When in Rome

Sharing a friend's blog

2011-02-03T02:19:00.002+01:00

For visitors to this blog who are interested in an ongoing account of life in Italy, I present you with "Pensieri italiani", written by a friend and colleague of my dad. It has the advantage of being written in both English and Italian, and is self-described as " A bilingual, unordered sequence of thoughts about living and working in Italy"

Have fun!

Per visitatori a questo blog che vorrebbero un racconto della vita quotidiana in Italia, vi presento "Pensieri italiani", scritto da un amico (eppure un collega) di mio padre. Ha come vantaggio il fatto che è scritto in italiano ed anche in inglese. In fatti, l'autore lo descrive come "Una sequenza bilingue di pensieri in ordine sparso sul vivere e lavorare in Itali"

Divertitevi!

Click --->Pensieri Italiani

Packing to leave

2009-01-01T20:33:00.004+01:00

Well everyone, the time has come. I'm sure most of you know this, but our nearly 2 years of life in Italy are coming to an end. We fly back to the United States on January 7th, 2009. It has been a great run - more on that later! For now, here are a few pictures of the movers taking away all our things. Right now we're living only on the items that we'll be carrying with us in our suitcases on the airplane. It's been interesting :)

The moving van parked in front of the house.

Poor guy! For some reason they didn't have any box cutters with them, so this guy had to pack all our boxes cutting the tape with his teeth!

We all got a chuckle out of the Italian phonetic spelling of "computer". Cute....

A shot of the weighing operation down in the basement. This has been a job. Everything must be weighed to make sure we're within our allowance.

The men at work in the living room.

Philomena is thinking of trying out for the weightlifting title next year.

Herculaneum

2008-12-10T19:11:00.008+01:00

These pictures are from our excursion to Pompeii's sister city Herculaneum. Unlike Pompeii which was buried under ash and lava, Herculaneum was covered in a massive layer of volcanic mud, which led to an even better state of preservation that at Pompeii.

This is a shot of the volcano across the Bay of Naples.

This is part of the city of Herculaneum.

A shot from inside the city. The grass, shrubs, and trees gave it a much more lifelike appearance. Looking at this picture you almost expect to see a rich Roman walking along under the portico.

The droppings of pigeons and doves which congregate on the ruins end up making a mess of them, so here is one of the solutions to keeping them away. This falconer patrols the grounds with his bird, daring any pigeons to perch on the ruins.

A picture of one of the roads leading to the center of the city.

Underneath the city was the sewer, which you can see in this picture.

A beautiful mosaic in a niche.

A shot of a bar, similar to the ones we saw in Pompeii.

A shot of us and our guide.

One of the rooms in the baths. Note the fluted ceiling designed to trap condensation from the steam.

This wonderfully-preserved fresco depicts Hercules. It is located in one of the main villas.

Another part of the villa, complete with more frescoes. Take a look at the carbonized wooden beams protruding from the wall.

A closer picture of some of the wooden structure of the villa, now completely carbonized.

These marble chips in the road acted as reflectors, illuminating the street for passersby by reflecting the light of the moon at night.

A wine shop, offering four types of wine. The prices are written beneath the jugs.

The atrium of another house.

As you may have read, the swastika was an ancient symbol used by many cultures throughout the world, long before Adolf Hitler came to power. Here we see it as part of the mosaic floor in this house.

A merchant's storeroom. You can see amphorae stacked in original wooden holders, and on the floor jugs which would have held oil, wine, and the fermented fish sauce common to the era.

The beautiful mosaic of Neptune and Amphrite. It looks 3-D but it's really not.

Another mosaic in the same area.

Some of the ancient lead plumbing, still visible.

This was another large villa, very sumptuously decorated. The rooms to the side were bedrooms.

An original bed frame, charred, but for the most part intact.

Some original rope, again, charred but intact.

On this wall you can see the classical style of brickwork using blocks of tufa embedded at 45 degree angles. The same method was used at Pomepii, and Ostia Antica in Rome. You can also see the original metal grates in the windows, and the carbonized lintels above them.

After leaving Herculaneum we drove up to the National Park near the cone of Vesuvius. A shot of the volcano in the distance.

Andrew and Augustin hunting for bits of lava on the mountainside.

We stopped on the way home to get some wood-fired pizza.

Mmmm, look at that bread!

Pompeii

2008-11-28T12:38:00.006+01:00

Here are some pictures to the excavated ancient Roman town of Pompeii. The most famous archeological site in the world, it was buried under a storm of ash and cinders from the massive Mount Vesuvius eruption in 79 AD. It was lost for 1,700 years and only reappeared after accidental discoveries led to its identification in 1748.

17 years before the eruption of Vesuvius the town experienced an earthquake which damaged many buildings. The inhabitants repaired cracks in foundations and walls with these bricks.

A shot of the volcano in the background. You can see the cone, covered by clouds.

The welfare state was alive and well even in the first century. This was a device for measuring the allotment of grain per person or family depending on their status and rank.

An altar that was dedicated to Jove.

This is a building which holds the hundred upon hundreds of amphorae and other artifacts that are waiting to be cataloged. All are originals.

A plaster cast of a dog which died during the eruption. You can see its muscles twisted in agony. The ash and lava which covered people and animals solidified, leaving a void the shape of the body after it had decomposed. This void was then filled with plaster, and the ash removed, leaving archeologists with these casts.

A cast of a woman covering her mouth trying to escape the sulfurous gasses.

An anchor, amid miscellaneous other artifacts.

This was an ancient safe. The metal is quite corroded as you can see.

This is one of the streets of the town. The large stones in the middle were so that pedestrians could traverse the muddy streets which were often filled with sewage, and also served to block areas of town from carts and other animal-drawn vehicles.

They had street signs back then too. This was the street of the porters which led to the market.

The house of a very wealthy family. This is the central atrium.

The interior of the house. The doors lead to bedrooms. Note the mosaic on the floor.

This was the equivalent of a fast-food restaurant back then. The openings are large jugs built into a stone counter with a fire underneath to keep soup and other foods warm.

Another view of the street, with two exits for sewage and rain water also visible. These openings led into the cloaca, the main sewer of the city.

This was the shop of a baker. You can see a flour mill in the foreground and a stone oven (not very different from the ones still used to make pizzas in today) in the background.

Another house, this time showing the room dedicated to the family gods, complete with the little shrine where offerings were left to statues.

An elaborately painted room. These frescoes are all original.

Augustin, mom, and Andrew walking through the 2,000 year old city.

A large square in front of the theater where patrons gathered at intermission.

The theater itself.

Next we visited the modern town of Pompeii to visit the famous church of Our Lady of Pompeii. Here is the facade from the outside, in the evening.

The stunning ceiling.

The image of Our Lady of Pompeii above the main altar.

Last picture - some of the beautiful mosaics in the apse.

Water Buffalo

2008-11-28T12:29:00.002+01:00

We had the opportunity to visit a farm where Water Buffalo are raised to produce Italy's famous Mozzarella. Unfortunately the cheese-making process wasn't in progress when we were there so I didn't get very many pictures.

These are some of the 500 Water Buffalo on the farm. True Mozzarella is not made from regular cow milk, but must be made from Water Buffalo milk.

A little calf out by her lonesome.

Walking to the sales room to buy some Mozzarella, butter......

...and even a cone of Water Buffalo milk ice cream!

Paestum - the Doric city

2008-11-23T14:31:00.011+01:00

This post contains pictures from our wonderful day trip south of Naples to the ruins of Paestum. The city of Paestum is one of the best manifestations of Greek culture in Southern Italy. To get there, we took the scenic Costiera Amalfitana, the road which winds along the Amalfi coast to Salerno. The scenery is gorgeous, even if you don't want to look down the cliff you're driving along. We had a clear, sunny day which offered us glimpses of the coastline such as this one.

These houses don't even look real, they look like something made out of Legos.

We stopped in a ceramics shop to look around for a time. The merchandise was all lovely, but no pictures were allowed, so I only grabbed a shot of the outside of the showroom.

Not a bad place to have a house, wouldn't you say?

The city of Salerno, scene of the Allied invasion during WWII.

The cliff sides are heavily terraced, which allows the farmers to grow grapes, olives, and citrus trees.

Ahh, here we are at Paestum. The city of Paestum was originally founded as Poseidonia by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC. It sided with Pyrrus during his war against Rome, suffered the reprisals that come with choosing the side that ends up defeated, and vowed never again to go against the might of Rome. Eventually as Rome gained control of the Italian peninsula the Greek colony of Poseidonia was completely amalgamated into a Roman town, renamed Paestum. When Hannibal invaded Southern Italy, the inhabitants chose the winning side (Rome), and were rewarded with many privileges after the war. The city fell into decline as the Roman Empire fell, and eventually disease rendered it abandoned and uninhabited. It was heavily plundered as an archaeological site by everyone from wandering Romans to conquering Barbarians, but, perhaps out of fear for the deities to whom the temples of the city were dedicated, the temples were not destroyed. Today they remain the best examples of Doric architecture in the world.

This is the Temple of Athena, constructed at the end of the 6th century BC. It is an excellent example of Doric Architecture, with 6 fluted columns across the width and 13 along the sides, resting upon a pavement of stone. Keep in mind that all the temples you are about to see pictures of were constructed without mortar or cement.

Andrew whistling among the ruins.

Me near a column.

Another shot of the Temple of Athena from the back.

We then walked along a road to the Temple of Hera, which you can see here in the distance.

If only stones could speak. How many Greeks and later Romans walked along this same street to the temples? As you can see, although the houses and shops on the sides are no more, the stones which make up the street are in perfect order. An interesting development is the addition of a sidewalk, an improvement added by the Romans.

Mom hanging out on a pedestal in a patch of alyssium.

A Latin inscription on a fallen piece of a monument.

Andrew and Augustin admiring the ruins with the Temple of Athena in the background.

A section of one of the wealthier houses from the Greek era, complete with Greek mosaic work on the floor.

A glimpse of the Temple of Hera as we approached.

Time for a family shot!

The three younger kids had fun jumping off the steps.

Alex standing in front of this masterpiece.

Mom and dad standing in the central nave with the altar behind them, and the mountains in the background.

If this picture doesn't scream Greek, I don't know what does.

The last one of the three major temples was also dedicated to Hera. It is missing the roof, but is still impressive. It is also the largest of the three, and was constructed in the 5th century BC.

A detail of the capitals. Again, notice that there is no mortar or cement used.

Looking inside the temple down the central nave to where the altar would have stood, facing East. (Interesting orientation...)

This is all that remains of the Comitium, where local citizens gathered to elect magistrates and other officials. It also fulfilled the functions of a modern city hall.

The vault.

All that remains of the small Temple of Peace.

Alex musing in the ruins of the theater.

Last shot of the day, the sun setting behind the Temple of Hera. Goodbye Paestum!!!

A day in Naples - and the scooters of Naples

2008-11-22T19:56:00.011+01:00

I'm sorry I've been absent for the past week, we took a family vacation down to the Campania region of Italy to visit Sorrento, Naples, Pompeii, and a myriad of other sites down there. I'll get right to posting pictures!

Hey, not a bad place to stay! This is the view from our apartment where we stayed. The greenery, sea, and rainbow reminded me of a scene from Hawaii. The environment is the same I suppose - a volcanic landscape covered with sunshine most of the year.

A view looking out to the other side of the Bay of Naples.

We spent a very nice day walking around the city of Naples. I've already posted a few posts about the sites we saw so I won't duplicate it. Instead, here are a few pictures from the life within the city.

