ITALIA BELLEZZA ETERNA! 1861-2011

The 17 March 1861 Vittorio-Emmanuelle II of Savoy became King of a United Italian Kingdom. Tomorrow the 17th we celebrate all over Italy this great day under the theme of Italian Unity or Patria Unita.

There will be demonstrations and concerts, museums will remain open late and everyone except yours truly will enjoy a National Holiday, I forgot the Holy See is not celebrating this holiday, they lost the war against the Italians and the Pope lost all his estates and all of central Italy which came under his direct rule.

Pater Patria, King Vittorio-Emmanuelle II of Italy.

Auguri and Complimenti to all my Italian friends on this great day! Unity came after years of bloody conflict with the Pope and his French and Austrian allies against the people of Italy.  The capital at first was Turin and then Florence and finally after the conquest of Rome on 20 September, the Eternal City became once again after almost 1400 years the Capital of all Italy. This feat was in a large part the work of one great Sardinian, Garibaldi who was very successful at conquering town after town and region after region and becoming the symbol of the aspiration of the Italians to be able to govern themselves.
Tomorrow night at the Teatro del Opera di Roma, the President of the Italian Republic, Giorgio Napolitano will host by invitation only an evening presentation of the great Verdi opera Nabucco directed by Maestro Riccardo Muti, this work is the musical symbol associated with the historical struggles of the Italians to rid themselves of foreign rulers like the French and the Austrians. The famous chorus Va' pensiero sung by the Jewish slaves in Egypt is the allegorical reference in the story and strikes that emotional chord in all Italians. Just a few nights ago, the crowd at the Opera demanded an encore of the chorus, Maestro Muti turned to the audience and invited them to stand and sing with the singers the encore. It was a great emotional moment, many cried, all the newspapers carried the story the next day.
We are going to the opera on the Saturday 19th to see Nabucco, I hope for a repeat of this scene.

Everyone is invited to post in all the windows of homes and shops the Italian tricolore in celebration of the Anniversary. The showing of the flag in Rome is especially significant as a rebuke to the Vatican.

Lunch with Agnolo di Cosimo Il Bronzino

Today we took the high speed train to Firenze (Florence), there are trains to Firenze from Rome every 15 minutes. We were in Firenze some 90 minutes later. Currently at the Palazzo Strozzi there is an exhibition of the works of Agnolo di Cosimo Il Bronzino (1503-1572) who was the Official Court painter and poet of Cosimo I Medici (1519-1574), Grand Duke of Tuscany and Duke of Firenze and Siena and his wife Eleonora of Toledo, the daughter of the Spanish Vice-Regal Governor of Naples.

Eleonora da Toledo and her son Giovanni Medici who will become Cardinal at 17 and die of malaria at 19.

This exhibit is unique in its composition and presentation, it is both official State portraiture and religious art. Bronzino lived during the time of the Reformation started by Martin Luther and the Counter Reformation and Council of Trent, a dangerous time for everyone as the Catholic Church was out to persecute and kill its ennemies.  Art like everything else came under scrutiny, there were rules on how to present a topic or subject and how not too. Per example prior to the Reformation it was ok to present the Virgin Mary breast feeding the infant Jesus in a painting, this was part of Church teachings as early as St-Francis of Assisi and St-Benedict who wanted to present Jesus and the Virgin Mary in a more humanist form.  With the Counter Reformation, humanist thinking was out, this was now a taboo subject as the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God, was now seen as a Goddess, Christ had to appear as master of the Universe, Majestic and remote. Any religious painting of the Crucifixion had to show all the iconography as described in the Scripture, only showing Jesus on the cross with no background was labeled Protestant and thus forbidden.

Christ resurrection, a work rejected by the Church as too erotic.

Prince Guidobaldo della Rovere at 18 with his dog.

