BAGNO VIGNONI - A GORGEOUS TUSCAN HOT SPRING TOWN

A few weeks ago I watched a programme on the BBC about a group of celebs who followed the ancient pilgrimage route from the Italian Alpes to Rome using the centuries old Via Francigena route to get there. One of their many stops was an Italian spa town in Tuscany called Bagno Vignoni. The TV programme brought back memories of several visits I've made there in recent years and I just had to tell of it here in my Italian blog.

THE GORGEOUS COUNTRYSIDE OF THE VAL D'ORCIA,
TUSCANY - THE SETTING OF BAGNO VIGNONI

Bagno Vignoni and its neighbouring hamlet San Quirico d'Orcia, is situated up on a hill above the famous Val d'Orcia - in my book one of the most beautiful and memorable parts of Tuscany. The little spa town of Bagno Vignoni has been a stopping place for pilgrims for centuries but even before that it was frequented by Roman visitors who were well versed with its geothermal springs associated with rejuvenating benefits to health and well-being.

HOT SPRING WATER DRAINS FROM THE BAGNO VIGNONI CISTERN
TO THE VALLEY BELOW - IT'S HERE THAT MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC CAN BATHE THEIR FEET IN THE RESTORATIVE WATERS

My last visit to Bagno Vignoni was in Spring 2018 and on a superbly sunny day we parked in the car park beneath the village. It was a five minute walk up to the square and on the way it was possible to view the water channels which make their way down from the village over open ground before they flow over a steep precipice which conducts the waters to the valley below. It's quite dramatic really, but what's even more fascinating is the opportunity there is to take off one's shoes and socks, sit beside one of the channels and bathe one's feet in the warm flowing waters! Aaaaah - I can remember and savour the moment now!

After this brief moment of bliss we donned said shoes and socks and carried on up the path to the village. In the centre of the village is the "square of sources" which essentially is a walled water tank of 16th century origin which contains a bath of the waters that spring up from the heated volcanic reservoirs below. It's a beautiful and alluring spot and its mesmerising to stand and watch the ripples and bubbles form which reveal the continuous spring activity feeding the pool! The bathing pool has an official title of The Old Baths of St Catherine (Antiche Terme di Santa Caterina).

THE OLD BATHS OF ST CATHERINE OF SIENA
IN THE CENTRE OF BAGNO VIGNONI

These days bathing in the pool is not allowed for obvious reasons but over the centuries, since Etruscan and Roman times, many famous people have come here to take the waters. Eminent personalities such as Pope Pius II. Saint Catherine of Siena and Lorenzo the Magnificent Medici have all travelled here to partake. Despite tumult and devastation in the region due to wars and other such events - this place has remained virtually unchanged and its very special.

BUBBLES AND RIPPLES ON THE SURFACE OF THE BATH
ARE TESTAMENT TO THE CONTINUOUS GEOTHERMAL ACTIVITY
THAT CONTINUALLY REPLENISHES THE BATH 24/7

Visit the town and there are a few cafes, restaurants and hostelries to provide succour and I think there's a hotel offering contemporary spa treatments at a hefty price no doubt, but I didn't visit there. If challenged though - I would have to say this is one of my favourite spots in the whole of Italy and hope it's not long before I make a trip to the village again!!

Ciao
Ian

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THE ITALIAN ARTIST BATONI'S TAKE ON OLD AGE

I've mentioned before that getting old is not a subject to relish but something I have to learn to live with!

This week, thanks to a former colleague sharing an image of a picture presently in the collections of the National Gallery in London, I've had cause to reflect on this thorny issue yet again. I don't remember seeing the picture myself - probably because it's rarely on show - but no matter - there's a truth to be told in viewing it which I think is worth sharing.

The painting was done in the middle of the 18th century by renowned Italian artist Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) who specialized in portraits. He's famous for painting full length pictures of English gentlemen grand tourists - suitably framed with a background of classical ruins. Such works were commissioned by them whilst they were in Italy and acted as souvenirs of their trips - often taking pride of place in their grand houses back home. Like many portrait painters however, Batoni also liked to do "history paintings" with subjects taken from the bible or classical mythology and why should this be the case one might ask? Well - in the 18th century history paintings were considered to be at the top of the hierarchy; an opportunity for an artist to deal with grandiose subject matter concerned with the essence of the human condition. Pictures that expressed universal truths about the nature of being human were highly valued by the intelligentsia and its not surprising that today such "old master paintings" are found in museum and gallery collections round the world.