I've never seen so many hazelnuts in one place in my life.

This is the only graffiti I've seen that I've liked. Whoever did it was pretty good. I'm not sure why there's a pistol above her (St. Agnes) head though.

Perhaps Theodore can tell us if this is standard operating procedure for transporting a trombone!

There were many shops like this, selling everything from dolls to marble busts. This one didn't have a name, because, I suppose, how do you name a store like this!?

We stopped to get the best pizza we've ever had. Fresh made, in a wood-fired oven, there's truly nothing like the real Neapolitan pizza. Obviously a lot of locals agree with our choice of pizzeria, as you can see by the crowd outside.

Mom managed to destroy her pizza trying to eat it. Look at Augustin's look. "Mom...what on earth!?"

Andrew taking in some of the stalls overflowing with Nativity scenes and Christmas decorations.

Some local kids setting off firecrackers.

Andrew on a crowded street.

A fresh fish market.

Part 2 of this blog post will deal with Naples' scooters. The traffic in Naples is legendary. I really have no way of describing it. Someone on the internet described it as where "the social order breaks down". It's by far the craziest thing I've ever seen motor vehicles involved in. Let's just say that the Neapolitans don't seem to attach much importance to rules of the road. (Some would argue any rules at all, but that might be stretching it a bit.) This graffiti pretty much describes their attitude towards driving though. Translated, it means "legality doesn't belong to us"

There is an age limit for driving a scooter, there is a mandatory helmet law, and another mandatory law stating that a maximum of two people may ride at any given time. Yeah.....you're seeing what you think you're seeing.

Hey, you've got to hand it to them. These two guys have some serious points on thier man cards to ride around on a PINK Vespa.

No helmets.

No helmets, and talking on a cell phone (another no-no).

Dad takes the kids out for a Sunday drive......

Anything with wheels and a motor seems to be acceptable. These two kids can't have been older than Augustin, yet they were cruising around on this mini ATV!

They start them young here....

An interesting phenomenon I noticed. Lots of scooter riders went around WITH a helmet, just not on. This guy's a perfect example. For the record, it can't be to put on real quick if he were to see a cop, since I saw cops riding around without helmets. (I also saw cops double parked, and driving without seatbelts....so....)

Looks like Junior gets to ride backwards. No helmet!

This is supposed to be a pedestrian only zone. Instead it was a two-way motorcycle zone.

This kid can't be a year old yet! Looks like she's having fun though.

Villa D'Este and Villa Adriano

2008-11-10T14:22:00.012+01:00

Two days ago we took a trip to Tivoli, just outside Rome to visit two of the famous villas there. The first one we stopped at, the Villa D'Este, dates from the late 16th century. It is a spectacular site complete with an enormous Renaissance garden and fountains.

This is the painted ceramic tile entry sign that one sees upon entering the Villa.

Some of the rooms themselves. This particular one had representations of all the major trades of the town of Tivoli. In this picture you can see carpenters and stonemasons. Local tradesmen posed for all the paintings.

A room commissioned to look like one of the rooms in a Pompeiian villa.

A painting in another room showing King Tiberinus Silvius (a direct ancestor of Romulus and Remus and direct descendant of Aeneas) drowning in the river which was named after him, the Tiber.

Another painting depicting Noah offering a sacrifice after the floor. The Ark rests on Mount Ararat in the background and the D'Este eagle spreads its wings in the foreground.

After looking at the inside of the Villa we made out way to the gardens. Andrew and Augustin had fun checking out the inside of this tree.

We had our plan to see the gardens postponed for a short while as we examined the library and printing exhibit that had been set up. Tivoli has a long heritage of manuscripts dating back to the time when wealthy Romans retired here to their Villas during the Summer to engage in cultural pasttimes such as reading and studying. Hadrian had a library here, but as the Roman Empire declined much of it was lost. The Cardinal of the Villa D'Este made it a point to found another library, and purchased as many priceless manuscripts as possible. From thence on, Tivoli became an important site of printing and bookbinding in Italy, aided by the Benedictine Scriptorium at the basilica of Saint Mary Major in nearby Rome. This is an early printing press. You can see a roller used to spread ink resting on it as well.

A well-preserved papyrus scroll, written in Latin.

This is an ancient Roman writing board. The face was covered in wax and the stylus was used to isncribe messages.

Roman post office system. Papyrus scross sealed with clay seals.

This was an interesting exhibit on how payprus is made. The fibers can be seen soaking in water, and are then pounded into "paper".

We then returned to the garden. Set upon a hill side, it consists of hundreds of fountains which are fed by the Aniene river as it rushes downhill. This particular fountain has a working pipe organ inside. Hydraulic-pneumatic technology produces air which feeds the pipes, resulting in an organ that is powered solely by the flow of water rushing downhill.

Andrew perched on the ballustrade with the garden below.

The amount of water coming down from the Organ fountain.....

The D'Este coat of arms made out of ceramic and stone.

The more-than-350 ft-long stretch of fountains (100) in all.

A statue of the she-wolf of Rome feeding Romulus and Remus.

The river god Aniene.

This fountain was meant to be a miniature representation of the city of Rome. Although it has aged, it is still quite nice.

I think it would be hard for the curators to find out if the pipes ever burst. There was water spraying everywhere! A fan-shaped spray set in some greenery.

The fountain of the four dragons.

This is the building from which much of the inspiration for the Villa D'Este was taken. It is the Emperor Hadrian's enormous complex built in the 2nd century AD as a retreat for the Emperor from the rigors of daily life in Rome. After he died, it was used by his successors, and eventually fell into disrepair. Many priceless works of art have been found here and now appear in museums such as the Capitoline, the Louvre, and the Vatican. This particular part was his study. It is here that he withdrew to write, think, and discuss matters, and is here where he likely wrote his famous Memoirs. It is set in the middle of an artificial pond.

These were guest houses reserved for visiting personages.

A look at the elaborate mosaic floors inside each guest room.

This was the only part of the colored marble flooring that was preserved and not looted.

An excellent example of Doric architecture. Hadrian was passionate about the arts, especially architecture and utilized many different forms from various parts of the Empire including Egypt and Greece. In the background you can view an excellent example of Roman vaulting.

The enormous baths.

I think this is my favorite picture. It shows some of the statues lining one of the fish ponds.

A statue of the god Mars.

A small temple dedicated to Venus. Her headless statue remains in the center.

A view of the incredible cedars lining the way out as we left.

Rue du Bac

2008-11-10T09:19:00.003+01:00

We had a few hours in Paris before our flight left so we visited the shrine on Rue du Bac where Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure.

A picture of the chapel where the apparitions took place.

A close-up shot of St. Louise de Marillac's incorrupt body.

A reliquary containing the heart of St. Vincent de Paul.

Lastly, the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Laboure.

Chateaux and Churches

2008-11-07T10:04:00.011+01:00

Our next day was spent visiting the various chateaux and churches in and around Angers. Here's the newer section of Angers, busy with clothing stores, pastry shops, electronic centers and various other boutiques selling everything from chocolate to scarves.

Which one of these desserts would you pick?

First stop was the church of Notre-Dame des Victoires in Angers.

Another Gothic masterpiece, it was one of the few Gothic cathedrals that was well-lit. Here's a shot looking down the nave.

Next stop was the public park/gardens of Angers. These neoclassical gardens were perfect to explore on a sunny day. A fountain in the center.

Looking down the main "thoroughfare".

Neoclassical statue of a female deity (not sure which one) surrounded by plants. If you notice, there's even Swiss Chard planted there!

Another view.

Next stop was the Cathedral of Sainte Joseph.

Here's a fresco in the transept showing a priest being led to the guillotine.

A picture of the enormous Rose window.

The stained glass in this church was truly spectacular. This panel depicts the marriage of Mary and Joseph.

Our host Mrs. Le Gal then drove us outside Angers to the Château du Plessis-Bourré. This château was finished in 1472 by Jean Bourré, an advisor to the King. It is completely surrounded by a moat and accesible only by a draw-bridge. Zoom in if you want and read the little sign I'm holding.

Another shot of the opposite wall showing some of the towers.

There were several swans swimming in the moat including one black one.

Pictures weren't allowed inside the Château so I only got a few. This is one of the rooms, still complete with original furnishings.

The great hall where meals were held in wintertime. It had all the classic elements - massive stone walls, a large fireplace, and vaulted ceilings. Can you imagine rushes on the floor and a jester in the corner?

A carved Spanish oak armoir.

The owner's bedroom. This bed was made out of Spanish pieces taken from a baldacchino and altar.

Some books in the library that belonged to Napoleon.

The Château chapel.

This is the (still functional) drawbridge. There's a stone bridge which crosses the moat right up to the drawbridge. Those two big beams support a counterweight by which it is raised and lowered. All it takes is one man on either end to raise it. The guide raised it for us, which was pretty impressive! Above the little entry way was a trap through which projectiles and boiling oil could be poured on attackers if they managed to break through the portcullis.

This picture shows the guardhouse, and the stone bridge leading up to the château. You can see the moat is pretty large.

Our next destination was the Castle of Angers itself. There has been a fortification of some type here since the time of the Romans due to the strategic location of the site, along the Maine River and on high ground. These are two of the 17 towers which protect the more than 2,000 feet of walls. The castle has served many purposes during its long history, including seeing the foundation of a military academy within its walls at one point. Ironically, the Duke of Wellington who would later defeat Napoleon at Waterloo attended the Academy here.

The gardens inside the fortress.

Looking out across the Maine River to the town of Angers. You can see that the roofs are all covered with slate tiles, a famous product of the quarries in the region.

The gatehouse and entry to the castle.

We were able to walk along the entire length of the ramparts from tower to tower. Thanks to its excellent position and strong defenses the castle has never been taken by enemy forces in its entire history.

Today the castle houses a museum with an enormous tapestry depicting scenes from the Apocalypse. The amount of detail on the panels was incredible, down to the French lilies being depicted on the wings of butterflies. Unfortunately it was so dark that I couldn't take any decent pictures. This is the only one that turned out.

In contrast to the new section of the town, this is the historic quarter of Angers. Cobbled streets surrounded by tall buildings and not much going on......

We found a good creperie for lunch. Grandpop, they weren't nearly as good as polichinkies though.

There are a lot of chocolate boutiques in Angers......

This is the interior of the church of Saint Laud. I hope you can get an appreciation for the size and grandeur of the place.

Biblical scenes were on tens of panels of stained glass. This one is the return of the prodigal son.

A picture of the rather drab stone walls being illuminated by the colored light shining through the stained glass.

This panel tells the story of a relic of the True Cross being brought back from Jerusalem to Angers.

Evidently Tom Monaghan has left his mark on Angers as well. Gotta love the pizza delivery scooters!

Another day in Angers

2008-11-06T11:09:00.004+01:00

Here are some photos from our second day in Angers. The weather was crisp, but the sky was clear. Perfect day to get some brisk walking in!

First stop was the church of the Trinity, built in the 12th century but restored in the 1800's. For those of you who aren't tired of Gothic architecture yet.......the nave. This was an excellent example of the Gothic principle of not having merely walls, but massive supports. You can see that the arches blend into the pillars supporting the vault.

The carved wooden altar.

Outside we walked through the historic center of the town where we came across this wayside shrine. It looks like a church but it's not. You can see it's completely open. Pretty impressive!

Next stop was the new hospital.

The chapel of the hospital which is now used as a reception area.

