Pilgrimage to Padua

(In front of the main entrance to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, in Padua, Italy)

Our final port of call in Italy was Padua, the small medieval city that is best known for three things: The famous Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua that has attracted pilgrims for centuries from all over the world, the Capella Arena which hides a fresco cycle by the medieval artist Giotto and the buildings of the University of Padua, the second oldest in the country (younger only than the one at Bologna) where Galileo was once a professor. What we loved in addition to all these attractions was the medieval quarter of the city which has been preserved so perfectly that the winding labyrinth of streets seemed to have been frozen completely in time. As we walked down the cobbled streets, we could have sworn we might have bumped into Galileo on his way to the university!
We took the morning train from Venice’s Santa Lucia Station to arrive about 45 minutes later in Padua. Once outside the station, we tried to find the Double Decker Hop-On, Hop-Off Sight-seeing bus but with our limited Italian and no one knowledgeable enough to tell us where to go to hop into it, we were left to our own resources. At the public bus ticket booth, the clerk advised us to buy a ticket to get to the Basilica of St. Anthony but only after we had visited the Capella Arena. That, he assured us, was a short walk away, no more than ten minutes.

Not quite sure we had understood him, we took his advice anyway, and ten minutes later, we arrived at the beautiful public gardens in which the tiny Capella Arena is set (left). Part of the complex of the archeological museum that houses excavated finds that date back to Roman times, we needed to buy a ticket inside the museum. At the counter, we held our breath, literally, for we had been informed only the previous day that entry into the chapel is strictly regulated. No more than 30 people are allowed in for visits lasting no more than 15 minutes. Since the time of one’s entry into the chapel is inscribed on the ticket, we felt fortunate to receive the last two tickets for the day, for a tour that began at 1. 30 pm.

With about two hours to kill before our chapel visit, we took a tram (our first tram ride in Europe on this trip) from the Piazza Ermitiani, opposite the museum complex and arrived at the Piazza in which the Basilica of St. Anthony is located (left). I was very excited about visiting this church. As a practicing Roman Catholic, I am aware that this church is a very important center of pilgrimage. In India, where I was raised, devotion to St. Anthony of Padua is very strong and I had seen pictures of this saint since my childhood. I was delighted to visit the place of his birth and to see the Basilica that announces so many miracles on its walls.

Nothing, however, had prepared me for the grandiose dimensions of this church (left). Indeed, it is huge and very exotic, characterized by Byzantine domes and minaret-like spires. Built in 1232 of stark red brick to house the mortal remains of St. Anthony, it rises like a sentinel, quite awesome in its size and splendor.  Once inside, one is overwhelmed by the wealth of visual details. There is a succession of chapels or altars, each dedicated to a different saint. Baroque in its conception and design, the basilica boasts so much fine sculpture and art  work on its walls, not to mention a splendid cycle of frescoes in the St. James Chapel that have been recently restored and are stunning in their impact. In a small Benediction chapel, a priest was available to grant blessings upon the faithful.

Relics of St. Anthony:
The most valuable sculpture adorning the main altar inside the basilica is by Donatello. Behind the main altar is concealed the crypt that contains a visually stunning chapel dedicated entirely to the relics of St. Anthony. In this holy shrine is kept intact the brown cassock and rope belt that the saint wore as part of the Franciscan order to which he belonged. There are also his bones preserved in fabulously crafted receptacles that decorated the altar. Priests were available to grant blessings and distribute a few mementos of one’s visit.

Out in the main basilica once again, we saw the grand tomb of St. Anthony surrounded by portrayals of his cycle of life depicted through marble bas relief sculptures that were finely carved. Flanked on either side by 18th century Baroque candle stands, this chapel is one of the most frequently visited inside the church.
Outside in the church piazza, we picked up memorabilia of our own visit from a kiosk close to the equestrian statue by Donatello of Gatamelata. Then, we boarded the tram that took us back to Piazza Ermitiani. Picking up sandwiches and a bottle of water from a near-by deli, we sat in the public garden, already filled with daffodils, to enjoy the sunshine and our lunch before we made our way to the Capella Arena for our 1.30 appointment.

The Amazing Capella Arena:
Featuring in Marina Vaizey’s 100 Masterpieces of Art is The Lamentation over the Dead Christ which is part of the Capella Arena that was built in 1303 by Enrico Scrovegni in an attempt to spare his dead father, a usurer by profession, from the tortures of Hell as described by Dante in his Inferno. The Florentine artist Giotto was commissioned to decorated the small chapel from floor to ceiling. Regarded as the Father of Western Art, he straddles the divide between Medievalism on the one hand and the Renaissance on the other. His work was extremely influential especially in his depiction of space and perspective. It is impossible that one man could have painted the entire sequence of frescoes in just two years. Indeed it is very likely that the work was carried out with the aid of several assistants though Giotto was undoubtedly their author.
Given that we had only 15 minutes in which to take in the entire wonder of this work, I was confused, not knowing exactly where to look and what to scrutinize. Finally, after my eyes had passed over the interior, I paused in front of The Lamentation and used my notes to study it. The entire west wall of the chapel is covered with Giotto’s depiction of The Last Judgment while the sides portray scenes from the Life of Christ and the Life of Mary. There are also allegorical portrayals of the Vices and Virtues filling negative space. Overall, the impact of this room was just spectacular and, before we knew it, our 15 minutes were up, a whistle was blown and we were asked to leave. Out in the sunshine once again, we realized that there was a wealth of archeological material to be explored but with time going against us, we elected instead to take a walking tour of the historic center of Padua which also contained the beautiful historical buildings of the University of Padua.

