Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (The Museum of the Works of the Cathedral, Florence)

Many years ago, on my first visit to Florence, I visited the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo (the museum associated with the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, usually referred to as “the Duomo”). At that time (1996), the museum was a jumble of a space, small and crowded with poorly displayed art and artifacts from the famous cathedral. I was not inspired to return.

Detail from a sculpture by Ticciati, once part of the main altar in the Duomo, now in the redesigned museum entry

 In recent years, the museum has been enlarged and has undergone a top-to-bottom renovation (completed in 2015). On a recent trip to Florence I decided to revisit the museum to see the changes – and my only word is WOW - what a change! 

16th century bust of Mary Magdalene, Giovanni Bandini

The museum is now an amazing space, full of light, open galleries, and fascinating art and artifacts from throughout the cathedral’s history.

The displays are well organized, beautifully presented, and provide good historical context.

Many of the pieces are original, moved from the cathedral itself. These include Ghiberti’s bronze baptistery doors, an evocative Pietà by Michelangelo, a carved wooden Mary Magdalene by Donatello, and portions of a larger-than-life sculpture from what was once a main altar in an earlier version of the cathedral (top photo).

A reproduction of the church facade, lined with statuary, fills the long, high gallery on the ground floor. How wonderful to get a closer look at these examples of statues that are so high up on the actual cathedral’s exterior. The facade can also be enjoyed from a viewing gallery on the floor above, which provides an even closer look at the statues high up on the recreated facade.

Statue gallery

 Across from this wall of statues are the two massive bronze baptistery doors by Ghiberti. I could spend hours looking at the details of the panels that make up these doors. Each panel tells a story in intricate detail.

Detail of panels from the north baptistry doors

Wooden model of the lantern that rises above the cupola

Central to the history of the cathedral is the building of the cupola (dome). Designed by Brunelleschi, it is a marvel of engineering and architecture.

The museum has an area dedicated to its construction that includes models of the dome and the lantern that caps it, a video presentation, and a display of tools used in the dome’s construction.

 Considering that the cupola was built in the 15th century, is this impressive engineering or miracle?

 One of my favorite displays was the reproductions of the stained glass windows.  More than a static display, the dynamic technology brings the windows up close, allowing the brilliant colors and designs to unfold before one’s eyes to be viewed in detail.

Of course a cathedral must have music and  the museum includes beautifully illustrated books of sacred music and two marble choir lofts (actually designed for organs not choirs). One loft was designed by della Robbia and the other by Donatello.  Both are beautiful but quite different in character.

Joyful children play across della Robbia’s sculpted choir loft

Detail from large book of sacred music

To end a visit here, be sure to view the actual dome from the viewing platform on the museum’s top floor.

The redesigned Museo dell’Opera del Duomo is nothing short of marvelous. Kudos to the redesign team - what a gift they have given us.   - Post by JMB

Location:   Piazza del Duomo 9, 50122 Florence, Italy

Hours:  Sunday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Closed Mondays and first Tuesday of the month.  Hours subject to change; best to check ahead of time

Cost: an 18 euro ticket allows access to the museum and baptistery .  Several combined museum tickets also area available 

Even a Wanderer Sometimes Needs a Map

One of the joys of having plenty of time in an Italian city is the opportunity to simply wander. Strolling through vibrant neighborhoods and discovering for oneself a fountain, piazza, church, cafe, monument, garden, or historic building is a wonderful experience. Stumbling into an unexpected and intriguing street scene, full of Italian chatter and maybe even some music, is the stuff of Italian daydreams. Getting lost, and finding your way back to a familiar landmark, is part of the fun. But still, even an inveterate wanderer sometimes needs a map.

Maps provide more than just direction; they can give context to a place, delineate neighborhoods, link important landmarks (rivers, bridges, buildings) to discoveries made while wandering, and provide a quick and efficient orientation to a new place. A good map is a treasure.

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A View from Lucca's Wall

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Portico, Lucca

 When visiting larger cities, it's fairly easy to find a detailed map, or a good guidebook. There are so many choices for Rome or Florence that it's easy to find just the right one to suit any need. But in the smaller cities, places less visited by tourists, finding a good map can be a challenge. I certainly found this to be true when I first visited Lucca.  The American guidebooks devoted just a quick page or two to Lucca, seemingly an afterthought in a guide otherwise devoted to Florence. If a map was included at all it showed just a few main streets and sites. I found better guidebooks in the local bookstores once I arrived, but the maps available were still small and lacking in detail. I often found myself wandering down a small vicolo (lane) that I simply could not locate on any of the available maps, or looking at a marvelous building, garden, or church with no idea of what I was seeing.

