Month: November 2024

Naples – the city that has been around a very long time having been founded by Greeks in the first millennium BC, has been continuously occupied every since.  Over the years, it has been ruled by various powers, was the capital for the Duchy of Naples subsequently as the capital of the Kingdom of Naples (1282–1816), and finally as the capital of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies — until the unification of Italy in 1861.  As a result, it has a very different personality then other parts of Italy and is the home where the beloved pizza was first baked.

Our visit, to this magical place, started early with a 2 plus hour ride from Rome to the historic city center where we first visited the Pio Monte della Misericordia chapel and the Severo Chapel. En route, our rest stop provided an overlooked of the Monte Cassino monastery, the first house of the Benedictine Order, famous for their aperitif and an awful WWII miscalculation.  

The Abbey was rebuilt after the war. In the early 1950s, President of the Italian Republic Luigi Einaudi gave considerable support to the rebuilding.  Pope Paul VI consecrated the rebuilt Basilica on 24 October 1964.

A few pictures along the way

Before getting to any artwork or other treasures, we did a walking tour through the historic center of the City.  Along the way we saw a bunch of neat old buildings, some Roman Ruins (of course) and learned about the city from our local guide.  As it was Saturday, there was clearly a lot of hustle and bustle going on everywhere we went but it was lots of fun.

One stop was to The Piazza Bellini.  With a statue by Alfonso Bazzico, depicting of the famous composer Vincenzo Bellini erected in his honor, Bellini looks down on a small park and a complex of roman ruins.  

The subterranean ruins are the former western walls of the Ancient Greek city of Neapolis.

We continued our walk eventually making our way to The Pio Monte della Misericordia.  This is a church in the historic center of Naples, and is famous for its works of art, particularly Caravaggio’s The Seven Works of Mercy.  

Their intent was to provide a place a hospital for the care of the Incurables and ministered to the sick. About a year later, they established an institution and commissioned a small church, to be built near the staircase leading to the Cathedral.  In 1605, they received an apostolic letter from Pope Paul V, according special privileges to the high altar.
The church was consecrated in September 1606. 

Caravaggio was commissioned to create a painting depicting the The Seven Works of Mercy, about 1607 while he was in Naples.  The painting depicts the seven corporal works of mercy in traditional Catholic belief, which are a set of compassionate acts concerning the material needs of others.
The painting was made for, and is still housed in the church where it was intended.  Originally, it was meant to be seven separate panels around the church; however, Museo di CapodimonteCaravaggio combined all seven works of mercy in one composition which became the church’s altarpiece.  Turns out this was one of Elaine Ruffolo’s favorite Caravaggio paintings.

After a lunch break, we headed to the Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano to see Caravaggio’s St Ursula.  

The Martyrdom of Saint Ursula is thought to be his last picture.  According to one version of the legend of Saint Ursula, she and her eleven thousand virgin companions were captured by the Huns. The eleven thousand virgins were slaughtered, but the king of the Huns was overcome by Ursula’s modesty and beauty and begged her forgiveness if only she would marry him. Ursula replied that she would not, upon which the king shot her with an arrow.

One last stop for the day was to see one last painting by Caravaggio –  The Flagellation of Christ, located in the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte.  

According to art biographer Gian Pietro Bellori (1672), this work was commissioned by the di Franco family for a chapel in the church of San Domenico Maggiore in Naples. The family were connected with the Confraternity of the Pio Monte della Misericordia, for whose church Caravaggio had already painted The Seven Works of Mercy. It was moved to the museum at Capodimonte in 1972.

It was a fantastic day with great information from both Ross and Elaine to make sure we had a good appreciation of all that we saw.  Back on the bus and back to Rome.

Vatican City holds the title as the world’s smallest country, with an area of just 0.17 square mile.  This was our destination today (ok we were there last night…) and more specifically to visit Saint Peter’s Basilica.  The original structure was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great.  Construction of the present Basilica started in April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.  

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, and Carlo Maderno, with piazza and fittings by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter’s is one of the most renowned works of Italian Renaissance architecture and is the largest church in the world by interior measure.  St. Peter’s is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as “holding a unique position in the Christian world”, and as “the greatest of all churches of Christendom.”

Walking up the stairs, and peeking behind the Swiss Guards, you cannot help but be a bit overwhelmed by all that has happened or represented by this place.  Just looking around and seeing all the statuary, the fountain created by Bernini and the Egyptian obelisk, one of the thirteen ancient obelisks of Rome, it is beautiful.

Once inside the Basilica, there is just an amazing assortment of statues, monuments, paintings and a miriad of other things to feast your eye on.  I will admit to being a bit disappointed that area where Michelangelo’s Pietà was under restoration so the original was NOT viewable.  However, the Internet allows me to post a lovely picture for your enjoyment.