Padua’s Historic Center:

With the aid of a map, we followed the route that led us to Piazza Cavour which is the beginning of the historic district. A bronze statue of a woman by Emilio Greco guards the square that was full of visitors that morning. Just a few meters ahead on the same street, is the famous Café Pedrocchi ( above left) which has been a meeting place for students and intellectuals from the university since 1831. Built in the style of a classical temple, we did pay it a lightning visit with an eye to exploring the interior that is filled with some interesting frescoes.

Then, we were out in the maze of narrow, cobbled streets that housed smaller eateries (left). Passing by the Law School of the University, we arrived at Piazza Delle Erbe in which a farmer’s market was located. Fresh fruit and vegetables were filling the shopping bags of Padua’s housewives even as our eyes roamed over the ornately frescoed interior of the Palazzo della Ragione that stood in the square covered with wonderful painterly decoration. These hidden nooks and crannies of the city were entirely charming and we wished we could have spent more time just rambling aimlessly through these historic pathways.

But with an urgent desire to spend our last evening in Venice, we took the train back to Santa Lucia Station, very pleased that our day trip to Padua had been such a success. We spent our last evening in Venice sampling the wonderful gelato at Gelateria Nico at San Zaccaria about which all the guidebooks rave. And quite deservedly too for it was among the best gelato we ate in Italy.

Return Home:
The next morning, we set our clocks for our early departure from Venice to London from Treviso airport. How shocked we were to discover that we had lost an hour during the night due to daylight savings time of which we had no clue! Unable to retrieve that lost hour, we had no choice but to take a taxi to the airport instead of the bus we had intended from Piazza La Roma. To cut a long story short, we did get our flight and discovered in the check-in queue that almost everyone had made their way to the airport by cab that morning having no knowledge about the changing of the clocks. Our Ryan Air flight took off on schedule, we arrived at London’s Stansted airport earlier than expected and hopping on to the Easybus, we got to Victoria in an hour and a half.

 There, I had the most wonderful reunion with four of my high school classmates –Bina, Chandra and Rosita who had arrived from Melbourne, Australia (left).

Needless to say, it was great fun especially as the weather in London was just delightful with wonderfully bright sunshine and clear blue skies. Amy and I enjoyed the long drive by Easybus from Stansted airport to Victoria where we saw the fresh spring greenness of miles of fields, the neat suburban row houses with their sprucely-tended handkerchief sized gardens and the stately grand mansions and monuments of Central London.

That morning, Amy and I had taken the Tube to check out the village of Islington which, in recent times, has become very hip indeed.
Then, by 5. 30 pm. it was time for me to bid goodbye to my classmates and return on the Tube to Heathrow from where we boarded our American Airlines flight back to the US after what had been a truly memorable trip indeed.

Thanks for armchair-traveling with Amy and me on this incredible tour of Italy. I do hope that I have managed to convey some of the thrills and wonders of the sights we beheld and the experiences we encountered.

Do continue to travel to other parts of the world with me. A dazzling array of destinations are only a click away.

Bon Voyage!

Lovely Lucca

(Amy and I pose in Lucca’s famous Amphitheatro)

It was my students (many of whom have spent a semester in Florence, Italy) who told me about Lucca. “You Must go to Lucca” they said. “You’re bound to love it”. Situated only twenty minutes by train from Pisa, it can so easily be covered in the same day. On the train that was crowded with chattering Italian commuter students, we enjoyed the passing Tuscan scenery with its spring growth slowly emerging after a short winter’s slumber. There were the cypress trees rising like sentinels in the midst of wheat fields and farm houses all painted in those striking shades of yellow and orange that make the countryside so distinctive in this part of Italy.

Spring Time in Lovely Lucca:

Stashing our bags in the Tourist Information kiosk for a small fee and equipped with a map, we began our exploration of this little-known township passing through its massive walls for Lucca is a fortified Roman city whose ramparts are thick brick walled walkways designed to keep enemies at bay. Once inside the city, we noticed that spring had come to the cherry trees that lined the narrow streets, so profusely were they in bloom. Utterly delightful (above left)!

The Church of San Martino:

The walls of the famous Duomo of San Martino (St. Martin) whose construction began in 1093 towered above us and we headed at leisure towards its square which was almost deserted but for a small student group. Once at the church door, we used our tourist literature to observe curious elements of its exterior architecture. Also built in Pisan-Romanesque style, this grey and white marble building and its accompanying red-brick campanile or bell-tower contrasted oddly with each other (left). Once inside, we discovered that the church houses three precious items: A crucifix portraying the Holy Face (Volto Santo) of Christ that is supposed to have been carved by St. Nicodemus at the time that he helped take Christ down from the cross, a gilded altarpiece by Ghirlandaio and a marvelous piece of funerary sculpture–the Tomb of Illaria del Carretto, a young bride, by Jacopo della Quercia. She was so deeply loved that when she died in childbirth, she was greatly mourned by her husband who commissioned the sculpture. If Illaria did indeed look exactly as she was sculpted, she must have been a stunner for her face is exquisite. The cold white marble and her reclining posture give the entire work an ethereal air and we felt the need to whisper in the sacristy where the figure is concealed. Be prepared to pay a small fee to see the altarpiece and the sculpture.

Along Via Fialuongo:

Leaving the cathedral square behind us, we walked towards Lucca’s famed amphitheater along Via Fialuongo, whose boutiques were crammed with fashionable clothing, leather goods and jewelry. The weather was just perfect for casual sauntering and the city’s cobbled streets were virtually empty. We were grateful to have made our entry into Italy through these quiet smaller towns in whose medieval quarters cars are prohibited. These made for delightfully aimless rambles and though we were already foot sore by this point in our travels, we were loathe to stop anywhere to rest.