The picture I want to show today is just such a history painting and entitled TIME ORDERS OLD AGE TO DESTROY BEAUTY.  It was commissioned from the artist by collector Bartolomeo Talenti in 1744 and it's signed and dated on the rock on the right - "PB 1746".

In the dramatic composition "Time", represented by the figure of a bearded winged man holding an hour glass, has ordered "Old Age" (the elderly haggard crone) to destroy and take away the good looks of "Beauty" personified in the face and body of the young woman on the left. The crone reaches out a hand to claw her face.

Looking at this painting one is reminded of the universal truth or cliche that "time waiteth for no man". No matter what we do or how we live - ultimately the hour glasses will run out for us all. Inevitably, in the process of the sand running through the glass, ageing will also claim our youthful looks and appearances through wastage and decay. Looking at this arresting image has made me reflect on not only my own mortality but on the process of getting old most of us go through. Yes - there is an inevitability about the ageing process, but the old adage of "three score years and ten" seems a bit outdated these days. People talk of 60 being the new 50 as life expectancy in Britain increases. Can we make the passage of time, the sand running through the glass, happen more slowly?? Does a positive attitude, going to the gym three times a week, a healthy diet and abstinence from the vices of drinking and smoking slow down the passage of the sand grains through our own personal hour glasses? There are many who would say that leading such a lifestyle will arrest the wrinkles  and banish the old crone to the shadows,might but others might argue what is the point of postponing the inevitable when "living for the day" and doing what floats one's boat is the best strategy to adopt. And me, (as I suspect is true for many) - well I try to subscribe to a bit of both really. Taking each day as it comes and enjoying it the full is important, but with a nod and a wink to the importance of exercise and reasonably healthy eating. One thing's for sure though - one day that personal hour glass will run out and I think the best thing to do is GET ON WITH IT and not to watch it doing its work too closely!!

THE BRERA MADONNA - A PAINTING FOR CHRISTMAS

It's been a while since my last post but the readership of my blog, now almost five years old, has been increasing in 2018 so thank you to all of those who follow it. It brings me great pleasure to know that people round the world are taking a look at what I write and I'm still fascinated to think that someone in Azerbijan is a regular reader - such is the power of the internet.

I've got in to the habit of choosing a painting for Christmas from Italian collections and this year I've chosen one from a gallery in Milan.

THE PINACOTECA DI BRERA OF MILAN
Home of the Brera Madonna

I haven't actually seen it in situ but it's by one of my favourite Italian artists - Piero della Francesca - whose work I've looked at many times in the National Gallery in London and in the wonderful Tuscan city of Arezzo where he painted the fresco cycle which many consider to be his masterpiece - "The Legend of the True Cross" in the church of San Francesco. As you might expect my chosen picture by him for this posting is a celebration of the birth of Christ - not a nativity this time,  but a scene where the Virgin and child are surrounded by angels, saints and an intriguing character whose home I went to visit in Italy earlier in the year.

In my own country - the Christian meaning of Christmas seems to disappear ever more beneath the bloated consumerfest that is has become. I dislike this aspect of it increasingly as I approach my senior years and each time it comes round I swear I will give up TV from early November so I can avoid the ghastly waterfall of tasteless Christmas advertising that flows every night from the screen in the corner of the living room. So far I haven't been able to uphold this lofty aim, but I do find myself feeling for those with limited resources who are brainwashed in to the notion that the  Christmas enjoyment factor is proportionally related to the amount of money spent on it. The more stuff that is acquired - the better Christmas will be is the underlying message.  I hope you're not thinking by now that this outpouring of grumpiness is just me being "Bah Humbug" to coin that wonderful Dickension expression. I have to confess though that I feel better for getting all this off my chest.

