Why I love Spaghetti Westerns (and Sergio and Ennio)

 

My friend Mary Ann Zancanaro loves spaghetti westerns and wrote this a few years ago. The last few months sheltering in place guidelines have revived the genre and internet lists form Digital Trends to Esquire consistently list these films as among the most watched during the COVID pandemic.

Which spaghetti dish pairs best with a nice Chianti on Friday evening at 10:15 pm?  For my money it would be a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.  If you have ever seen the first 15 minutes of Once upon a Time in the West, you would agree. Recipe for a great opening scene:

Ingredients

1 Desolate landscape shot in wide angle

1 lonely train station

3 grizzled outlaws

1 tough good guy

1 persistent fly

1 squeaky windmill

a few creaky door hinges

some dripping water

1 unforgettable harmonica solo

You get the picture. Some of the most iconic movie images of the American West came to us from the imagination of the late Italian film director, Sergio Leone. (Think: Clint Eastwood as The Man with No Name.)  As someone who did not have much direct experience in America, what did Mr. Leone know about us that we did not know ourselves? Most of what he knew about America came from Hollywood movies, many of them Westerns and it is this genre that he used to tell his American stories of rugged individualism on the frontier, the struggle of good versus evil, and the promise of a better life in a new land.  In my mind, his Westerns can hold their own with those of John Ford and Howard Hawks, two of America’s greatest directors.

How lucky for us that Leone’s classmate in school was the great composer, Ennio Morricone.  His spare, haunting music echoes through the empty desert as the perfect complement to Leone’s lonely, wide-angle landscapes. This is not grand opera.  It is the sound of an unforgiving landscape, stripped down to its bare bones.  Even without seeing them, we know that the vultures are circling. Sometimes it is not ourselves but the outsider who sees us as we are.  Leone’s vision of the promise of America may not have been much different from that of my Nonno and Nonna, who came here so many years ago to find a better life. And when this Italian American granddaughter watches a Leone western, she feels right at home.

 

Easter Bunny thought to be Self-Isolating in the Italian Alps during COVID-19

 

Italian paparazzi took an aerial shot of the Easter Bunny thought to be self-isolating in Artesina in the Italian Alps near Cuneo only to find out that he was an imposter. Made out of wool, this rabbit is a knitted art installation made by Gelitin, a group of 4 Viennese artists known for creating sensational and amusing art events. Lying on a hill in the northern Piedmont, the Pepto Bismol pink rabbit is 200 feet in length and 20 feet high. Installed in 2005, it took 5 years to assemble and looks like a stuffed toy knitted by a Gullervian grandmother for a Brobdingnagian child. The stress of COVID-19 and annual celebrations have literally knocked the stuffing out of the pink hare although the installation is expected to last until 2025 before the fluffy pink rabbit is reclaimed by the mountainside.

To give you an idea of just how big this rabbit is take a look at the people touring the installation walking on top.

Italy’s Mille Miglia – Power and Beauty

It was a good race and from Rome onwards I never had any doubt that I should win” Tazio Nuvolari – 1930 Winner Mille Miglia

On to Rome in Italy’s Mille Miglia, one of the most prestigious historic automotive events in the world has been called the “most beautiful race in the world” taking competitors through the stunning Italian countryside as they attempt to complete the 1000 mile open road race from Brescia in the north to Rome in period-correct Ferraris, Alfa Romeos, Fiats and more.

Back home in Indiana excitement is building as the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 is scheduled to begin in 10 days, 3 hours and 12 minutes.  Racing fans all over the world look forward every May to the thrill of the Brickyard for the agony and the ecstasy of an event that has been called “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.”

But before the gentlemen and ladies of the Indy 500 start their engines, there is another thrill to be had on the international racing stage with the vintage and classic cars of Italy’s Mille Miglia, an open-road endurance race that began yesterday May 15th from Brescia-to-Rome 

An estimated 4 million Italian spectators  and others from around the world relive a history of road racing that begin in 1927 with cars and drivers like Tazio Nuvolari , who won the  1930 race in his Alfa Romeo, reaching celebrity status. 430 cars were selected for this year’s race from 1,500 + registrations based on their history and record of achievements with Alfa Romeo  leading the way with 44 cars in the race.  Among the cars represented (Ferrari, Maserati, Bentley, Porsche, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Lancia, BMW, Bugatti and Mercedes-Benz -celebrating 125 years of motorsport) are two Volkswagen Beetles, the 1951 Pretzel Beetle and the 1956 Ovali Beetle have been modified to replicate their historical predecessors. Volkswagen has been instrumental in the history of the Mille Miglia with high-performance Beetles finishing  much higher up the standings than their more powerful opposition. thanks in no small part to their reliability.