One of the remaining frescoes showing a priest giving Viaticum to a patient in the old hospital.

This is the Benedictine Convent of Notre Dame du Calvaire.

If you've been wondering how we finance all these trips, here's your answer. Alex helping himself to the contents of the poorbox.

We walked along the river where we got this glimpse of the other side of Angers, dominated by the castle walls.

Two of the many houseboats that float on the river.

The skyline of Angers is completely subservient to the 13th century Gothic Cathedral of St. Maurice.

The staircase leading to the top of the hill upon which is the Cathedral.

The interior of the Cathedral.

The freestanding high altar.

The tomb of St. Maurice and his companions.

Leaving the church I couldn't help but take a picture of this door. Take a look at how many pieces were used in how many different (complicated) ways to put it together. I think it was built by someone from the IRS.

Angers part one

2008-11-02T17:23:00.003+01:00

After a few days in Paris we went south to the town of Angers where we have some friends. This is our friends' farmhouse where we stayed. It was nice to be back in the country for a bit!

That Sunday we went to the Traditional Dominican monastery of Avrille for Mass.

The monks serving Mass.

After Mass we visited the 18th-century Château de Montgeoffroy, the home of the Marquis de Contades. It happens to have survived the French Revolution's plundering and destruction of all things aristocratic because the Marquis had an illegitimate child who became an avid revolutionary, and in the interest of perhaps inheriting the property after its inhabitants had been "dealt with", pushed the leaders of the Revolution to spare it. He didn't live to take control of the property however, since he too was gobbled up by Madame Guillotine on some charge or another.

The 12-foot moat surrounding the manor.

In the back, the lawn.

Some flowers were still in bloom, even though it was late October.

The kitchen. Unfortunately I couldn't get pictures inside the chateau since we were in a small group watched pretty closely, but I did manage to snap a picture of all these original 18th-century copper pans. The long oval ones were used for cooking whole salmon, caught in the Loire River.

A very typical house of the region.

We ended the day playing ping-pong in the garage.

Paris part two

2008-11-01T15:54:00.013+01:00

Here are some pictures from our second day in Paris. We started out by visiting the Eiffel Tower. I was surprised at just how massive it was. A shot of it towering above the trees.

You can go up to the top in elevators which crawl up the legs of the tower. This photo gives you an idea of the size of the legs.

And here's a shot of Alex standing in front of the entire tower.

Next stop was the complex of Les Invalides. It is a combination military museum, monument, hospital for veterans, and retirement home for veterans. It was built by King Louis XIV. This picture is from the front, showing the lawn in front.

The courtyard leading up to the building.

It's the Corsican himself. Napoleon looks on as all enter.

This is the chapel inside the building. It's rafters are strung with enemy banners captured by the French Army, the vast majority of which were taken by Napoleon.

In the chapel are many tombs are famous French military personages. This is the tomb of Joseph Napoleon, Napoleon's brother, who was appointed King of Spain by Napoleon.

This is a grey frock coat on exhibition which belonged to Napoleon himself.

The tomb of Hubert Lyautey, the French Resident-General of Morocco.

The tomb of Marshall Ferdinal Foch, Supreme Allied Commander during WWI.

This last tomb is that of Napoleon himself.

The Army Museum had an exhibit on the Knights of Malta which we found interesting, having already been to Malta. Here is a ceremonial dagger which belonged to all the Grand Masters.

A painting of St. John the Baptist (the Order's patron) in the habit of the Order.

A three-barreled pistol!

Various suits of armor. Check out the ones for the kids!

Boar spears.

Ivory pistols.

And just in time for Haloween, this mask err...helmet!

After leaving Les Invalides, I viewed yet another piece of evidence to support the theory that cops (even French ones) spend a lot of time in doughnut shops.

France's version of the Pantheon. It's an excellent example of neoclassical architecture in Paris. Inside are the tombs of famous French such as Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, and Louis Braille.

Next stop was the church of St. Nicholas du Chardonnet, the SSPX stronghold in Paris.

We then walked to the island in the middel of the Seine where the church of Notre Dame is located. This magnificent Gothic structure is the Cathedral of Paris and was built between 1163 and 1345. It is more than 400 feet long, 130 feet wide and has a maximum height (the spire) of 315 feet.

A close-up shot of some of the flying buttresses used to support the walls.

A statue of Charlemagne in the square leading up to the Cathedral.

The facade of the Cathedral.

Here is some detail of the carvings above the doors.

The north Rose window. Abbsolutely unbelievable stained glass.

A tomb, with some more stained glass in the background.

Looking down the enormous nave. It was in this church (unfinished at the time) that the Third Crusade was initiated and it was here that Napoleon was crowned.

On the exterior of the church, we spotted this statue of a headless St. Denis, Paris' first bishop.

Next stop was Sainte-Chapelle, the royal chapel used by King Louis IX.

This was the lower part of the chapel where members of the palace household heard mass. These would include grooms, gardeners, and other servents. It was pretty impressive.

The upper chapel was absolutely stunning though. Built to house relics purchased from the Venetians, it is entirely made of stained glass. The colors were impossible to capture on film.

After leaving Sainte-Chapelle we went to the Conciergie, the infamous prison of the French Revolution. This is the lower hall.

The processing room where prisoners were assigned a cell, shorn, and entered into the logs of the prison.

The order demanding the transfer of the Girondins to the Revolutionary Tribunal.

A real guillotine blade, which was actually in use during the Reign of Terror.

A cell converted into a chapel to the memory of Marie Antoinette.

The outside courtyard where prisoners were permitted to do their laundry and exercise.

A crucifix and hand towel which belonged to Marie Antoinette, and a pitcher which someone used to give her a drink of water the day she was executed.

Marie Antoinette's cell.

Last stop of the day was the church of St. Denis, to the extreme North of the city. It is the burial site of almost all French monarchs since Clovis I. Unfortunately the necropolis closed just as we got there so we didn't get to enter.

We did get to enter the basilica itself though, one of the major Gothic landmarks of Paris.

A single photo of the famous Tower of Montparnasse, a 58-story skyscraper in southern Paris where tourists can take an elevator to a terrace on the last floor and get great views of the city.

Fashion

2008-10-31T10:36:00.005+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, no longer is it necessary for you to watch the runways of Milan, Paris, London or New York to get your fashion fix. I've taken the opportunity to highlight you some up and coming fashion styles straight from the French streets. This is where the hot styles are, this is where you will find out if you're dressing to the expectations of the fashion-savvy world. Best of all? There are no commercials on this show. So sit back, and enjoy the glamour.

First exhibit is the banana-yellow set of jeans sported by this lady.

Staying with pants, we move on to satisfy the male taste. I've got no idea what you'd call these, but they're rocking.

For the children, no wardrobe is complete without a set of knickers, a light-blue sweater and high socks with pompoms. Just the items you need to keep your jeunne homme in style!

Looking for something to get your mother-in-law for Christmas? Forget the coupon to the ice skating rink hoping that she'll break her hip, give her this stylish I-have-no-idea-what-kind-of-hair-this-is coat.

Love the practicality of boot-cut jeans, but adore the sense of femininity that a skirt gives you? Go with both!

Fathers, listen up. Here is an idea to culture that daddy-daughter relationship that is so vital. Why not go with matching pink corduroy pants?

So you're a fan of shorts, but it's 4 degrees centigrade outside. What do you do? Copy this young lady and throw on some hose!

Any effeminate vibes that you may sense looking at this guy's skin-tight red jeans are totally canceled out by the uber-masculine camo backpack. Trust me.

Ah, the beret. In magenta! No need to be an artist to wear one.

Add earrings and a long leather trench coat and you've got this look.

Yet another way to wear France's national headgear.

Are you listening out there all you Cleveland Browns fans? There are other folks besides yourselves who wear the two ugliest colors on the planet put together.

I have no idea when this hairstyle was in style the first time around, but it's making a comeback.

Guys, if you're feeling insecure because you're middle age and not balding, you can always just grow a combover anyways, and highlight it to grab some extra looks.

The Louvre

2008-10-30T20:28:00.014+01:00

The following pictures are from our trip to the Louvre in Paris. We went in the evening, and all that was missing was a cup of vin chaud to complete things. Anyways here's part of the complex from the outside, which is actually a combined fortress and palace.

The famous Louvre glass and steel Pyramid outside the main entrance to the museum. Sorry folks, I didn't bother counting the panes to see if there are really 666 of them.

First things first of course. Exhibit A was the Mona Lisa, painted by Da Vinci. It was just as impressive as advertised. I was amazed at the wide range of blues and greens used in the background scene. In the picture it just looks grey but there is everything from Navajo turquoise to Mossy-Oak camo green.

With over 30,000 artifacts I didn't get to see everything let alone photograph everything, but did take some pictures of some of the most famous works. This is the widely-recognized statue of Venus.

The Hermaphrodite. I didn't like this marble manifestation of the Greeks' perverse side, but it's famous, so its picture got taken. As a statue, it's wonderfully done though.

The Three Graces.

The famous statue of the Moor. For those of you that have read The Bronze Bow this reminded me of what Samson would have looked like.

It's pretty incredible when you can get an idea of the rest of the scene just by only having one piece. For those of you that don't know, the gladius as a weapon was based on the concept of close-range fighting where the Romans' enemies would not have room to swing their longer blades. Once the armies joined ranks, the sturdy, pointed Roman short sword was used to thrust and disembowel enemies. (As an aside it is thought that the Roman gladius was a "weapon of mass destruction" that wasn't equalled in effectiveness and killing power until the English long bow.) With that in mind, it's easy to imagine this Gladiator looking up into his opponent's eyes even as he sliced open his torso with his long-since-lost gladius.. Stiff-arming his foe, crouching lower, at the point where his arm's potential energy was greatest. Even his blade's direction is understood. Perfectly straight, you can see it wouldn't change as it came upwards; the arm muscles are too tensed and wouldn't be relaxed.

A photo I took just because I love mosaics and wouldn't mind having one of these on the floor of my house.

Mars and Venus.

This was one of my favorite paintings in the Louvre. For those of you that don't know the story behind it, it depicts a Roman mythological hero named Gaius Mucius Scaevola. When the Etruscan king Porsenna held Rome under siege, Mucius together with a band of 300 Romans vowed to give their own lives in order to kill Porsenna. Mucius snuck into the Etruscan camp at night and killed a man he mistook for Porsenna. Captured and brought before Porsenna, he was condemned to be burned alive. Mucius scornfully thrust his right hand into a brazier of coals in front of Porsenna and declared that he did not fear pain or death. He also warned Porsenna that while he had failed, he was but one of 300 Romans who had made it their mission to kill Porsenna and that eventually one of them would succeed. After telling Porsenna that he would not know a calm night's sleep and would live in fear until he was eventually assasinated, Mucius removed his hand from the flames. Impressed by his bravery, and perhaps just a little afraid, Porsenna freed Mucius and retreated from Rome, lifting the siege. Thereafter Mucius was honored as a hero and given the title of Scaevola or "left-handed". For obvious reasons, the story is appealing. I've always likened Mucius and his 299 comarades to Leonidas and his band of 300 Spartans, but with a twist. Leonidas and his warriors gave us a story of heroic bravery, a story that is comparable to Custer's last stand and the Light Brigade's charge in the Crimea. But Mucius and his men had a distinctly Roman methodology to their madness, a cold plotting and rigid planning that combined with loyal patriotism to become the face of the Roman Empire. If Leonidas was Rambo, Mucius was Sergeant York. A flame of glory contrasted with heroic precision. It's great stuff :D

Napoleon, by Delaroche.

