Dancing between space and time

Dancing in Roman streets, following the notes of virtuoso players intertwined with the rythm of the architectures in a perfectly armonious concert between space and time is a pleasure to  enjoy at least once in your life. During one of the provincial incursions towards the wonders of Italian culture treasured in big cities, can happen just to follow artistic paths. In the capital of the Vatican state, that should also be the capital of the Italian state even though it might be difficult to believe it in a city where at every corner there is a religious building overflowing with artworks and marble feasts, sometimes it can be beautiful just to be cradled with this rythm while looking for the footsteps of Michelangelo,  Raffaello, Caravaggio, Bramante, or of the Latin and classical roots of the contemporary Western civilization, a city that "has seen only two 'original' Romans - explained Italia politician Giulio 'the fox' Andreotti - Romulus and Remus", or while going to the capital for some burocratic issue or for a tour.

 

©2009.2021

Let's re-discover world culture masterpieces

Often who live in the province or close to big cities, even not loving metropolitan chaos, is proud of the artistic wonders that charachterize the Italian urban territory and sometimes treats him or herself with a relaxing day to admire the priceless treasures of world culture in front of which we often pass without even noticing. We have to admit that Italians are a bit spoiled for what concerns the sense of the Beauty as artistic and phylosofic category and that pretty often forget to admire what's around them. True is that the glance of an average Italian citizen is usually more 'trained' to understand the Beauty instinctively, true is also that often are the Italians to know less their artistic and cultural heritage. This happens with the scenery or with the most reknowned masterpieces. Most of the times Romans and those living in the big 'città d'arte' forget the extraordinary beauty, too busy in facing everyday lifes's difficulties while living in so wonderful cities. One of the things that we tend to forget more easily id the typical touristic tour of the main monuments in the big cities, such as, for intstance the tour of the Vatican and of Coliseum. Asking to the majority of Romans how many times they found the time, passing in front of it, to enter Saint Peter to admire the Pietà or simply to get cuddles and treat themselves immersing in an environment absolutely dense of masterpieces as the main Catholic church in the whole world is, will have the surprising result to hear that yes, when there's someone from other regions or country or where they were kids. But sometimes is important also to find again the absolute pure pleasure of observing worlds' culture masterpieces to then go back to more relaxed provincial rythms.

©2009.2021

Dialogue between romanity and catholicism

If you are looking for Italian art in the BelPaese a good idea is taking a walk to religious builings not because cannot be found in the museums, more because Catholic church and religion has been the only constant during the centuries in the political, cultural, civil life of a country with a complex history. In Rome, constance had to join a certain willingness of affirming its powers following a not brief period of obscurantism of freedom of beliefs. Many monumental buildings symbol of ancient Urbe seem to have initiated an eternal dialogue with the monumentality of religious, mainly catholic, buildings. One of those notable examples is the Santa Maria del Popolo Basilica, the less imponent, just close to the metropolitan station. Once was the Mausoleo of the Domizi Enobarbi and, during the first century of the year Thousand, the pope Pasquale II decided to destroy the grave of Nero, whose memory was quite alive in Roman citizens and to build a catholic basilica. During the centuries the church was obviously enlarged, enriched of artworks, among the other two Caravaggio's and one Annibale Carracci's paintings in the transept, the Chigi Chapel frescoed by Raffaello and in the right aisles a limkeable example of that art easier to trace in the Central Italian province, the Chapel of the crèche frescoed by Pinturicchio and his 'bottega', admirable grotesques, probably built on a Brembo project. Admiring those masterpieces is always something good to enjoy with more contemplative rythms also in the beautiful Italian province, programming eventually an artistic tour towards regions and towns that seem to have inside the essence initself of Italianity.