Sport’s car enthusiasts will not want to miss the stunning pictures of the cars of the Mille Miglia posted all over the Internet.

 

The most glorious wall calendar I ever saw.

 

Every January I looked forward to buying a calendar for the New Year, displaying it like a work of art, shopping for an interesting theme customized to my taste. One year it was Welsh Corgis, another tropical beaches, wolves, 365 days in Italy and the list goes on. You can probably find a wall calendar designed to suit everyone on the planet. A recent Bing search turned up 141,000,000 results. Last year I didn’t bother to buy a calendar (relying on my mobile phone) and now I realize how much I miss turning the pages month by month. I need to replace the digital and repost the material version of my life day by day and take a clue from the Renaissance.

The fresco artists of Italy’s quattrocento were masters at interpreting the months of the year and often used their art to bring attention to the passage of time and its implications. Fresco cycles with symbols and designs that represent the astrological horoscope and seasons can be found in the salons and halls of Italy’s most renown palazzi and villas.  Many 15^th century fresco artists interpreted the months of the year with such stunning results that their work is among the great art of the western world.

One of my favorites is in the Palazzo Schifanoia in Ferrara, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Painted by Francesco del Cossa and Cosimo Tura, the frescoes line the walls of the Salone dei Mese (Room of Months) in the main hall. Designed for the Estense Court of Ferrara as a retreat for pleasure and diversions (schiafonia is thought to originate from the word schivar la noia meaning “escape from boredom”) Palazzo Schifanoia is a hidden jewel on a side street of Ferrara. With a rather plain and unassuming façade, the elegant marble entry with the Estense coat of arms may be the only sign that you are about to enter into a pleasure palace filled with rare beauty and  earthly delights. The allegorical frescoes of the Ciclo de Mesi (cycle of months) are considered to be one of the greatest examples of humanistic astrological Italian art making it the most glorious wall calendar I ever saw.

The Other Last Supper

One of the most important fresco cycles in Italy is by the Italian Renaissance master Giotto located in a chapel on the estate grounds of a money lenders son who in atonement for his father’s sins sought redemption through art. Reginaldo Scrovegni was a wealthy moneylender from the city of Padua. His reputation was such that he was portrayed in the Seventh Circle of Hell in Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s no wonder that Enrico Scrovegni, Reginaldo’s son, felt compelled to build a private chapel next to the family palazzo in penitence for his father’s sins. He must have been frightened out of his mind after reading Dante’s description of his impending doom and hoped not only to atone for the sins of his father but his own as it was suggested that Enrico was also involved in usurious practices. So Enrico commissioned Giotto to design a chapel with a series of frescoes on the site of a Roman arena that was on the grounds of his family estate.

Giotto’s Last Supper

The vaulted chapel is a work of breathless beauty with a ceiling that resembles a starry blue sky.The walls of the chapel contain 37 panels in 3 tiers with scenes of the life of Christ and his mother Mary including a pre da Vinci painting of the Last Supper that in someways is as intriquing as Leonardo’s masterpiece in the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. In Giotto’s versione the apostles are arranged around the table, some with their backs towards us, in a more realistic scene of a Passover meal. It’s interesting to note that the Last Supper had been portrayed many times prior to da Vinci’s Il Cenacolo including a 13th-century image with Mary Magdalene embracing the feet of Christ beneath the table while the beardless apostle John reclines his head on his Lord’s chest.The

Women Flourish in Italy – Celebrate Festa della Donna

Portrait of an Ideal Woman (Botticelli 1487)

Send a special message to the women in your life today. March 8th is International Women’s Day.  

In Italy they celebrate Festa della donna (Festival of the Woman) with banners and yellow mimosa. This time of the year, traveling in Italy, I noticed hundreds of bouquets of mimosa and banners everywhere. The Italians have always valued women and their role in society. Italy is like a great caldron of sensuality and emotion. History and art are sprinkled in for good measure and the outcome allows creativity to flourish and for women it allows their special talents to emerge.

