Paula's Tour Talk

Florence's Santa Croce

The Franciscan church of Santa Cross (the Holy Cross) is an excellent example of Italian Gothic architecture and one of Florence's grandest churches. If you have time to visit only one church, this is the one to see.

We usually visit Santa Croce on our tours, and I do an evening Art Talk about this wonderful church. I love to point out its treasures. If you go on your own, I suggest you pick up a small guide to the church (available on site) so you can fully appreciate what you will see.

Many large volumes have been written about Santa Croce, but I'd like to share a few tidbits of information here that you may not easily find elsewhere.

Although legend has it that St. Francis himself founded Santa Croce, the record shows that it was begun in 1294, over 65 years after his death.

 But in keeping with the Franciscans' central tenets of humility and poverty, the original small, plain church was built in a very poor and rather odorous district of tanneries and dye-works along the marshy banks of the Arno.

Over the centuries these humble beginnings have been overshadowed by grandeur and magnificence, and the structure you see today bears no resemblance to that first church. Important families, including the Medicis, endowed Santa Croce with gifts and legacies, and it eventually grew to cover many acres of buildings, and gardens.

The church is laid out in an Egyptian (Tau) cross, a symbol of St. Francis, with a nave and two aisles. It contains 16 chapels decorated with frescoes by a panoply of famous artists including Giottto, Taddeo Gaddi, and Domenico Veneziano.

 Like all early Franciscan churches, these frescoes depict the life of St. Francis, as well as the life of Christ and other saints in a clear narrative style that could be understood by the poor and illiterate. This makes it easier for us to understand the stories today, too.

Santa Croce is sometimes referred to as the Temple of Italian Glories because so many famous people have their tombs or monuments here--Dante, Machiavelli, Galileo, Michelangelo (his tomb is pictured on the left), and even Marconi, Fermi, and Florence Nightingale.

The church's magnificent facade was added in the 1850's by the Niccolo Matas. He honored his own religion, Judaism, by working a prominent Star of David into the design. Matas loved Santa Croce and wished to be buried there, but this was not allowed.

Today, there is a fine museum on the church grounds with much to see, including the Cimabue crucifix that was so badly damaged in the 1966 floods.

There's also a famous Leather School connected to the church where you can see displays of fine leather work, tools, and of course, purchase leather coats, bags, wallets, and other goods.

The lively Piazza Santa Croce in front the the church is often filled with vendors selling watercolors and souvenirs. There are many cafes and restaurants on the square too.

5 Best Churches in Florence

When you visit Florence, of course you will see the Duomo, the cathedral. Although the magnificent marble facade and Brunelleschi's famous dome are far more remarkable than the cathedral's interior, a look inside is a must.

By the way, the word, duomo comes from the Latin word domus-- house, for house of God. All Italian cathedrals are called duomo, and the name has nothing to do with domes.

But Florence has other wonderful churches well worth a spot on your itinerary. Here are my top five:

  Santa Croce--Huge Gothic church with frescoes by Giotto in the Bardi Chapel, the Pazzi Chapel designed  by Brunelleschi, tombs of many famous Florentines including Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and Rossini, and it's own museum and extensive grounds.

Santa Maria Novella--Masaccio's masterpiece, Trinita', fresoces by Ghirlandaio, Ucello, and Filippino Lippi, and a large crucifix by Giotto.

Orsanmichele-- a grain storehouse turned church, with statues by Donatello and Verrocchio in niches on the exterior, a monumental tabernacle, and a lovely Madonna and Child by Bernardo Daddi. 

San Miniato al Monte--Florence's only Romanesque church, perched high above the city near Piazzale Michelangelo. A dramatic and unusual interior trompe d'oeil effect of paint appearing to be marble inlay, fresco cycle by Spinelli Aretino.

Santa Maria del Carmine--famous for the brilliant fresco cycles by Masaccio and Masolino in the Brancacci Chapel. 

I'll be writing more about each of these churches in the next week or so (except for Orsanmichele, which you can read about here).

There are many many more churches well worth seeing in Florence, but these are truly must-sees when your time is limited. We visit all of these with our clients on Time of Tour Life Tours, and we hope you see them someday, too.

Something Different for Dinner--Lamb Ragu

Molise is a small region in southern Italy. It's a sparsely populated, rugged, mountainous area, perfect for raising sheep. A friend whose family is orginally from the Molise recently sent me a great recipe for a lamb ragu that I think you will enjoy.

Fusilli con Ragu d'Agnello all Molisana , or  Corkscrew Pasta with Lamb Sauce in the style of Molise, is a wonderful alternative to the usual beef or pork ragus. Plus, it's quick and easy to prepare.

The name fusilli comes from an implement resembling a knitting needle that was used to form pasta dough into a twisted corkscrew shape. It's the ideal pasta for catching this sauce in its curves and grooves.

Fusilli con Ragu d"Agnello all Molisana

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced with the garlic
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 sweet red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 small hot red pepper, seeded and diced OR 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound ground lamb
2/3 cup dry white wine
1 16-ounce can plum tomatoes with their juice, roughly chopped
salt and fresh pepper
1 pound fusilli
grated pecorino cheese

Mince the garlic and rosemary together. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large saucepan and cook the garlic mixture and bay leaves until garlic softens (but do not brown).

Stir in peppers and cook for 2 minutes until they soften. Stir in the lamb and brown it slowly, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks. Turn the heat up to medium high, add the wine, and stir until most of the wine evaporates.

Stir in the tomatoes and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. When done, remove the whole bay leaves and discard.

Cook the fusilli according to package directions. Drain and add to the saucepan. Stir to coat with sauce. Put in a big bowl and sprinkle with the cheese.

