The Bailey Expedition - Northern Italy

Northern Italy

As one heads south from Interlaken, the Swiss alps morph seamlessly into the Italian countryside. Without signs, it is hard to tell where one ends and other other begins. However, we were a bit startled to see that at the first restaurant/rest area, there were signs warning us that the parking lot was not protected and that our belongings may not be safe if left inside the car. Hmm, guess we are in Italy, quite a change from the safety and feeling of warmth we felt in Switzerland. We are on our guard and even mailed a last package home rather than risk our collected treasures during an episode of urinary exigency or overnight parking. We headed for the area of Milan as a access point to the road south through Tuscany. We had hoped to have a bit of time in Milan to see the cathedral, however the traffic put a damper on these plans. Stop-and-go driving to the north of town on the interstate at 7:00pm sent us onto the beltway arond this center of fashion and culture and south towards Florence.

As a destination for our first night in Italy we selected a city by the name of Reggio Emilia. It is famous for a number of things but Mark and Pamela know it for its innovative educational approach. We called ahead and located a room in a 500 year old abby - now youth hostel. It was marvelous, the vaulted hallways formed a square off of which the old monks had quarters that looked out on a central courtyard. The view at night of the old church was spiritual (as were the accoustics of the building). It just so happens that the matriarch of the family running the hostel had been the original cook working with Lorus Malagucci at the inception of this new approach to learning; the Reggio Emilia approach. We talked with her and her son and set out the next morning for the school. Because of its overpopularity, they no longer allow observers... however this was saturday and we hoped maybe a teacher working on the weekend would let us look around. There was no one at the school, but thoughtfully they had left a few windows open so we were able to peer inside and examine the classrooms and grounds. It was very cool.

Heading south we approached the seat of Tuscany and the home to the Renaissence, Florence. Our great excitement was somewhat squelched by the level of difficulty involved in accessing the city center. We had made reservations at a Pensione, the Ferdanando II de Medici right in the heart of Florence. Apparently the city founders did not anticipate road structures necessary to accommodate modern traffic, and with a typical European affinity for one way and blocked streets, and with a map with quixotic veracity, our afternoon was a study in perseverance. After finally arriving we took a stroll down to the Piazza Vecchio and began to absorb the culture and history that makes this city spectacular. There is art at every corner, music, arcitecture, painting, sculpture...

Day 3. To the Uffizi and Beyond.

It is sunday. With our time limited and knowing that the world class Uffizi gallery (and a couple of other gems) are not open on Mondays we rose early and headed down for what promised to be a stunning day of art history and enlightenment. We were greated with the message that due to a state workers strike, the Uffizi and most other galleries were closed. ZOINKS! Without missing a beat we headed for the Galleria Dell'Acadamie. Thankfully they did not get the memo and were still open. The David, The Prisioners, several Stradiveri instruments and countless other pearls of enlightened artists changed our perspective and made our morning spectatular. While it is dissapointing that they do not allow photos in the musuem, we have all collected mental snapshots that will more than suffice. Crossing the only bridge in Florence that did not succomb to Allied bombing in the war to end all wars, (you know that one a few wars ago), we headed to one of the spectacular Medici homes, the Pitti palace. Nope, strike closed. Undaunted we headed up the slope just south of the river to the Plaza Michaelangelo and took in a spectacular view over the rooftops of Florence and ate fruit slushies. We have decide to pool all of the 17 or 18 Euros that we have left in hopes of resolving this strike (which nobody seems to have heard anything about outside of these few museums).

Firenze has an indescribable wealth of art and galleries due in part to the money and influence of the Medicis and the role of Florence in the Renaissance. Today we saw three galleries and visited the cathedral. The Museo di San Marco is really a Dominican Convent that contains frescos by Fra Angelico and Fra Bartolommeo, as well as illuminations, frescos and paintings by many of the Florentine masters who stayed there. Next it was off to the Museo del Bargello where there resides one of the the most comprehensive collections of Tuscan Renaissance sculpture in Italy; four Michaelangelos including Bacchus, many Donatellos and other wonderful works. The building itself is also a work of art and houses a complete collection of the coats of arms of Florentines from the 14th and 15th centuries displayed on the walls of the courtyard. Our final stop is the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. This is ostensibly the museum that documents the construction of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, however it is also well known as the new home of one of Michaelengelo's Pietas, the unfinished or damaged one. Finally we visited Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore and arrived during a choral performance of a tour group that was hauntingly etherial. The dome is amazing (go Brunelleschi!) and Giotto's work on the Campanille rocks. This is a truly religious experience, but I guess that was the plan. The topper for Griffin's day was a visit to a local video game store to demo new Xbox games. Vini, Vedi, Video.

Finally the Uffizi: Lippi, and Titian, and Baroccci, oh my! A world class gallery that traces the Renaissance innovation of perspective through the artwork that marked this transformation. The work is rather well displayed with the architecture of the rooms reflecting the works they contain. This is in contrast to the other gallery that we visited today, the Pitti Palace. Home of the Medici clan, this contains a respectable collection of art that is badly lit and clumsly grouped. The Medicis have a sense of composition that stressed lavish overabundance. Such indulgence makes this particular gallery and the attached appartments a soup that contains too many strong flavors all forced into the same broth. A bit much to swallow and still appreciate the individual flavors. It leaves one feeling like they need their palate cleansed. We did enjoy seeing the works of Raphael, Caravaggio, and other Florentine notables. 5 gallerries in 2 days and we are feeling like our appetite for artwork is sated. One final point of note. It has been very hot and dry here this summer and after a final night on the town we came back to the hotel to find that the low water pressure had turned into no water. That's right, nothing to drink, shower or to flush with for hours. We point our compass southward and move on. Click here to view all our photos from northern Italy

Today the fates pulled us south across the length of Tuscany and into Umbria. Our first stop was at the old political and economic rival of Florence, Sienna. The cathedral in central Sienna is another classic work of art (right, top). Horizontally striped and furnished with enough gilt to rival even the Medicis, it contains some of the most lavish marble floor work in the world. What made our trip to Sienna even more interesting was the fact that today was a semiannual horse race through the town square, a event that pits neighborhood against neighborhood in a nationally televised event of swirrling dust, fallen horsemen and rollicking piazza. While we witnessed the procession of jocky and horse, and the setup and filling of the square, our schedule whisked us to Orvietto before nightfall and away from the meyhem before it was in full swing. The cathedral in Orvietto while also striped, is much less bedecked insidel (right, bottom). However it boasts "The Last Judgement" by Signorelli that many say rivals Michalengelos, and ceiling frescos by Fra Angelico. The Facade was being restored so it was covered, however the entire structure inside and out is quite visually arresting. After pasta and gelato, we went back to the cathedral square and enjoyed listening to the sound of children laughing and playing soccer and other games in the space surrounding this incredible ediface. In part because it is such a small town, it feels more like a living real place for people to be together and grow up. We will see if we will have that same feeling tomorrow as we pull into Roma.