My Monthly Archives: June 2017
Double Dolomiti II
Here’s another, a snow-clad rocky peak, like the previous image, in the eastern half of the Dolomiti not far from Belluno. The Dolomiti were the proving ground for young Reinhold Messner, the greatest of all mountaineers, who grew up in South Tyrol or Süd Tirol, an area once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire but which was ceded to Italy after the First World War (Italians call the area Trentino-Alto Adige). Many Süd Tirolers still feel more culturally attached to Austria ; they speak German and their ethnic identities lay with south German alpine cultures rather than Mediterranean Italic. Messner conquered all of the great peaks of the Dolomites before going on to conquer the world’s most challenging mountains. Among his many accomplishments, he was the first person to climb all 14 world peaks over 8000 meters (26,247 ft) and also summited Everest without oxygen tanks.
Terrific Toscana
This is a view from the castle of San Gimignano to the northeast, over the lovely Tuscan landscape of verdant, rolling hills. Such a classic view: undulating fields of grapevines and orchards of olive trees, giving out finally to the shadows of the Apennine Range in the distance.
Helping Hands
One of the attractions in Venice–as if it needs any more; indeed, it could use a few less–are the works of contemporary art produced for the Venice Biennale (which takes place every two years, not twice a year…I’m putting this part in for me because I can never tell). This is a picture taken from the spectacular terrace atop the Fondaco dei Tedeschi, which is now an upscale mall with fancy shops. The building was originally the German traders’ inn and warehouse during the renaissance and its sides were once decorated with frescoes by, no less, Giorgione and Titian. The fondaco had a huge cortile or open courtyard (now roofed over). The large ground-floor rooms were used for the storage of goods, while the upper stories were residential rooms, which numbered about 160. German merchants were required to stay there during their trading junkets so the Venetians, ever vigilant, could keep track of them. Its position on the Rialto also marked the importance of German trade relations. It was built in the first decade of the 16th century, replacing one that had burned down (that one built in the 13th century). For most of the 20th century the building served as the Central Post Office of Venice, but renovations by Rem Koolaus have now returned the building to a commercial function. Happily, the view from the terrace is free; you take the escalators up to the top floor then take some stairs and wait in the upper room to get to the terrace. This view is to the northwest, up the Grand Canal. Look closely and you can see the ‘Hands’, a work by the artist Lorenzo Quinn for this year’s Biennale. I think you can figure out the meaning of the work.
This and That
I guess everyone knows who these two fellows are: Plato on the left and Aristotle on the right. Plato carries his Timaeus (written 360 BCE) under his arm, and Aristotle cradles his Ethics (written c 349 BCE). This famous image of the duo appears in a fresco painting by Raphael, which has come to have been called ‘The School of Athens’, but it should more properly simply be called ‘Philosophy’, as this is what the whole painting is meant to embody. The frescoes decorate a series of rooms called the stanze in the Vatican in Rome. This room, decorated during the pontificate of Julius II, was meant to serve as the pontiff’s library, and the library books on philosophy were meant to be arranged below this painting; hence its subject matter.
Modes of Mobility
Ah, this is the way to see Italy! I have to say I’m envious of the person who owns this classic little roadster. Can you imagine toodling along Umbrian country roads in this little beauty? I’ve never driven in Italy, amazingly enough (wise beyond my years), and have never gone on a bike tour either. Though lately I’ve had fantasies of kayaking the length of the Arno or Tiber Rivers. Stay tuned!
Grand Exit
Here is proof, if any further proof be needed, that Italians know how to get married in style. This couple went for a big statement, getting hitched in the medieval Amalfi cathedral, one of Italy’s most striking. Most impressive of all is the giant staircase. They descended very slowly, letting both relatives, friends, and a thousand tourists take their pictures. Here, they’re exiting out the bottom of the picture to their all white Jaguar….I would have expected a Masterati.
Check Your Brick
Ensconced in the wall of the medieval ‘city hall’ of Assisi, Italy (a town more famous for being the home of Saint Francis), is an interesting thing: the standardized sizes of bricks, roof tiles, and other measurements. If you thought someone from whom you were buying bricks was shorting you, you could bring one of the bricks here and check it against the standard; so, too, your roof tiles or lengths of cloth. As always, it’s buyer beware; and, as it should be, good government helps keep things just.
