Music, Nature, History and Food ….a typical weekend in Etruria

    

When city-bound  friends  ask  about  the  life style  here in the province of Viterbo, one hour north of Rome,  I find it  difficult to give a clear answer, for  everything  depends on the   cycle of  the seasons . 

  Now that it is November   the major  preoccupation is  how  the grape harvest  went and  the  imminent    olive  harvest. Most  events  are  connected  to  agriculture (see  the post on  the Chestnut Festival in  San Martino ) but  often –  thanks  to the many resident  professionals  in diverse fields of culture- there are   happenings which enrich the usually  quiet life of the  Italian province.

 In the last  weeks of October   two talented  resident artists  opened their  personal  shows  in prestigious  Roman galleries.    The   works of  Justin Bradshaw  and Patricia Glee Smith l are particularly  appreciated  since they have  both  graced covers  of  my recent publications.    

cover  by Pat Smith 

At   the end of  October  two   benefit dinners in   cantinas (COOP and Pro-Loco) took place here in Vetralla with  excellent food prepared  by  local cooks.   

Friday, November  4    Archeotuscia    invited  me to speak at the  Prefecture of Viterbo  as part of  the celebration of the association’s  anniversary.

Following  a suspense-full  half hour when it was unsure  whether  the  projector   would work or not,   the  conference hall was full  to bursting and the audience  broke out in spontaneous applause when seeing the connections between  Viterbo/Etruria/Tuscia  and such far away places  as Egypt, Rhodes, Turkey, Malta, Greece  and ports of the Black Sea.  

   

  The subject - the mysteries of  Etruria/Tuscia-drew  a wide range of people thus  making  it a difficult audience. The  elderly local poets  were balanced  by   foreign residents (prize-winning author Simon Mawer and his wife Connie of Anguillara) and  student officers of the local air force academy.
 Thanks  to photographers F. Pignatale   and L. Ricci  for participating and to Francesca Ceci  of Rome's  Capitoline Museum  for  her kind introduction.

The  long  autumn weekend  was the   impetus  for  a visit from the IAS   international  archaeology  club  of Naples – the third time the  group  has  visited  the area. 

 President Leslie Xavier and  her  group enjoyed  visits to UNESCO sites  of Tarquinia and Cerveteri  followed by  lunch at  Arcadia  restaurant  in Tarquinia  where we met  for dessert and  book signing. 

M.J. Cryan's books  at Tarquinia  Museum

small copy of the winged horses  of Tarquinia 

bookshop at Tarquinia Museum 

walking to  S. Maria in Castello, Tarquinia

Roberto Gildi's   bookshop,Vetralla

Later  the  same evening  a different, large group  viewed the  magnificent  wildlife  images  of  Silvio Tavolaro   at   Libri di Natura   Roberto  Gildi’s  specialized  bookshop  in  Vetralla’s  historic center.  

  The  shop was crowded  with nature lovers and bibliophiles  including   the president of  LIPU   Fulvio Mamone Capria  and  many  weekenders from Rome.

part of the international audience, Libreria del Teatro, Viterbo

          Sunday  was dedicated  to a concert of Chinese and  Italian  music by  Pei-Te Hsieh, resident  in   Caprarola at  Libreria del Teatro,Viterbo.  The international audience  included  Chimei and Raffaello Orlando (Conseratorio di Frosinone),  Santo Sammartino (SYA School), Princess Giada Ruspoli   of Vignanello, American painter John Rykoff Ratner of Caprarola, Igor Leto of Trevignano/Malta and new  residents of Vetralla from Holland.

 Next weekend  promises  more  interesting  happenings  including  a  day-long conference dedicated  to Vetralla's  San Francesco  church (Friday 11th)  an exhibit  of  Viterbo's historic  bookbindery  Legatoria  Viali (11th to  14th ), the Wine Festival  in Vignanello (Sunday  13th)  and  a Neapolitan-themed dinner  at  Castello di Santa Maria.


And they told me  life outside  Rome  would be  boring..

Italian Memorial Day

Check  out this  piece  written several years  ago  for  Italian Notebook.
It tells what  happens all over Italy  on November  1 and 2....and  why not to give chrysanthemums as a gift .


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On Tutti i Santi, All Saints Day, Nov.1st, and La Festa dei Morti, Day of the Dead, in Italy Nov.2nd, the dead are remembered by visiting their graves. Over these few days many families make an outing to the large cemeteries on the outskirts of the big cities (the traffic jams are legendary!).

