Roberta Reports From Italy
May, 2005

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Second time around, the Festa Nazionale della PiccolaGrandeItalia takes place on Sunday, May 8. This celebration of "small is beautiful" is focused on the more diminutive towns in Italy: those with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, to be precise. Although these are not the ones that make the news headlines, some 20% of the country's population -- over 10,000,000 people -- lives in these small comuni. Indeed, the under-5000s account for 5835 of the total of 8100 municipalities, Italywide. And if anyone imagined that the phenomenon of the small town only existed in certain parts of the country, Lombardy, the powerhouse of Italy's industrial success, accounts for 1152 of the total. Indeed, 75% of the comuni in the Lombardy region have fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. As far as concentrations go, Piemonte comes in first with 1077 in number, which comes to 89%.

Coincidentally, I am going to visit one of these – population 2,500 – very shortly. In the run-up to the launch of the exhibition Marco Palmezzano – Il Rinascimento nelle Romagne, which is to be held in Forlì between December 4, 2005 and April 30, 2006, I have been invited on a press-trip to see the area where the artist Marco Palmezzano (1456-1539) was born. I have never been there. The closest I ever got was the highly-enjoyable visit to Rimini of last September that you can read about in my October 2004/ Roberta Reports. I also recall changing trains at Faenza once several years ago, on a trip from Ravenna to Florence. And that's it. So it is all going to be new and exciting. Our trip will start on Friday afternoon, in Forlì itself. First stop is the Monastery of San Domenico, where the exhibition will be held. The convento is scheduled to become the city art gallery. We then visit the Oratorio di San Sebastiano. This was built between 1494 and 1502 by Pace di Maso del Bombace, and contains paintings by Palmezzano. More of these can be seen at the Abbazia di San Mercuriale, which dates from the 12th century. The last stop will be the city museum, where we will see more works by Palmezzano, as well as Guercino and Fra Angelico. Not of the period but of interest anyway, is that this museum holds the only sculpture of Ebe by Antonio Canova (1757-1822) still in Italy. The others are in the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, the Nationalgalerie in Berlin, and Chatsworth House in Britain.

In the evening, we’ll move on to Terra del Sole, the small town I mentioned above. A rare example of the "ideal city" popular with Renaissance thinkers, Terra del Sole was the brainchild of Cosimo de’ Medici (1519-1574), the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. The place he picked was at the farthest confines of his state -- and indeed Terra del Sole became the capital of the area known as the Romagna Fiorentina or Romagna Toscana. Everything about the creation of this city/fortress is documented. From a letter dated February 1, 1564, we know that Cosimo was having measurements made for "Terra del Sole", or Eliopoli, as it was also known. On December 8 of the same year, as reported in his chronicles by the Capitano di Castrocaro Corbizio II Corbizi, work started, the occasion being marked, he writes, with a solemn procession and mass. Among the dignitaries present, Antonio Giannotti da Montagnana, the bishop of Forlì.

Conceived as a fortified city, Terra del Sole was designed by Baldassarre Lanci (1510-1571), who came from Urbino. Many other architects and artists were involved, including Bernardo Buontalenti (1531-1608) who also designed, among other things, the grotto in Florence’s Boboli Gardens, and the Fortezza Belvedere. Terra del Sole is the shape of a rectangle, protected by massive walls just over two kilometers in perimeter and 12.5 meters high. There are four corner bastions. These are named for Santa Maria, Santa Reparata, Sant'Andrea, and San Martino. Access is via two gates, each protected by a castle. The town is laid out in symmetrical fashion. There are two larger sections or borghi. These are borgo romano and borgo fiorentino. The design of the houses in these sections is dictated by use: either civilian or military. There are also four smaller borghi. One key feature of the city is that the streets are nine meters wide, which is the same height as the houses. This was recommended by Leonardo da Vinci in his remarks on how to design a city that was as easy to live in as possible. Terra del Sole is one of the rare examples of a city that was not only planned -- but actually built -- to order. Plenty have remained on paper, and many others have been changed. I look forward to seeing it.

