Guided tours in Italy: Concerts in Piazza dei Miracoli
This September, The Anima Mundi International Festival of Sacred Music in its Tenth edition has stunning program.
Sir John Gardiner will again conduct seven concerts covering five centuries of sacrd music.
Seven staggering performances of masterpieces, new music and rediscoveries for the pleasure of our ears and heart, ranging from the Vespri della Beata Vergine by Claudio Monteverdi to the music of the young Girolamo Deraco, winner of the 2010 composition contest sponsored by Anima Mundi.
From September 15 through October 1 we can hear music by Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Pergolesi (so much admired by J.S. Bach), Pasquini and Cherubini as well as the music that J.S.Bach, Igor Stravinsky and Sergej Rachmaninov wrote and dedicated to these Italian composers.
Some concerts will be held in the Cathedral, others in the Monumental Cemetery. On September 18 in the Monumental Cemetery Anima Mundi proposes Le Jongleur de Notre Dame by the English composer Peter Maxwell Davies, based on a medieval legend of a juggler entering a convent and having nothing else to donate to S.Mary’s statue than his skill. It contains a message of tolerance and acceptance just right for today.
The various interpreters are represented by instruments and children are expected to take part. The Vespri by Rachamaninov, authentically interpreted by the Moscow State Chapel Chorus will close the festival on October 1 in the Cathedral.
All seven concerts are free and start at 21.00. Tickets available from two days before the concert dates.
Web site: www.opapisa.it
Secret Tuscany: Artimino village
Resembling a perfect painting, Artimino is picturesque and beautiful. Nestling in the green hills of Tuscany, Artimino is quaint and medieval and has been known for its famous Medici ‘Villa La Ferdinanda’. Ranging over the wine producing area of the Vino di Carmignano, the wine of this region was declared s a noble wine by the Grand Duke Cosimo III de’Medici.
The Etruscans named the area as Artumeno in the 8th century BC. History has recorded Artimino in its annals as numerous Etruscan burial chambers were found in the areas of Comeano and Poggio a Caiano around Artimino. The Roman style is still found in the names of the villages and the farmhouses in this area. The Castle of Artimino was constructed in the Middle Ages during the 10th century. Due to the focal strategic point of Artimino there were constant tussles between Florence and Pistoia. In the middle of the 14th century, Artimino came under the rule of Florence.
Beautiful as a natural park, Artimino and the areas around it was bought by Cosimo I de’Medici. He named the area as ‘Barco’, and desired to create a game reserve there. The park stretched over the hilly regions of Artimino till the edges of Vinci and was called the ‘Parco Reale’. The Medici family considered it their hunting grounds and constructed a wall around the park to prevent the game from escaping. Hunting was considered an enjoyable sport as well as a lucrative form of entertainment due to the fact that the skin and meat of the game was valuable. The Grand Duke Ferdinand appreciated the beauty and value of Artimino and took charge of the cultivation areas and the houses of Artimino to create the royal ‘fattoria’ or the estate. The royal architect Bernado Buontalenti, was commissioned to build a beautiful palazzo that could house the entire court. What transpired was the gorgeous Villa La Ferdinanda in 1594. With incredible architecture, this amazing villa was structured at Poggio a Caiano. The lovely villa is just 15 minutes away by car from Prato, the capital of the province and also from Montelupo Fiorentino and Vinci. The awesome city of Florence is just 20 minutes away from the villa.
The village of Artimino is guarded by a huge tower that was used as a look-out by the “protezione civile” or the civil authorities for fires or if they were going to be attacked by enemies. With the harmony of linear form and lovely features, the Villa La Ferdinand possessed the fantastic architecture of a 100 chimneys built at various angles in different forms and shapes. This was incorporated as one of the villa’s incredible features due to the fact that Ferdinand who loved to hunt could keep his guests warm always. The Villa houses grand ballrooms, enormous suites, small chapels, wine cellars and the Etruscan Museum. Adorned by lovely frescoes by Pontormo, Andrea del Sarto and other famous artists, the Villa La Ferdinand has two adjacent buildings. One of the buildings called the ‘Corridoio’ or Corridor housed the grooms, valets, and servants, but has been converted into the Hotel Paggeria Medicea as seen today. The second building is the “Palazzo del Sig. Biagio Pignatta” is constructed in the same style as the first building. The Palazzo del Sig. Biagio Pignatta has been named after the valet of the Grand Duke Ferdinand I, who lived on the first floor. The ground floor was originally the riding stables of the noble family but has been transformed into the famous Restaurant Biagio Pignatta offering delicious international and traditional cuisines and the wines of Artimino.
