Travelers Booking Vacations Should Consider Cortona
December 4th, 2008 by Trevor Iwending, under Travel and Leisure. No Comments
Once a sleepy little Italian hilltop town, Cortona is enjoying a rebirth as a tourist mecca. The book “Under the Tuscan Sun” and its sequels, along with the hit film based on this book, people have discovered Tuscany’s Cortona is a delight.
Conveniently located between Rome and Florence, this town of 30,000 people is located on a lovely hill in Tuscany. You can find whatever you want to do here, from museums to biking to restaurants.
Cortona has a long and interesting history, longer than many people realize: The Etruscans built the city’s walls 2,600 years ago. You can still see Etruscan stone work at Porta Guelfa and at Porta Montanina. If the Etruscans fascinate you, you can see more at the Museo dell’Academia Etrusca, which has artifacts from the Etruscans and the Egyptians as well as many historic artworks, books and other items.
Don’t just look at the city walls, interesting as they are. Go inside to the Piazza Garibaldi. From there you can see beautiful Lake Trasimeno. There is also a beautiful church and a park, at the center of which is a fountain decorated with two playful dolphins of bronze. Take a break, sit down and enjoy the view.
Once you’ve rested to Piazza Grande, with its 6th century town hall. On the first Saturday of each month, there is a market where you can find gifts, food and other wares to buy for yourself and others. If shopping is your thing, come to Cortona at the end of August for the National Market of Ancient Furniture at Cortona’s Casali Palace.
Stuck for the time? Look for the Torre del Pulcinella, the town clock that uses cymbals rather than bells to announce the time.
Cortona is full of history, obviously. Nowhere is this more evident than at Cetona Belvedere. This ancient cemetery has caverns, grottoes and other ancient sites.
If exploring is your thing, go to Montepulciano on one of the largest mountain peaks in the area.
If you’re fond of religious history, go to the Great Cloister of the Monastero di Monte Oliveta Maggiore (monastery of the Mount of Olives) to see the frescoes of St. Benedict. Signorelli painted these in the 15th century. Also be sure to see the church of Santa Maria Del Calcinaio, a unique octagonal church. Other religious treasures can be seen at the Museo Diocesano. It houses the Cortona Altarpiece with its six beautiful small paintings that frame the piece.
When visiting Cortona, rest assured that all the usual tourist amenities are available to make your trip easy.
Cortona is deservedly coming into its own. If you get a chance go and see it for yourself. It is a trip you will long remember for its beauty, its heritage and its people. Travelers booking a trip should call their travel agents for more information.
Trevi Fountain - Rome’s most Famous Fountain
November 21st, 2008 by Sarah Dudleymore, under Vacations. No Comments
A visitor can’t come to Rome without visiting this masterpiece created in the middle of Rome: the Fontana di Trevi.
It’s by far the largest standing and impressive Baroque fountains of Rome. It’s huge: 25.9 meters (85 feet) high and 19.8 meters (65 feet) wide. Rome has an impressive numbero of fountains spread all over the city, more than 3,000, but there is no place on earth like Trevi Fountain.
The fountain is at the juncture of three roads (tre vie). It marks the terminal point of the “modern” Acqua Vergine. One of the ancient aqueducts that supplied water to ancient Rome, stretched 22 km (14 miles) away from the city. This aqueduct (Aqua Virgo)also fed water into the Baths of Agrippa. It served Rome for more than four hundred years.
During the last centuries it has gone through many changes and finally in 1629 Pope Urban VIII asked Bernini for a new proposal and design as he thought the earlier fountain was losing its beauty.
When the Urban VIII died the project was forgotten! But in 1732 Nicola Salvi adopted it again and took it over. The fountain was completed in 1762, the orignal Bernini’s project was rejected but there are many Bernini touches in the fountain anyway.
Coin throwing: A traditional legend says that if visitors throw a coin into the fountain, they are sure to return to Rome. For those who are not familiar with the tossing of the “three coins”. They were thrown by three different individuals, the current version is that two coins will lead to a new romance and three will ensure either a marriage or divorce!