On Saturday morning, we will visit the open-air museum of Italian architecture from 1900-1950, at Predappio -- probably better known as the birthplace of Benito Mussolini. The town is also known for its wine, the sangiovese di Predappio. Indeed, in the oldest part of the town, known as Predappio Alto, located, as the name suggests, above the modern-day town -- there is a wine museum. This is located in the cellars of what is called, in dialect, the “Ca’ de Sansves" and which would be “Casa del Sangiovese,” in Italian. I am not sure whether the museum is included on the itinerary, but I thought it worth mentioning it because it would surely be worth including in your visit.

We will then proceed to Forlimpopoli for lunch at the city's Istituto Alberghiero, or catering school. If you are well-versed in the culinary arts, you will know that Pellegrino Artusi (1820-1911), the author of La Scienza in cucina e l’arte di mangiar bene, the bible of Italian cooking, is a native son. This fascinating book has been translated into English and is available by clicking here. Forlimpopoli has its own borgo, a castle, an archeology museum, and the church of Santa Maria dei Servi, which houses works by Palmezzano.

Our group will then proceed to Bertinoro. This is the city of hospitality, by definition. Indeed, so keen were the townspeople to welcome visitors that, at a certain point, their generosity became the cause of considerable strife. Everyone wanted to play host and no one was prepared to take turns. The solution they found, in the 13th century, was to erect a column in the main square, called the colonna delle anella. Each ring corresponded to a family. Visitors were invited to tie their horses to one of the rings. (If they were on foot, they would hook their walking stick into the anella of their choice.) The family whose ring had been chosen by the traveler was the one who would have the honor of having that person stay over. This tradition is commemorated on the first Sunday of September, with their Festa dell’Ospitalità. Bertinoro is also dubbed il balcone sulle Romagne, for the fact, presumably, that one is afforded a splendid view of the entire area from the borgo.

Our next stop will be Castrocaro. Here we’ll visit the castle, the spa and the church of San Francesco where we will see some paintings by our man Palmezzano. Called Salsubium by the ancient Romans, Castrocaro was famed even then for its spa water. In 1403, the rulers of Florence bought the castle for 20,000 gold florins from Tommaso da Campofregoso, of the Conti di Novi Ligure. For 176 years, Castrocaro was the chief town of the province of Romagna, its location making it impregnable. But with the creation of Terra del Sole just two kilometers away, Castrocaro lost its role, and was decommissioned in 1676 by order of Cosimo III de’ Medici. Since then, the town has become famous for the healing powers of its thermal waters.

Sunday lunch will be at the Michelin 2-star La Frasca restaurant in Castrocaro. Created over 30 years ago by proud owner Gianfranco Bolognesi and his wife Bruna, La Frasca features chef Marco Cavallucci, whose specialty is the contemporary cuisine of Romagna. The turbot cooked in salt sounds appealing, as do the tagliatelle al tartufo. However, the latter would have to wait for the truffle season, which is the fall, of course. I probably will not be back in time to taste them. Maybe you will. The wine is sure to be outstanding, since Gianfranco Bolognesi is one of Italy's leading sommeliers. Located at Viale Matteotti 38, the restaurant is closed on Tuesdays, as well as much of January and August 16-30. For reservations, email the restaurant.

The sun has finally come out and we hope that all the rain and bad weather are over for the moment, so I have been thinking of places to go. One of my favorites is Lake Como. I was checking the boat schedules the other day (in Italian only - click here). One service that caught my eye was "Un battello per le ville." Which allows you to visit one of several lakeside villas by boat. The stately homes in question are Villa Balbianello at Lenno, Villa Carlotta at Tremezzo, Villa Melzi at Bellagio, Villa Monastero or Villa Cipressi at Varenna. Prices range from 8 Euro to 19 Euro, and of course include admission to the historic houses in question. In the case of Villa Carlotta, this also means the museum of neo-Classical and Romantic Art.