Michelangelo's Dying Slave. It was uncanny how much of a resemblance the slave's face bore to the David in Florence.

A young Princess Psyche being seducted by Cupid, a work by the master Canova.

Dying Seneca, a second-century Roman statue. Thinking about Seneca, I couldn't help notice the comparisons between the end of his life and that of the German artillery commander Rommel. Caught up in suicide plots against crazed dictators, forced to commit suicide as a form of honorable death despite having rendered invaluable service to their countries......I wonder if Rommel ever read any of Seneca's works and life as a student in Danzig.

Speaking of Leonidas, here he is at the battle of Thermopolyae, depicted by the famous painter Jacques-Louis David

Napoleon on the field of battle at Eylau, the first great check of the Grande Armee, overshadowed by Waterloo.

Another famous portrait of Napoleon visiting the sick at Jaffa.

Perhaps the most famous depiction of Lady Liberty except for the statue in New York, a painting by Delacroix.

This painting has been used as the cover for at least one book about the life of Joan of Arc. I didn't know it was in the Louvre but was pleased to stumble upon it. It was large, and quite impressive. Done by Ingres.

A crown that is said to have belonged to Charlemagne.

Another famous painting depicting an epic moment in the history of Rome. A masterpiece that helped catapault Jacques-Louis David to fame, it depicts the three Horatii brothers taking an oath against the Curatii. According to Livy, the Horatii were triplets who vowed to wage war against three brothers from the Curatii family as a means of settling a dispute between the Romans and the Albans. The painting was famous in neoclassical times for the patriotism it stirred up. It is interesting to note that it is one of the more widely-known instances in art where the Roman stiff-armed salute was depicted, upon which Hitler and Mussolini based their salutes. If you look closely, the three brothers are not taking the swords, but rather saluting and swearing the oath on their swords, offered to them by their father while their women and children lie weeping in the background.

Yet another famous moment from Rome's beginning. After the abduction of the Sabine women by the neighboring Romans, the Sabines attempted to get them back. Jacques-Louis David depicts this episode here. You can see the men of Rome fighting and on the ground, the product of the Roman abduction of the Sabines-young Roman/Sabine children playing.

The Pope who defied Napoleon, and again, a painting used as the cover for a book. Pius VII in his solemn dignity.

Paris part one

2008-10-30T12:49:00.035+01:00

The following set of blog posts will deal with the trip Alex and I took to France. Although we didn't have nearly enough time to see everything, we had a great time. We hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as we had taking them. Amusez-vous bien!

On our flight in from Rome we got to catch the sun breaking over the French Alps.

So this isn't exactly indicative of Paris, but hey...we recognized the brand.

Mmmm...French pastries!

Alex standing in front of the Arc de Triomphe. It was commissioned by Napoleon and modeled after Titus' arch in Rome.

The tomb of the unknown soldier underneath the arch.

Shameless copying of Rome's arches was visible on the vaulting. :)

The modern version of the Arch - the Arche de la Défense.It is intended to be a 20th century version of its older counterpart. It's actually an office building, and is massive - 108 meters high.

Paris' version of Via dei Condotti - the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. There's a joke about why those trees were planted but I'm afraid it wouldn't be very sporting of me to mention it. :)

A placque marking the house where Thomas Jefferson stayed when he visited Paris.

A view of some of the flower beds sprinkled throughout the city.

The Place de Concorde, one of the major squares in Paris. It was here that the guillotine was used during the Terror, and where King Louis XVI was murdered.

This is the church of the Madeleine, L'Église de la Madeleine. Originally it was intended to be a temple dedicated to the glory of Napoleon's Army, but was converted into a church. Today it is where all the most fashionable couples of Paris celebrate their weddings, and incidentally is where the funeral of Chopin took place.

Snails!!!!!!!! Yep, they do eat these.

This is the Expiatory Chapel, the chapel built over the site where the bodies of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were thrown after they were guillotined.

This is the Colonne Vendôme, the column erected by Napoleon to commemorate his victory at Austerlitz. It was inspired by Trajan's Column in Rome.

Alex standing beside the base of the column so you can judge its size.

This is the square where the column stands - Place Vendôme.

Here is the interior of the church of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires. Its cornerstone was laid in 1629 by King Louis XIII.

In this picture you can see some of the marble placques thanking Our Lady of Victory for favors received. There are over 10,000 of them lining the walls and ceiling of the church.

A stained glass panel of Our Lady of Victory.

And the famous statue itself. It was before this statue that St. Therese of Lisieux prayed for help in discerning her vocation.

One of the many picturesque cafes lining the streets of Paris.

The church of Saint-Eustache, finished in 1632. Several historic figures have had ties to this church. It is where King Louis XIV received his first communion, Mozart conducted funeral services for his mother, and Richelieu was baptized.

The magnificent Gothic interior of the church. Its ceiling is over 100 feet high.

Stunning Rose window.

The tomb of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, the famous minister of finance under Louis XIV.

The St. Jacques Tower, all that remains of a church that was demolished. Today it has been restored and is a popular landmark in Paris. At its base is a statue of Blaise Pascal.

The Hôtel de Ville, the center of Paris' administration. It is the site where Robespierre was shot in the jaw and arrested in the coup of 1789, and the site where Charles de Gaulle gave his famous speech from the window in 1944 after the liberation of Paris.

A shot of the river Seine.

The cathedral of Notre Dame by night.

Dusk falling, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, modeled after Septimus Severus' arch in Rome.

Last nighttime picture - the famous glass pyramid near the Louvre.

Second day of our trip to Florence

2008-10-30T12:10:00.018+01:00

Here are some pictures of the second day of our trip to Florence. As I mentioned before, the "boys" were at Marco's place. Here's a picture of Augustin looking for stuff on Marco's computer.

Alex and Augustin hanging out in Marco's living room.

After breakfast we went to the hotel to pick up mom and dad. A picture of us testing the comfort of the patio chairs.

Next stop was a trip to the bar to get some coffee. On the way we passed this humorous sign put up by the friends of some guy who was about to get married. "Mario, do you know what the first cause of divorce is? Marriage. So are you sure?"

Grabbing espressos and cappuccinos at the bar.

Dad and the kids being silly.

By this time it was lunch time so we stopped by a little restaurant to grab a bite to eat.

We decided to spend the afternoon visiting a Cistercian monastery outside of Florence. Here it is...set on a hill surrounded by olive trees.

Those old stone walls were very inviting for Augustin.

The entrance to the monastery.

First stop was the gift stop where we had an opportunity to sample some of the liquors made by the monks.

A view from the monastery walkway.

The monastery chapel.

And this is the interior.

Some of the beautiful stained glass. This was beyond your average stained glass, it seemed more like a painting.

One of the small courtyards scattered throughout the monastery grounds.

This is what one of the cells looks like.

A portico leading around the main courtyard past the cells.

Here's the main courtyard.

Last picture, a shot of one of the monks walking away.

A quick trip to Florence

2008-10-30T11:48:00.003+01:00

I'm sorry that I'm a little behind in updating this blog. We've been pretty busy lately! I'll start chronologically and post pictures of a quick weekend trip we took to Florence. Dad had to give a conference there so the whole family went for an overnight stay.

The boys bunked at our friend Marco's house. Here's Alex checking out some stuff in the kitchen. Marco's house is brand new and this was the first time we had a chance to see it.

And this is mom and dad's "crib". It was a beautiful day, but not quite warm enough to use the pool.....

Andrew and Gus checking out the pool. Strangely enough, neither one of them fell in.

A shot of Dad, Mom, Alex and our friend Consuelo talking outside the hotel. Mom's doing some zen meditation.

Update on my mosaic

2008-10-18T11:31:00.002+02:00

I've finally found some time to work on my mosaic these last few days and thought I'd post an update on it. I've got the rest of the hair completely etched out on the clay and all I need to do is fill it in.

Bologna

2008-10-13T13:45:00.006+02:00

On our way home we stopped by Bologna for the afternoon. This is the government palazzo in Piazza Maggiore.

This is the facade of the city's basilica dedicated to its patron saint, San Petronio. We just happened to be in Bologna on his feast day, so there was quite a bit of festivity going on. This is one of the churches whose name you might have seen inscribed on the floor of the basilica of St. Peter's here in Rome. It is the fifth longest basilica in the world, stretching for 132 meters, and can hold more than 28,000 people. As you can see, the facade was never finished, which has left it with a rather strange look.

This is the vast, yet well-lit interior of the basilica. Elisa Buonaparte, Napoleon's sister just happens to be buried here.

The incredible baldacchino above the high altar.

The side chapels of the basilica are covered in priceless 15th century frescoes. Here is one of the most famous ones, a scene from Dante's Inferno showing Mohamed being tortured in Hell, an image which prompted a group of Muslims to attempt to blow up the basilica in 2006. Luckily the plot was discovered by the Italian police and thwarted.

A statue of the patron saint of Bologna, St. Petronius.

And this is the chapel where his relics are. The wrought iron work was stunning.

A rare sight in Italy, stained glass!

A closer picture of the crucifix above the altar.

Next stop was the church of St. Dominic. Finished in 1240 it is the site where St. Dominic de Guzman's relics are kept. (The founder of the Dominican order.)

The interior, showing the nave.

The elaborate tomb of St. Dominic.

One of the small marble statues on the front of the tomb, all executed by Michelangelo.

The intricate reliquary containing his skull.

This is an interesting photo. It is an X-Ray that was done recently of the tomb, showing St. Dominic's bones inside the sealed marble.

The cupola, painted with scenes from St. Dominic's life.

The chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Because many of Bologna's residents were wealthy and because of the quite harsh climate during winter, the city streets are lined with miles of porticoes to protect pedestrians from the elements. A picture of mom and the kids walking along one of these scenic porticoes.

Similar to San Gimignano was the desire of Bologna's residents to construct "skyscrapers". Luckily about 20 of them have survived in some form or another. This is one of the most famous, the Asinelli tower which is 97 meters high.

This is even more famous due to its sharp lean. Called the Garisenda tower after the family who constructed it in the first part of the 12th century. It is approximately 70 meters high. The tower is a more austere version of its Pisan counterpart, and has an overhang of more than 10 feet!

A picture of the tower's base showing you just how unlevel it is.

Leaving Bologna we passed through this piazza with a statue of Neptune.

On the autostrada on the way home - a Smart Car vending machine!

Another day in Venice

2008-10-13T13:19:00.006+02:00

Here are pictures from our second day in Venice.

These are two of the cruise ships that routinely call on Venice.

This is the interior of a church we stepped into, Santa Maria di Nazareth.

The electric blue glass candlestick was beautiful and impressive but I'm not sure it matched the rest of the decor!

Next was the church of St. Geremia.

The interior of the church.

And the incorrupt body of St. Lucy in a tomb open for viewing to the public.

This hand-written sign was quite funny. "The Lord communicates with us in many ways, but certainly won't call you on the telephone, so keep it turned off " (!)

An interesting statue of Our Lady. In true sailor fashion she's got a pair of earrings on.

Augustin flashing the "Bloods" sign while trying on masks in a shop.

And mom admiring some of the hundreds of masks herself.

Looking down the Grand Canal while on a gondola ride.

The famous Ca' D'Oro, or House of Gold, one of the most elaborate (Gothic) palaces in Venice.

Life in Venice proceeding normally except for the means of transportation. In this case men are delivering fruits and vegetables by boat.