In Firenze there were lively discussions amongst the aristocracy and important families on such topics as Faith, Good deeds and Salvation, many books circulated in such circles.  Any departure from strict Catholic Church interpretation and teachings could see you dead, you could discuss but had to be very careful not to go too far or at least show proper deference to the Papacy. Bartolomeo Panciatichi and his wife Lucrezia Panciatichi were prosecuted by the Church for views thought to be reformist, Cosimo Medici intervene in their favor several times during the trial.

Firenze city scape with the Palazzo Vecchio high tower and a peek at the Dome of the Cathedral.

The Medici Family were bankers, owning the largest European bank in the 15th century and becoming a powerful ruling family, married into the family of the Emperor Charles V, with alliances in various Italian States, France and Spain which included the Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies. They also had 3 Medici Popes during the Renaissance. They set the tone of discussions and played politics within the Church and the Papacy, using it as a tool for their own exercise of power.

Ponte Vecchio on the Arno river.

Bronzino was and remains for posterity an exceptional painter, it is difficult to think of another Fiorentine painter so closely associated with Florence and the Renaissance. His subects are alive, you think that they will speak, on the painting of Eleonora and her young son Giovanni, the texture of the fabric of her dress appears almost real, you can see the blue silk of her sons jacket shimmer. The pearls of her necklace and dress have this beautiful luster.  It is certainly this ability for realism that got Bronzino noticed by Cosimo I when he was barely 20 and still working with his teacher Jacopo da Pontormo. Many of Bronzino's early works were done with Pontormo but he soon developed his own style.

Ponte Santa Trinita viewed from the Piazza of the same name.

The exhibit was interesting because the curators Carlo Falciani and Antonio Natali took pains to present it with the historical context required for a more in depth appreciation of what is on display. Little poems were attached to the description of the painting for children and adults alike to read and bring them into an appreciation of the paintings from a less formal didactic approach. One room was devoted to the debate at the time on the supremacy of painting or sculpture. The act of criticism was second nature to Florentine artists of the generation of Bronzino. Artists were literate and engaged in dispute with other artists and critics. Reputation was founded as much on the respect of other critics and artists as upon patronage and economic success. Different points of views in this debate went on for many years amongst artists like Bronzino and patrons who would commission works for their palaces or family church and private chapels and would of course try to out do each other with more beautiful works. This exhibit on works by Bronzino is on at the Strozzi Palace in Firenze until 23 January 2011. I do not know if this is by coincidence but the Strozzi family were the enemies of the Medici in Firenze. Their palace reflects this image of status and importance by its massive architecture. The Medici died out as a family in the 18th century but the Strozzi family re-invented itself after 1945 having lost their fortune and are today owners of vineyards in Tuscany near San Gimignano.

We then went to lunch at a very nice restaurant, Trattoria 4 Leoni, Via dei Vellutini 1, Piazza della Passera, see www.4leoni.com , excellent food and very good service, good wine list. This being Firenze I had an excellent filet of beef, Will had wild Boar stew with Polenta, so rich, perfect for winter. As an antipasto I had a plate of typical Tuscan meats and liver paté, Will had a dish of Belgian endives with anchovies and capers dressed in melted Scamorza cheese. For dessert I had the pear tart and Will had a sorbet.

Excellent Tuscan beef.

After lunch we walked around Firenze and the Arno river and on to the Pallazo Vecchio, the official home of Cosimo I and his family. This enormous palace in the center of the city next to the Uffizi Gallery was almost deserted today, being winter there are few tourists and it is more relaxing to visit.
Palazzo Vecchio is the historical seat of the government of the City of Firenze. It was the Residence of the Priors and Gonfalonier of Justice in the Middle Ages, the Cosimo Medici's Palace, the administrative centre of the Grand-Duchy of Tuscany and later when Firenze became Capital of the Kingdom of Italy until 1871. Today it is the Town Hall of Firenze and what a magnificent town hall it is.

Wonderful freshly made Mandarin sorbet.

Then it was time to return to Santa Maria Novella Train Station for our return trip to Rome.
A beautiful sunny day in Firenze with a blue sky only like we have them in Italy in January.