During this long weekend (the 1st is a holiday), an all-Italian tradition is to decorate family graves and war monuments with yellow, white and other colored chrysanthemums, the bigger and fluffier the better. So although these flowers are colorful and lovely, be sure to NEVER bring them as a gift to someone’s home. Your host or hostess will not want them in the house, and not knowing what to do with them will probably invent some feeble excuse to place them outside the front door.

http://www.italiannotebook.com/events/italian-memorial-day/

Chestnut Festival in San Martino al Cimino, town of Donna Olimpia Maidalchini

selling  flowers  in front of   San Martino abbey

 Olimpia Maidalchini was  one of the most powerful women  of the 1600s  for as sister–in-law and reputed mistress  of Pope Innocent  X Pamphili, she held the purse strings of  the Vatican, appointed cardinals and negotiated with foreign ambassadors .
 Eleanor Herman, author of a fascinating  biography of  Olimpia, "Mistress of  the Vatican,  tells the story her life as  "the secret  female pope".

portrait  bust  of  Olimpia by  A. Algardi, circa 1650

interior of   Abbey church

  To escape  the plague  devastating Rome, Olimpia   retired  to  her hilltop town of San Martino (today a suburb of Viterbo)  in 1656 . 

row houses  of  San Martino al Cimino

There she restructured  the village making  it the first example of  town planning, built the magnificent  abbey church and acted  as benefactor  to dowry less  girls.

series of  photo-paintings  by local artist

 Her wealth and power   did not keep  the plague   away,   and  today her  tomb  can be admired  in the apse of the  huge  church.

tomb of Olimpia Maidalchini 

A perfect  weekend outing just outside Viterbo, San Martino is  known  for  its  chestnuts  and  each  October  a festival  is held  to honor  this  local crop. 

roasting chestnuts in huge  "swing" 

The festival , now  in its  24^th year, sees   market  stalls  in the historic center  of San Martino   which has been denoted a natural  shopping center .

vigili urbani  and panorama of the Sagra 

colorful  bags  by B. Coluccia

Barbara Coluccia's  handknitted hats and scarves 

 There are several handicrafts  dealers  selling jewellery, leather,textiles  as well as   gastronomic products  of the area.  

                                                             

entrance to the Cantinone, Palazzo Doria Pamphili 

 The local restaurants  offer   special  menus at a set price ( 25 euro)  and   in the Cantinone, once the stables of  Donna Olimpia’s palace,   tables  are set up offering  an abundant  lunch  (at 20 euro) for  hundreds of   visitors.

Alessandro's leather  bags 

Gioia Carpino  makes jewelery 

antipasto misto, mushroom soup, polenta, beans and steak
followed  by   roast chestnuts and  biscott

Autumn dishes served  during the Sagra  include   zuppa di ceci e castagne (soup of chickpeas and chestnuts), porcini mushrooms, sausages , grilled  meats and  suckling pig (maialino).

Montblanc  

For  those  who are   still hungry   after   the abundant  5-course meal, there are sweets such as  castagne al rum con fonduta di cioccolato (chestnuts with rum and  chocolate fondue), tozzetti with vinsanto, Montblanc and crostate with ricotta and chestnut puree.  

  The  Sagra   continues  on   29, 30,31 October  and  l November. ..rain   or  shine....

Italy's Risorgimento and the American Civil War

This  year there have been  a myriad of    conferences  dedicated  to  Italy's unification movement, the Risorgimento, since 2011 marks   the  150th anniversary. 
I was  honored  to be invited  to  speak and  participate  at  several  in Dublin, Rome and  Torino .
During my  recent  visit  back  to  the States  this month, I  realized  how obscure  the Risorgimento -and Italy's history in general- is  for  Americans. 
 Perhaps  it is because  of  current events  in  Italy today or  because the Risorgimento almost   coincides   with the Civil War in America, thus  putting  a shadow on happenings  overseas. 


The  interest  in the Risorgimento is greater  in Ireland and England also  because  of the participation of Irish and English soldiers  in the  battles  of  1860. 

Thanks  to  Gary O'Neill, a photographer  from Dublin, who sent  in this image of  the Papal certificate   granting  his ancestor a medal for  his participation in  the Battle of Spoleto. 


Thus  it is not so strange to have  been invited  to speak to  a group of Italian air force  students, to   tell them of  our  shared history.  Here is the story which I just  found on the  Italian Air Force  website .


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Mercoledì 6 Aprile alla Scuola Marescialli dell’AM di Viterbo

 la conferenza di storia in lingua inglese della scrittrice irlandese Mary Jane Cryan

11/04/2011 - Mercoledì 6 Aprile, la scrittrice irlandese Mary Jane Cryan ha tenuto, nell’ambito delle attività didattiche previste presso la Scuola Marescialli dell'Aeronautica Militare di Viterbo, una conferenza sulla partecipazione di inglesi ed irlandesi al risorgimento italiano.
Alla conferenza hanno partecipato gli allievi Marescialli dei tre corsi presenti in sede, oltre ad una folta rappresentanza di personale del quadro permanente.

