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Posted on Jun 12, 2013 in Artists | 1 comment

Giovanni Testori: the Boxers cycle, the art of defeat and redemption

Some artists are gifted with an eclectic talent, capable of expressing itself in various creative outlets. This is certainly true of Giovanni Testori (1923-1993), novelist, poet, playwright, art critic and painter. He is one of the most important Italian cultural figures of the 20th century. The theme of Roserio’s God, his debut novel, concerns the amateurish cycling races in post-World War II Italy. His style of prose, expressionistic and agitated, makes the book pulsate with life, which many attribute to Testori’s original creative passion – painting. Therefore, in this article we will discuss Testori the painter, starting with his cycle dedicated to boxers. These are rather large canvases, depicting boxers as they rest and in defensive stances, concentrating on the fight or grappling with defeat, which are striking for the material softness of the brush strokes. Even the bodies at rest seem to be alive, explosive, the muscles contracting; they seem almost to be painted sculptures that leap out of the two dimensions of the canvas. In a certain sense, these...

Posted on Jun 11, 2013 in Villages, Villas | 0 comments

Villa Peyron in Fiesole: charm, extravagance and symbolic paths

The hills of Fiesole, 8 kilometers (5 miles) north of Florence, immediately conjures delightful images. Lush vegetation, broken up by cypresses in strategic places, elegant villas with breathtaking gardens, panoramic views over the city of Giglio in all of its monumental beauty, parish churches, archeological sites, and abbeys that recount centuries-old stories, all characterized by the continual search for harmony and balance between man and nature. The echoes of the Fiesole hills and their fascination was so strong that at the beginning of the 1800s, the number of foreigners, particularly British, who took up residence in this area began to grow significantly. Most likely they were drawn by what has attracted people to Fiesole since the Renaissance, when wealthy Italian families, artists, poets and writers flocked here to experience a city that lies somewhere between reality and mythology, capable of suggesting the splendor of its glorious past. Around the semi-circle created by the natural slopes on which Fiesole rests, villages, lovely gardens, terraced vegetable gardens and small farms were...

Posted on Jun 6, 2013 in Brescia, Religious Monuments | 0 comments

The Nun’s Choir of Santa Giulia: a stunning Renaissance masterpiece in Brescia

In the heart of Brescia, among the cobblestone lanes where you can still catch glimpses of what was once Augusta Brixia, the Roman city, lies one of the most remarkable Italian museums, a complex of buildings that houses nearly 3000 years of art and local history: the Santa Giulia Museum. As with other famous museums featuring vast collections, it is probably best to break your visit into 2 days, taking time to enjoy the various sections, with one day dedicated to the convent and the second to the city’s history. The restoration work that began in 1998 to most effectively display the more than 11,000 pieces of the collection and to refurbish the original splendor to the architecture that houses them will be evident to you as you tour the complex. This work was completed in 2011, when part of the museum “The Longobards in Italy” became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As mentioned above, it is better to focus on an area of the complex to appreciate fully...

Posted on Jun 5, 2013 in Bergamo | 0 comments

With friends, in a couple, alone: where can you eat in Bergamo?

In the age of globalization when you visit a city different from your, maybe beacuse of laziness or just to be sure, you end up to choose a fast food. In this manner you deny oneself one of the plasures of travel: to taste the typical flavours and the delicious food. How can a tourist do in Bergamo? What can you eat, but above all, where can you eat in Bergamo? The typical dishes, the famous “casonsei” and Polenta Taragna, that is with cheeses, can be found in almost every restaurant. In the Upper City, for instance, there are some typical places as La Colombina in Via Borgo Canale that also offers a beautiful view over the land, and as the Donizetti in Via Gombito, with its Renaissance style porch under which you can eat. If you want to taste a real italian pizza, you can’t miss Da Mimmo, historical place in Via Colleoni, which give an open air space. For a sparing meal in a place full of appeal...