8 servings

Add a salad of mixed greens dressed with olive oil and vinegar, crusty bread, and a simple red wine and enjoy. Buon appetito!

Angels & Demons' Rome: Castel Sant'Angelo

This is the last in the series about the locations in Angels & Demons.

Time is running out when Langdon rushes to the Castel San't Angelo, an unmistakable Roman landmark.
He approaches the building from the Ponte Sant' Angelo (Bridge of the Holy Angel). It's one of Rome most beautiful bridges, lined with Bernini's marble angel sculptures.

In 1688, these 10 sculptures replaced a row of gallows that had decorated the bridge previously, and must have been a welcome change. However, since each angel holds an instrument of torture from the Passion of Christ, such as the crown of thorns, they are not exactly cheerful.

Bernini's angels have been  dubbed his "Breezy Maniacs" because they all appear to be battling the wind with garments fluttering. 

The Castel Sant'Angelo, originally a mausoleum, was built in 130 AD by Emperor Hadrian, who also built the bridge over the Tiber River that leads to it. The building served as a burial place for emperors for almost a century. In those times, the structure was covered in marble and topped with a mound of earth planted with cypress trees, decorated with statues, and crowned with a gilded statue of Hadrian driving his chariot.

When threats from barbarian invaders increased in the late days of the Roman Empire, Hadrian's Mausoleum was converted into a fortress and served an important role in the city's defenses.

By the 9th century, it was claimed by the papacy who remodeled and added to the fortress over many centuries. Its appearance today is that of a massive fortress on a square base with circular towers at the four corners (known as the towers of St. Matthew, St. John, St. Mark, and St. Luke) onto which a circular body has been grafted.

It's linked to the papal apartments in the Vatican by way of a covered passage known as the passetto. This escape route came in handy quite a few times when popes need to escape attackers.

The Castel Sant'Angelo got its name from Pope Gregory the Great who had a fiery vision of St. Michael the Archangel standing on top of the fortress sheathing his mighty sword. Gregory interpreted the vision to mean that the plague devastating the city would soon end, and named the castle in the angel's honor.

At various times, it has served as the Vatican's stronghold, prison, and even treasury. It contains everything from dank dungeons in the basement, to lavish living quarters on the upper floors. It's a rabbit's warren of rooms and corridors. Today it is a museum, open to the public for a small admission fee.

Although it's in Italian (and does not seem to have an English version), the Castle's official website offers a good virtual tour with lots of diagrams and photos. (If anyone can find this website in English, please let me know).

I hope you have enjoyed this series on the Roman locations in Angels & Demons. I skipped St Peter's because you can easily find more information than you ever wanted about that online and elsewhere.

I'd love to know if this series added to your enjoyment of the movie Angels & Demons.

Angels & Demons' Rome: Piazza Navona

(Well, let's see if I can recreate the article that mysteriously disappeared just as I was finishing it. Maybe next time I'll remember to save it as I go...)

So far, Langdon and Vittoria have successfully deciphered the clues that led them along the Path of Illumination. Unfortunately, they have not been able to save the first three cardinals who were so cruelly branded and murdered.

Their luck changes when they arrive at the next spot, the Piazza Navona, in time to retrieve Cardinal Baggio from Bernini's magnificent Fontana dei Quattro Fuimi (Fountain of the Four Rivers).

The huge oval-shaped Piazza Navona has been a center of Roman life for millennia. During the Roman Empire it held a stadium where athletic contests and horse races were run. The name "Navona" is believed to come from a corruption of the Latin word agones (games).

Like many of the structures of the Empire, the stadium eventually fell into ruins. But the site still functioned at various times as a major city market (later transferred to the Campo Fiori), and as a place for theatricals and festivals. 

The Piazza was rebuilt during the reconstruction of Rome carried out by the popes of the 16th and 17th centuries. Bernini's Fountains of the Four Rivers occupies the center of the piazza (he also designed the Fountain of the Moor at the southern end).  It was unveiled with great pomp and cermony in 1652.

The statues on the fountain depict four continents:

• the horse: Europe
• the palm tree and snake: Asia
• the lion: Africa
• the armadillo: the Americas

Each also has a river god representing a great river on each of the continents: the Danube, the  Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plate. All have allegorical meanings.

The Nile's god (shown on the right) is veiled as a sign that the source of the river was unknown. The Ganges' god carries an oar to signify its navigability. The Rio de la Plate figure sits on a pile of coins representing the riches of the New World (Plate comes from the Spanish "plata" for silver).  And, the god of the Danube touches the Papal coat of arms since the Danube was the closest of the rivers to Rome.

There's a legend that tour guides are fond of that the reason all the gods face away from the church of Sant'Agnese, built by Bernini's arch-rival Borromini, is to show the sculptor's disdain for the church's facade. A good story, but it can't be true. The church was not even commissioned until a year after the fountain was installed.

All the river gods recline in a semi-prostrate position, gazing up at the tall obelisk in the fountain's center topped by symbols of the Papacy and its power, most notably the dove of Pope Innnocent X.

Langdon realizes that this lone dove is also the pagan symbol for the Angel of Peace, the final guide for his quest.

The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi is a must-see sight is Rome. It's especially beautiful all lit up at night with wildly splashing water crashing down on the rough marble under the statues.

But, if you want the good luck and guarantee of returning to Rome, don't toss coins in this fountain. For that, you'll have to go to see the Trevi Fountain in the Piazza di Trevi.

I'm planning on doing one last article about the Castel Sant'Angelo to conclude this series on Angels & Demons. Hopefully, I'll remember to save as I write next time!