ItalyUpdate

NEW FINDS AT SUBMERGED ROMAN CITY OF BAIA

The submerged Roman palace in the Bay of Baia (Naples, Campania) continues to produce surprises. Archaeology divers recently uncovered beautiful multi-coloured pavements hidden under the sand, which have been described as “a psychedelic-like tangle of geometric designs, made with coloured mosaic stones.”

Baia was a much favoured holiday retreat for the ancient Roman elite, due to its mild climate and healing sulphur springs. Consequently, the sea bed is scattered with the fascinating remnants of luxury residences, although the most important statues and sculptures have been removed to the nearby Castle Museum and substituted by copies.

The palace, along with other important public buildings, disappeared under the bay water towards the end of the 4^th century AD when the coast slowly began to sink, due to the natural phenomenon known as bradyseism, caused by volcanic activity from Vesuvius and the nearby Campi Flegrei (the so-called Burning Fields). The luxurious villas of the wealthy Romans were abandoned and were gradually swallowed up by the sea, along with their sculptures, columns, paved roads and other treasures.

The area was declared a protected Archaeological Marine Park in 2002, with access restricted to tours with expert guides. Professional diving instructors are on hand to guide those who want to experience the unique thrill of swimming around submerged columns and statues. For landlubbers, there is also a service of glass-bottomed boats for viewing from the surface.

Info: Tel. +39. 081.868.7592 www.parcosommersobaia.beniculturali.it

LUCREZIA BORGIA REVEALED

280 letters written by Lucrezia Borgia, the Dark Lady of the Renaissance, are now available for consultation on digital file from the State Archive of Modena (Reggio Emilia). The State Archive, which is in possession of Lucrezia's correspondence during the period when she was Duchess of Ferrara, commissioned the F. C. Panini Publishers Haltadefinizione company to examine, research, upload and publish the letters which shed new light on the figure of one of history's most enigmatic figures.

For almost five centuries she has been depicted as either a depraved femme fatale, or else the helpless victim of the political machinations of her father, Pope Alessandro VI Borgia. Her correspondence instead depicts another reality. Lucrezia was in fact an able administrator of the estates left by her third husband, a lover of the arts and a far-sighted and compassionate ruler.

The download was commissioned by the State Archive and financed by the Modena Foundation and the Italian Ministry of Culture's Art Bonus, a tax bonus scheme introduced in 2015. Research work included the examination and analysis of the type of paper used by Lucrezia.

The State Archive of Modena is the oldest archive in Italy, dating to 1862. Situated inside Modena Town Hall, it contains a huge collection of rare manuscripts and documents, including a vast musicians archive, the Secret Archive of the Este Family dynasty and a parchment signed by Charlemagne in 781.AD

The Haltadefinizione company specializes in the scrupulous digitalization of works of art in very high definition. Their achievements include Leonardo da Vinci's “Last Supper” and the 700 sqm cycle of frescoes by Giotto in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.

MSTENHOUSE

Info: State Archive Modena: Tel. +39.059.230549 www.laguidadimodena.it www.haltadefinizione.com

MOLISE CELEBRATES ITS BEES

The small mountain town of Castel del Giudice, near Isernia (Molise) was one of the protagonists of World Bee Day on the 20^th May 2023, in which visitors were invited to don beekeepers' protective gear and explore the world of hives. Experts were at hand to explain the community life of the bees and their invaluable contribution to the environment.

The Castel del Giudice bees pollinate the organic apple orchards of the area, which have been planted in abandoned agricultural land, and are celebrated for the special wildflower honey they produce.

Other Italian areas that took part in the World Bee Day initiatives included the Rubicone Valley in Romagna, the Dolomite Val d'Ega (Bolzano) with its “Bees' Wood,” Valgenauna in Alto Adige with its “Bees Trail” and the Modolena Protected Area in Reggio Emilia.

Info: www.borgotufi.it www.valdega.com www.visitemilia.com

SPRING AT LIGNANO SABBIADORO (IN MEMORY OF HEMINGWAY)

The historic resort of Lignano Sabbiadoro (Lignano Golden Sands) on the coast of Udine (Fruili Venezia Giulia) celebrates the arrival of spring with its annual “Lignano in Fiore” (Lignano in Flower) Festival, a riot of colours and perfumes set up in the Hemingway Park, dedicated to the writer Ernest Hemingway who stayed in Lignano in 1954.

The floral feast, however, is not for the eyes and senses alone: traditionally it supports philanthropic projects in Italy and the world, aimed specially at children and families in difficulty.

The celebrated resort of Lignano Sabbiadoro developed 120 years ago from a chance discovery by a party of excursionists on a boat trip from Marano who set out to explore the long strip of sand dunes that stretched across the lagoon. According to the Municipality of Lignano, they were so captivated with the spot that they marked it by planting some juniper twigs in the sand. However, their “secret” place did not remain secret for long. The very next year the first bathing establishment went up on that same spot. The resort was subsequently launched, complete with the signature “Terrazza del Mare” promenade and the Grand Hotel Lignano, ready to welcome the visitors who have flocked there ever since.

The official centenary+20 opening ceremony is programmed for the 7^th May 2023 and will be followed by a busy programme of attractions, entertainments and events throughout the entire season, including the 39^th edition of the prestigious Ernest Hemingway Literary Prize, which will be awarded on the 23-24^th June to 2023 winner Oscar Hokeah, author of “Calling for a Blanket Dance”.