If the number of yellow-flowered mimosa I have seen in Italy during March is any indication of the esteem Italy has for its women than I think they are greatly appreciated.

57 Inches from the floor

According to the market research firm InfoTrends, global consumers will take more than one trillion digital photos this year with a large part taken on vacations and trips. So what do you do with the over the top number of pictures taken on your trip to Italy. Of course there’s your Facebook wall album and the obligatory photo book. Your annual Vista Print calendar and family Christmas card. Perhaps a Vimeo video. But like many Italian travelers the street art and iconic landscapes and architecture of Italy create such great photo opps that they want to bring Italy home with photos framed for wall art that deserve to be properly displayed.

According to pro designers the proper way to display your framed photos as art and make them look good on your wall is to follow a standard used in many galleries and museums. Always hang your artwork at 57″ on center meaning that the middle of the artwork is always at 57″. The 57″ standard represents the average human eye-height known to be most pleasing for viewing.  Click here to learn how Maxwell Ryan from Apartment Therapy applies this standard when hanging artwork and enjoy your fotos of Italy!

Italy’s Fab Four

Sirius XM satellite radio launched the Beatles Channel (channel 18) this past week and other Sirius stations joined in the celebration. One in particular was XM Channel 88 NFL Radio who asked listeners to call in and name their Fab Four of Football. This got me thinking what would my choice be for Italy’s Fab Four. The top 4 most fabulous experiences you could have it Italy. It almost seems impossible to choose 4 distinctive touchstones that define the “fatal charm of Italy that can be found nowhere else” but here are mine.

Driving through the iconic landscape of the Tuscany’s Crete Senesi and Val d’Orcia
Florence, Rome and Venice
Assisi and the Franciscan Santuario of La Verna
The mosaics of Ravenna

An amazing list to be sure but here are a few more things in Italy I think are over the top, the star of the group, the best travel investment you can make, the cherry on the sundae, the most dominant person, place or thing you can see in Italy.

11 Things I Can’t Live Without When Traveling in Italy

I surely have more than 11 but here is my Italy in 30 Seconds List.

• Tagliatelle and ragu’ from Bologna
• Panzerotti from Milano
• Wild boar ragu -pappardelle al cinghiale ragu’ with a glass of Brunello from Montalcino
• Shopping at Santa Maria Novella Farmacia in Florence
• Pizza al taglio in Rome
• Bistecca alla fiorentina a/k/a the Tuscan T-bone with a glass of Chianti Classico Riserva
• A glass of Sagrantino wine from Montefalco in Umbria
• Cioccolata Calda – hot Italian Drinking Chocolate in almost any piazza in Italy
• A dip at an Italian terme (hot spring)
• Cappellacci di zucca and glass of sweet Albana di Romagna wine to end a meal in Ferrara
• A glass of Vin Santo with cantucci in Tuscany

A Bit of Italian Advice: Fortune is Fickle and Wisdom Lies in Knowing So

If you need a visual image to keep you focused on your Lenten journey you might consider the Italian Renaissance artist Pinturicchio’s Allegory of the Hill of Wisdom (1504). The Greek philosophers Socrates and Crates are caught in a rather tricky balancing act on the top of a steep hill with the Roman goddess Fortuna. A desperate band of travelers are shown trudging upward on a difficult path, supposedly a path we humans have to undertake if we want to reach wisdom.

To view Pinturicchio’s Allegoria del Colle della Sapienza you have to look downward rather than upward as it is part of the floor intarsia in the Cathedral of Siena.  A masterpiece underfoot, Giorgio Vasari called the floor of Siena’s Duomo “the most beautiful, big and magnificent that has ever been done”. Normally covered by carpets to protect it, the floor is uncovered for a few months each year when stories from antiquity, biblical scenes and allegories come to life through intricate patterns and designs created in marble as vivid and alive as any Renaissance sculpture. Siena cathedral floor

Siena is one of my favorite cities in Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must see when traveling in Tuscany. Siena is located in the Val d’Orcia, a breathtakingly beautiful part of Italy that makes the journey all the more memorable.  A perfect image in my mind’s eye to reflect on life’s journey.  Pinturicchio’s travelers to the Hill of Wisdom find their fortunes cast from the top as if to say Fortune is fickle and Wisdom lies in knowing so.