism and the early 20th century with over 300 exhibits that include original historic items of clothing, accessories, works of art and sculptures, as well as celebrated paintings on the theme of dress trends by Mondrian, Boldini, Matisse, Marinetti, Depero and others, alongside iconic fashion articles designed by top couturiers like Ferré, Elsa Schiaparelli and Germana Marucelli.

Leading international Museums and Foundations from all over Europe have contributed items from their collections to the Forlì exhibition, resulting in a unique overview of changing dress styles, tastes and customs over the last four centuries.

Info: Tel.+39.0543.36217 www.mostremuseisandomenico.it

Posted on 19 Mar 2023 by Editor

 

NAPLES TREASURES A HIT IN SHANGHAI

The citizens of Shanghai, China, can admire the stunning images of Greek and Roman classical art masterpieces on view for the first time in China's biggest city and a major world financial centre, as they float across the facade of the Museum of Art Pudong, in a huge LED projection created by the Italian Flatmind Video Productions company. The images accompany the major exhibition: “A World of Beauty. Masterpieces from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples” in honour of the Year of Culture and Tourism Italia - China 2023.

The exhibition contains 70 masterpieces of classical art from the Farnese Collection of the National Museum of Naples, and includes celebrated pieces such as the Venus Callipyge, Asclepius and Apollo with Kythara.

The event runs until the 21st April 2023 and will be followed by two other equally prestigious exhibitions of Italian art and culture in 2024 and 2025, also organized in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture - “Leonardo da Vince, la Macchina dell'Immaginazione” (the Imagination Machine) and “Michelangelo, the Genius of Form.”

Info: https://iicshanghai.esteri.it https://mann-napoli.it

Posted on 14 Mar 2023 by Editor

COLLECTORS COINS FOR ARCHITECT VANVITELLI

This year marks the 250th anniversary of the death of neo-classical architect Luigi Vanvitelli, designer of Italy's sumptuous Royal Palace of Caserta (Campania). Among the many events and commemorative initiatives, visitors can enjoy a new permanent exhibition dedicated to him in the renamed Sala Vanvitelli within the Royal Palace apartments

A special tribute comes from Italy's Treasury Ministry which has commissioned the Mint (Istituto Poligrafica e Zecca dello Stato) to issue a new series of two gold and one silver coin for collectors specially designed for the occasion, with the nominal values of 5, 10 and 20 euro.

Two of the coins feature a portrait of the maestro from the Accademia of San Luca by an unknown artist on the obverse while the reverses carry details of the works of art connected with the palace itself.

The 10 euro gold coin (2,000 pieces issued) is part of the Fountains of Italy series, launched by the Mint last year with the image of the Trevi Fountain. This coin is dedicated to the celebrated Fountain of Diana and Actaeon in the grounds of the Caserta Palace, and portrays the episode recounted in the classical legend of the goddess Diana and the hunter who surprises her bathing and is punished by being transformed into a stag.

The 20 euro gold coin (1,500 examples) features a cherubim from another Caserta fountain, dedicated to Venus and Adonis, with a glimpse of the palace facade in the background, while the 5 euro silver shows a detail of the Upper Vestibule of the Palace and the Stairway of Honour.

Contrary to what is generally thought, Luigi Vanvitelli was not Italian. He was of Dutch origin and his original family name was Van Wittel, subsequently Italianized. He died at Caserta on the 1st March 1773.

There are numerous commemorations planned throughout the years 2023-2024, so watch this space.

  1. STENHOUSE

Info: www.reggiadicaserta.cultura.gov.it www.ipzs.it

Posted on 10 Mar 2023 by Editor

PLANS TO RELAUNCH ANCIENT CALABRIA ROUTE

With the Old Appia Way finally heading for official UNESCO recognition, another ancient route – the 2,200 year-old Strada Regia di Calabria (Main Road of Calabria) – is being brought to light by historian and architect Luca Esposito, a member of the Archeoclub D'Italia, one of Italy's foremost associations for the conservation and promotion of historic artistic heritage.

After eight years of research Esposito has traced out the first part of the ancient Roman route linking Naples to Castrovillari (Cosenza) in Calabria. The route which incorporated part of the Roman Via Popilia, was virtually cancelled out by the construction of the modern A3 Salerno-Calabria Autostrada del Mediterraneo in 1962.

