Michelangelo's David - Withstanding Time

On this day in 1504 the statue of David by Michelangelo was unveiled outside the Palazzo della Signoria in Firenze. The statue was originally supposed to be one of many which would adorn buttresses of the Duomo. However, it was not deemed fit for the original commission and it stood outside the Palazzo for hundreds of years, withstanding time and the elements before being moved into the Galleria Accademia.

The David is splendid, as we experienced on a recent trip to Italy.  It's an unusual statue, because the boy is depicted in the moments before he attacked Goliath.  Most statues at the time showed the moments after David had cut off Goliath’s head. Of course we have to remember that any art is merely the artist’s impression. The David of the Bible was a young boy and could not have been quite so god-like in physique. Michelangelo was certainly showing off his knowledge of anatomy.

It was rather disconcerting to discover that the statue is slowly leaning over as a result of the erosion. Movement detectors have been employed to monitor any shift in the statue and plans are afoot to counter any damage. All those years standing outside have taken their toll, but isn't it amazing that something which was created hundreds of years ago is now being rescued by modern technology?

No photographs are allowed inside. “But if you want, you can take a picture of the pink David in the courtyard,” our guide informed us. There was a concurrent exhibition of modern art at the gallery and the garish pink David with yellow hair (including his pubic hair) and blue eyes must be making Michelangelo roll over in his grave. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture.  This photo of Statue of David is courtesy of TripAdvisor.

You can read more about this in today’s edition of the Writers’ Almanac:

http://www.elabs7.com/ct.html?ufl=1&rtr=on&s=fj6,xlbe,dv,5zj0,89j,2jvk,18ki

Serendipitous Discoveries - Perugia, Italy

This photo is courtesy of Tripadvisor 

The fans came in all shapes and sizes – pink, white, black and yellow; old couples with bent backs, feet tapping out the rhythm; young families with toddlers running around and babies in prams. There were designer-clad yuppies rubbing shoulders with hippies and Rastafarians. It seems that jazz is quite the unifier. While people milled about, paused to rest on benches under trees with ice cold watermelon or on the stone steps of the cathedral, slice of pizza in hand, the music played on. Two stages were set up at either end of the town and free concerts played from lunch time to well past midnight. In between, musicians busked on street corners, and played in the restaurants and cafes.

Clowns juggled and made balloon animals to entertain children, an artist decorated the sidewalk with chalk, his mural depicting the many roads which led to the music, and vendors sold arts and crafts on tables set up along the main road. Shops stayed open till late into the night, the music lending a festive air to the shopping sprees.

We had happened upon the festival while trying to book hotels on our travels around Italy. Puzzled by how full it was in Perugia, we investigated and discovered that we were looking for accommodation during the annual Umbria Jazz Festival.  During the ten-day festival, musicians like Al Jarreau, Erykah Badu and Esperanza Spalding were performing along with Sting and Rita Marley. We were heading in the right direction!

Perugia is a medieval town in the Umbria region of Italy (“the gentler version of Tuscany”, it has been described). Etruscan ruins date back more than 2 000 years. The hilly town is surrounded by the old city wall. Narrow cobble-stoned streets weave through buildings so close they seem to lean over and reach out to each other, shutting out the harsh midday sun and providing a welcome relief.  Tiny old shops which have seen generations of owners and customers still do business, their walls pock-marked with history.

The Umbria Jazz festival has been running since 1973 and attracts followers from all over the world. We were unable to get tickets for the grand finale with Sting but that night when we returned to our room and flung the widows open wide to let the night air in, the strains of “An Englishman in New York” floated up the hill and into our room.

Perugia had been a serendipitous experience which stimulated all our senses. The 40^th anniversary of the festival seems like a good excuse for another visit!

A taste of Italy

Last night I revisited the streets of Rome with Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love. It took me back a few years to what was my son's best holiday ever. Well, what's not to like when you are 7 years old - pizza, pasta, the best ice cream in the world and adults running after you to pinch your cheeks and call you trezorro.

Italy is such a sensual place - the smells, sights, sounds, tastes make an indelible print on your memory. As Julia Roberts' character, Liz wanders through the cobblestoned streets and ancient ruins, I found myself transported back. I could feel the July heat and recognised the street taps, which must surely have been there since the days of the Romans, where my son stopped to stick his head under the cold water flowing from the bowels of the earth. The old buildings with solid doors that look like they can withstand battering rams, the flower boxes spilling geraniums outside every window and the fountains with ornate statues inviting you to make a wish, all form part of the charm. 

We travelled the length of Italy by train – Venice, Rome, Naples, Milan and ended our journey in a villa just outside of Florence, the perfect place to take time to allow all we had experienced to settle down  deep. The rolling vineyards, the beautiful sunshine, plenty of space to run around and a pool to cool off in – these were all the right ingredients. And if we wanted to exert ourselves, the museums were a short trip away. One day we came back to a feast prepared by our kids who had joined the chef in the kitchen and helped produce lunch brimming with goodness. 

But back to the movie last night - one of my favourite scenes is the one in the barber shop where Luca Spaghetti explains the concept of "il bel far niente" - the beauty of doing nothing and the simple pleasure of being. They do seem to have it down to an art - the way they speak, eat, live and enjoy the fine things in life. It has always amazed me how the chaos of Italy (the strikes, the mafia, the politics, etc) seems to go right over the heads of the people while they enjoy the good life. And if you think about it, there are many good things that come out of Italy - cars, bags, shoes, clothes, food, music, art, ice cream... The whole concept of  deserving pleasure seems bred into the bones of Italians, whereas we need to go to therapy to feel that we are worthy! I read once that Freud's theories never took off with the Italians - they don't repress anything so they don't need psychoanalysis.

Like all movies, it veered off the story in the book, but it was a real "feel-good" experience. The "Pray" and "Love" part of the story is subject for another blog ... I am still revelling in la dolce vita.