How your love could be governed by the tossing of three coins into a fountain is still a mystery many people believes in. This act has to be done with the right hand over one’s left shoulder and is said to bring good luck.
Each day approximately three thousands euros are believed to be thrown into the fountain and collected at night. The money has been used to help poor people and homeless in Rome. Nevertheless regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain are witnessed very frequently, including some using a magnetized pole. In 1998 the fountain has been refurbished and provided with re-circulating pumps.
If you are wondering what is the building behind Trevi Fountain…well, it’s called Palazzo dei Duchi di Polis and in the center you can see a modeled replica of the triumphal arch. The center niche has free-standing columns for maximal light-and-shade.
On the outside Oceanus, water is coming out from her urn and Salubrity is holding a cup from where the snake is drinkin. There is a copy of the Roman origin of the aqueducts on the top. Horses and tritons provide a balance, giving maximum contrast with their facial expressions and poses.
The theme of the gigantic scheme that jumps forward it’s called “Taming of the waters”. The mixing of water and rockwork is simply amazing.
Trevi area is definetely one of the most beautiful areas of Rome.
When In Rome, You Must Visit The Sistine Chapel
September 21st, 2008 by Eran Malloch, under Vacations. No Comments
It was Pope Sixtus IV who commissioned and gave the name to the Sistine Chapel. But it was in 1508 that Pope Julius II gave the chapel worldwide fame when he commissioned the amazing Italian artist Michelangelo to paint the 10,000 square foot ceiling with his creative frescoes.
But there is a lot to learn about this beautiful building that you can enjoy during your visit to Rome and Vatican City. For example, the chapel is not far from the Vatican Museum, which is an attraction entirely worth taking a day or more to see what it has to offer. Also the famous St. Peter’s Basilica is walking distance from the Sistine Chapel, and there you can enjoy another magnificent Michelangelo creation “The Pieta,” and you can also admire the dome of the Basilica, which is a masterpiece of architecture in and of itself.
By comparison to many of the other huge buildings in Rome, The Sistine Chapel is relatively small at only 135 feet wide by 44 feet tall. But in this small building are some of the most important works of art in modern history - art works that any museum in the world would be eager to add to their collections. We can be grateful that the Vatican takes good care of these treasures as evidenced by the major restoration work that was done to the chapel between 1979 and 1999.
The list of famous and should-be famous artists that contributed to the Sistine Chapel is impressive. Botticelli has a number of classic works in the chapel, including his 1482 creations, “Life of Moses” as well as “The Punishment of Korah”. Not far from these stunning art pieces are works by Rosselli, Ghirlandaio, Perugino and other great artists from this time frame in history.
But it is that magnificent ceiling that will hold your eyes for as long as you can look up. When the Pope commissioned Michelangelo to do this work, all that was there was a bland display of painted stars. It took Michelangelo four long and hard years of intense labor to complete his masterpiece. But the outcome is stunning, as he transformed that ceiling into a magnificent nine-panel master art work that is beyond compare.
For subject matter, Michelangelo drew from various characters of the Old Testament including Noah, a variety of male nudes, Sibyls and of course, the world famous image of Jehovah himself reaching out to mankind through Adam to give life at the touch of his divine finger.
Since the Vatican ordered the painting restored and cleaned in the 1990s, it once again explodes with the colors that the great master wanted us to see. The great thinker Goethe wrote the following words concerning the painting on the Sistine Chapel ceiling:
“Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.”
Michelangelo spent 4 years on a custom designed scaffold while painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. The paint nearly made him go blind, and he had to design a dozen new inventions or improvements on (then) current technology to finish the job. As just one simple example, he invented a new kind of plaster - intonaco - which is still used today. It has a much improved ability to hold the paint properly to the ceiling (useful when painting upside down) and is also mold resistant.