The Roman Amphitheater:
Lucca’s Roman Amphitheatro is truly unique. Built by the Romans as an amphitheater for bloody gladiatorial sport, the structure today contains homes, shops and restaurants built on top of what were once the walls of the collosseum and, therefore, forms a perfect oval. Within the spacious expanses of this shape, we walked in wonder, amazed to think that the arched entrances we saw around us were once the openings for enslaved gladiators and the wild beasts who entertained blood-thirsty crowds. Once again, it was the uniformly warm shades of yellow reaching towards orange and red that made the amphitheater striking.

The Church of San Frediano:

Leaving it behind us, we walked towards the Church of San Frediano (left) whose façade featured an impressive Biblical mosaic that glittered in the bright sunlight. This Pisan-Romanesque church was closed but the quiet square within which it is set was very charming indeed. It is easy to get lost in the streets of Lucca as the eye is attracted to all sorts of charming corners.

The Church of San Michele in Foro:

Following our map, we made our way towards the Church of San Michele in Foro (the church of St. Michael in the Forum–left), so-called because it is built on the site of what was formerly the Roman Forum. Another wonderful structure in Pisan-Romanesque design, it is set in a busy square in which brisk trading was carried out by a variety of vendors. We realized that the squares of most tourist sites, churches especially, have been converted into sites for petty trade, a matter of which Christ might not have approved (remember how he chased away the traders from the temple at Jerusalem?) and of which I did not approve either as I felt that the sanctity and the beauty of these public spaces were completely destroyed by unsightly white awnings. This particular church is crowned by a gilded sculpture of Archangel Michael after whom it is named.

Home of Composer Puccini:

A few lanes away in a quiet, unassuming piazza is a sculpture of Giacomo Puccini, Italy’s beloved composer of such famous operas as Tosca, Turandot, La Boheme and Madame Butterfly. I was so pleased to come upon the very square that contains the modest home in which this composer was born and composed some of my favorite arias such as “O Mio Bambino Caro” (from Gianni Schicchi) and “Nessun Dorma” (from Turandot). Puccini sits majestically on a grand chair lording it over the square, his cigar hanging from his hand in complete defiance of every contemporary health rule (above left). His home, now a museum to the composer’s memory, was closed which did not allow us to see the very desk at which he composed some of his best-known works.

Piazza Napoleon:

Returning to Lucca’s railway station via Piazza Napoleon which contains a sculpture of the Emperor’s sister Louisa (left), we walked along the ramparts, stopping to take pictures of the Roman lion of Lucca and to enjoy our first gelatos in Italy as we selected from a wide variety of ice-cream in a very cute gelateria.

Then, we boarded a train that took us into the beautiful heart of the Tuscan countryside past more wheat fields and orange groves, sheep dotted hillsides and yellow plastered farm dwellings. An hour later, our train pulled into Santa Maria Novella Train Station in Florence that is usually referred to as Statione Centrale.

To follow Amy and me on the next leg of our travels in Florence, Italy, please click on this link below:

Fabulous Florence

Bon Voyage!

Fabulous Florence

(Amy and I pose on the banks of River Arno in Florence with the famous Ponte Vechhio behind us) 

What can one say about Florence that hasn’t been said before? What adjective can one find to describe a city that has existed for thousands of years and has barely changed since its most glorious epoch? Florence was a high seat of the Renaissance—the rebirth in the arts and culture, literature and learning that swept through Europe in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries resulting in that vast outpouring of intellect and creativity is plainly in evidence on the bricks of its walls, the cobbles of its ancient streets and the breathtaking canvasses and statues that adorn its many museums.

So once in Florence prepare yourself for the best that Europe can offer—uniform red-roofed structures  (left) punctuated by cloud-piercing bell-towers, roomy piazzas surrounded by stolid official buildings, fashionable shops selling luxury items such as leather goods and olive-wood writing implements, unusual paper products and glass jewelry in the distinctive mille fiori, pietra dura and mosaic patterns, cloistered churches within whose walls lurk world-famous frescoes, expensive restaurants that serve some of the best ciocolata caldo (hot chocolate) in the world and old-world bridges upon which goldsmiths still continue to display their craftsmanship just as they did in the prosperous days of the Medici dukes.

I had last visited Florence twenty years ago and very briefly at that! In fact, as I check the entries made in my travel journal at the time, I see that I had passed through the city with my French friend Chantal for just a day–at which time we had breezed through the Uffizi, stolled through the Piazza della Signoria  and the Palazzo Vecchio (left) to see the fake sculpture of David by Michelangelo, saw the Duomo, the Baptistry and the Campanile from the outside, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, walked through the Boboli Gardens and visited the Church of Santa Maria Novella—all in one day. It was just a brief walking tour of the city’s most touristic spots. Unbelievable! I can’t imagine how I managed to tear myself away from this city so quickly.

Twenty years later, I was determined that things would be very different for Amy and me. She too had visited Florence before but now that we were older, much more mature, far better educated in Art History and so much less frugal, we could look forward to a better time. We intended to take Florence at a far more leisurely pace, to savor its unique ambience and to integrate ourselves into its Medieval and Renaissance history.

At Home with a Friend:

Walking just five minutes from the train station to Via Sant Antonio, we arrived at the lovely fourth floor walk-up apartment of my NYU friend and colleague, Dr. Mahnaz Yousefzadeh (center) who is currently on a teaching assignment at NYU’s campus at Villa La Pietra. Mahnaz welcomed us warmly and chatting over a glass of wine and sugar-sweet clementines, we spent a relaxing evening. Because Mahnaz had an official dinner appointment that evening, she directed us to Trattoria Za-Za located close to the Church of San Lorenzo for dinner. Amy and I loved the basement dining room with its stucco walls and the intimate corner to which our waiter directed us. Over a lovely carafe of vino rosso (red wine), we tucked into Italy’s most popular appetizer—crusty bread dipped in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (olio e aceto balsamico). We decided to try the pasta and with Amy opting for penne pomodoro while I chose a ravioli stuffed with spinach and goat cheese in a walnut sauce, we had ourselves one of the most memorable meals in Italy.