I would also have to say, regarding my choice of Christmas painting, that I'm not a particularly religous person in the conventional sense, but I do have to admit that the Christian calendar and the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas - does bring back special memories from my earlier life. Playing the part of one of the three Kings in my primary school's version of the nativity, singing in the church choir at my local Parish Church and the seasonal bell-ringing I did with a team at the same church when I was in my late teenage years, all give me a warm feeling when I think of them. My associations with the church of England play on my love of and need for ritual - but what's wrong with that I ask? My partner Jon says my memory is far too graphic but I think it's good to be able to reflect on memories in one's later years and to think about the cyle of life generally too. What better way to do that than to think about the birth of a young child with a very special future before him at this special time of year.

We've spent several Christmases in Italy since my Mum passed away in 2011 and every time we go at that time of year I find myself being impressed with the way communities there still take it seriously. The presepe - Christmas nativities - some of them "live events" - are something to behold. As I write this post I'm thinking back now to the one we went to in Monteleone d' Orvieto in Umbria three years ago where the whole village seemed to take part and the latest new born baby starred in the role of the baby Jesus Christ. Well - sadly we won't be in Monteleone this time round as we have a trip to warmer climes coming up. I'm apprehensive about this as I'm not sure Christmas will seem the same down under -  but never mind - I shall take pleasure in my special Christmas memories from times gone by and enjoy having another look at my chosen painting from Italy which I'm going to describe to you now.

THE BRERA MADONNA c1472

Painted between 1472 and 1474 my picture is called the Brera Madonna or Brera Altarpiece. It can be seen in the Pinacoteca di Brera of Milan - the main public art gallery in the city. It was evidently placed there by Napoleon. It has been restored and cleaned in recent years and this has revealed, beneath the accumulated dirt and varnish, a host of detail.

The work is a "sacra conversazione" - a sacred conversation - with the Virgin enthroned with the sleeping baby Jesus on her lap set against the background of a Renaissance classical church. She is surrounded by a host of angels and saints. On the left are John the Baptist, Bernadino of Siena and Jerome and on the right Francis, Peter and Andrew.

The kneeling figure in armour bottom right is Federico III de Montefeltro, Duke of Urbino, the commissioner of the painting. The duke is always depicted facing left as he lost an eye and part of his nose in a tournament. He is thought to have commissioned the picture to celebrate the birth of his son, Guidobaldo born in 1472. The presence of John the Baptist could relate to the fact he was patron saint of his wife Battista Sforza. Jerome was the protector of humanists so given Federico's renowned interests in this field his presence was an obvious choice for the patron. Francis was included as it's thought the painting was originally to be placed in the Franciscan church of San Donato degli Osservanti - where Federico would eventually be buried.

Della Francesca was a master geometrician and author of a learned text on the rules of mathematical persPective - techniques used by painters to create the reality of depth in a painting. Such expertise with scale and proportion used to create balance and harmony in his pictures makes them visually powerful. What also makes them additionally attractive is his use of colour massing against paler areas to achieve further unity in the composition. We can see all of those devices used here.

Evidently Della Francesca worked very slowly which is an issue he must have had to contend with when faced with painting frescos but with a panel painting, as we have here, this would not have been so much of a problem.

As in this example, Della Francesca's pictures are very detailed - something that would have appealed to the Duke. It was a reflection of his fascination with Flemish oil painting, a shared interest among the patrons of the period.

Some of the details worth looking at here are: the baby Jesus wearing a necklace of deep red coral beads, a colour signifying blood and a symbol of life and death. Secondly, notice in the apse semi-dome a very peculiar object suspended from a thread attched to the ceiling. It lies at the very centre of the composition. It is in fact an ostrich egg. The shell was a symbol of the new Venus (a reference to Mary over whose oval shaped head it is directly suspended) and eternal beauty. According to other thoughts - the egg is a reference to the miracle of the Virgin birth and the egg of course is a symbol of Creation - another clear reference to the birth of Jesus and to Guidobaldo's birth. The ostrich was also one of the heraldic symbols of the Montefeltro family.

FEDERICO DE MONTEFELTRO, DUKE OF URBINO &
HIS WIFE BATTISTA SFORZA

So this is a picture well worth spending a bit of time on. It's beautiful to look at, symbolic and full of references to the patron and his interests. This Duke of Urbino was Lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke from 1474) until his death. His life and interests are best reflected in the Grand Ducal Palace in Urbino which I visited in May.