We passed by a specialty foods store (which means imported foods that aren't found in normal grocery stores) and thought about getting some canned pumpkin for ourselves until we saw the price. Yikes! That's more than 7 dollars!

Mom and dad standing beneath the newest bridge to cross the Grand Canal.

Augustin and Andrew sliding down the concrete supports of the bridge.

St. Pius X's home town

2008-10-13T12:57:00.004+02:00

The following set of pictures are from a little detour we took to visit the hometown of St. Pius X, one of, if not the greatest modern saint. The town of Riese has actually been re-named in his honor to Riese San Pio Decimo.

Here's the little country road straight to the middle of nowhere where Riese is found.

On the way we passed a corn harvest in progress.

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the exterior of his humble house but here are some photos from the interior. Pictured here left to right you can see a lace design of a ship done by his sister, a portrait of him, and a lace design of his coat of arms done by his mother.

The original wooden floors in the farmhouse where he was born.

More artifacts - plates that were used by St. Pius's family, and pots used by his mother to cook. The items on the middle shelf are oil lamps.

Original letters he wrote and signed.

The room which was reserved for St. Pius X when he came back to his home, with the bed he slept in, complete with original mattress and coverings.

The family barn behind the house which (obviously) has been extensively restored and remodeled into a museum about his life.

St. Pius X's Papal slippers and stockings.

This is the mule saddle he used when he was a simple parish priest and rode around the countryside visiting his parishioners.

His personal desk calendar showing the last page he turned to before becoming sick and later dying.

These are some of his vestments.

And this is his silverware from when he was Patriarch of Venice.

A humorous photo, St. Pius X's Papal snuff box!

Padua

2008-10-09T13:18:00.008+02:00

We also spent a day exploring the city of Padua. Padua's history dates back to the time of ancient Rome. It claims to have been founded by the Trojan prince Antenor in 1183 BC. It is a stone's throw from the birthplace of Livy, its men fought against Hannibal at Cannae, and it is the adopted hometown of St. Anthony of Padua. (He was actually born in Portugal).

Before setting out to see the sights we stopped at the famous Caffe` Pedrocchi, a neoclassical cafe famous throughout Italy. VERY "upscale". . Here's a picture of the barrista explaining the innerworkings of their coffee-making process.

We passed by the fruit and vegetable market on the way through town.

Our first stop was the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, built in honor of the saint.

Completed in 1310, it is a mix of architectural styles, although principally Gothic and Romanesque. The numerous domes smack of Byzantine influence though.

The cavernous interior of the basilica.

On the right side is the chapel where St. Anthony's tomb is. I didn't get a good picture up close but you can see it just the same.

The beautifully Baroque relic chapel. It contains numerous relics of saints, and relics of St. Anthony as well including his habit, coffin, and incorrupt tongue and vocal cords (said to be a testament of how eloquently he preached the Gospel).

The cloister and courtyard.

Leaving St. Anthony's we went through the main square in the town, which is bordered by the river flowing through it. This bridge caught my eye with its obelisks and statuary.

Next stop was the church of St. Justina. Built in the 15th century it holds the relics of the 5th century martyr St. Justina. It was looted and it's monastic community suppressed by Napoleon's troops but has been rebuilt and restored.

2 of the side altars, arranged in pairs going down the nave. As you can see it was quite well-lit inside this church.

Two bronze angel sculptures hold a Byzantine icon. Below is the tomb of the Evangelist St. Luke.

The main altar and choir.

A shot of the walnut choir stalls.

And a close-up shot of the reliefs carved into them. On the left, Christ appears to St. Thomas who inserts his finger in his side, and on the right, the Ascension.

On the high altar, a detail showing the inlaid marble portrait of St. Justina.

A well, now surrounded by a more elaborate housing where St. Justina's relics were found, along with other martyrs'.

A picture looking down into the well showing some of the bones that still remain.

The foundations of the old church, still visible in some places under protective glass.

This is the metal container that St. Luke's relics were brought back from Thebes in.

A picture of the family leaving the church.

I mentioned Padua's ancient history above - this is said to be the tomb of Antenor. The monument was built in the 4th century.

Momma garbage truck and baby garbage truck........

Scott Story, if you remember, when you were here we talked about whether or not you would feel secure of your manhood riding a Smart Car to work everyday. I think you need have no fears. This guy is obviously secure enough of HIS manhood to ride a Razor Scooter to work!

As we left town we caught a glimpse of Rip van Winkle.

Aviano

2008-10-09T12:39:00.003+02:00

The day after we went to Venice we went to Aviano, a tiny little town in the Dolomites near Pordenone. Aviano is where our relatives on dad's side lived before they emigrated to the USA, specifically his paternal grandfather, our great-grandfather.

A street sign dedicated to the Italian troops fallen in Nasiriya, Iraq.

The "frazione" of Aviano called Piante, with the street leading into it - Via Piante.

The church in Piante, right across the street from the house of some relatives. It had a very interesting round shape with two bell-towers.

The simple interior of the little church.

A war monument dedicated to the fallen citizens of Aviano during WWI.

These three pictures are of some of our distant relatives, all of who had the last name De Piante.

Venice - St. Mark's Basilica and the church of Sts. John and Paul

2008-10-09T11:47:00.006+02:00

The following set of pictures were taken of what I believe to be the two most beautiful and historically interesting churches in Venice.

First we visited St. Mark's Basilica. It was the chapel of the Doges of Venice, and is the seat of the Patriarch of Venice. Construction on the original church was begun in the 9th century but it as been continuously updated and enhanced, most particularly in the 13th century. The plan is a Greek cross, and the decoration style is distinctly Byzantine. Here's a picture of the facade, showing some of the many portals covered in mosaics. There is a sculpture of the winged lion of Venice on the central panel.

These four horses are replicas of the four bronze horses brought from the hippodrome in Constantinople after it was sacked. The originals have been moved to a museum inside the church.

One of the mosaics on the portals. It depicts the transportation of St. Mark's body to the basilica and is extremely detailed - note the four bronze horses standing in their places!

Unfortunately photography wasn't allowed in the basilica and so I was able to take very few pictures. It was also quite dim inside so a lot of the ones I took didn't turn out very good. This is one of the good ones - it shows some of the more than 80,000 square feet of mosaics that cover the interior of the basilica, giving it the nickname "church of gold".

The rood screen leading to the altar.

One of the carved portals leading out of the basilica.

The next church we visited was the church of Sts. John and Paul. It was built in the 12th century and served as the burial place of the Doges.

The interior of the church. It was massive!

Some of the funerary monuments to Venice's Doges which line the walls.

A side chapel with a Byzantine icon donated by a Doge.

A statue of Sebastiano Venier, the Doge of Venice and commander of the Venetian fleet that defeated the Turks at Lepanto.

A detail of the wooden choir stalls.

The high altar.

A shot of the tracery leading up to the dome.

Closer picture of the high altar.

And lastly, some of the stained glass featured in the transept windows.

Venice - scenes from the floating city

2008-10-07T12:04:00.007+02:00

Finally we arrived at the city of Venice. We spent several days here and I took hundreds of pictures. Because I took so many our first day, I can't fit them all into one post, so I've broken our first day into a couple different posts. This one will deal with sites and scenes, and then I've got another few posts showing the major churches of the city.

This is the causeway which leads from the Italian mainland to Venice, which is built on an archipelago of 118 small islands.

No cars are permitted within the city, and in fact it would be impossible to drive a car due to the narrow streets, numerous bridges, and miles upon miles of canals. The boat is the vehicle of transportation in Venice. These gondolas are used to haul tourists around at exorbitant prices. Hey, whatever the market will bear!

A shot of Augustin getting ready to attempt a pigeon grab.

Andrew, Gus and Philomena posing on one of the porphyry lions in St. Mark's square.

The massive zodiacal clock on one of the towers of St. Mark's square. It is completely faced in lapis lazuli. As you can see by the sky, it was a beautiful day.

The stunning Palace of the Doges, right on the water's edge.

The three youngest looking out over the lagoon.

A typical Venetian canal, complete with personal motorboats "parked" alongside houses.

An interesting shot of mine, Alex's and Andrew's reflections in the canal.

Andrew Philomena and Augustin found out that you caught more pigeons with cracker crumbs than by chasing them. Feeding pigeons and having them crawl all over you - good times!

Gus standing quite happily beside a novelty - a water ambulance!

Transporting constructing supplies by barge. Check out the apparatus to load material into the waiting boat.

A look out across the water to the Venice's island cemetery.

Augustin and Andrew contemplating a moored gondola.

Masks galore!

The most famous bridge of Venice, the Rialto. Similar to Florence's Ponte Vecchio, it is not just a means of traversing the Grand Canal, but is packed with shops.

The Grand Canal itself.

Mom doing some shopping on the Rialto.

Coming down the other side we stopped by this stall selling "flower" bouquets made of chili peppers.

More masks and glass beads. The colors and selection were outstanding, although you were afraid to move for bumping into something. Terra firma is at a premium in Venice so the majority of shops were quite small.

This is the newest bridge to cross the Grand Canal. It's modern, but quite aesthetically pleasing.

Treviso

2008-10-07T11:58:00.003+02:00

We stopped in Treviso to visit with some friends and spent the afternoon walking around the city. Here are the walls of the town complete with moat, which has now been reduced to more of a ditch.

Augustin contentedly standing beside a Lamborghini.

I'm pretty sure this is a canal that runs around town. Its source is the river which actually runs through part of the town.

Here's the river, and some of Treviso.

Evening, and a picture of a swan cruising the river.

A (still functioning) water wheel.

Santuario della Verna

2008-10-07T11:28:00.005+02:00

Here are some pictures from the first day of our vacation up North. We stopped about halfway at the Santuario della Verna, an estate that was given to St. Francis of Assisi by a rich nobleman. The Franciscan order got its start here and today it is still an active monastery and guesthouse.

This is the old ice-house made out of stones, set into the earth to keep ice frozen all year long.

There is an abundance of Della Robbia sculptures sprinkled throughout the buildings. Luca Della Robbia developed an ingenious ceramic glaze which allowed his sculptures to be displayed outdoors, and preserved the brilliance of the colors for centuries. This one of the Pieta` looks like it was glazed yesterday!

In the chapel we visited the side chapel where there are many relics connected with the life of St. Francis. Even though I wasn't able to get any good close-up shots, in the various reliquaries there are such things as his chalice, fork and spoon, cilice, cane and hand towel

This is the habit he was wearing when he received the stigmata, and is the one in which he was buried.

Another Della Robbia, this time of the Transfiguration. These were huge pieces!

A view of the surrounding countryside from the top of the mountain where the Santuario is.

The cell of St. Francis, now converted into a tiny chapel.

Natural beauty abounded on the mountain, including spectacular rock formations. This is a massive boulder that juts out. You can see Augustin underneath it for a size comparison.

A crevice in the rock where St. Francis would sleep sometimes.

This is the cell where St. Anthony of Padua stayed when he visited. Like St. Francis' cell, it too has been converted into a chapel.

The foundation of the monastery, set onto a rocky precipice.

The inlaid wooden choir stalls in the monastery chapel where St. Francis received the stigmata.

This marks the actual spot where he received it.

Another even more colorful Della Robbia.

Alex standing in the courtyard in front of the monastery.

And here are mom and Philomena getting ready to enjoy a delicious lunch in the monastery restaurant.

A group shot of everyone except yours truly, standing in the passage way that leads out of the monastery.

Pilgrimage from Bevagna to Assisi - last stop!