The area of Artimino comprises of 732 hectares out of which 72 hectares face the South and are used as the wine growing area with the cultivation of Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Trebbiano, San Colombana, Mammolo, Occhio di Pernice varieties of grapes. About 400 meters away from the Villa La Ferdinand, the fattoria in the medieval village produces the famous Barco Reale and the Vin Santo wines. The olive groves evolve over 180 hectares with the fattoria producing the renowned cold pressed oil. Visitors can enjoy traditional snacks served at restaurants in the village of Artimino with its ancient stone buildings, quaint shops and Romanesque churches. Artimino offers the spirit of the medieval ages and the essence of natural beauty.
Lastra a Signa
Old and ancient, Lastra a Signa in Tuscany derives its name from the Lastra dei Gangalandi family who held the fiefdom. But its history goes back to the year 1000 when the Cadolingi di Fucecchio lords held Lastra a Signa under their rule. Lastra a Signa is positioned at a strategic point right in the middle of the Arno Valley. Having access to the sea, Lastra became a focal port for Florence and Pisa. The city center stands on the foundations of the fortifications built on Mount Cascioli and Mount Orlando. Lastra defended itself against continuous sieges against Florence and Pisa. In 1377, the town of Lastra was encircled with town walls and a crenallated tower.
Enclosed by its medieval walls and the gates of Pisane and Bacchio, the Saint Mary Church built in 1404 is in the middle of Lastra. The lovely works of art are still preserved in the church displaying a painting by Francesco Conti named “Saint Rocco in Glory” and another painting portraying “Our Lady”, that dates back to the 14th century. You can also find a memorable work that portrays Podestà’s Tabernacle with a fresco dating back to the 16th century with “Our Lady with the Child between the Saints John Baptist and Francis”. The Praetorian Palace in Lastra a Signa still has the emblems of the Podestàs on the walls. The breathtaking Villa di Bellosguardo or the villa with a beautiful view in Lastra was owned by the famous tenor Enrico Caruso. The lovely Renaissance Villa Bellosguardo was earlier owned by the Marquises Pucci and was renowned for its fabulous architecture. As you enter its elegant doorway, you will find beautiful rooms with soaring vaulted ceilings, grand staircases, frescoed friezes and deep pink velvet upholstered furniture. Ornate in structure with rich and varied architecture, the gorgeous Ballroom leads to the refreshing Orangerie that is striking with fantastic views. Historical and artistic, Lastra a Signa is famous for its ancient churches, villas and country homes of the nobles of the Middle Ages and a retreat of the rich and the famous through the Renaissance period.
Lastra a Signa opens out her beautiful countryside with the stunning colors of Tuscany. As the eye traverses the rich scenery, the famous Villa Pandolfini comes into view with its lush private forests. This beautiful castle dates back to the 1200s and was built by the Medicis for their family and friends who loved to hunt. Later, the Pandolfini family owned this lovely villa and also another historical one called ‘Le Torre’ that was a walled castle from the 1300s. Agnolo di Filippo, who was a great friend of Cosimo de Medici, lived at Villa Pandolfini for 12 years. It was here that he wrote his historical dialogues on the governing of the family. He died in 1446 at the age of 86. In 1434, Filippo’s nephew renovated the villa with fabulous architecture with the date, 1488, engraved on its wall that portrays the time of the completion of the renovation.
Created with stunning architecture with a linear concept, the harmony and space have been balanced to please the eye and deliver an aesthetic sense. The famous architect, Benedetto da Rovezzano executed the renovation with a keen eye for detail displaying beautiful carved windows, a lovely loggia, excellent stonework and free flowing lines. The Villa has been host to several personalities including Napoleon, King Carlo VIII of France and King Charles VIII of France.
The early 1800s saw the Pandolfini family selling their antique villa to the Samminiatelli family. They in turn sold the villa to the De Prat family who had returned after their exile from France following the Revolution. The estate ranges over a huge area of private forests, vineyards and olive groves. Tranquil, stunning and spacious, the villa is just 10 minutes away from Florence. The Villa showcases antiques, frescoed ceilings, a lovely loggia and an amazing Renaissance garden. With elegance and an air of mystery surrounding the Villa, inviting paths lead to beautiful walks, an outdoor dining area and a tranquil ambience. The Villa Pandolfini is vantage starting point for great excursions into the heart of Tuscany. The estate produces extra virgin olive oil and typical Chianti wine under detailed and careful supervision.