Unable to call it a day, we took a detour on the way home and arrived, startlingly, at the Piazza delle Duomo (left) where we were accosted by the magnificence of Florence’s most revered structures—the 11th century Baptistry in which Florentines like Petrarch, Dante and Machiavelli were once baptized, the Campanile  or bell tower and Duomo dei Santa Maria del Fiore which is topped by the amazing engineering of Brunnelleschi’s Dome. To behold it in the moonlight while the softness of its marble exterior glowed was truly magical and we were both speechless. Having seen these monuments before, I too was struck by the impact they made upon me in their new spotless avatars. Indeed every single one of these buildings has been cleaned and restored. Now we know what the Europeans are doing with the money generated by their thriving economies!

Outside the Baptistry, Lorenzo Ghiberti’s famous “Gates of Paradise”, (left) also recently refurbished, gleamed in the light of the full moon. Named thus by Michelangelo who was deeply impressed by them, the name stuck and, generations later, we still know them by this appendage. How fortunate we felt to have these monuments to ourselves, stripped of the throngs of tourists who normally choke the squares to capacity! Unable to tear ourselves from these sights, we walked all around the Duomo taking in its various curves and angles and noticing the difference in the appearance of those few portions of the church where restoration is still in progress.

Exploring the Uffizi Gallery:

The next morning, Mahnaaz, Amy and I gathered in the Café del Rossa for a caffe latte and a chocolate brioche in what became one of our daily morning rituals (left). We learned from Mahnaz that food consumed at the counter in restaurants or trattorias cost a fraction of their price when eaten at a table! That explains why so many office-bound Florentinos crowded around the counter while munching their brioches and sipping their cappucinos.

When well braced against the rigors of the day’s sightseeing, we bid Mahnaz goodbye and set off for the Uffizi Gallery where I had made online bookings several weeks in advance. The last time I had been to the Uffizi, we had spent an hour and a half in line just waiting to get in. I was determined not to let this happen anywhere and paying the extra 3 Euros that it took to make online reservations, we walked right up to the counter, past the waiting crowds, claimed our tickets and walked straight into the Museum.
The Uffizi is one of Europe’s greatest art galleries and the museum whose collection numbers canvasses in the thousands, is able to display only a small fraction of those at any given time. After a huffing and puffing climb that took us to the third floor of the museum, we began our exploration of its highlights using Marina Vaizey’s 100 Masterpieces of Art as well as the recommendations contained in Lonely Planet Italy and the DK Eye Witness Travel Guides. And so we saw them all—the heavyweights of Renaissance Paintings—from Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and Allegory of Spring to Michelangelo’s only oil painting–his portrait of the Holy Family; from Pierro della Francesca’s portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino to Fra Lippo Lippi’s Madonna and Child; from Giotto’s Madonna to Gentille da Fabriano’s glorious Adoration of the Magi. My very favorite painting in the Uffizi, however, Carravaggio’s Bacchus, I saved for the very last, finding it tucked away on the lowest floor in a special exhibition. We found our art notes most helpful in understanding the history and techniques of these canvasses and had no idea where the time flew as we moved from one room to the next within the vast spaces of the museum, stopping only to take in the fabulous views of the Arno flowing down below us from the topmost floor.

Then, we were out on Piazza della Signoria (left)  joining the hordes of tourists who had arrived by mid-day to mill around taking pictures. One of the best ways to enjoy these popular cities of Europe is to wake at the crack of dawn and get to the monuments before the rest of the visitors invade or to wait until night fall to see the monuments in a completely different light. Making our way slowly towards Santa Maria Novella railway Station, we boarded Bus number 12 that took us to our next destination in about twenty minutes.

Viewing Villa La Pietra:
The complex that is known as Villa La Pietra (left) consists of five Florentine villas spread out on a property of 500 acres that belonged to the aristocratic English family of the Actons. Lord Harold Acton, last owner of the estate, having been childless, passed it on to New York University which converted the property into an international campus and has been leading a very successful program in Florence for the past 15 years. While four villas today house classrooms, dorms and other administrative offices, Villa La Pietra itself, the house in which the Actons lived, has been retained as a museum to showcase the vast collection of art and antiques that the Actons acquired in their lifetime. After a lasagne lunch in the campus cafeteria, Amy and I took the guided tour of the home and gardens that was conducted by one of the students. As we toured the reception rooms and the private rooms of the Actons, our eyes took in the full range of sculpture, paintings and decorative objects d’art that Lord Acton loved. However, it was the gardens that were truly spectacular. When NYU took over the property, they undertook a fourteen year plan for the development of the gardens and in the thirteen years that have ensued, they have done an amazing job.

To walk through the extensive olive groves, the formal Italianate gardens full of statuary (there are more than a hundred pieces of sculpture in the gardens), the yew and box borders, is to be transported into Paradise. Divided into various rooms, each part of the gardens revealed themselves to us in a different guise. And at the very bottom of the garden were the grand sweeping vistas that presented the rooftops of Florence in all their varied glory. Truly, the tour of Villa La Pietra gave us a glimpse into the kind of palazzos in which moneyed Italians have lived for generations and we felt privileged to have had the opportunity to peak into this wealthy lifestyle.