2008-09-16T13:41:00.012+02:00

OK, this is the last set of pictures from our trip to the Northeast. After all our busy sightseeing we did some a little slower, in the form of a 45 kilometer (28 mile) pilgrimage from Bevagna to Assisi with our church. And yes, everyone made it WITHOUT having to ride in the "sag wagon" - even Augustin!

A picture of us early in the morning on the first day. Alex in the black shirt, Augustin in the blue one.

Stopping in a small church to see it, and taking a break outside.

Alex and Andrew talking with Daniele, a guy we met from Naples.

Some of the lovely Umbrian countryside we passed through.

A picture of the priests and seminarians sharing a laugh at our lunch stop.

Every year (despite having already 12 kilometers) the tradition is for those who are able to play a game of soccer on a small artificial turf field at the place where we stopped for lunch. Don PierPaolo was the only priest who felt up to it! A picture of Augustin on defense and Don PierPaolo shooting the ball.

Andrew in action as the ball comes to him.

Leaving the field the same way we got on...climbing over the gate.

Entering the town of Foligno where we spent the night.

Up and early the next morning to finish the pilgrimage off. About halfway done! In this picture we're getting organized to head out.

We stopped about midday for mass (since it was Sunday) in a lovely church in Foligno.

We had a solemn high mass. This is the elevation, with Don Pierpaolo as celebrant.

A pretty shot of a little archway in the town as we marched through.

In the distance we could see Assisi - our final destination.

We passed this roadside shrine on the way, complete with ladder!

About 2 o clock we stopped for lunch. Here's a shot of Don Pierpaolo relaxing in the shade of an olive tree upon which had been hung all the priests' surplices.

A group shot of the lunch crowd, having a picnic in an olive grove.

Assisi is getting closer!

And at last we entered the town!

The magnificent Basilica of St. Francis at the bottom of the hill. (It was nice to finish by going downhill hehe!)

A shot of some of the beautiful stonework on the tympanum.

Down in the crypt is the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi.

And this is a picture of the crypt itself.

A part of the upper basilica covered in frescoes by Giotto.

The monastery of Assisi. Pretty impressive!

Next we marched a short way down the road to the last of the three major churches in Assisi. This particular one had some beautiful fountains lining one of its exterior walls.

The interior of the basilica. In the center you can see the little church where the Franciscan order was founded.

Last picture - a group shot of us all in front of the basilica.

Why King Clovis is sporting frogs on his coat of arms

2008-09-12T15:56:00.002+02:00

Ladies and gentlemen, those of you who have seen my post from our trip to Innsbruck (read more here - http://depianteinrome.blogspot.com/2008/08/innsbruck-austria.html ) may have found King Clovis' coat of arms (namely, frogs) very humorous (as I did). For those of you who wish to refresh your memory you can view the picture here.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_WB_ylZsXyk4/SK0XqwuxPlI/AAAAAAAAExE/WazBp58NXAw/s1600-h/IMG_4550.jpg

Now, ladies and gentlemen, thanks to the magnificent team of researchers at the M.M. Schutzman firm whom I have employed to dig, excavate and uncover the facts, truth, authenticity and general "why the hecks" regarding my blog, you have an answer as to why King Clovis has frogs on his coat of arms.

According to history, frogs were a symbol used by Frankish Royalty. After King Clovis converted to the Catholic Faith the frogs were turned into lilies, also known as fleur-des-lis.

It just goes to show you we don't "get" the tenth part of the symbolism and meaning behind all these statues, paintings, and other works of art.

Ravenna - Byzantine mosaic treasure trove

2008-09-12T14:33:00.011+02:00

Next stop on our itinerary was the ancient city of Ravenna. Ravenna served as the seat of the Western Roman Empire, the capital of the Ostrogothic Kingdom, and the Exarchate, or capital of Byzantine Italy under the Byzantine Emperor Justinian. Because of this it has been enriched with many historically significant sites, and is on the UNESCO list as a World Heritage site. Ravenna is most famous for its mosaics, created by Byzantine artists to adorn its churches, mausoleums and monuments.

This is the Neonian Baptistry. It was originally (fittingly enough) a Roman bathhouse. It was converted to a baptistry in the fifth century and adorned with mosaics in the year 452. As you can see, it is a plain enough building on the outside.

The interior is a completely different story! (I encourage you to click these pictures to enlarge them to appreciate the mosaics better!)
This is the dome of the baptistry. It shows Christ being baptized by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan. The twelve apostles and St. Paul encircle the scene. Keep in mind this image is created of stone and glass pieces less than a centimeter in size.

This is one of the many pillars which support the roof. They are all decorated with pictures of Old Testament prophets. I'm not sure who this one is.

A pagan basin which was converted into a holy water font.

A closer shot of the dome mosaic. Look at how the artist(s) created the illusion of Christ's legs being under water!

After leaving the baptistry we walked along the streets for a little bit. Here's Andrew obviously enjoying himself.

Ravenna is a beautiful city, very quiet, clean, with palm and pine trees all over. This is a traffic circle right in the center of town.

This is the tomb of the great literary figure Dante Alighieri. Although a son of Florence, he was exiled and died in Ravenna, his adopted hometown in 1321.

The Florentines have a tomb ready-made for him in the basilica of Santa Croce and have cajoled, begged, threatened, and whined to get his remains transferred back to their city. Ravenna has remained firm however. Dante remains in Ravenna. The only concession given to the Florentines is the fact that they are allowed to supply a lamp which burns Tuscan olive oil in front of Dante's tomb. Here's the famous lamp.

And here's the tomb itself.

This pile of rubble(now overgrown with Ivy) marks the spot where Dante's remains were hidden for safekeeping during WWII.

Next we visited St. Apollinare Nuovo, the royal chapel of Theodoric, king of the Goths. It dates back to the fifth century. After the conquest of Italy by the Byzantine armies under Belisarius, it was decorated and became a part of the Byzantine legacy in Ravenna. The portico is constructed entirely out of Greek marble.

Dad, Alex, and Augustin admiring some of the mosaics, which you haven't seen just yet.

And now you do. Both walls and the apse are completely covered in mosaics. Thousands and thousands of square feet! This one depicts martyrs on top, and below, the city of Ravenna with Theodoric's palace in the background.

Christ sitting between 4 angels.

The marble pulpit beneath the arches.

This picture is the famous scene of the three Magi presenting their gifts to the Child Jesus (not pictured).

We stepped outside the basilica to admire the courtyard. Andrew got his picture taken next to this monstrous grape vine which was one of many providing shade along the portico.

The leaves and grapes....

And here's a picture of the courtyard looking through one of the arches, with a statue of an unidentified pope in the center.

After continuing around the courtyard we exited and approached the basilica of San Vitale. It was built on the ruins of a temple dedicated to the martyr St. Vitale, and finished in 548. Although I don't have a close-up picture of it, the brickwork is a distinctive pattern personally invented and used by the Emperor Justinian. (I found the fact that the Emperor Justinian had time to think of a brickwork scheme very interesting....)

We were speechless after entering the basilica. You might be able to guess why.

The dome mosaics showing the lamb of God in the center, supported by four angels, on a background of gruit, grapes, vines, pomegrantes, peacocks and celestial figures. Some of the plants and vines are identified as only existing in Asia Minor, an interesting contribution from the Byzantine artists.

A scene on one of the arches showing on the left, Abraham feeding the three angels disguised as strangers, and on the right, Abraham preparing to sacrifice Isaac.

The famous panel of the Emperor Justinian with his retinue of advisors and court officials.

A shot of the arch with Christ in the center, and descending down the arch around him, lunettes depicting the 12 apostles, St. Vitale, and St. Vitale's two sons, St. Gervase and Protese.

The very interesting exterior of the basilica, with buttresses to support it.

Our last stop of this amazing day was the mausoleum of Galla Placidia.

This is the entryway ceiling, a quilt of glass designs in blue, orange, and gold.

It continues up to this mosaic of the Good Shepherd.

On another side of the small building we find this mosaic of St. Peter and St. Paul. Between them is the famous scene of the two doves drinking from the fountain.

A shot of the arched ceiling so you can see the stars.

Another pair of Apostles, although I'm not sure which ones these are. Below them, you can see the depiction of St. Lawrence's martyrdom.

Last picture as we left town was of this statue of the Queen of Heaven on a pillar, surrounded by trees.

Rimini

2008-09-11T15:48:00.007+02:00

Rimini is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, heavily dependent upon fishing and sea-related industries. It also happens to be the prime resort on the Adriatic, drawing crowds from all over. However it also has a rich history dating back to Roman times, which we viewed with our friends Marco and Daniela and their two toddlers. (They live in Rimini.)

This is a bridge called the Ponte Tiberio, built by the Emperor Tiberius in the year 21 AD. It is made of Istrian limestone and thus has weathered amazingly well.

Dad talking with Marco before stopping for a coffee.

A bronze statue of Paul V in Piazza Cavour.

The fontana della pigna (Pinecone Fountain) also in Piazza Cavour. We all stopped to get a drink, so you can see mom, Alex, Andrew, and Daniela with her kidlet Leonardo.

This is part of an ancient fish market where vendors brought their fresh catch to sell to the townspeople. You can see the gutters in the floor to carry away offal and dirty water. Today it's used as a fresh flower market.

A shot of the gang walking around the piazza.

This monument marks the spot where Julius Caesar made camp with his army before crossing the Rubicon river and thus beginning his conquest of Rome. The river's course has long since been altered thanks to flooding and man-made changes.

This tiny chapel marks the spot where St. Anthony of Padua performed his famous miracle of the Eucharist where a donkey knelt down in front of the consecrated host, even though said donkey had been starved for days and his non-believing owner was holding a bucket of food just a few feet away.

The interior of the very simple chapel, complete with the marble pillar on which St. Anthony stood.

This is the duomo of Rimini. It is a 15th century church built by the former Lord of Rimini, Sigismondo Malatesta. Sigismondo was the equivalent of the Medici family, ruler of Rimini, military leader, and not exactly pious.

Because of the lack of strong Catholic faith possessed by Sigismondo (he intended the cathedral to be as much a mausoleum for himself and his wife as a church) there were no religious symbols or motifs built into the church. Everything was of a distinctly pagan or humanistic theme, including the signs of the zodiac, etc. It's a beautiful church though. This funerary monument was faced entirely in lapiz lazuli.

A picture showing two signs of the zodiac that I mentioned earlier.

This crucifix was added later. It was painted by Giotto.

Sigismondo's personal symbol, which combines the initials of his name with his wife's (Isotta). To me, it looked like a dollar sign. ($)

And a statue of the great Sigismondo himself.

Leaving the church we came across this blue Maserati pulling into a gated residence. Ayeee yiiyiy!!!

The last thing we saw as we headed out of town was this arch, built by the Roman consul Flaminius in 27 BC, in honor of Augustus. The brick addition was added during the Middle Ages.

Faenza - home of ceramics

2008-09-10T14:52:00.004+02:00

Next stop was the small town of Faenza, about 25 miles southeast of Bologna. It has origins that date back to the time of the Roman Empire and was the site where Totila defeated the Byzantines with his Ostrogothic army when the Roman Empire finally collapsed. Today it is famous for its ceramics, an art that dates back to the Middle Ages.

Alex walking down one of the main streets to the piazza.

One of the ceramic shops. All of this was made in the shop. We saw the owner painting pieces as we looked around.

Pretty impressive plate.