THE GRAND DUCAL PALACE IN URBINO
HOME OF FEDERICO DA MONTEFELTRO - DUKE OF URBINO

It was here that he created a splendid library, probably the largest in Italy outside the Vatican and his studiolo, which is wonderful, can still be seen there now. Situated to the east of the Appenines it's not on the the main tourist routes, but this in my opinion, improves the visitor experience. It's an absolutely "must see" experience for anyone interested in the history and arts of this period.

A TRIP BACK IN TIME TO MEDIEVAL SIENA AT THE TIME OF THE BLACK DEATH - A DEBUT NOVEL!!

Browsing through the shelves of the ship's library on a recent Baltic cruise I came across a newish first novel by an American author called Melodie Winawer and the title immediately attracted my attention - it was called "The Scribe of Siena". Reading through the synopsis of the story I knew I had to read it and I thought I'd write a brief review for this blog.

Beatrice is a brilliant young neurosurgeon working in a busy Manhattan hospital, absorbed in her work and with little time for a social life outside and it's intriguing to soon discover she's no ordinary surgeon as she has an extraordinary capacity to feel and experience the thoughts and emotions of some of her patients. She literally seems to get inside their heads and this seems to contribute greatly to her work.

Her brother Ben, a medieval historian, lives in Siena and regular correspondence with him tells of his absorbing interest in researching the effects of the Black Death in the city in the 14th century. One day she receives a letter from her brother's Italian solicitor telling of his untimely death from a heart condition and at the same time telling her she has inherited his Sienese home and all its contents. The letter urgently asks her to make arrangements to visit his office in the city and sign all the appropriate papers to take over his property.

Taking time out from her busy schedule she flies to Siena and takes possession of his home in one of Siena's ancient contrada. Going though her brother's things she discovers his research notes and learns more of what he was working on and his interest in a particular in a 14th century Sienese artist called Gabriele. Intrigued by his work further research reveals images of the artist's work including a 14th century fresco painting in which she's startled to discover a female figure with her own face. As her mind swirls with this discovery she's suddeny and mysteriously transported back in time to the city on the eve of the arrival of the Black Death.

The story unfolds and revolves round the relationship between Beatrice and Gabriele in a whirlwind of events leading up to the arrival of the terrible plague which would have a particularly devastating effect on Siena - far worse than in nearby Florence. Much of the story takes place in and around the vicinity of the Ospedale de Santa Maria della Scala opposite Siena's great Duomo and I found this particularly interesting given I've already written about this famous building in this blog.

I don't want to give away too much of the narrative - suffice to say that it's a fascinating tale which interfaces the hazy line between past and present and completely absorbs the reader in 14th century Siena. The novel is thoroughly researched in terms of historical events and even down to the nuances of costume and behaviour in this most medieval of Italian cities Add to that a powerful layer of art history and the intriguing context is almost complete for the development of an engaging plot. Written with confidence and imagination Winawer's novel is a diverting page turning love story and thrilling mystery with broad appeal and its set in the time perios when the ravages of the Black Death would wipe out a third or more of Europe's population.

Winawer herself is a physician-scientist and professor of neurology at Columbia University in New York with degrees from New York University, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania in biological psychology, medicine and epidemiology. She lives in New York with her family. As I mentioned at the beginning - this is her debut novel. For those of you who enjoy Italian medieval history and art and like a good story to boot this is a book you will surely enjoy.

Ciao
Ian

A SISTINE CHAPEL SIDE SHOW - GIMMICK OR WAS IT WORTH THE EFFORT?

The weather here in Umbria has been pretty lousy this last ten days to the extent we decided to take off to Rome for a couple of days on Monday. We'd heard from a friend that there was a new show in town that everyone was talking about called "Michelangelo - Secrets of the Sistine Chapel" so before we set off, with no preconceptions or expectations. we booked a couple of tickets online for the English version of the show which was being shown at the Auditorio Conciliazione near the Vatican, on the evening of our arrival. This is a personal review of the experience!

We arrived at the venue, which we'd never been to before, half an hour before the 8pm show was due to begin. The building, inaugurated in 1950 as a multifunctional space for musical, cultural and artistic events, was obviously huge and we were amongst the earliest there. We presented our printed out e tickets to the smartly uniformed staff and Jon's scanned correctly, but mine didn't so it was a journey to the box office for assistance. Now this is Italy so there was a further excruciating ten minutes whilst bits of paper were perused, boxes ticked and computer screens stared at before finally a new ticket was issued. We were  on our way!