©2009.2021

Romanesque Routes

Wandering about the Italian province you encounter monumental stratifications that you barely notice, we pass on crowded bus in front of millennial time leaps and we only worry for the amount of traffic in front of us, and the next stop, we watch tourists with a wonder-and-worried glance, they don't want to jump on the bus to work, do they? who knows where they come from, they look Asians or Northern-European. The most alarming are obviously the quiet bunches of tourists, that go on private buses booked for the occasion and that can be recognised with pins, colours, hats and umbrellas. How many times do we see them in Italian cities? an infinite number. Stop and go tourists that pretend to see all the monuments of Rome in a day or the ones that are deeply inspired by multicolor guides to understand, get a glimpse and catch the most trendy 'aperitivo' in the newly opened bar for poshy and crafty youngsters . There is also a tourism made of people who profoundly love Italy and, broadly, the Old Continent, they catch every occasion for a trip to Italy or Europe. Some in the art world capitals, while others prefer less known roads and help us to discover hidden monuments and places in the province that we almost forgot in some angle of memory, between souvenirs from a history of art call and a yellowish postcard of school times. One of the this paths is the Romanesque Route of European Heritage , that highlight a reality very interesting from the artistic point of view and cultural paths that magically cross the ones of taste and wellbeing.

©2010.2021

Ancient gestures to rediscover roads and spirituality

Walking is a ritual that we tend to forget, as busy as we are in running after the latest car with the latest novelty of portable technologies to survive in long lines of traffic that, to speak the truth, who lives in the provice know quite well and very often knows how to avoid. Out of the industry cars that can do almost everything, also the coffee and that stay there, still in the middle of rivers of traffic to warm the environment and pollute the already hot summer air, surrounded by scooters, motorbikes and bikes that gracefullness rocket and walkers with backpacks on their shoulders, a tissue on  their face not to breath the pollution and the enchanting face of whom can relax with an ancient gesture, walking. Not just walking to catch a bus, no, walking to  recover the inner spirituality, among moments of pure ecstasy to retrack the identity roots of an ancient Europe, that existed well before the demolition of the barriers and the walls between countries, and moments of difficulty to retrace the steps of the Medieval pilgrims that with courage, a bag, a stick and a blessing crossed a continent retracing an ideal walk towards the places of Christianity, Rome, Jerusalem. The road was long and the will strong, but, most of all, in that Europe born in the shade of decaying empires, superstitions, secular power of religious authorities, among ideals and ideas in costant ferment in an imaginary geographical tavern, there was a strong thirst of knowledge and a spirit of adventure a bit crazy, to a contemporary glance, that moved people to act on a big net of roads that lead to holy places ant to the  deeper knowledge of the self. The roads of the cammino di Santiago and the Francigene, that nodal net of communication that runs between some of the most breathtaking places of Italian and French provincces, recently recognised by the Council of Europe.

©2010.2021

Wisteria cafe

Some coffee-shops have a story to tell, well, actually every bar has a story, created by the people that built it, that pass or stay, some have story intertwined withe history, some others are the nerve centre of a town, where people know each other's first names, surnames and genealogical trees. Sometimes  are located in small centres in the hectic capital cities, some other in the most remote provinces where you can find some extraordinary ones. One is the cafè of Settebagni, close to the metropolitan train station, North of Rome. You bump in there almost by chance or you know it from ever, during springtime inebriate the senses with the colour and the perfume of a strong iron gazebo surmounted by a giant wisteria..

© 2010.2021

Bar Schenardi

Some coffee-shops tell a story, created by the people that built it and the ones who just pass or stay for hours, but some cafes have a story intertwined with history. Sometimes they are located in small towns, some other in the most remote provinces, or in the hectic capital cities. One of these coffee-shops is the Caffè Schenardi, in the very heart of Viterbo, in the middle of that Italy that it contributed to build. A wonderful cafe at the appearances, that for some time was also a McDonalds, to soon go back to splendours and lavishness of ancient times, with decadent glasses and mirrors, a perfect harmony of styles, with illuminations that remind an austro-hungarian or Gattopardo style dream, with a grand piano. A contemporary cafè open also to normal citizens, as of glorious tradition.