This shop was owned by a man named Antonio who again, was responsible for shaping, glazing, and painting all the merchandise in his shop. He specialized in this blue and white design, laced with gold.

The main fountain in the piazza which dates back to the 17th century.

An interesting picture of a burbling lion, silhouetted against the sky.

I suppose someone blipped on the translation, it should be salon not saloon.

This is Piazza del Popolo. The arches were the entryways to lots of small boutiques, selling ceramics, clothes, handicrafts, candles, and more.

The Tuscan church with its very unattractive facade. The marble covering that was supposed to be added was never done for some reason. Built in 1517, it houses many Renaissance pieces of art.

The interior of the Cathedral. Somewhat plain, but still attractive.

And lastly, a nice, large statue of St. Anthony, very well done.

A trip to visit San Marino

2008-09-10T14:17:00.005+02:00

What has fewer than 30,000 people, no income taxes, is 23 square miles, and famous for its perfumes? The world's tiniest republic, San Marino whose army uses crossbows, but is its own country. It is a republic that dates back to the 4th century when San Marinus established it after he had fled the persecution of Diocletian. Completely landlocked by Italy, it is in many ways aesthetically Italian, but politically speaking is its own entity.

We had a pleasant drive to San Marino, where I snapped the following two pictures. Grapes, growing on the vines and ready for the harvest.

More vines and olive trees.

This is the Republic of San Marino from a distance. You can see the three famous towers which make up San Marino's coat of arms, which were used to defend the country from attacks.

This sign announced our crossing of the Italian-Sammarinese border.

We drove to the top of the town where the historic center is, and had fun climbing among the crennelations of the towers. Here are Andrew, Dad, Philly and Gus keeping an eye out for any bad guys....

Andrew and Augustin enjoying the view.

This is the tower of Guaita. It's easy to understand why no one ever successfully attacked San Marino.

San Marino is famous for its perfume boutiques. Here, one can buy foo foo juice at much cheaper prices.

The Cathedral

The interior was nice, but not overly impressive. Here's a picture of it. The statue in the background is of St. Marinus.

This is the seat of the national Government. There is a statue of Liberty in front of it.

Andrew and Augustin peeking over the edge.

Augustin getting his picture taken with one of the Guardians of the Rock, the border patrol/Capitol guards.

An interesting picture of the traffic circle down below.

Some of the shops in the main piazza.

And one last picture I took as we made our way down to the car. Some tea roses in front of one of the houses. Check out the rocks on top of the roof tiles.

Loreto

2008-09-08T17:32:00.006+02:00

Well, we've had a busy last 5 days. We took a trip up to the Northeastern part of Italy and spent 5 enjoyable days seeing the sights in Loreto, Ravenna, Faenza, Rimini, Assisi, and the Umbrian countryside.

Our first stop was to the little town of Loreto on the Adriatic. It's a small town with less than twelve thousand inhabitants but it's a major tourist and pilgrimage destination because of the fact that it is the home of what is documented to be the house of the Blessed Mother from Nazareth. This is a picture of the basilica which is built around the house. The basilica is a late-Gothic one and was finished around the year 1586.

Another shot of the basilica, and piazza.

This is the interior of the basilica. The richly-carved marble monument you see in the center is built around the Santa Casa, or holy house. It reminded me of the Ara Pacis in Rome. Since entrance to the Santa Casa was still a few minutes off I took the opportunity to walk around the basilica and view some of its other features.

This is one of a series of magnificent paintings that graced the wall of the right apse. It was so huge I couldn't capture it with my limited camera angle, but you get the idea.

This is the complete apse, covered in paintings, as you can see. The picture above is just part of the right wall!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the stained glass window that took up a third of the rear wall of the apse.

The Santa Casa was open by this time so I walked over and got this picture of the dome above it.

This is the statue of Our Lady of Loreto above the small altar in the house. It is made out of Lebanon Cedar.

This is one of the walls of the house itself. It is small, (roughly 28 feet by 12 feet by 13 feet high) and created of various materials including bricks, stone, and pottery remnants. The best document we have regarding its history is a historical document from the time of the crusades in which it is said to have been converted into a church by Constantine's mother Helen. Numerous inscriptions have been found on its walls made by Knights from the time of the crusades, and based on documents from the period, a site was recently found which turned out to be the foundation of the building itself. In the picture below you can see part of a fresco which was added on later.

A side of a side altar dedicated to St. Joseph.

And goodbye Loreto! A shot of the sea as we made our descent down from the town to take the road on to our next stop.

Opening soccer game of the 2008-2009 season

2008-09-08T12:47:00.003+02:00

Last Sunday we took the opportunity to go to the opening soccer game of the 2008-2009 season. We went to see the home team, AS Roma play in the Stadio Olimpico, which was built for the Olympics in Rome in 1940.

A shot of the team in action against Napoli (Naples).

Andrew enjoying the game.

Roma scored first - GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Unfortunately things started to get a little crazy at halftime when busloads of Napoli fans showed up in a bad mood and started making trouble. This is a shot of the gates outside the stadium with the crowds of people trying to get in and the police keeping the majority of them out.......

Those that the police let in had evidently brought flares and fireworks with them, which they promptly set off when Napoli scored to tie the game at 1-1. Talk about atmosphere....!

A winery in Tuscany

2008-09-01T20:08:00.002+02:00

Our friends Erminio and Tommasina were able to arrange for us a tour of a small winery outside of Florence. It's called Frascole, and produces about 50,000 bottles of wine a year. They also have a guesthouse which can be rented out during harvest times so that guests are able to participate in the "experience".

This picture is from the facility, looking out over the landscape.

Pallets of glass bottles that just arrived, in time for the bottling season.

Dad and Erminio enjoying the surroundings, and looking around.

A shot of one of their vineyards.

Augustin just had to try a few grapes. As you can see, they're almost all completely mature. How did they taste? Quite sweet, but small, with a thick skin. Definitely not your typical table grapes!

We got shown the sealed cantina where the wine is aged for years in oaken casks. These particular casks are made of French oak.

The label of the winery. It's actually available in select USA markets so if you see this label, grab a bottle!

Our host, the owner of the vineyard spent several hours with us explaining the process and allowing us to taste the wines produced by himself and his crew.

Mom and dad enjoying the experience!

As the evening drew to a close I grabbed this picture from the darkened portico, looking out onto the vineyards through an ivy-draped arch.

Mass in Bressanone

2008-08-28T14:21:00.002+02:00

I thought I'd post a few pictures of the church in Bressanone where we went to Mass on Sundays since it was quite an edifice.....

The interior of the church.

A close-up shot of the wooden statues behind the high altar.

Don Davide imposing incense.

Dad singing with the schola.

The elevation.

The woodcarvings at Ortisei

2008-08-28T13:54:00.003+02:00

During our time in Bressanone we had the opportunity to travel to the tiny mountain village of Ortisei to view the artisan woodcarvings that are done there. There are many shops that all turn out high quality products, made of the dry, fine-grained Linden wood which is aged several years.

This is a sample Nativity Scene outside one of the showrooms.

A statue of St. Christopher, hand painted.

St. Michael.

Augustin quietly watching a carver as he finishes a corpus for a crucifix. It was very interesting to see his calipers and tools all laid out neatly on the table.

Dad examining some of the miniature statues on shelves.

We parked the cars outside the town and then walked into the town. Here we saw a sign written in the three languages of the region, Italian, German, and believe it or not, Ladin.(Not Latin, that's not a typo, Ladin.)

The town consisted of one main street, some houses behind it, and a piazza with a small church.

The mountains provided a lovely backdrop, crisscrossed with ski lift cars laboring up and down. Even though it wasn't ski season, the view from the top must have still been worth the ride.

Evidently the local honeybee population decided that the Apple Strudel was delectable.....

Mosaic update - Bianco e Nero

2008-08-24T20:30:00.002+02:00

Just thought I'd post an update of the mosaic I'm working on. With all the traveling I've been doing I haven't had much of a chance to work on it but I've started back on it recently.

This is the last post I made on the subject, so you can see the model I'm working off of, and the progress I've made.
http://depianteinrome.blogspot.com/2008/04/latest-mosaic.html

Innsbruck, Austria

2008-08-21T09:16:00.013+02:00

The town of Innsbruck, Austria was next on our "to-do" list. To reach Innsbruck, we traveled about 1 1/2 hours from Bressanone, including a part on the famous Brenner Pass, the lowest, and easiest traveled pass running through the Alps.

Of course once we got into Austria the difference in culture was noticeable. I think this picture illustrates perfectly the strict, Germanic, rigid Austrian contrasted with the loose, sunny, easy-going Italian mentality. Two cars parked side by side, one Italian, one Austrian. You guess which is which.

A view of Innsbruck as we drove into the city.

First stop was the Cathedral. Here's Andrew standing in the square in front of the Cathedral.

This is the front of the Cathedral of St. Jakob. It was finished in 1724, and although heavily damaged by bombing during WWII it has since been repaired.

Although rather plain on the exterior, it is lavishly Baroque inside. A picture of the ceiling, interior, and high altar.

A lovely side altar with a Pieta` as a centerpiece.

A close-up shot of the high altar, magnificently gilded in silver.

An even closer picture of the painting of Our Lady of Succor by Lucas Cranach the Elder.

Even the pulpit was pretty lavish.

Augustin standing in the center aisle.

This is the royal box where the Emperor and his family would be when they attended Mass. It's situated to the left of the high altar.

The organ, mounted in the choir loft.

Our next stop was the Hofkirche, or Court Church. It was built in the late 16th century as a memorial to the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. It contains a monument built in his honor and statues of his ancestors. This is the monument in the middle of the church. It contains 24 scenes in marble depicting scenes from his life and many other ornamentations, including a stunning grille surrounding the entire structure.

Also inside the Hofkirche is the tomb of Andreas Hofer, a Tyrolean hero who launched an uprising against Napoleon's forces. Captured and executed after he was betrayed, he is still fondly remembered by Tyroleans.

This is one of the 28 bronze statues of Maximilian's ancestors that grace the interior of the church. This one depicts Theodoric the Goth.

More statues, including King Arthur, King Ferdinand the Catholic of Spain, Archduke Sigismund of Austria, and King Clovis of the Franks.

The main altar in the church, quite lovely.

King Clovis. I found the frogs embellished on his coat of arms to be quite humorous for a French royal. :)

Alex flashing the Victory symbol in front of King Godfrey of Bouillon, also an ancestor of Maximilian. Note the crown of thorns on his head. After capturing Jerusalem from the Saracens Godfrey declared that he would never wear a golden crown where his Savior had worn a crown of thorns.

The January 6th custom of blessing the doors of houses and inscribing them with the names of the three Wise Men was quite prevalent in Innsbruck.

A monument to Leopold V.

Mom, Dad, Alex and Gus standing in front of the Kaiserliche Hofburg, or Imperial court, built in 1640.

We then took a walk along the Inn River (from which Innsbruck derives its name). The mountains in the background made a pretty view....

Alex standing in front of a suspension bridge across the river.

In Austria, of course you would expect to see this! A beer truck making the rounds.

The opera house.

This is the symbol of Innsbruck, the famous "Golden Roof". It covers a balcony from which the Tyrolean Archdukes used to watch events in the square below. The building itself was used by the Archdukes as a residence. The roof is covered with more than 2,600 gold-plated copper tiles.

A view of one of Innsbruck's street cars.

Mom stopped in a jewelry shop to get herself a charm to add to her collection.

Then we all went to get a bratwurst and beer from a stand in a public eating area.