The auditorium reminded me of the Prince Edward Theatre in London but on a grander scale. It was huge, austere, black and lined with banked rows of seats upholstered in red. The screen on the stage was illuminated with what you can see in the illustration below. I grumbled at the width of the seats - pefect for small Italian frames, but no good for the likes of big chaps like me and Jon. It was interesting watching people arrive, an odd mixture of  couples, groups of friends, families and even the odd catholic priest or two. Needless to say - they were still arriving at the start time so it was another ten minutes before things got going.

The show began fairly ordinarily with some film footage of Rome working backwards from now until finally, using computer generated images, the early 16th century was reached. We could see the new St Peter's Basilica being constructed and the exterior of the Sistine Chapel built for Pope Sixtus IV between 1473 and 1481. Next the gauze screen on which the footage was projected slid back and we were confronted with what looked like pillars of rock from Stonehenge all set against an ethereal grey background of swirling mist. The sequence ended with the appearance of a huge white block of marble and suddenly a live figure of the young artist Michelangelo. In a short soliloquy designed to explore his artistic sensibility in relation to carving the stone we were invited to think about the genius required to produce a masterpiece in marble. Suddenly, yes you've guessed it, the block turned into a hologram figure of the life sized "David" he sculpted in Florence in 1503.

You've probably got the idea now of how this presentation unfolded. Every trick in the computer generated and dramatic book was milked to develop the multisensory experience - digital film, stereophonic sound, dramatic lighting, injected smells and with a small group of actors - soliloquy, dialogue, mime and dance. Not only that, the whole of the auditorium was used - the stage area of course, the expansive walls, the huge ceiling and not forgetting the seating area itself. Several times a fully robed Pope and a bedraggled looking Michelangelo came amongst us.

I'm not going to describe every aspect of the production. Suffice to say that the show concentrated on the commissioning of Michelangelo to paint the Sistine ceiling by Pope Julius II in 1508, and uitmately his execution of it. Emphasis was put on the painting of the panels down the centre of the ceiling telling nine stories from the book of Genesis, the Creation of Adam and Eve, the Expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood. The latter wa particularly memorable with a group of dancers, centre stage, fighting the effects of howling winds and lashing waves. Very dramatic indeed. Also particularly memorable was a scene projected on to both walls of a procession of fully robed Cardinals gathering for a Conclave in the Chapel. This came with beautiful choral chanting and the smell of incense to boot.

The final part of the presentation dealt with the commissioning of Michelangelo thirty years later to paint "The Last Judgment" on the wall above the altar in the chapel which was completed between 1535 and 1541 when he was 67. There was another opus magnum part of the presentation here as sound, light and imagery were used to reveal the artist struggling mentally with the epic scale of the work.

The whole thing lasted about an hour and the big question is - was it a worthwhile experience?  Well for me, despite the memorable moments, it was a bit contrived and gimmicky and Sistine Chapel secrets there were none. It was a bit like a video arcade game crossed with a Disney movie with some real human drama thrown in. Dramatic yes; a multi-sensory experience - definitely; clever - without a doubt. I couldn't help feeling however that in this day and age, where many from the younger generations are brought up on video games, virtual reality and tablet experiences and where they read less and less, that everything entertainment wise has to be sensational to attract attention. The film industry knows this well. Am I being a harsh judge in that respect? I think not but would welcome other opinions on the issues involved here. The following day, to supplement the experience, I returned to the Sistine Chapel after many years to see the frescoes and it has to be said that if I hadn't seen them before or known little of their history - then the presentation would have provided an adequate if superficial background preliminary to the viewing. My friend in Umbria, keen to know what I'd thought of it when we returned to Umbria, made exactly the same  point.

A worst case scenario perhaps would be someone visiting Rome, going to the presentation and then not bothering with the real thing! I hope that doesn't happen!

This was an expensive production and obviously involved huge investment and sponsorship. At 28 euros per person you will have to judge yourself whether its a worthwhile punt. Though I have my reservations - I was glad that I had gone!

Ciao and keep buggering on.

Ian