The original road was some 400 kms long and passed through 44 towns and villages. Its continuous use through the centuries is bourne out by the 5 UNESCO Heritage sites along the route, as well as the remains of numerous old inns, 19th century postal stations and innumerable other historic sites, all of which Esposito has traced, mapped and published in Open-Source software.

The 44 localities on the route are now pooling their resources with view to launching new tourist treks and special interest guided tours along the re-discovered Old Strada Regia.

Info: Tel. +39.0644202250 www.archeoclubitalia.it www.academia.edu

 

 

 

Posted on 06 Mar 2023 by Editor

RAMSES MUMMY ON SHOW IN ROME

 

A precise replica of the mummy of Ramses II, the most celebrated Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, is at present on show in the Piacentiniana Room of the Palazzo del Rectorate in La Sapienza University of Rome.

 

 

 

While the precious original has remained in the National Museum of the Egyptian Civilization in Cairo, Egypt, advanced modern technology allows Rome visitors to admire a perfect three dimensional copy of “Il faraone immortale”, (the Immortal Pharaoh) complete with skin reconstructed with organic materials and facial features recreated by the specialists of the University's Centro SAPeri&Co research centre, according to the 3D image published by the Liverpool John Moore's University, England.

Ramses died at the venerable age of 90. According to his portrait, he was a handsome man with a prominent nose and a thin bony face.

The exhibition includes a reconstruction of the funeral chamber of Ramses from the Valley of the Kings as well as sensorial experiences, like the scent of the incense used in the embalming process, and also a historic recreation of the celebrated Battle of Qadesh (1274.BC) between the Egyptians and the Hittites.

Ramses II has the unfortunate honour of being identified with the legend of the Exodus of the Hebrew slaves from captivity in Egypt. However, modern archaeological research has found no evidence to support this story.

Info: Tel. +39.06.49694315 www.uniroma1.it polomusealesapienza@uniroma1.it

Posted on 02 Mar 2023 by Editor

CREMONA: VIOLINS AND MORE

Cremona, the “City of Violins”, has expanded its considerable cultural attractions to include Ancient Roman art. The celebrated Violin Museum is staging an exhibition of fragments of Roman murals found during excavation campaigns of luxurious Roman residences in the city centre over the past twenty years.

The title: “Pictura Tactitum Poema”, with subtitle: “Myths and Scenes from the Cremona Domus” is on show until the 21st May 2023. Of particular interest is the cycle relating to the Myth of Arianna, who helped the Greek warrior Theseus to escape from the Labyrinth after he had slain the Minotaur, and who was subsequently abandoned on the Island of Naxos by the ungrateful hero. Luckily she caught the eye of the God of Wine Dionysus who rescued her. Included among the exhibits are also votive objects from the Archaeological Museum of Mantova, Ostia Antica and Pompeii centred round the cult of the Roman household gods, known as Lares.

This is also a good opportunity to visit the museum's fascinating collection of stringed instruments, including the violins produced in Cremona by masters like Stradivari and Guarneri, still considered unsurpassed three centuries later.

Info: Tel. +39.0372.407081 www.musei.comune.cremona.it

Posted on 27 Feb 2023 by Editor

ART POLICE SAVE ITALY'S HISTORIC STATION

The Naples branch of Italy's crack corp of police dedicated to the preservation of Italy's cultural heritage, have placed the Bayard railway station – the country's oldest – under a conservation order to save it from threatened demolition. The Bayard station is the departure point of Italy's first train line, connecting Naples with Portici. The line was inaugurated with great pomp by the King of the Two Sicilies, Ferdinando II, in 1839 and the event was immortalized by the court painter Salvatore Fergola.

The journey of 7.25 kms was covered in 9 ½ minutes. There were 8 carriages drawn by a steam engine built by the English company Longridge, which the locals nicknamed “Vesuvius”. The line was subsequently expanded to include Castellammare di Stabia, Pompeii, Angri, Nocera Umbra and with a proposed link to Avellino.

The station functioned until 1866, when it was downgraded with the opening of Naples Central station and the Bayard Station and depot fell into disuse.

It is now partly incorporated into the Pietrasso Locomotive Museum. Italian Railway (Ferrovie dello Stato) have expressed interest in relaunching the station as part of its successful historic train trips operation, with view to connecting towns like Gragnano, known as the Capital of Pasta, and tourist resort towns on the Bay of Naples.

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.06.44103000 www.trenitalia.com/it/fondazione-fs.html

Posted on 23 Feb 2023 by Editor

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