Paula's Tour Talk

The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato

 
  


I read The Botticelli Secret   this fall in Italy and loved it. It's an exciting story of intrigue and romance that offers a fascinating interpretation of this famous and mysterious painting.

It's the story of a Luciana Vetra, a prostitute and occasional model who poses for Botticelli. He hires her to be his model for the central and final figure in La Primavera.

She makes an offhand comment that upsets the artist and he dismisses her without payment. Furious, she retaliates by snatching up a smaller version of the work, tucking it into her bodice and fleeing the studio.

Almost immediately both her roommate and her wealthy client are brutally assasinated, and Luciana runs for her life. With nowhere to hide, she turns to a handsome young monk, the only man immune to her charms, who harbors hopes of convincing her to give up her licentious life.

More murders force the two to flee Florence as they slowly realize that La Primavera is a coded puzzle that they must unravel if they hope to stay alive.

 The Botticelli Secret  is an exciting, bawdy, rollicking trip through the great cities of Italy, a most enjoyable journey.

And the interpretation of the figures and elements of this famous and much discussed painting is fascinating. It might even be true, as it's based on the work of the scholar Enrico Guidoni.

Whether true or not, it's certainly plausible within the confines of the novel and the painting. Also, all the buildings, places, and many of the characters mentioned are real.

I had a great time reading this novel just before seeing the painting in the Uffizi last month. La Primavera has always been one of my favorite Renaissance paintings and I never get tired of it.

I first saw it "in person" when I was 20 and traveling around Europe on my own. All alone in the Botticelli room, I was stunned by its beauty and intrigued by its allegory.

(Today the Botticelli Room at the Uffizi in Florence is never empty, but if you go in the late afternoon, you won't have to fight the crowds of tourists and can spend all the time you want looking at this beautiful work.)

I've read many many interpretations of it over the years, but The Botticelli Secret is the most interesting and most coherent of them all.

It's a kind of high-brow DaVinci Code of a novel with surprises and twists that you won't be able to put down.

 

A Simple Soup For Cold Night

We've been having unusually cold weather in Seattle, and enough snow (about 4 inches) to close schools and shut down roads. It's hilly here and snow is rare, so even a little can have a big effect.

So, whether you are snowed in, or just want something simple and delicious to prepare before the holiday feasting begins, try this soup.

 

  Zuppa di Pastina all'Uova e Spinaci 

(Pastina Soup with Egg and Spinach)

• 2 quarts chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 cup pastina (or your other favorite small pasta)
• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves, torn into smalll pieces OR
• 2 packages frozed spinach, thawed and well-drained
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Romano cheese

Bring the broth to a boil, stir in the pastina. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat until the pasta is al dente.

Lower the heat, stir in the spinach, and cook for a minute or two.

Whisk the eggs and cheese together in a soup tureen or deep serving bowl.

Slowly ladle the soup into the tureen, and stir gently. The soup will cook the eggs and melt the cheese.

Serve with some crusty bread, a salad, orange segments and a glass of wine.

Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

 

 

An Evening in Rome

It's taken me a while to recover from pneumonia, and to sort through my memories of a fabulous month in Italy. I'll be writing about the highlights of the trip and The Best of Tuscany Tour in the next few weeks.

Today I wanted to share one of my favorite evenings in Rome.

My friend Karen and I decided to follow Rick Steves' suggested route for a stroll past monuments, piazzas, and fountains lit up at night. We started with a delicious dinner of the traditional Roman pasta, cacio e pepe, salad, and white wine while sitting outside at a small trattoria watching the people go by.

Then we set off to the Piazza della Rotunda in front of the Pantheon. It's a big lively piazza, with cafes and a fountain, and a popular meeeting place. This Saturday evening it was also the spot to hear a fine tenor with a boom box, singing famnous arias to a crowd.

Here's a video of the closing moments of his Nessum Dorma:  

 

Our walk took us to the Piazza Navona with its spectacular fountains, the grand  obelisks, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.   We stopped for gelato, listened to many street musicians (most were playing old Frank Sinatra standards), and I even had my palm read on a tiny street lined with fortune tellers offering their wisdom.

We ended the evening with an espresso in true Italian fashion and made our way back to our rooms.

It was the best night I ever had in Rome.