 © 2010.2021

All the Strade dell'olio. The new frontier Made in Italy.

Italians are keen on good food and wine. A well cooked pasta al forno, a fresh mozzarella di bufala, a juice of true oranges or a bruschetta dressed with pure extra virgin olive oil can move us to moments of culinary delight. The gusto of looking for the typical, local and wholesome product is a national trait of Italian culture at home and abroad.

The typical out-of-town tour, looking for the village with the characteristic restaurant and the wonderful landscape, where also Ancient Romans ancestors indulge, is being transformed in an economical and touristic development potential of mainly agricultural and eno-gastronomical areas, often among the most beautiful in Italy and worldwide.

Tour operators, municipalities, chambers of commerce and industry, local companies operating at a national and international level seem to have realised that the BelPaese is not only beautiful, but offers also juicy specialties renowned especially among the connoisseurs of good eating.

Everything started with events linked to wine, a success, to move to delis such as PDOs and PGIs produced in some of the most amazing Italian regions, often immersed in natural parks, thermal areas among the most spectacular in the world, in the hinterland and in territories laid on the marvellous Mediterranean Sea.


In those wonderful landscapes some stylized olives road signs started to be seen,  'Strada dell'olio', or in Abruzzo 'Vie dell'olio' signposts. In some tourist info points appeared maps with restaurants and farm holidays, often built within castles, entire burgs or ancient farms, highly interesting archeological, historical, artistic, thermal, seaside and UNESCO areas. Some regions, traditionally accustomed to conjugating touristic actractivity with good food and especially with the defense of the identity of the places, apparently decided turn on the spotlights on traditional PDOs, to promote charming touristic routes and products, along olive tree groves and awesome towns, sometimes a bit snubbed by mass tourism.

Those are the PDOs and the linked Strade dell'olio in Italian regions, some of them entirely PDO areas:


Abruzzo:
Aprutino pescarese
Colline Teatine
Pretuziano delle Colline Teramane
http://www.visitabruzzo.eu/vie_olio.html

Calabria:
Alto Crotonese
Bruzio
Lametia

Campania:
Cilento
Colline Salernitane
Irpinia - Colline dell'Ufita
Penisola Sorrentina

Emilia Romagna:
Brisighella
Colline di Romagna

Friuli Venezia Giulia:
Tergeste

Lazio:
Canino
Colline Pontine
Sabina
Tuscia
http://www.stradadelloliodellasabina.com/

Liguria:
Riviera Ligure
http://www.rivieraligure.it/IT/guida-la-strada-dell-olio-in-liguria.g12.htm

Lombardia:
Laghi Lombardi
Garda

Marche:
Cartoceto

Molise:
Molise

Puglia:
Collina di Brindisi
Dauno
Terra di Bari
Terra d'Otranto
Terre Tarentine
http://www.tipicipuglia.it/test/str_olio/
http://www.dopdauno.it/

Sardegna:
Sardegna

Sicilia:
Monte Etna
Monti Iblei
Val di Mazara
Valdemone
Valle del Belice
Valli Trapanesi
http://www.lastradadellolio.it/

Toscana:
Chianti Calssico
Lucca
Terre di Siena
http://www.stradavinoeoliolucca.it/
http://www.stradevinoditoscana.it/elenco_delle_strade/ 

Umbria:
Umbria
http://www.stradaoliodopumbria.it/

Veneto:
Veneto Valpolicella, Veneto Euganei e Berici, Veneto del Grappa

©2010.2020
Special thanks to the WR community and to WP

Roman skyline

The Ethernal City is dense of history, and so is its skyline, a regional park where culture, art, walking, eating, and drinking is a long lasting tradition.

Skyline defines and shapes a city, represent the landscape that makes us understand where we are, the overall view, the panorama and the geometric movement of a place.