Michelangelo finished his master work in 1512 but in his mind, he was not done. Twenty years later he returned to the Sistine Chapel to paint one more installment of his vision. It was entitled “The Last Judgment” and it took the master from 1525 to 1541 to finish it. So be sure you look for that artwork as well. It will jump out at you when your eyes come down from the ceiling as it fills an entire wall behind the alter of the chapel.
An engrossing and yet controversial part of the painting is a rendering of St. Bartholomew, which is a self portrait that shows the saint’s skin being flayed. This drew a lot of criticism from people in high places as did his frequent use of nudes in all of his artwork. Michelangelo was such a force in the Italian artistic world that he won the fight to keep his artwork as he created it but sadly much later the paintings were marred when the genitals of the nudes was painted over.
Art lovers or just curious tourists alike cannot possibly stand in the presence of such greatness and not be moved. So as you plan your trip to Rome, you would be remiss if you did not allow some time to visit the Sistine Chapel and take in the artistic masterpieces you will find there.
Learn About The Spectacular Fountains Of Rome
September 19th, 2008 by Ruby Kammer, under Air Travel, Vacations. No Comments
Maybe more than any other place, Rome’s amazing fountains have a history that is as rich and ancient as Rome itself. There are examples of Fountains that reflect the artistic styles as far back as the first century AD mixed in with wonderful Renaissance fountains and modern ones as well.
Many cities have fountains but their purpose is strictly ornamental or utilitarian. But Rome differs because any public water display had to also become a unique and treasured work of art in the Eternal city. In fact, not only does Rome “have” great art, the city itself “is” great art.
Of the many fountains, the Trevi is no doubt the one most recognizable. But there is plenty of competition for your time in Rome if you do nothing more than go on a tour of its delightful fountains.
A great example of a fountain that calls out to be seen is the Fountain of Triton, otherwise known as the Fontana del Tritone. This is another example of the artistic genius of Bernini who designed the fountain in 1642, taking full advantage of the beauty of the Baroque design. The figure that grabs your attention is a male version of a mermaid (a merman) who is sitting on a huge clamshell as watchful dolphins frolic about.
Another example of Bernini’s artistic vision is the first fountain he installed in Rome, which is located near the Spanish Steps. Named the Barcaccia, this clever design shows a ship at sea in a half sunken state and it simultaneously is a perfect study of the use of Baroque design in an outdoor setting.
It’s easy to notice the sea creature theme and it continues in another Bernini fountain called the Fountain of the Moor or the Fontana del Moro. This fountain has a wonderful location in the southern part of Piazza Navona so you can enjoy the Piazza and the fountain all at once. The great god Neptune dominates this sculpture, being adored by his watery subjects as four Tritons guard him, and do double duty of spraying the fountain’s water from their mouths at the same time.
Not far from the Fountain of the Moor is the Fountain of Neptune which uses many of the same themes but expresses them in an up to date style.
The Fontana dei Tritoni located in front of the Church of St. Maria clearly shows that the artist, Francesco Bizzaccheri emulated the style of Bernini’s artistic vision. This beautiful fountain was finished in 1715 and is located between the Temple of Vesta and the Temple of Male Fortune. The dawn of the age of reason is reflected in the design of this fountain which shows two mighty Tritons knelt on the rocks where a basin is the spot from which the water of the fountain flows forth.
Of these many examples, however, the Trevi Fountain or the Fontana di Trevi not only is the most well known Roman fountain but the best example of fountain art in the city. Like many classic Roman fountains, it was built in the first century. But Rome has carefully preserved it by restoring it between 1732 and 1751 under the direction of Pope Clement XII.
Many consider this fountain to be the most beautiful in Rome and it certainly is the largest - standing at 85 feet high and 65 feet wide. You can find it near the Palace of the Dukes of Poli. Once again we find Neptune dominating the fountain but this time he is riding a mighty clamshell chariot being drawn by two muscular horses, while his loyal Tritons follow, as do the gods of Health and Wealth - there to bless the fountain’s visitors.
The famous belief that throwing three coins in a fountain in Rome for a blessing originated here. The blessing promised is a quick return to visit the Eternal City again so it’s worth a few coins for that possibility. Not to worry about the money as the city of Rome uses the coins to help the needy through city charities. So the combination of ancient lore, pleasant superstition and some clever marketing works out well for everyone.