And then, several years ago during an online search before a return visit to Lucca, I stumbled across The Wanderer's Map of Lucca and it's accompanying guidebook, "The Wanderer's Guide to Lucca." Both map and guidebook were written by Brian Lindquist, an American who came here for a visit and, in his own words, "got waylaid." How fortunate for us that he did, because he has written what I consider to be the essential tool for getting to know Lucca. The book is divided into sections that cover the history of Lucca, the churches, the palazzi, the families who played an important role in the history of Lucca, the city streets, and the three generations of city walls.  

The book is a fascinating and informative read for those who want to dive deep into the history of Lucca, those who love its Medieval streetscapes and architecture (count me among them), and anyone who has looked at a structure such as the Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower) and wondered who the heck those Guinigis were and why they have a tower named after them. Readers interested in art history will also find the information about art, especially the art original to the many churches, invaluable.

But the map - or should I say THE map - is an essential tool for getting to know Lucca. My copy is so creased and worn after accompanying me on many trips that I recently ordered a new one. I now have one to bring with me and one posted on a wall in my house to feed my recollections, mental meanderings, and daydreams!  

Why is the Wanderer's Map so important?  To begin with, it's big (19 x 26 inches) and easy to read. It shows the important features of Lucca, including the footprint of all 3 walls (Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance) and all the streets, from main drag Via Filungo to the smallest vicolo. The existing churches are shown as are the locations of churches that used to stand but are no more (Lucca used to be called the City of 100 Churches; today there are about 40 within the 2.5-mile circumference of the city walls). Each palazzo is named and its location shown. The map key is clear and easy to use - in the section pictured below, churches are in red, palazzi in purple. The orange lines signify Medieval streetscapes.  Flip the map over to find that it is annotated (linked to the numbers shown on the map below), giving information about each church, the walls, and the families whose names still are important in Lucca, as seen in the many local streets and palazzi that bear their names.

The map and guidebook are my companions in Lucca. They provide a wealth of information and inspiration. I love having at my fingertips a resource that tells me that the church of Santa Caterina, one of the recently restored small churches in Lucca, was built in 1575 or that San Giovanni e Reparata church (shown in the photo below) once housed the relics of St. Pantaleone. My visiting friends tell me that I make a good tour guide - if so, it is thanks in large part to all that I have learned from the Wanderer's Map and Wanderer's Guide to Lucca. 

Piazza Antelminelli, Lucca with a view of the back of the church of San Giovanni e Reparata

Both map and guidebook are available from Lindquist Historical Guides, Inc. 119 Midland Street Bridgeport, Conn. 06605 or oline from www.lindquistguides.com.  The book with a copy of the map is available for $27.95 (includes shipping); map alone for $9.95. Note that they only ship to addresses within the United States.  Book without map is also available on Amazon.

Grazie mille to Brian Lindquist for kindly giving permission to include photos of the Wanderer's Map in this post.           Post by JMB

A Lunch in Arezzo

 If you’ve read this blog for a while you likely know that there are two authors - Judy (the tall blonde one) and Joanne (me, the short brunette one). We have a lot in common, especially our love of travel in general and Italy in particular.  But we also have differences, including very different travel schedules. As an example, Judy tends to take more frequent, shorter trips while I go for fewer but longer trips. This means that we don't often get to travel together, but we do try to find a way to meet up in Italy every year, which is always fun.

In spring of this year we had overlapping trips to Italy and were able to spend a week in Lucca at the same time. During this time, Judy proposed renting a car and taking a day trip. Here is another of our differences - I never drive in Italy while Judy, well …. Judy was born to drive on Italian roads. Her skill is impressive; she can drive a standard transmission at Italian speeds and hold her own with all those Italian lane changes. I'm in awe! I like to read maps and navigate so we make a good team.

One morning in early May we rented a car (tip: do not forget your passport when you go the car rental agency) and set off for the town of Arezzo, about an hour and 40 minutes southeast of Lucca.  Because this day trip was fairly spontaneous, we’d done only minimal research about Arezzo and hadn’t researched restaurants at all, even though lunch was definitely in our plans. In fact, we were essentially driving to Arezzo for a long lunch and a “get to you know” look around town.

Sometimes you get lucky despite a lack of planning and that’s what happened in Arezzo. As we walked toward the historic center we came down some stairs and straight into a loggia built in 1572 by Vasari (the same architect who built the Vasari Corridor and the loggia of the Palazzo degli Uffizi in Florence). 

It turns out that Vasari was a hometown boy, born in Arezzo in 1511, and he graced the city of his birth with some of his stunning architecture. Lucky for us!

Because we'd left Lucca a little later than planned (remember what I said about not forgetting your passport when you rent a car), we arrived hungry and ready for lunch. I was immediately seduced by the beautiful loggia as well as by the sight of a woman standing under it making homemade pasta. She worked on a marble surface, rolling the dough by hand, topping it with generous dabs of ricotta and borragine (borage). She then folded the pasta dough, sealed the edges, and cut it by hand into half-moon shapes (called agnolotti). The filled agnolotti were perfectly symmetric (a pasta-making skill that escapes me). On top of all this, there was a delicious scent coming from the restaurant. We went no further, settling into a table at the beautiful Logge Vasari Restaurant.