Around Piazza della Republica:

By the time we returned on the bus to Piazza della Republica, we were ready for a hot chocolate and having one at the famous Ristorante Gilli (left) that is situated right on the square and has been made internationally known by the films of Merchant-Ivory was high on our priority list of things to do. We settled down to steaming cups of what seemed like liquid candy—it was so dark, so sweet and so astonishingly thick we could stand our spoons in it. At 6 Euros a cup, it was steeply priced, but easily one of the most memorable cups of hot chocolate we had ever tasted. With this sweet sustenance, our thoughts turned to dinner and we decided to stroll to Via Il Pacheti to make reservations at Ristorante Il Latini that is highly recommended as offering some of the finest meals in Florence for a very reasonable tab. When we did find the place on a winding, nondescript street, we were told that no reservations were taken. However, we were promised a table at 7.30 pm and we resolved to get back to the restaurant well in time to claim our seats.

With more than an hour left to kill, we wandered towards the Arno and on impulse decided to cross the Ponte Vechhio (left) to sample the wares of some of the smartest shops in the city. But, en route, I was enticed by the display windows of Il Papyri, a chain store that specializes in fine writing implements and unusual paper. I decided to try to find a special gift for Llew who loves fountain pens and uses them regularly. In the company of the sweetest saleswoman, both Amy and I ended up buying olive-wood fountain pens with bottles of old-fashioned ink, sticks of sealing lacquer and a seal with the initial A on it to be used for sealing letters in the Renaissance style. With our goodies beautifully wrapped up in the Italian custom, we headed towards the Ponte Vechhio and spent the most delightful time peering at the dazzling jewels displayed in the windows of the city’s foremost jewelers. When we arrived on the opposite bank of the River Arno—the Oltrarno, as it is known, we decided to walk on the other side of the bridge to continue window-shopping.

A little while later, we were seated at Il Latini (left) which had attracted a long queue outside its doors. Once we made it into the restaurant, we were placed at a long communal table, coincidentally enough, with a group of young American students visiting Italy on their spring break. Even before we had a chance to glance at the menu, the proprietor who took a shine to Amy (blame her blonde good looks!), brought us plates of antipasto that consisted of the most succulent proscuitto (which hung from great big hooks in the ceiling beams), Genoa salami and crostini slathered with liver pate and bruschetta. Having almost made a meal of the appetizers and crusty bread that followed, Amy and I decided to share the House Pasta—a Penne alla Latini which came with a tasty meat sauce. We polished it off in minutes, then decided to sample the desserts and settled for a panna cotta which was amazingly light. The proprietor then decided to send us complimentary glasses of muscadet (a sweet dessert wine), and another tiny glass filled with vino santo which was accompanied by tiny almond biscotti. After all the red wine we had drunk with our meal, this seemed almost sinful but we relished each drop and was stunned when our bill came to just 15 Euros each.
When we returned to Mahnaz’s apartment, I found that my colleague Minu Tharoor had arrived from New York that morning and after a noisy reunion with her, we sat down to chat late into the night before sheer fatigue made us call it a night.

Excursion to the Barghello:

When we awoke the next morning, we resumed our morning breakfast ritual at the café before heading off to the Barghello Museum (left) to see its marvelous collection of sculpture. While almost everyone is familiar with Michelangelo’s David, few people know Donatello’s David and it was primarily to see this sculpture that I had made online reservations at the Barghello which used to be a prison in the Middle Ages.

It chilled me to realize that the torture and execution of prisoners took place in its central walled courtyard (left) through which we passed. The building is itself a curiosity with its stark brick lined walls and the tower that rises upwards to become a city landmark.

We started our discovery of this collection of outstanding sculpture on the ground floor with iur examination of Michelangelo’s superlative work including his Bacchus, Brutus and the circular, unfinished Madonna and Child. But it was Giambologna’s Baccho that was the most strikingly beautiful item in this room carved, as it was, in stunning dark marble. With this room covered, we climbed the stairs to get to the first floor where I discovered to my disappointment that Donatello’s David was being restored and was laid down on its back allowing us to see some aspects of the sculpture that would otherwise have remained hidden. Despite the odd position in which we found David, I was so deeply moved by the sculpture that I found my eyes tearing up. Donatello’s young androgynous David, about whom so much has been written, was much smaller than I expected and yet so graceful in its portrayal. We also saw the originally submitted panels for the competition that had Ghiberti and Brunnelleschi battle out for the commission of the Gates of Paradise. Overall, visiting the Barghello was a deeply fulfilling experience and I heartily recommend that more visitors place it on their itinerary.

Perusing The Pitti Palace and the Boboli Gardens:

Then it was time for us to troop off to the Pitti Palace (left) where we had reservations for 11.30 am. Over the Ponte Vecchio and in the Oltrarno, once again, we found ourselves outside the squat and very plain building that, in a huge trick of deception, houses some of the most opulent rooms in all of Europe. Once we bought our tickets (rather steep at 12 Euros plus 10 Euros for a visit to the Boboli Gardens), we were swept away into the grandeur of the Medici Royal Apartments where the elaboration of the decoration simply beggars description, so I will not even try to describe it. Suffice it to say that layer upon layer of decorative elements—sculpture, painting, gilding, fresco, and bas relief accompanied by the bright lights of colossal crystal chandeliers combined to give the rooms a sense of splendor that was meant to impress visiting heads of state and royalty that, over the centuries, arrived in Florence to partake of its legendary finery.
It was almost a relief to leave the palace rooms behind to wander into the art gallery which housed some of the most famous paintings and sculpture in the world including a number of truly elegant Madonnas by Raphael, Fra Lippo Lippi’s exquisite Madonna and Child and several works by Titian. I particularly loved Antonio Canova’s sculpture of Venus de Milo but had to rush from one room to the next to take in the vast collection of silver, ivory, porcelain, glassware, jewelry, amber, etc. that the Medici collection could boast. Both Amy and I who have a fondness for everything beautiful from jewelry to ivory boxes were truly enchanted by this collection and agreed that this was the first time on our trip that we felt truly overwhelmed for we could easily have spent a whole day in the palace.