In North American megalopolis  long lines of skyscrapers, futuristic designs and proper architectural challenges to the laws of gravitation, indentify a city. European capitals, urban settlements, are usually more harmonious and ancient, especially if considering Mediterranean Europe, and Italy in particular. Unmistakable roundness, most diversely shaped bell towers, volumetric evidences of historical era and passages, colours that highlight citizen's peculiarities and the climate, eccentric modernities, towers, castles, fortresses, in other words 'Goody Old Europe'. 

Europeanness, the essence of a patchwork of thoughts, religions, nations and diverse people, is probably to be found in the nuances range of the constant dialogue between buildings and the surrounding environment.
White mountains or lakes sided by pearl streams of light, sweet hills or colorful coastal landscapes, European cities skyline is always marked with a graduality in contructing century after century a stratification of human settlements among natural elements, with some exception, such as postWWII Rotterdam recreated as a kindergarted for creative architects willing to experiment the most innovative theories and techniques.

One of Italian peculiarities there's one regarding the capital, a city where the tallest building cannot be higher than the 'Cuppolone', Saint Peter's cupola and that obviously has not many skyscrapers nor a prominent vertical expansion.

In Rome, after millenia of debates and fights with 'palazzinari', building speculators of every reign, empire, p Roma, nonostante millenni di discussioni e litigi con i palazzinari di ogni regno, impero, papacy or republic, nature kept rounding in a huge hug the Ethernal City  and the small cities and villages often built well before Urbe was condita. The hug of the Lucretili Mounts, massif developed mainly in Sabina region, at the moment regional park with many stories to tell.
It has been some time since associations have started again to appreciate and live Roman skyline as a place to explore, in full respect of nature, rediscovering paths that inspired sage, scholar's dissertations and unforgivable poems to artists like Lucretius, Horace, Emperor Hadrian or more recently, so to speak, Galileo Galilei, one of the first associated to the Accademia de' Lincei founded by Federico Cesi, who loved inviting his guests in the so called Linceo's Amphitheatre, a Karst plain close to Pratoni locality. Easy to guess that also in ancient times there was some indulgence on good food and eno-gastronomical traditions of the area where nowadays is still possible to enjoy delis prepared following recipes and original techniques passed on generation after generation for centuries and millennia.

©2010.2021
Special thanks to WR community and WP 

History, food and wellness on the paths of PDO

Abroad you always feel a bit homesick for Italy, for those provincial burgs, for the marvels of genius at every corner of every street in each village laid in the middle of the hilly landscape, or in up in the mountains that have witnessed so many events, or in front of one of the most beautiful seas of the world, and of course, for Italian cuisine.

A truism with its intrinsic truth, and I'm not talking about the midnight spaghetti syndrome, that affects also the most purist xenophilous, all of a sudden, sometimes after smelling in the air filled with more or less known odours the aroma of a wood stove baked pizza, but of the simple and delicious elements that express the pure essence of Italian taste. No, I'm not talking about wine, even though it is a deli that the entire world learned to appreciate, but of that ingredient that trasforms the simpliest food in a precious course.

Extra virgin PDO olive oil, that when added to a slice of bread, possibily Italian focaccia, creates a unique food, a moment of absolute sensorial stimulation that brings to mind the extraordinary wonders of Italy.

It's been some years since the nostalgics and the newphytes, and most of all the gourmet enthusiasts have an additional plus to tour some of the places that can emotion and move for their inner beauty, in other words the places of the great Italian provincia, with hills reminding sea waves, the riffs or 'simply' the inland and the countryside, places that during the millennia inspired generations of artists and have been contended by many armies.

Paths in the PDO production areas to get acquinted with extra virgin olive oil, through guided tours in typical restaurants, romantic burgs, villages and cities, with moments of learnig-while-playing for kids and grown-ups in the museums of oil, and in town, regional or international festivals. Obviously surrounded by ancient palazzi and castles immersed in monumental and Medieval, Renaissance and old fashioned piazzas, typical products shops and Spas to treat yourself with oil-based products and great food.
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©2010.2020
Special thanks to the WR community