If formal gardens don't do it for you, you could consider a visit by boat from Como, Bellagio, or Lecco, to the Abbazia di Piona (tel. 0341/940-331, open 8.30am-12.30pm, 1.30-6.30pm daily). Located on a promontory that separates Lake Como proper from the Laghetto di Piona, the abbey was consecrated in 1138. The complex consists of a 13th-century cloister with Romanesque and Gothic columns and fragments of earlier frescos lining its walls; the abbey-church of San Nicolao has 13th-century frescos and a couple of marble lions that used to hold up the raised pulpit. You can purchase their homemade liqueurs, or you might even decide to stay: rooms are available for people who wish to meditate.

Apart from offering a peaceful way of approaching, the boat-trips on the lake also provide the only chance to see certain places. One is Villa Fontanelle, Versace's lakeside place at Moltrasio. Another is George Clooney's pad -- Villa Oleandra, at Laglio.

While it is easy enough to find out what George is up to from the mags that are "in the know," I guess I will have to go to another source to discover more about someone like Matilde di Canossa (1046-1115). One of the most powerful women who ever lived in Italy, she brought even the Holy Roman Emperor to his knees before her throne. Her domain extended from Mantua to Lucca, all the way through to Florence, and up to the mouth of the Po River. Apart from anything else, she sponsored the creation of the University of Bologna, as well as lending her support to Pope Gregory VII’s root-and-branch reform of the Catholic Church. Wonder what she would think about having her very own web page?

Closed for the last four years for renovation, the pinacoteca (picture gallery) in Milan’s Castello Sforzesco has just reopened. Featuring paintings that date from medieval times to the 1700s, the museum is currently exhibiting 230 works by the likes of Bonifacio Bembo, Vincenzo Foppa, Bergognone (Ambrogio da Fossano), Marco d'Oggiono, Bartolomeo Suardi (il Bramantino), il Bambaia (Agostino Busti), Antonello da Messina, Andrea Mantegna, Giovanni Bellini, Lorenzo Lotto, Tintoretto (Iacopo Robusti), Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal), Giovan Battista Crespi (il Cerano), Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (il Morazzone), Fra' Galgario (Vittore Ghislandi), Giacomo Ceruti (il Pitocchetto), Alessandro Magnasco (il Lissandrino), and Bernardo Bellotto. Admission is 3 Euro, free on Fridays between 2pm and 5pm. For more on the castle, which is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm, click here.

More art news: two small paintings, currently forming part of the exhibition called Cimabue a Pisa, La pittura pisana del Duecento da Giunta a Giotto, are to be protagonists of exhibitions at the National Gallery in London and the Frick Collection in New York.

The two paintings, by Cimabue, a Flagellazione and a Madonna in trono con bambino e santi, are commonly believed to be two parts of a portable diptych. They are also believed to have been painted in Pisa, in the 1280s round about the same time as when the artists was working on the Maestà for the church of San Francesco in Pisa. (This piece is now in the Louvre in Paris).

While we await news of these shows, you have until June 25 to see the Cimabue show at the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo in Pisa. The catalogue is by Pacini Editore.

If you are renting a house in Italy with its own land-line or are staying at a friend's home, you might be interested in the following that I found the other day as I was looking at a list of services offered by Telecom Italia, the Italian phone company. One is the number that you can use when you require urgently to speak to someone and their phone line is busy. Basically, you dial 4197 before the number of the person you need to talk to. A recorded message then breaks into the call and tells the appropriate party that someone needs their urgent attention. Another really useful service is the phone alarm. You may not need it because you set your cell phone. My cell phone just splutters slightly when I use the alarm-clock facility, and so I need to be wide awake just to hear it. Which clearly defeats the object of the exercise. And that is why I use the servizio sveglia telefonica. Dial 4114 and the nice lady will welcome you, speaking only Italian of course, and ask you to punch in the time you want to be woken, using four digits. So 6:15 a.m. would be 0615. She then asks you to punch in the number from which you are calling, including area code. She then repeats the time and the number and then you are all set. If you’re doing this because you have an early flight to get to, be sure to leave the phone where you can hear it ring!

I’m off now, to do some more guidebook checking. I am researching hotels in Florence as well as shopping in Milan. More on that next time, along with other ideas for ways to explore Italy. Have a great month!