La conferenza, proposta interamente in lingua inglese, rientra nell’ambito delle numerose iniziative promosse per celebrare la ricorrenza dei 150 anni di storia dall’Unità d’Italia. L’uso della lingua inglese rappresenta un elemento di novità per quanto riguarda le conferenze tenute presso la Scuola e si inquadra nell’obiettivo della Forza Armata di potenziare in maniera importante, sin dalla  formazione iniziale, l’apprendimento della lingua straniera per il personale.

La dott.ssa Cryan, che ha trascorso quasi 50 anni in Italia come storica, ricercatrice e docente di cultura Italiana presso Università internazionali, ha raccontato la storia, a molti poco nota, degli oltre mille volontari irlandesi del battaglione di San Patrizio che hanno combattuto per il Papa e della Legione inglese che ha sostenuto Giuseppe Garibaldi nella sua difficile impresa. Al termine dell’evento alla scrittrice è stato consegnato il crest della Scuola Marescialli.

Autore : Scuola Marescialli - Viterbo - Cap. Bambini Massimo

Borgia,

Castles  and Capers   in Borgia  Country

Loggia  and fountain  of Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola

Borgia, Farnese, Orsini… these  are just  a few of the powerful  families  who  held sway in  Etruria , an area north of Rome   that  the Italians  call Tuscia Viterbese . 

Borgia-Farnese  castle, Nepi 

Thanks  to  their   connections,  powerful   papal nephews  were able  to acquire  lands and create  magnificent  palazzi  and  gardens  in this now quiet area north of Rome. 






Nepotism allowed them to commission  splendid  estates and art work for  their private enjoyment and to dazzle  visitors. 

As  modern  TV series show,  many of the papal  family members   were not  always   up to religious  standards. 
Their lifestyles were often  more  outlandish and   exciting  than anything  a script  writer  could invent today.     

waterfall  near Borgia Castle  at Nepi 

Farnese  coat of arms, Nepi 

 Nepi - Borgia fortress

Lucrezia  Borgia,  daughter of Pope Alexander  VI, Rodrigo Borgia,  was often visitor  in Nepi where the  towers, massive walls and  underground areas still  ooze  history even when a modern day gastronomy festival is  happening.

One of the papal nephews  of  the Farnese  family  was  responsible  for  the magnificent  Palazzo Farnese, in Caprarola. Along  with the Palazzo Farnese in Rome –the present  French Embassy –  it epitomizes    Renaissance  architecture and art.

upper gardens  of  Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola

upper gardens and Casina dei Piaceri

  Caprarola’s Palazzo Farnese,  designed  by Architect   Vignola, can be considered  the original  pentagon  for  it has  5 sides,   a circular  central courtyard  and  perfectly  square or rectangular  rooms.       And what rooms!

design  by Justin Bradshaw  

There are  frescoed  walls including  the  map room dedicated  to explorers. The  gilded ceilings  and multi-colored terracotta tile floors are  perfectly  maintained mosaics . The south-facing  rooms were used in winter,while  those on the northern side, were lived in  during the hot summers.

glazed terracotta  tiles of the loggia, Caprarola

 This hillside  town  named after  goats (capra=goat)   is  a perfect   place to   relax  in style, just as it was for  powerful men  of the past, from the   Farnese  popes and  cardinals to  Prince Charles  and  Italian presidents  in pre-Berlusconi  days.

view towards Rome from Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola

The views from the loggia of Palazzo Farnese stretch  all the way to Rome (35 kms )  while   Mount Soratte’s  majestic   outline  looms  in the distance. 

fresco  by Zuccari , Palazzo Farnese, Caprarola

The Zuccari  brothers and their crew of  decorators  did not  have to worry about  expenses   thus  the Palazzo , its  gardens , fountains  and the   Casina  dei Piaceri  show   papal nepotism  on a grand scale .   

Along the lakeside road  traveled by  artists, architects and stone masons  who   worked  with the wealthy families  of  Viterbo,  Vetralla  and  Caprarola  we find a simple  fountain  of Santa Lucia, emblazoned with Farnese  symbols.   

Santa Lucia, Lake DiVico , between Vetralla and Caprarola

Capers,  considered  an aphrodisiac, still  grow  today  on  the south facing  walls   and were    used  for  medicinal purposes, to help digestion and hangovers. 

Opening the hydraulic system for   giochi d'acqua

Interestingly ,   the word caper,   also means a  joyful leap  or  a  high- spirited escapade . Note  the  water games installed  to surprise  visitors with sprinkler systems that are still perfectly  functional today.

Another  “season  of capers”   happened  in the early 1900s when an   eccentric   Boston lady  and her daughters   lived at the Palazzo and their lifestyle  was immortalized  in   Gabriele D’Annunzio’s   “Le Vergini delle Rocce”.  
For more about  the palace and the underground multimedia  area  check  out Palazzo Farnese .

For more stories about  the palazzi and gardens of the area  purchase your signed  copy of "Etruria-travel, history and itineraries in central Italy".