The Trevi fountain clearly shows the influence of Bernini as a designer although the actual artist credited with the work is Nicola Salvi. The actual water you will let spill on your hand from the fountain comes from the Aqua Vergine aqueduct which is another Roman utility that was named after a legend. Local custom tells that ages ago a kind virgin offered water from the aqueduct at the fountain to help refresh Roman soldiers.
When you visit Rome, along with your many other sites you will want to see, taking in one or many of these gorgeous fountains is a must because Rome’s fountains are so much of what makes the city a true work of art in its own right.
Tourists Love The Spanish Steps - A Must See When In Rome
August 10th, 2008 by Jill Kammer, under Vacations. No Comments
The famous Roman Spanish Steps might be slightly misnamed since they were actually built by the French, but they are a wonderful part of any tourist’s visit to Rome. It is too easy to read about them and think, “What’s the big deal? They are just stairs.” And it is true that they are a means to an end - to walk to and from the Piazza di Spagna and the Villa Medici. But it is worth the effort to take your time on those steps and enjoy them for the ambiance they alone can hold for you.
The Scalinata di Spagna or the Spanish Steps, are 137 steps that were built between 1723 and 1725 near the famous Piazza di Spagna, which is a triangle shaped plaza that is a top destination for tourists who come to Rome.
The Spanish Steps themselves are elegant, artistic, dark and winding so your time on them will include moving through some of the most scenic and busy parts of Rome. The steps have their own beauty worth seeing. Any time of year there is something to see on the steps but in springtime, they are especially lovely as the azaleas in the municipal greenhouses explode with color.
There is no better moment than to be on the Spanish Steps in Rome when the flowers are everywhere and summer is just around the corner. Now, Rome can get hot even into the early Autumn, so nearby the Spanish Steps are some of the finest Rome has to offer for shops, cafe’s, boutiques and a huge variety of restaurants. In fact, there is a long tradition for locals and tourists alike to bring a light lunch to the steps and sit on a step and enjoy the day while taking in the atmosphere with your meal. And while “officially” such activities are illegal, custom often wins out over legalities and you can still get away with it.
Near the lower entrance to the steps is another of the famous Bernini fountains called La Barcaccia or the Fountain of the Old Boat. This wonderful outdoor sculpture shows a sea faring vessel at the center of the fountain. There is reason to believe that the actual ship used in this fountain was designed by Bernini’s son, Gian Lorenzo. The water of the fountain “leaks” from open holes in this creative masterpiece that was commissioned by Pope Urbano VIII to be built by Bernini in 1627.
In addition to admiring the steps themselves and this delightful fountain, you can also take in the Memorial House to Keats and Shelly. After that fascinating stop, you can relax with a nice cool drink from the many bars that dot the city in that area and then climb the steps again on your return.
Don’t worry about getting weary on your climb because the designers placed three rest areas with plenty of flat space for you to relax, do some shopping, have a beverage or a snack and recuperate before resuming your climb. When you successfully climb all of the steps, look back on a gorgeous view and then it is on to the Church of Trinta dei Monti.
It took almost 200 years for this church, more formally known as the Santissima Trinita al Monte Pincio, to be built after construction got underway in 1502. The late Gothic style of the church makes it unique as does the neo-classical facade. The Roman fascination with Egyptian art is reflect by an obelisk that came to Rome in the third century that decorates the courtyard of the church.
If you are brave you may want to wander a few blocks to the well known Via Veneto but watch out, many an Italian girl has been flirted with and pinched in this neighborhood. While this pattern of behavior pretty much died out since the 1950s, it is still a fun part of Rome where you can continue to enjoy great food, beverages and shopping and admire the wonderful architecture all around you.
So put the Spanish Steps on your list of things you must see while in Rome. In that way you can say you walked on steps built by the French, named for a long gone Spanish Embassy and now an important part of your experience on your Roman holiday.