The Villa Pandolfini basks under the Tuscan sun and is adorned with frescoes, mirrors with gold gilt, terracotta floors and elegant columns carved in stone. Decorated beautifully, the rooms are bedecked with silk curtains, ornate fireplaces and a beautiful antique crystal chandelier. The Villa was originally built as a hunting lodge for nobles of bygone days and is a fabulous retreat just a few miles from Florence. The gallery kitchen is a work of wonder with its enormous fireplace and an old marble sink. The Villa Pandolfini is a work of art, a picturesque getaway and enhances lifestyles with a rich and royal air.
Tuscan villages: San Gennaro
The village of San Gennaro is a settlement on the ridge of the boundary with the valley of Pescia di Collodi and, according to martyrologies of just after the time of San Frediano (A. Mazzarosa, 1933) in dates back to the 6th century. Its foundation was perhaps due to a Neapolitan community that had emigrated here after the huge eruption of Vesuvius in 512, a hypotesis which is also borne out by the fact that there was a street in the village called Gragnano and another near Naples.
The ancient village of San Gennaro has a particular town layout which “pivots” around the parish church and above which the town layout consists of a series of villas standing next to each other and connected by enclosure walls, parks and family oratories. Called “Il Castello”, this is the oldest part of village and the richiest of history, and from here there is a splendid view of the lucca plain.
The village below the church is composed of about one hundred buildings built in series and all with similar characters (the size of the buildings is determined by the lenght of the wooden beams), with living quarters on the upper florr and shops on the ground floor.
the majority of the houses probably date back the the 16th century, but on many of them the date chiselled into the portal is 1746, the year in which the reorganisation of the town and buildings took place, which also led to the removal of the outside stairs.
Although the Municipality of san gennaro had been established and had its own statue since the 12th century, the village did not have a place where meeting could be held and they took place in the parish church.
It was for this reason that in 16000 a town hall was built in the area below the church.
Next to the church is the Boccella building, an architectural complex that is now being restored for use as Museum of Oil and Wine, with a wine shop and tasting room, a meeting room and areas especially equipped for top quality tourist accomodation. This is also where the head office of the Fondazione Palazzo Boccella will be situated and the entire complex will be run by a consortium of public bodies and private producers and entrepreneurs.
Olive oil cultivation has distinguished the province of Lucca since ancient times a deep rooted tradition of olive growing which shows how precious and typicl this crop is, today more than ever, constantly looking to safeguard an irreplaceable heritage.
The landscape has alwys seemed to be richin olive trees, which were once cultivated on hillocks and steep mountain terraces. In the Lucca area olive cultivation developed in the 14th and 15th centuries with production increasing at thet time.
Statues were drawn up in the various communities with precise rules of behaviour which influenced the quality of local production, even identifying the varieties most commonly grown. Varieties were assed in the province of Lucca which are still cultivated today. With time the olive oil became, thanks to the ability and tenacity of those who had always grown it, an opportunity for commercial development. In the Lucca area the olive oil has always represented not just a factor for economic growth but also a way of life. Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the product which more than any other characterises the province of Lucca and its gastronomic tradition, both in the interland and the coastal area.
The olive oil of Lucca is not only one of the most famous in Tuscany, and as such was the first in the 19th century to cross the borders of Italy and Europe, but also has outstanding characteristics which make it difficult to confuse with oil produced in other areas of the region.
Its characteristics have made it part of the staple diet, not only for its olfactory properties but also dietary ones, for a healty and correct diet. This oil comes from the typical Tuscan cultivars Frantoio, Leccino and to a lesser extent, Pendolino and Maurino.
However, the peculiarities of the terrain, the altitude and the position make the oil unique for its fruity flavour, its golden yellow colour with hints of green, and for its overall aroma, such that today many professional taster from the various oil producing areas of Italy take back a sample of extra virgin olive oil from lucca to use as a yardstick for purchasing olive oil for the companies that they work for.
It is not by chance that the extra virgin olive oil from the hills of Lucca has earned the right to mention additional geographical distinction, in terms of IGP, obtained from DOP Tuscan oil.
This makes it very easy to recognise a bottle of extra virgin olive oil from Lucca.
