NOTES: October in Italy

Art & Architecture

Florence is the Renaissance art capital of the world. There is a down side to this--besides Renaissance art, you will also be able to see some late Medieval works and some fine examples of the Mannerist school which follows the Renaissance. But after that, Florence is toast as a major player and the art and architecture scene moves elsewhere.

Here is an overview of what we will experience in Florence: I will lead you on a brief orientation tour on the first morning. After we leave Bus #7 at the train station, I will point out Santa Maria Novella, one of Florence’s most attractive churches. Definitely plan to visit it at some point. While passing through the San Lorenzo markets, I will point out the Medici Chapel . Not a fave of mine, but others rave. The San Lorenzo church is definitely worth a visit--check out the cloister. We will then pass by the Baptistry and the Duomo. The Baptistry is worth a visit; the interior of duomo is not, since most of the attractions were moved to the museum behind the duomo after the great flood in 1966. Interesting aside--the famous façade dates from the 19th century. We will then continue to the Piazza della Signoria and the outdoor copy of the David plus the Loggia. I will then lead us past the other outdoor market and the Ponte Vecchio (gold). Instead of crossing the Ponte Vecchio, we will instead turn left and I will take you past the Uffizi . Hopefully I will be able to make reservations for us to visit at a later time. If not, go in the afternoon after the lines have gone down. I will then lead us to the Bargello which is to sculpture what the Uffizi is to painting. By this point we will need a cappuccino break. Afterwards, we will pass by the Museo del Duomo , one of my favorites. If there is no line, I will take us in so that I make sure that you don’t miss this one. Our orientation tour will end after I show you how to get to the Accademia which houses the David. When you visit the Accademia, don’t limit your experience to gawking at Michaelangelo’s masterpiece. There is other art that is worth your attention, and the second floor has some great stuff!

You will now be conversant enough with the layout of Florence so with guidebook in hand you should be able to happily fill your days. One bit of warning: you can get disoriented rather easily. Florence started out as a Roman grid city by the river. During the Medieval period when it began to grow again, the streets outside the grid became a rabbit warren of turns and twists. A third, more orderly layer was added in the Renaissance. The result is you can be happily walking along seemingly knowing exactly where you are going and suddenly you are at the opposite end of town. Keep a good tourist map with you at all times and don’t be afraid to go into a bar and ask directions.

After Florence, our focus will shift to Medieval hill towns. Most of these cities came into existence after the fall of Rome as the marauding militias made life outside a walled city rather precarious. I will hire a local guide for Montepulciano; I don’t think a guide will be necessary for Pienza.

In Orvieto, the duomo with its beautiful façade is the prime attraction. The excellent archaeological museum behind the duomo will interest a number of you. If our timing is right and I can make the reservations, a tour in English of the underground caves is highly recommended if you have not already done it.  

On our way to Sarnano, we will go slightly out of our way to visit Assisi of St. Francis fame. To me, the famed frescoes are a bit of a disappointment since the passing years have not been kind. Definitely go down to the crypt of San Francesco. It is truly a holy place. I am also taking us to Tolentino and Basilica San Nicola. Be prepared to be overwhelmed and appalled at the same time. “Over the top” doesn’t even come close to describing this site. It is a pilgrimage church with all the attendant attractions and distractions. In typical Italian style, schlock is side by side with some truly great art. It will take over an hour to take it all in--the basilica, various chapels, a museum or two, the gift shop, an unbelievable presepia which is in operation all year around, and dioramas of various significant times in San Nicola’s life. Finally you will leave by going through a very nice cloister.

In Sarnano, I am hoping that our guide will explain the functional architecture of the town and how it evolved. Sarnano is not like Pienza where everything was planned. Instead, Sarnano just happened. I will have our guide end the tour with a visit to the palazzo where my apartment is located. Hopefully you can see how a Renaissance palace, built on Medieval city walls evolved into four apartments and two offices.

Depending on time and the mood of the bus driver, I will see if we can swing by Ravenna on our way to Parma to see the mosaics. In Parma, I will definitely provide us with a guide. The duomo and the baptistry are worth a look-see, as is the wooden theater which has somehow survived since the Renaissance. If we have time, we will also visit the art museum, though the building itself is far more interesting than the art it contains. Sunday’s visit to the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca should be very special. Not only is there a fine permanent collection, but there will be a special Goya exhibition in place while we are there. And then we get a great lunch!

Vino

As you know, Italy is a major wine producing country and every region has its favorite varietals. At dinners, I will probably order only the vini di tavola--both red and white--that the restaurant provides. Usually these will be current vintages of local wines that the proprietor buys in bulk and then serves by the carafe. At our first two stops, Fiesole and Bagno Vignoni, these will likely be either Sangiovese or Chianti for the reds. (Chianti is a blend and by law is required to be 80% Sangiovese.) I’m not sure what the whites will be, probably Trebbiana. Vernaccia is one of the best, but is probably too expensive to be served as a table wine. Brunello is a big red and very expensive, as in €40 a bottle (No, the proprietor will not be serving this for our group dinner, nor will I be ordering it!) This is definitely worth carrying back to the states if you want to splurge. But it does require aging in order to reach its full potential.

When we drive to La Casella and stop in Orvieto, the white wine is Orvieto Classico, an excellent dry apertivo wine. This wine is readily available in the states, so you might not want to bother to schlep it home. Likewise, Frascati, which is a Roman white wine which is also produced in this area, is readily available in the states.