I admit, that I found it rather strange to have on view the embalmed bodies of several popes.  You expect to see various of monuments dedicated to various popes over the centuries but the bodies of several were a bit off putting for me.

One of the most attention grabbing things is the very large Baroque sculpted bronze canopy, technically called a ciborium or baldachin, over the high altar of the Basilica.  

The baldachin is at the center of the crossing, and directly under the dome of the basilica (you may recall that the dome was designed by Michelangelo). Designed by the Italian artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini, it was intended to mark, in a monumental way, the place of Saint Peter’s tomb underneath.

After our visit to Saint Peter’s, we headed to the Capitoline Museums are located adjacent to the Piazza del Campidoglio.  This plan for the piazza was conceived by Michelangelo in 1536 and executed over a period of more than 400 years.  

The equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius, in the center of the Piazza del Campidoglio

The history of the museum can be traced to 1471, when Pope Sixtus IV donated a collection of important ancient bronzes to the people of Rome and located them on the Capitoline Hill. Since then, the museum’s collection has grown to include many ancient Roman statues, inscriptions, and other artifacts. 

Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Chariot and Hercules of the Forum Boarium

 For our primary purpose, beyond appreciating the overall design of the piazza by Michelangelo, was to see the two Caravaggio paintings on display.

Caravaggio painted Fortune Teller in two versions, the first from c. 1594, the second from c. 1595.  Look closely and you can see the fortune teller removing the ring from the gentleman. The John the Baptist depicts a completely nude youth reclining on an animal skin and makes the divine human and the human divine: Saint John is re-embodied as a grinning, impish and sensual youth, expressing with his whole body the joy of living.  Painted in 1602.

All in all it was a wonderful day!

Our day started with making sure all our luggage was out and ready to be picked up for transport to Rome!  

Gathered together to walk to the train station – Elaine always has some information to part and Janeen just found out I have transport

Once that was completed, and breakfast finished, we gathered together for the walk to the train station.  Nothing like high-speed train travel – zipping along at 180 kph.  Once in Rome, we went directly to Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli.

San Pietro in Vincoli is a Roman Catholic titular church and minor basilica in Rome.  The name alludes to the Biblical story of the Liberation of Peter.  This church is best known for housing Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, part of the tomb of Pope Julius II and hold the relic of the chains that bound Saint Peter when he was imprisoned in Jerusalem.

Ross spent some time describing Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses. This was commissioned by Pope Julius II for his tomb in 1505 and depicts the biblical figure Moses with horns on his head based on a description in chapter 34 of Exodus in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible

After viewing the church, and hearing Ross talk about the Moses Statue, we headed to our hotel and to get ready for our trip for our private tour of the Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the most well-known Roman sculptures and most important masterpieces of Renaissance art in the world. The museums contain roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display, and currently employs 640 people who work in 40 different administrative, scholarly, and restoration departments.

Walking through the museum you cannot but be overwhelmed with the art. At every turn there is something special – greek statues, the sarcophagus for Helena who died around 330, with her son at her side, a bacchus and Caravaggio The Entombment of Christ.

Walking through all the museum without a crowd was really a treat for sure.  Along the way we say a bunch of art, statues, tapestries and other treasures of the Church.  

Two highlights come to mind – first was The Gallery of Maps.  This gallery contains a series of painted topographical maps of Italy based on drawings by friar and geographer Ignazio Danti.  The gallery was commissioned in 1580 by Pope Gregory XIII as part of other artistic works commissioned by the Pope to decorate the Vatican. It took Danti three years (1580–1583) to complete the 40 panels of the 120 m long gallery.

Lovely maps Sardinia, Italy, Corisca and Sardinia lovely and one of Janeen’s favorite areas.

The panels map the entirety of the Italian peninsula in large-scale frescoes, each depicting a region as well as a perspective view of its most prominent city. It is said that these maps are approximately 80% accurate. 

The second highlight, for me, was the Papal apartments.  The walls are covered with frescos many of them done by Raphael.  The first fresco that stands out is The School of Athens.  

 The fresco depicts a congregation of ancient philosophers, mathematicians, and scientists, with Plato and Aristotle featured in the center. Also included are Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo are believed to be portrayed through Plato and Heraclitus.  Raphael included a self-portrait beside Ptolemy. Raphael is the only notable character who is looking directly at the viewer in the artwork.

Other frescos done by Raphael –  Battle of Ostia, The Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple, Fire in the Borgo andThe Expulsion of Heliodorus from the Temple

Ok, sure there is one more notable spot and that is The Sistine Chapel.  

The Creation of Adam and detail

Our access to the Sistine Chapel was as a part of a private group allow us to be in the room with just our group of 24 or so people.  One of Ross Kings books is Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling and he was allowed to give us a commentary while in the space.  It was really special and they allowed us to take a group photo!

After our wonderful tour, we went into the Vatican courtyard and had a lovely buffet dinner.