Info: Tel. +39.0431.71821 www.lignanosabbiadoro,com

RENAISSANCE ARTIST AND LOCAL FOOTBALL CLUB SHARE HONOURS

2023 marks the 500^th anniversary of the death of Luca Signorelli, court painter to Lorenzo il Magnifico and considered to be one of the foremost artists of the Renaissance. Various commemorative initiatives are expected at his birthplace, Cortona (Tuscany) and other places in central Italy where he lived and worked.

Meanwhile, the nearby “Gold City” of Arezzo, known for its goldsmith industry as well as the celebrated annual Joust of the Saracen, a dazzling historic re-enactment of a medieval contest, has decided to pay its own rather quirky tribute to the great artist by pairing his fifth centenary commemoration with that of the first centenary of the local football team, Arezzo Calcio (also referred to as the “Amaranth Purples” after the colour of their football jerseys).

The Joust of the Saracen is traditionally divided into two contests, one in early summer and the other at the beginning of autumn, during which riders compete for the traditional prize of the Golden Lance. The San Donato trophy, programmed this year on 17^th June, dedicates the Golden Lance to Luca Signorelli, while the second leg, known as the Joust of the Madonna of Consolation, on the 3^rd September, assigns the Golden Lance to Arezzo Calcio.

A more traditional commemoration has been set up at Cortona, where the Museum of the Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, in the 16^th century church of the Confraternity of Jesus, has the most important collection of Signorelli's works, including masterpieces like “the Lamentation over the Dead Christ” and “the Communion of the Apostles.” The museum was first opened in 1923 as part of the Signorelli 4^th centenary celebrations and has now been renovated and re-fitted specially in honour of this new important landmark.

M.STENHOUSE

Info: Diocese Museum of Cortona. Tel. +39.0577.286300 booking@operalaboratori.com

www.giostradelsaracinaarezzo.it

BERGAMO'S MODEL VILLAGE CRESPI d'ADDA

Bergamo, which shares the title of Italian Capital of Culture 2023 with Brescia, is highlighting tours this spring to one of its most prestigious museum complexes, the former industrial village of Crespi d'Adda, a listed UNESCO Heritage Site.

Crespi d'Adda was built by cotton manufacturer Cristoforo Benigno Crespi in 1876 to house his workers. A model village of 500 houses, all with individual gardens, and complete with communal facilities, such as a school, sports fields, a church, a theatre, recreational clubs for the workers and other conveniences, it has remained intact for 146 years, even after the final closure of the factory in 2003. Among its vaunts, Crespi d'Adda was the first Italian community to have electric lighting and a telephone service.

The village is still inhabited by some 300 descendants of the original workforce.

The Crespi village is now a living museum offering regular guided tours that include the nearby 1909 hydro-electric plant on the River Adda, considered one of the most outstanding examples of its era, the imposing Dalmine bunker from WWII, a short walking distance from the village, and the MUVA Nature Museum of the Adda Valley, situated in the aristocratic residence of Villa Gina, and inaugurated in 2020.

Info: Tel. +39.02.90939988 www.crespidadda.it

VENICE SHOWS ITS MODERN FACE

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi displays the modern face of Venice with exhibitions by two controversial contemporary artists in its 16^th century premises on the Grand Canal.

Roberto Ghezzi's “Aquae Naturografic” on the top floor of the building presents a new and personalized angle on the presence of water and the lagoon, while the ground floor and entrance to the T Galleria duty-free mall is enlivened by the colourful creations of street artist Gioele Corradengo, signature Sexsdreams.

The Fondaco dei Tedeschi (the German Warehouse) is one of Venice's most exciting modern conversions. The building dates from 1228 and was used by German traders as their base in the city to trade and store their goods. It was rebuilt in its present form after a fire at the beginning of the 16^th century. In modern times it was taken over by the Italian Post Office and more or less languished until it was purchased by the Benetton Group, who converted it into a retail centre in grand style designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, who preserved many of its Renaissance features, such as the facade, the upper floor galleries and the mullioned windows. Unfortunately, the original frescos by Giorgione and Titian that once decorated the walls no longer exist, except as a few fragments preserved in the Ca'D'Oro.

The two exhibitions are running until the 1^st May 2023, while the shopping mall is open every day between 10.30 – 19.30.

M.STENHOUSE

Info: Tel.+39.041.3142000      www.visitvenezia.eu     www.dfs.com

BRONZE OLIVES FOR ASSISI EASTER

The artist Giuseppe Carta from Banari, Sardinia, has created a special message of peace for Easter2023, with 140 bronze olive sprigs set on the lawn in front of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. The olive branchlets, with their bronze leaves, vary in size between 55 and 150 cms and make an arresting sight for the crowds of visitors who flood to Assisi for the Easter celebrations.

Info: www.sanfrancescoassisi.org

AGRIGENTO ITALIAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE

The ancient Sicilian city of Agrigento has won the coveted nomination of Italian Capital of Culture for 2025, after a rigorous selection among ten candidate finalists. The prize amounts to one million euros, to be spent on projects that improve social and cultural facilities in the city and surrounding areas, that include the Island of Lampedusa, one of the most beleaguered landing spots for boatloads of immigrants from the North African coast.

Agrigento's bid was also motivated by the 5^th century BC Ancient Greek philosopher Empedocles, a native of the city, who elaborated the theory of the four governing elements, as well as the hypothesis of friendship and love (as opposed to discord and hatred) that brings harmony to the universe and mankind.

Agrigento takes over from Pesaro, the 2024 winner, and concurs with Gorizia which along with Nova Gorica.will be the 2025 European Capital of Culture,

This year's current Capital of Culture is the duel nominee Brescia and Bergamo, the two Lombardy cities worst hit by the Covid pandemic.

Info: www.beniculturali.it

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