The tables were nestled beneath the arched ceiling and graceful columns of the long loggia. The soft murmur of Italian surrounded us, and music played in the distance. Our table faced outward toward Piazza Grande, the central square of Arezzo, ringed with interesting buildings and without the crowds of visitors found in more "touristy" cities. The setting was perfect for a leisurely lunch.

The restaurant Logge Vasari, Arezzo

And the food did not disappoint.  A basket of warm, house-made breads with imported French Insigny butter (how can butter taste this good?) began the meal, quickly followed by an appetizer (a gift from the chef) of spinach timbale.

Spinach timbale

As a starter, we shared a plate of melon with prosciutto and mozzarella. The sweet melon was a perfect  partner for the salty prosciutto and the creamy cheese. The presentation was artful!

Almost (but not quite) too pretty to eat.

My main course - those ricotta and borage agnolotti topped with a light truffle butter and zucchini flowers - was delicate, fragrant, and delicious. Judy's dish of Parmesan ravioli with porcini was equally wonderful.

Agnolotti

Parmesan Ravioli

A post-meal caffe macchiato arrived with a plate of small cookies.   Perfetto!    post by JMB

Modern Sculpture in a Medieval Tuscan Town

The marble quarried in the Italian town of Carrara has inspired artists for centuries and been used to create some of the most well-known buildings and sculptures in Italy. Michelangelo’s David in Florence and the Pantheon in Rome are just two examples. More recent work by the Costa Rican artist Jorge Jiménez Deredia, who also studied and sculpted near Carrara, is on display around Lucca this summer. This type of temporary art exhibit is common here, gracing the squares and areas along the old city walls. The effect is that Lucca is an evolving art gallery of pieces that can be viewed, and touched, simply by wandering through the town. There is something unique and special about art in public squares, accessible to all, without the boundaries of museum walls.

This piece, on display in the remains of a Roman amphitheater, is from the series Genesis.

The Deredia exhibit, with its rounded and spherical figures in black or white, juxtaposed against buildings constructed six or seven centuries earlier, makes for a most interesting walk through town.

Deredia titled this work Mistero.

Deredia was born in Costa Rica in 1954. He moved to Italy 22 years later and started working in marble and bronze. His work has been displayed around the world and he has created permanent pieces for public spaces in Europe, Asia, the United States and Latin America during his career. He was honored by the Academy of Design Arts in Florence with the Academic Correspondant of the Class of Sculpture award - the same award given to Michelangelo, Titian, and Tintoretto.

In Lucca, three of his massive sculptures are displayed prominently in Piazza San Michele against the backdrop of San Michele in Foro, the basilica built over the ancient Roman Forum. Others are placed in piazzas around town and at Porta San Pietro. Deredia’s work will be in Lucca until September 10 of this year. Don’t miss it if you’re in Tuscany! It's a chance to see this amazing artist's work in what is essentially an open-air museum.

-post by JG

Balcony Views in Verona

Juliet's legendary balcony is far from the only one in fair Verona. The city, perhaps known best for being the setting of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," has balconies around every corner, many dripping with greenery or filled with colorful flowers.

While Juliet's balcony is small (and not even really a Juliet balcony - more on that in a moment), some of Verona's apartment extensions (which is how I view balconies) are rather large. Most, however, are narrow, which is typical in Italy. Below is a gallery of just a few of the lovely balconies seen during a recent visit to Verona. I love how plant life often is the decorative element on the balconies.

A Juliet balcony (but not THE Juliet balcony)

The word balcony appropriately comes from the Italian word balcone. Those that extend from a dwelling are traditionally called Maltese balconies while those that do not project out from a building are called Juliet balconies (picture just a metal railing across a doorway on an upper-level floor of a building and you'll get the image of these balconies).

You can see from the photo below that Verona's popular landmark, Juliet's balcony, is clearly not a true Juliet balcony. It's charming nonetheless and overlooks a small courtyard.

Juliet's balcony (which is actually a Maltese-type balcony) in Verona.

While I would find any balcony in Verona appealing, the most coveted would be one overlooking Piazza delle Erbe, which was Verona's forum during the time of the Roman Empire. This large, historic and lively piazza is beautiful. Fading frescoes and flower-filled balconies adorn the walls of the Mazzanti Houses, which face the piazza on its northeastern side. Across the piazza to the south are more apartments, many with pretty balconies of their own.

The Mazzanti Houses are covered with old (15th or 16th century) frescoes and lined with charming flower filled-balconies.

Imagine being able to gaze at this beautiful piazza everyday from your apartment balcony. Some lucky people get to do just that.

-post by JG

Children in Verona have an enviable view from a small balcony that overlooks Piazza delle Erbe.