Tired, and deciding to give sightseeing a break, Amy wandered out to the front lawns of the Palace to people-watch while I explored the famous Boboli Gardens (left) at the back of the building. I was keen to photograph the gardens for my website but must admit that there was really very little that was truly picture-worthy. Spring foliage hadn’t yet arrived and most trees were bare. While a few visitors lazed on the lawns and sunbathed on the terraces of the formally landscaped tiers, I took pictures of the many urns and statues that dotted the pools including the attractive one of Neptune in the center of the garden.

The Capella Brancacci:

Then, joining Amy on the street outside, we rambled on through the lesser-known squares of the Oltrarno before we arrived at Piazza del Carmine which houses the church called Santa Maria del Carmine where we hoped to be able to enter the famous Capella Brancacci (left). This renowned venue hides one of the most amazing cycle of frescoes in the world—a series that was started by artist Masaccio but was taken on by Massolino and finally completed by Fra Filipinno Lippi. While Masaccio’s work presents scenes from Genesis—his agonized Adam and Eve Expelled from Paradise is truly heart-breaking and Massolino depicted the Temptation of Adam on an opposite wall, scenes from the life of St. Peter were the focus of Lippi. Begun in 1425, they were finally completed in 1480 and were the envy of artists such as Leonardo and Michelangelo who visited the chapel to study this work. Since entry into the chapel is very closely limited to just 30 people at a time and since visits are strictly by appointment which we had failed to make, we felt extremely fortunate to sneak in with a student group. After we had studied and admired the frescoes, we spent some time in the cloistered courtyard of the chapel which I found exceedingly enchanting.

Florence’s Other Temptations:

Before leaving the Oltrarno, I resolved to try and find the Gelateria del Carriaia which my students Jessica and Kristin had told me served the best gelato in the city. And they were entirely correct. Trekking through the tangle of narrow city streets, with the aid of a map, we did find the location right at the very corner of Ponte de Carriaia and for the next several minutes, as we poised ourselves on the wide ledges overlooking the banks of the River Arno with our ice-cream, we enjoyed gazing at the reflections of the buildings in the water (above left). Then, we were crossing Ponte de Trinita on foot to try to find the Church of Santa Trinita and the Ghirlandaios contained within that Minu had told us we simply must not miss. Alas, the church was closed for the afternoon siesta and we made our way instead back to the Piazza della Signoria with the aim of touring the interior of the Duomo de Santa Maria de Fiori.

Trekking up into the Heights of Brunnelleschi’s Dome:

Amy was in the midst of reading Brunnelleschi’s Dome by Ross King and was able to provide me with the inside scoop on the construction of the Dome. We did enter the church and took in the stark and rather dark interior and then decided to pay the 6 Euros to climb up the 468 steps to the cupola of the Dome in order to treat ourselves to unforgettable views of the rooftops of Florence.

What an amazing experience that was! I did not think that either one of us would have the energy for so strenuous a climb after the incessant amount of walking we had done for the past week. But somewhere we found the fonts of energy that propelled us to the top, allowing us to see the immense interior of the dome with the superb painting of The Last Judgment by Giorgio Vassari (Brunnelleschi’s biographer) at such close quarters that I felt as if I could reach out and touch it. Having taken our time to get to the top, we reached there at dusk and gasped at the vistas that were spread out before us. How fabulous it was to be able to pick out the various landmarks of the city with which we had become fondly acquainted in the past couple of days!

There was the Pallazzo Pitti and there was San Lorenzo and there in the distance was Santa Croce.

Meanwhile, right before us, the Campanile stood like a sentinel, its marble pietra dura inlay thrilling us in the many soft shades of green and pink and peach that were imbedded in the white stone column. And to see Brunnelleschi’s work up close and personal—what a treat that was! Words cannot describe the impact that this view of the world had on me. I could not stop clicking and when I had quite finished taking pictures, I wanted to sit quietly and watch the sun set over a salmon Florentine sky as lights came on in the distance.

You can see me at left gazing in awe at a sculpture of Filipo Brunnelleschi, architect of the Dome as he gazes up at his own handiwork. I thought that the placement of this sculpture in the Piazza of the Duomo was indeed ingenious. Climbing almost 500 steps to see his work at such close quarters was truly one of the highlights of our tip and I know I will never forget the trek to the top that brought us this wonderful perspective on Italy

Dining and Breakfasting out in Florentine Style:

