Paula's Tour Talk

Interview on BlogTalk Radio

I had a great time yesterday when Sandra Levitin, creator of Kalon Women, interviewed me on BlogTalk Radio. We chatted about how I began Time of Your life Tours, some current projects, and even my favorite TV show and favorite food.

You can listen to it here: Radio Interview and leave a comment in the box below the "episode notes."  Let me know what you think!

Lovely Prosecco

I prefer lovely, light, sparkling Prosecco to champagne these days. Besides being much less expensive, it's delicious favors of pears and apples is just right for an aperitivo.

We often serve a glass (or two) of Prosecco to our clients on Time of Your Life Tours in Italy during our evening Art Talks. Very civilized.

Check out this article from the Wall Street Journal--it includes a list of the best Prosecco's available in the US.

Simon Schama's Power of Art

I've been enjoying watching Simon Schama's excellent series, The Power of Art, on DVD. Most interesting to me are the two Italian artists, Caravaggio and Bernini, but the whole program is thought-provoking and extremely well done.

It's no surprise that these two artists are featured. Caravaggio was the most revolutionary artist of his time. He completely abandoned the rules followed by artists for centuries and refused to idealize human experience. Caravaggio wanted to portray the truth in all its gritty imperfection. As you can see, there is nothing pretty or pleasant in this painting of the Deposition From the Cross (above). 

 

Bernini was also a break-through artist. He strove to portray emotional and psychological truth, particularly in moments of passionate intensity. His most famous work is The Ecstasy of St. Teresa.

Here's what Schama says about the elemental power of art in his introduction:

The power of the greatest art is the power to shake us into revelation and rip us from our default mode of seeing. After an encounter with that force, we don't look at a face, a color, a sky, a body, in quite the same way again. We get fitted with new sight: in-sight. Visions of beauty or a rush of intense pleasure are part of that process, but so too may be shock, pain, desire, pity, even revulsion. That kind of art seems to have rewired our senses. We apprehend the world differently.

You can read more and even see excerpts from the videos at The Power of Art.  The DVD's are widely available, and will even be on the shelves of most public libraries.

Check it out and let me know what you think. I definitely prefer the work of the Renaissance to these later artists, but I am gaining an greater understanding and appreciation of their power.

Other artists in the series include Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Rothko.

Siena's Most Overlooked Treasure

You'd think that a large room in the Siena Cathedral with some of the most gorgeous frescoes you will ever see would be hard to miss. But far too many of the people I talk to who have visited Siena on their own or even on a tour look at me blankly when I ask how they liked the Piccolomini Library.

It's true that the Cathedral is huge and packed with amazing sights from the mosaics on the floor to the sculpture adorning every nook and cranny, but the Piccolomini (which is located in the center of the right aisle) should not be overlooked.

The Library houses a wonderful collection of music manuscripts, but it's the walls that are stunning to me.  Ten frescoes by the artist Pinturrichio, depicting the life of Aeneas Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II, decorate the walls of the room.

Pinturrichio, and his assistant, the young Raphael, created vivid scenes, full of color, richness, and  detail.  Looking at them is like stepping into the world of the 15th century. The artists even painted himself and Raphael into one of the scenes (above).

You can see many of the frescoes at the Web Gallery of Art, but I hope you will see them in person one day. 

All of Time of Your Life Tours' Tuscany trips include a visit to the Siena Cathedral and the Piccolomini Library. Our clients say it's one of the highlights of the tour. The night before we go, I tell them the story of Piccolomini's life while we enjoy a glass or two of wine on our hotel's terrace.

And, although I usually don't like those recorded audio tours, I always rent them for our clients when we visit the Siena Cathedral. They include information on each of the frescoes in the Library and I highly recommend them to enhance the experience.

A Springtime Risotto

Here's a lovely dish for spring:

 Risotto with Peas and Asparagus

5 Cups chicken broth, warmed
• 1 cup fresh peas (frozen peas will also work)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped chives, finely chopped (optional)
• 14 medium asparagus spears, cut into 1- or 2-inch lengths
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Bring 2 cups of the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the peas and cook, covered, for 10 minutes, until tender. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add  the onion, garlic, and parsley. Cook until the onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for a few minutes, stirring to coat the rice with the oil. Add the wine and chives, and cook until the wine is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Warm  the remaining 3 cups of stock in a medium pot over medium heat. Add one cup of the warm stock to the rice and stir well. The rice will absorb the stock in about 5 minutes. Add another cup of stock, every few minutes, stirring frequently, until you have used all the stock. Add the asparagus after the first 10 minutes.

 After the risotto has cooked for 25 minutes and is almost done, add the whole peas. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve garnished with the grated cheese. 8 servings

This is lovely with grilled chicken breasts, a green salad, and a dish of black olives--and of course, a glass of chilled white wine. Happy Spring!

Buona Pasqua!

Happy Easter.  After Christmas, Easter is the most important holiday in Italy. Easter Sunday is usually spent with family and, of course, there's a feast.  Traditional meals vary from region to region, but eggs and roasted lamb are featured everywhere.

You won't find Peeps and chocolate bunnies, but pastry and candy shop windows are filled with displays of huge, elaborately decorated chocolate eggs.

Easter Monday, called Pasquetta (little Easter) is also a holiday in Italy and one that's spent with friends. It seems that nearly everyone heads out to the countryside on this day for a picnic.

Florence has a special Easter tradition called the Scoppio del Carro (the explosion of the cart), that is supposed to bring good luck to the city. I'd love to see it sometime.

How to Help Earthquake Victims

I received so many inquiries about the earthquake. Thank you all for you concern. While I do not know anybody directly affected by the disaster, my heart goes out to all the people whose lives have been torn apart, and my prayers go to the dead and dying, and also to the survivors.

If you want to help, here's some information. NIAF (National Italian American Foundation) has set up a fund for this purpose; Relief Fund. Another option is through the Italian Red Cross: Croce Rossa Italiana.

I am also sad that so many beautiful buildings with so many centuries of history have been lost. It's hard to imagine they will ever be restored. A horrible, tragic disaster.

New Portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci

You might have seen reports of the hub-bub surrounding a possible new portrait of Leonardo Da Vinci. There's always tremendous interest in a discovery of this kind. The potential for new insights into the most famous artist of the Western world is exciting.

You can read about the new portrait and see a video here: new portrait of the artist in middle age.

There's more here, in this article from the London Times.

The BBC also reported on the uncovering of a page in Leonardo's notebooks that contains a hidden self-portrait.

Finally, if you'd like to see all the portraits of Leonardo, including those he himself inserted into some of his paintings, take a look at this article, also about a possible "new" portrait of the artist.

The sketch shown above is one that comes form his Notebooks and is generally agreed to be authentic.

I guess when it comes to someone so famous and so mysterious--despite all the writings and records we have--you can't ever have too much!