Mom with her beer.

The mineral and silver mine at Monteneve, and the town of Vipiteno

2008-08-19T09:42:00.010+02:00

From Bressanone we took a day trip to the mineral and silver mine at Monteneve in the mountains above the Passiria Valley. The mine itself is one of the oldest on record in Europe and was operational until about 50 years ago when it was shut down. Located at more than 6,000 feet it functions as a tourist attraction today, allowing visitors to explore the labyrinths and discover the mining process.

A picture of a helicopter flying large bags of rock up the mountain. We're not sure why, but it looked like some sort of erosion prevention perhaps.

Part of the wooden railway built to accommodate cars loaded with ore coming down the mountain. This track was the largest of its kind in Europe. (It extends for quite some distance beyond what you see here.)

Mined rock was taken first to this machine which crushed it into manageable pieces. The pieces tumbled out the chute below, into the cars, which ran down the track. The guide turned on the machine and crushed some rock for us - wow, what a noise!

The crushed rock was then taken into these machines which crushed it even further.

Each of the machines above was filled with around 6 tons of iron balls like this one (each ball weighs about 15 pounds).

Samples of various minerals that were extracted from the mine. Chief among them were lead, zinc, copper sulphate, and silver.

Because of the distance of the climb, miners lived in close proximity to the mines most of the time, only descending to their homes in the valley occasionally. Sometimes they would work up there for 5 months at a time! Because of the constant presence of the miners, a sort of village developed near the mine entrance, which included this tiny chapel dedicated to St. Barbara, the patron saint of miners.

This is a diorama of the track, with our guide explaining how it worked. The loaded cars descending down the mountain provided the force to pull the empty ones at the bottom back to the top.

After learning how the rock was treated after it was extracted, we donned hard hats and smocks to go into the mine and learn just how the rock was blasted out. Philomena posing in her hard hat....

Dad and Augustin, all ready to go.

Conditions inside the mine were cramped, to say the least. This is one of the ratways that passed as a tunnel. If you look at the ground, you can see the twin rails which loaded cars passed on.

Augustin powering the bellows which were used to pump air down into different sections of the mine.

This exhibit recreated what the bored holes into the rock would have looked like when filled with dynamite charges.

Before miners went to the expense and danger of blasting out rock, they needed to know if it was worth it. This machine is a compressed air drill used for taking core samples. It bit away into the rock and extracted a core sample about an inch in diameter, and more than 3 feet long. By examining this core, miners knew just what was inside the rock they were blasting.

Another one of the tunnels in the mine, this one shored up with pine logs.

Wow! This is a picture from an unusually tall woman that lived in the village in the valley. Talk about not wanting to meet her in a dark alley!

Outside the mine we took a walk and ate a picnic lunch, complemented by some wild blueberries we found growing.

After lunch we went to the pleasant mountain town of Vipiteno (also known as Sterzing). It is a very picturesque, if not large place. This is the main street running through the town, lined with lots of shops, bakeries, and clothing stores.

Andrew taking a drink from one of the flower-decorated fountains.

A statue of St. John Nepomucene in the town square.

Augustin found that the pigeons in Sterzing were just as hungry as the ones in Rome, and enjoyed munching on a few crumbs of his pretzel.

Mom enjoyed perusing some of the lace and line shops, including this one selling handmade German lace.

After passing a lovely afternoon we hit the open road back towards our residence. This is a shot of the road leading out of town, with the mountains in the background.

Trip to Alto Adige

2008-08-14T12:11:00.003+02:00

Hello all, from Bressanone/Brixen in the Italian Dolomites. We're up here for a week escaping from the Roman heat. And indeed, we have escaped! It's lovely weather up here, and at night, it gets quite chilly. Bressanone (also known as Brixen) is located in the South Tyrol, a part of Italy that used to belong to Austria. As a result, more than 90 percent of the population speaks German as a first language, although they all speak Italian as well (although with a Germanic accent). It's been quite interesting - all the road signs, town names, menus, and signs are in both German and Italian.

Here's a picture of one of the many castles in the region.

We passed through the famous Brenner Pass on our way to Bressanone, as you can see by these road signs.

The view from our hotel/chalet.

The Germanic influence is easily noted. Germanium and Impatient-loaded window boxes fall from the sides of wooden chalets.

One of the many dairy barns around here, which produce milk used to make excellent chocolate.

A little calf saying good morning.

The Dolomites in the background, a chalet in the foreground.

Mom standing on the walkway to our hotel.

The level of greenery is amazing, and a nice change from Rome's palm trees and cement. This is the village of Bressanone viewed from our hotel room. I think cows might outnumber people, and they certainly outnumber internet connections. So until I get more internet time - ciao!

Zaragoza

2008-07-14T19:40:00.008+02:00

We spent our last day in Spain visiting the magnificent city of Zaragoza. It is located in Northeastern Spain in the province of Aragon, on the Ebro river. It has a rich history of belonging to many peoples, and consequently is a historical treasure. It derives its name from Roman times, when it was a colony called "Caesaraugusta" after the Roman Emperor Augustus. It was then conquered by the Moors. Charlemagne attempted to retake the city in 777 but failed, and had to retreat. It was on this retreat that Charlemagne's force was ambushed by hostile Basques at the Battle of Roncesvalles Pass - a battle in which the trapped rearguard was slaughtered to a man. This rearguard, led by Roland, and the battle were immortalized forever in the famous work of literature "The Song of Roland".

In any case, here is the train station in Zaragoza.

We took a bus from the train station to the historical city center. This is a shot of us leaving behind all the buses, cars, and activity of the modern city, and entering the quiet, medieval section. You can see the arch that was part of the city walls.

As I mentioned earlier, Zaragoza was named after Caesar Augustus. Here's a copy of Augustus of the bronze statue in Rome along Via dei Fori Imperiali. This copy is located in what was the Roman Forum in ancient times.

And this is the forum. There's not much left, and it certainly isn't as big as the one in Rome, but it made for a nice picture. The design elements were interesting to look at as well - many were the same as Trajan's Forum back in Rome.

Our next stop was at the Basilica of Nuestra Senora de Pilar. Baroque in style, it is the co-cathedral of Zaragoza and was largely constructed during the 17th century.

The most striking feature of the exterior of the basilica is the fact that the domes and cupolas are all covered with brightly painted green, white, blue and yellow tiles. Here's a good example. The pattern and colors reminded me of the Brazilian flag.....

I had to laugh when we entered the church and saw this sign.

A very realistic crucifix above a side altar in the basilica.

This is the most important thing in the basilica. Our Lady of Pilar. It is a small wooden statue of the Blessed Mother, resting on a column of Jasper, on the site where she appeared to St. James the Greater. The column is encased in a silver reliquary and draped with a cone-shaped cloth, which is changed every day.

A close-up shot of the statue and crown.

An area of the pillar has been exposed for pilgrims to view and venerate. The most shocking thing about this is the sweet perfume that emanates from the pillar. It was pretty impressive watching pilgrims kiss the pillar, and then watch the shock on their faces when they smelled the perfume. Look at the hollow area worn into the jasper as a result of the millions of pilgrims who have done just that.

After leaving the basilica we headed down the street to do a little souvenir shopping. Here are Alex and Andrew enjoying the sunlight.

Next stop was the cathedral of La Seo. Built over the ruins of a mosque it was finished in the 13th century, and was the site where all the Aragonese kings were crowned until the 15th century.

This is the magnificent carved wooden reredo behind the main altar.

A shot of some of the Gothic arches and below, part of the choir.

This is a side chapel. It is carved entirely of alabaster.

In this picture you can see the shiny, almost transparent texture of the mineral. This relief depicts Our Lady handing the Child Jesus to St. Anne.

Another shot of some arches, so that you can get an idea of the height.

A picture of a silver side altar.

This side altar was dedicated to Saint Dominguito del Val. A choirboy of the cathedral, he was the victim of a murder perpetrated by the Jews of Zaragoza. Wishing to reenact the passion of Christ, and acting out of hatred for the Catholics of the city, he was kidnapped and crucified outside the city limits in secret by the Jews.

After leaving La Seo we made our way to the Roman theater which is still quite well preserved, considering it was built in the 1st century AD.

Our last stop in Zaragoza was the Museum of the Crystal Rosary, located inside a smaller church. It features crystal sculptures of the entire rosary, which is carried by citizens during religious processions. Here is the crucifix of the rosary.

This is a "bead". As you might be able to guess, it's an "Ave Maria" or Hail Mary.

On this bier you can see the sculpture which represents the 1st Sorrowful Mystery, and the beads that accompany it. As you can see, it's quite big.

A "Pater Noster", or Our Father bead.

Various biers representing different confraternities and guilds of the city are also part of the procession. This work of a ship represents Faith.

Another beautiful example, depicting the Marian apparitions in Spain.

We left the museum and walked into Plaza de Espana, which offered us this pretty view.

A shot of our high-speed AVE train which would take us back to Madrid.

Alex on board said train getting ready for the ride home.

After we arrived back in Madrid, Felipe took us to the bus stop, where we got a bus that took us to the airport, and then flew home. Goodbye Spain!

The Palace of La Granja

2008-07-13T19:35:00.004+02:00

We took a day trip to the Guadarrama Mountains near Segovia, to the little town of San Ildefonso to visit the Royal Palace of La Granja. This area was a favorite hunting ground of the Castillian Kings and due to its lush forests, was the site chosen by Philip V of Spain for his new palace, begun in 1721. Philip V modeled La Granja on the palace of Versailles, which was built by his grandfather. He even called in French architects and artists to construct his royal residence. Here's a view of the facade from the approach.

Photos weren't allowed in the palace, but in spite of two guards dogging us, I managed to get a few shots. This one's slightly blurry, but is of one of the 1,300 tapestries that make up the largest Flemish tapestry collection in Europe. It depicts Faith with her foot on Mohammed's head.

A hall which leads to the royal residences and state rooms.

The room where meals with visiting diplomats and dignitaries were taken.

After our tour of the palace we exited into the gardens. They cover more than 1,500 acres and flow down the side of the mountain in the distance. Also flowing down the mountain is a stream of water which is collected in a reservoir and then released to power by gravity the numerous fountains in the gardens.

The king built himself a labyrinth to amuse himself and his guests. We gave it a shot. Here's Andrew wandering in the bushes.

This is a picture of the rear of the palace.

From left to right: Julian, Manuel, Alex, Mrs. Victoria, Me, Andrew. Standing in front of the fountains.

A shot of some of the flowers in the gardens. There are always fresh flowers in season which Philip wanted to decorate the interior of the palace. This is a tradition which is continued to this day. Every room we went in had vases of fresh flowers from the gardens.

A shot of the Guadarrama Mountains. We left the palace and drove a short ways down the mountain.

We stopped at a shady, wooded spot near a stream to eat some lunch.

Andrew and Julian playing soccer in the grass.

I got this shot of a honeybee working the flowers near the stream bank.

Manuel waves goodbye ....

Rock climbing in Torrelodones

2008-07-13T19:25:00.002+02:00

We spent an afternoon climbing the enormous boulders in Torrelodones which is the little suburb of Madrid where the Victoria family lives. This is Alex on the summit of a big pile of rocks.

Andrew posing, pretending to hold up the gigantic rock.

This is one of the wild cork trees that grow in the arid countryside around Madrid.

A section of the bark cut to reveal the cork.

We finished the evening off by playing "Axis and Allies" with Manuel, Mr. Victoria and Paco (Julian).