That evening, Minu and Mahnaz joined us for dinner. Since it was Persian Nourooz (New Year), Mahnaz wanted to celebrate and we decided to treat our hostess to a slap up dinner at a place she suggested—Ristorante Acqua Al Due—where the food was seriously good (left). Over excellent house Chianti, we shared a salad and a Fussilli in Spinach Sauce—both of which were wonderful. As each of us ordered different entrees, I settled for Veal in a Porcini Sauce—a simply amazing dish that was tender and tasty—and split Tiramisu and a Fruit Tart for dessert—all of which cost us about 22 Euros per head. Since it happened to be pouring during the time we were indoors, we walked out into a wet and chilly evening but could not resist stopping once more at Piazza del Duomo to see the church’s dominant edifice once again by moonlight.
The Accademia della Arte and Our Discovery of David:
To our relief, sunlight streamed in through the window, waking us the next morning to our breakfast of caffe latte and chocolate croissants at our corner café. I was very excited as we had reservations that morning to get to the Academia delle Arte (the Academy of Fine Arts) which houses Florence’s most famous sculpture—Michelangelo’s David. However, the weather changed suddenly and by the time we reached the Academia, merely ten minutes later, it was rainy and cold. What a relief it was to escape into the museum before the majority of the tourist crowd arrived in our wake.
At the entrance, we were quite taken by Giambologna’s towering sculpture of The Rape of the Sabines. The work is encircled by some of the most famous of the gallery’s collection including oil paintings by Botticelli and Ghirlandaio. However, it was a magnificent panel that once decorated a Tuscan dowry chest known as the Cassonne Adimari by Lo Scheggia that caught Amy’s eye and had her in a thrall as it featured the wedding ceremony of the influential Adimari family.
Making our way into the next room, we went past Michelangelo’s Four Prisoners, so-called because these unfinished works by the master seem to represent an attempt on their part to escape from the entrapment of their stone prisons. However, I do believe that few visitors give these works the attention they deserve as our eyes are drawn as if by voodoo to the compelling sculpture of David at the far end of the hallway where he towers above the crowd like a colossus on a lofty pedestal. Once again, I find myself groping for words to describe the impact that this work had on me. Though I had seen many copies of Michelangelo’s most famous work over the years—in the Piazza della Signoria and outside a planetarium in Glenview, California, many years ago, these copies appear like trash when compared to the real thing. David was, for me at least, truly mesmerizing and I found it hard to believe that anything so huge and so powerfully executed could, at the same time, be so graceful. Amy and I spent more than half an hour encircling this three-dimensional free-standing sculpture and read a lot about its history. We even played with the electronic devices in the room that allowed us to see video images lit up in such a manner as to highlight different angles of the work. In the presence of such greatness, we were dumbfounded. Despite the fact that so many other visitors were present in the room at the same time, you hardly heard a sound. When people spoke, it was almost respectfully, in hushed whispers.

Medieval Florence:
Leaving the Academia behind, we walked towards the furthest reaches of the city center to take in the Convent of San Marco where Fra Angelico’s fresco presenting The Annunciation is considered one of the world’s masterpieces of art. This permitted us the opportunity to stroll through one of the most unspoiled piazzas in Florence. Indeed, were it not for the fact that buses plied to neighboring towns in the next street, we could easily have believed that we had regressed to the 13th century. Brunnelleschi’s Spedale degli Innocenti (Orphanage for Abandoned Mites) dominated this square decorated on its facade by the ceramic figures of babies by Lucca della Robbia. This building was an orphanage in Renaissance times and allowed women to leave foundlings on its doorstep.
Just adjacent to this structure is one of Florence’s most ornate Baroque churches—the Santissima Annunziata–though you wouldn’t know it by the modesty of its exterior. Once inside the church, however, the eye was exhausted by the wealth of decorative detail.

The Museum of Santa Maria del Fiore:

Our next port of call was the Museo del Duomo de Santa Maria del Fiori, a lovely space that holds all of the original sculptural figures that once adorned the façade of the Duomo.

Today, the figures one sees on the front of the church are copies that brave the elements. The original ones, sculpted by such masters as Donatello and Lucca del Robbia (not to be confused with Andrea della Robbia who created the famous ceramic wreaths) are housed inside the museum in an attempt to preserve them for posterity. The museum also contains Donatello’s stirring wooden Mary Magdalen, which, leaving all the conventions of Renaissance style behind it, is executed in an extremely futuristic fashion. Mary Magdalen looks deeply tormented in this portrayal.

One of the most striking items in this collection, however, is Michelangelo’s early limestone Pieta (the one in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome in marble is by far the more famous one) featuring Nicodemus as the central character as he takes Christ down from the cross. What is fascinating about this sculpture is that the face of Nicodemus is a self-portrait of Michelangelo and, therefore, a superb likeness of this Renaissance master

Downstairs in the walled courtyard are the original bronzed ‘Gates of Paradise’ by Ghiberti (gleaming in their recently refurbished state) and the original three sculptures of Jesus, John the Baptist and the Angel –copies of which stand today above the Baptistry Gates.

Then, just by chance, we discovered that Bus Number 7 ran right by the next square and we decided to board it in order to leave the bustle of Florence behind and escape into the Tuscan countryside. A few minutes later, we found our bus climbing up the steep wooded hillsides towards Fiesole, one of the prettiest little villages in the Florentine vicinity.

(To Follow Amy and me on our excursion to Fiesole, please click on the link. You can return to our sightseeing in Florence at the end of the page on Fiesole.)

More Florentine Adventures:

Since it was Maundy Thursday, I decided to try and find out if I could catch an evening service in one of the city’s many historic churches. Because we had not yet visited the Church of Santa Croce (left), we alighted at Piazza San Marco and walked (with the aid of a map) towards the church. As evening had fallen by then, the church was closed to visitors as worshippers made their way inside for the 6pm service. Just before the service began, however, I was fortunate enough to tour the interior where I saw the stirring monuments and tombs of such beloved Florentines as Michelangelo, Dante, Macchiavelli, and Galileo. These finely sculpted marble monuments are works of art in themselves but the fact that they are located within a historic church gives them a unique sanctity. Then, I made my way along the cloistered courtyard towards the Capella de Pazzi where I was one of the last visitors of the day to see Brunnelleschi’s tiny chapel designed by the master architect and decorated with ceramic motifs by Lucca della Robbia. Though it appears rather stark and devoid of ornamentation, it is considered a fine lesson in the principles of Renaissance architectural design.
Meanwhile, a short path led towards the Capella Baroncelli that is covered with frescos by Tadeo Gaddi, Giotto’s famous pupil. Many amazing art works are housed in this chapel today following the flood of 1966 which damaged valuable works including Cimabue’s Crucifix.