Going from La Casella to Sarnano, we can make two wine stops if there is sufficient interest. The first stop would be for a Sagrantino, a very expensive red wine--I saw a bottle for $105 at an HEB the last time I was back. You can pick up an excellent bottle locally for €15. Definitely consider picking up a bottle or two. I will ask Giampaolo at La Casella for a recommendation for a winery on our way. Or we can stop at the same place we visited last year on the Umbria tour. Our second stop (for lunch) is in Serrapetrona where they produce a Vernaccia (same name as in the previously mentioned Tuscan wine, but apparently a different grape) which is a red prosecco (bubbly.) This wine will surprise you. When I served it to the Umbria group last year, I could see the looks on the faces of the group when I poured it (“Red? Bubbly? Oh well, I will be polite and at least try it”). The looks changed when they tasted it--most people asked for seconds! Definitely think of bringing back a bottle just to surprise friends. This wine is not available in the states, so far as I know.

The rest of the wines in my area are sound table wines, well-made but with no pretensions. (One of the reasons I like living here.) For my daily red, I alternate between Rosso Piceno and the local version of Sangiovese, with an occasional bottle of Vernaccia. Rosso Piceno is the equivalent to Valpolicella which you may have experienced in the Veneto. There is one exceptional white wine: Verdicchio, which is produced about 40 km to the north of Sarnano. This crisp white is excellent and is not widely available in the states. If there is sufficient interest, we can take a scenic route on our way out of Sarnano and stop by one of the wineries that produces Verdicchio.

I don’t know the wines of Parma and the Emilia Romagna. There is one that I am interested in trying while we are there--Lambrusco. Apparently this wine, which I dismissed as swill based on what I experienced many years ago in Arizona, has an excellent reputation.This wine is slightly frizzante, but not so much that it requires special corkage.

Shopping

If the dollar remains relatively weak, it will be hard to find many bargains. However, you may still want to pick up a few things for friends, nieces, grandkids and so on, so here are some suggestions.

Your best shopping opportunities come at the beginning and end of the tour. The San Lorenzo market in Florence is THE quintessential outdoor market. The market spreads all through the San Lorenzo area and you can find most everything there from tourist trinkets and T-shirts to high fashion leather jackets. If you have promised to bring something back, this is the place to buy it. A word to the wise: treat the vendors with respect. Greet them with a “Hello” or “buongiorno.” “How are you doing” or “come vai? A kind word or two before you ask “how much is this?”will help immensely The vendors and shopkeepers all speak a form of English, so don’t worry about being able to communicate. Bargaining is expected in most but not all places. Keep it light, keep it friendly and you will probably get a better deal. But don’t bargain on something unless you really want the article. It is bad form to get the vendor down to the price that you set and then say “nevermind.” And when you are finished, leave with a pleasant “bye-bye.” Who knows, you may decide to go back. Now, all of the above is predicated on an equal amount of courtesy from the vendors. If they are aggressive like the jackals we encountered in Egypt, then treat them accordingly.

In Florence, you shop for leather, pottery, paper, and if you are feeling flush, gold on the Ponte Vecchio. If you are tempted by Tuscan pottery (maiolica), you might want to consider waiting until you get to Orvieto. With your back to the façade of the duomo, turn right and you will find shop after shop after shop. The prices are only marginally lower than Florence, but you have a greater selection.

I am recommending that you browse the Thursday market when we are in Sarnano. These open air markets which are found throughout Europe date back to the dawn of civilization. In their modern form, the shopkeepers rent a space from the city, usually the same one week after week. They arrive on Thursday morning sometime after 7:00 and begin setting up. Even the most gadget happy American RV owner would be green with envy at their rigs. They won’t officially open until 9:00 and sometimes they won’t be fully set up until 10:00. Then by 1:00, they are done for the day and load everything back up and head for home. Then the next day they set up shop again in another town and life goes on.

It is doubtful that you will find anything that you will want to buy since the wares consist mostly of manufactured clothing, common household goods, plants, flowers. produce, and fish. When I first became aware of these markets many years ago, I wondered why they still existed. Why does anybody shop in them when they can buy most everything in a supermarket or department store? And why do the local shopkeepers put up with the competition? After living over here, the dawning hit. The locals use the markets so they don’t have to drive to the next town to get to the supermarket or department store. Even in Verona, where excellent shopping abounds, the Wednesday market in the neighborhood where I first lived was extremely popular--you didn’t have to go downtown and deal with parking. Here in Sarnano, the shopkeepers don’t mind--my frutta e verdura proprietor even runs a stall at the market along with his fixed location store. The other shopkeepers realize that the Thursday market is going to bring more people into town and any number of them will drift into their stores. And the bar owners certainly don’t mind since a high proportion the male half of the population prefers to sit on their backsides drinking coffee and/or grappa rather than helping with the marketing.  

Back to tour shopping: The other shopping opportunity will come in Parma. Definitely plan on taking home a block of parmigiano cheese. They will vacuum pack it for you and it will keep without refrigeration until you get home. I will check to see if vacuum packed prosciutto is legal. Don’t try to bring a dry sausage back in that it will be confiscated at the border (Unless, of course, it never comes remotely close to your luggage until you put it into a zip-lock bag, seal, and then wash your hands thoroughly and then put that bag into another untouched zip-lock bag. This should keep the customs dog from sniffing it out.) Other processed and/or canned food goods are legal to bring back. Any fresh food is a no-no.

Weather

 It should be nice weather during the tour. The heat goes out around the first of September, and cold weather usually doesn’t get problematic until the second or third week of November. Plan on warm days, cool nights and occasional rain. You will probably need a jacket at some point; you will not ever need a heavy coat. All of this was based on what normally happens. But remember--climate is what you get with a mortgage, weather is what you get on a tour. Monitor the web page for predictions for Florence. It is central enough to give you some idea of what is happening for most of the areas we will be visiting.