Another day and another adventure to discover the treasures of Florence.  This time we are heading to the Uffizi.  The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best-known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the Italian Renaissance.

The building of the Uffizi complex was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de’ Medici as a means to consolidate his administrative control of the various committees, agencies, and guilds established in Florence’s Republican past so as to accommodate them all one place, hence the name uffizi, “offices”. 

After the ruling House of Medici died out, their art collections were given to the city of Florence under the famous Patto di famiglia negotiated by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heiress. The Uffizi is one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1769 it was officially opened to the public, formally becoming a museum in 1865.

Uffizi is ranked as the 5th most visited art museum in the world, with around five million visitors annually.  This marks the second time we have visited this wonderful museum, however, this time with wonderful guides and interpreters of the art – Elaine Ruffolo and Ross King.

It is actually difficult to only reflect on the highlights of the collection as there are so many that stand out.

After visiting the Uffizi we had free time to further explore but we opted to go back to our room and get ready for our trip to Rome the following day.  

There are always small fruit stands along the way

However, that evening we had a ‘farewell to Florence Dinner’ at a lovely restaurant.      

Another beautiful day in Florence and we are heading out for more art, culture and historic sites.  After gathering together as our group, we went towards the Arno River and across the Ponte Vecchio.  This medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno, was spared from destruction during World War II, it is noteworthy for the shops built along it which were originally fish markets but these were moved during the 1500’s and goldsmiths and jewelers have made the bridge their home.  Unknown to most visitors, there is a Corridor going over the top – specifically The Vasari Corridor.  This elevated enclosed passageway connects the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti.

Janeen and Ross King on the Ponte Vecchio

One of our stops, along the way, was at Basilica of Santo Spirito.  Inside is a wooden crucifix cross which is reputed to have been carved by Michelangelo.  He is said to have carved the nude Jesus when he was 18 and living in the Basilica. 

This 53-inch wooden Crucifix was discovered by chance in 1962, in a convent corridor and was so badly overpainted that it was barely recognizable as one of Michelangelo’s artworks.

Our next stop was to the Palazzo Pitti and the Palatine Gallery.  The Palazzo Pitti, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace.  It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present palazzo dates from 1458 and was originally the town residence of Luca Pitti, an ambitious Florentine banker.

The palace was bought by the Medici family in 1549 and was the residence of the Medici dynasty, then of Hapsburg-Lorraine court and lastly of the House of Savoy, hosting the King of Italy from 1865 to 1919.  Within the Palace are displayed a huge number of artworks.  The Palatine Gallery and Royal and Imperial Apartments occupy the entire first floor of the Palace.  The lavish Gallery was founded at the end of the 19^thcentury by the Habsburg-Lorraine family who hung about 500 masterpieces in the ceremonial rooms chosen from the main Medici collection.  The collection is really overwhelming with paintings by Raphael, Titian, Tintoretto, Caravaggio and Rubens.

Since our adventure has a focus on Michelangelo and Caravaggio we made a bee line to view the works by Caravaggio.  Of course, along the way we saw lots of other wonderful paintings.

A quick stop at the Gallery of the Academy of Florence to view Michelangelo David, the hall of “prisoners” and several other pieces. 

Along the walkway are a number of unfinished works – Michelangelo felt he could see the figures in the stone and was just releasing them.

Our next stop was one I have been anticipating for a very long time – the Laurentian Library.  

The Laurentian Library is a historic library containing more than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books.  Built in a cloister of the Medicean Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze under the patronage of the Medici pope Clement VII, the library was built to emphasize that the Medici were no longer just merchants but members of intelligencia and ecclesiastical society. It contains the manuscripts and books belonging to the private library of the Medici family. The library building is renowned for its architecture designed by Michelangelo.

The design created was restrained and beautiful at the same time.   The Library was commissioned in 1523 and construction began in 1525; however, when Michelangelo left Florence in 1534, only the walls of the reading room were complete. It was then continued by Tribolo, Vasari, and Ammannati based on plans and verbal instructions from Michelangelo.  Michelangelo never returned and thus never saw his designs become reality.  

Once we all gathered the Library Curator brought out several books – most of which were part of the original collection.  When the library first was opened, all the books were chained to the desks – with a card catalog listing the works on the end of a bench.  The chains were necessary so the books didn’t ‘walk out the door’ as they were quite valuable.

One of the books we saw was an original copy of Dante’s Divine Comedy which he began writing around 1308 and completed around 1321, shortly before the author’s death. Dante’s son wrote comments in the margins of the book. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest works of Western literature.  

Janeen’s favorite book was a merchant’s book where he had added drawings and comments to his inventory and profit and loss columns. He notes the acceptance of refugees from Siena during conflict years, and the drawings show the buildings and streets of the time.

It was a full day for sure with lots more to come!