Lorenzo Veneziano’s Deposition from the Cross (left) was particularly striking both in its dimensions and the quality of its execution. Meanwhile, the tiny Capella Bardi which contains Giotto’s frescoes depicting the life and death of St. Francis are enclosed within a tiny space and could easily be seen even as I attended the short evening service in Italian and received Communion.
This, being our last night in Florence, I decided for dinner to try the famous regional specialty called Bistecca alla Fiorentina which is simply steak grilled very rare and served with no seasonings. As Amy was frightfully cold that evening, we started our meal in a tiny trattoria—so tiny that I cannot remember its name and will never find it again—where we ate wonderfully warming faro (barley) soup and a chicken broth with bread lurking in the bottom. When the bistecca did come to our tables, we split it and found it very satisfying indeed. The English trifle was not such a great choice, however, and, with Amy all warmed up, we decided to go out in search of some good gelato for dessert.
It was with relief that we dropped into bed that night after massaging the balls of our aching feet. It was our last night in Florence and I had truly enjoyed every remote nook and cranny of this medieval city and could gladly have spent another week there. Though it is crammed full of treasures, it is a city that can easily be discovered entirely by foot and if walking is one of your pleasures as it is mine, you will find a lot to charm in this European gem.
Michelangelo’s Marvels in San Lorenzo:

Awaking the next morning to another lovely day, I decided to try and catch a glimpse of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church of San Lorenzo as it was Good Friday and our train to Naples did not leave until 11 am. Mahnaz’s apartment is located on a small street right off the piazza that holds the massive domed church and we had spent a great deal of time lingering among the many stalls set up by immigrant vendors from Iran and Africa as we surveyed their leather goods, silk scarves and souvenirs.
However, we had never been inside the church. That morning, visitors trooped in solemn mood to pray in the church on this holiest of days in the Christian calendar. I was struck by the works of art inside, the most amazing of which was the Martyrdom of St. Lawrence (for whom the church is named) by Bronzino—a massive fresco on the east wall that depicts the human form is so many different poses even as it presents the agony of the saint while being roasted on live coals. Right behind us, the bronze pulpits by Donatello—not refurbished and, therefore, pitch black—depicted Christ’s Passion and Resurrection.
Then, we walked behind the exquisite pietra dura altar, also surrounded by Old Master paintings, in front of the simple grave stone marking the final resting place of Cosimo I (Il Vecchio) to arrive at the Medici Chapel where the Blessed Sacrament was exposed. Despite the fact that the chapel is undergoing extensive renovation and was almost entirely concealed behind metal scaffolding, we could see the six marble tombs of the Medici princes as well as the gorgeous altar that was thickly decorated with flowers for the coming Easter Sunday services. The entire chapel is visually stunning as massive marble pillars and walls are studded with pietra dura decoration featuring every color and variety of native Italian stone.  Then, I was rushing around towards the cloisters to climb up the steps to the first floor Medici Library whose sweeping staircase was designed in Mannerist style by Michelangelo as was the private family Library within. The Capella Medici’s New Sacristy also contains two interesting tombs by Michelangelo —one of The Dukes of Nemours and the second of The Duke of Urbino (grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent). Lorenzo’s own tomb, with that of his murdered brother Giuliano, is close by.
I was very pleased indeed to have seen this extraordinarily important church and having already seen the Church of Santa Maria Novella, twenty years ago, I ended up seeing every single one of the most important churches that dot the Florentine map.
Racing back to Mahnaz’s place to pick up our bags, we walked briskly to the nearby station to catch our train to Naples where we arrived at 2 pm. after a very interesting journey that took us to Rome where the train made a quick stop.

To follow Amy and me on the next leg of our travels in Naples, Italy, please click on the link below:

Naples

Bon Voyage!

Freewheeling in Fiesole

Captivating Capri

(Rochelle and Amy on the Banks of the Arno river in Florence with the Ponte Vecchio in the background)

Italy seems to be truly blessed–whether by the Pagan Gods of the Classical Roman Pantheon or by the Christian Gods headquartered in the Vatican is hard to say. But I have yet to meet someone who hasn’t visited Italy and fallen immediately under its spell. And, to use a popular expression, what’s not to love about italy? It has the most spectacular natural vistas–from the ice-capped Dolomite Mountains in the North to the stunning coastine of Amalfi in the South. It has one of the world’s  greatest cuisines–I mean, imagine what your life would be like without Pasta and Pizza? Italy was the seat of the Renaissance that gave birth to Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael–and I am not naming the Ninja Turtles here! And where would we be without the fashion houses of Gucci and Prada? To travel to Italy means to fall completely under the spell of a country whose people know how to enjoy the simplest things in life–good food, good wine,  good weather.

I have been to Italy three times and each time I get there, I find  a new region to explore and become enchanted. Like all tourists, I did the circuit of the Holy Trinity of Cities–Rome, Florence, Venice–when I was there, twenty-one years ago, backpacking during my graduate student years. Five years back,  with Llew and Chriselle in tow, we made our base with my dear friend Annalisa Oboe at her home in Andrea Palladio’s beautiful city of Vicenza–an opportunity that allowed me to visit Venice again. And then, in March 2008, I was in Italy once more to participate in a conference in Venice (how could one ever pass up the opportunity to present a paper at a conference in this medieval city of the Doges?) I used this chance to travel to areas I hadn’t explored before–mainly in the South.

So, off we went–my friend Amy Tobin and I–to see Tuscany, the Campagnia and the Veneto. We had the most memorable two weeks of our lives together. Using Trenitalia trains cross-country and then walking for what seemed like miles in the historical districts of ancient cities, we had such a blast! In the process, we imbibed the spirit of this country of Petrarch and Pinnochio and even learned some Italian ourselves!

Follow us now on our travels through Italy. Just for your information, we started in London, by spending three amazing days in the UK’s capital before flying off to Pisa where our Italian sojourn commenced. If you’d like to follow us on our trip from the very beginning, please click the link below.

    Lollopping Around London

Or you could go directly to Pisa, where the Italian portion of our tour started.

Bon Voyage!