Cremona

Cremona is a city in northern Italy that is known for its musical traditions, and especially as the birthplace of some of the greatest luthiers, or violin makers, such as Stradivari, Guarneri, and several generations of Amati. This reputation, along with magnificent collections of well-preserved instruments by those makers, are a magnet for visitors like myself who play bowed-string instruments.

Click on any image to enlarge

The Duomo of Cremona faces the town square (Piazza della Comune).
Construction of the Duomo was begun in 1107.

Facing the same Piazza are the bell tower, baptistry, and town hall. The bell tower is joined with the cathedral through a loggia, and was erected between 1267 and 1305. The astronomical clock was built 1583-1588 and depicts the vault of heaven with the zodiacal constellations.

Construction on the baptistery was begun in 1167.

The Town Hall was founded in 1206 and enlarged in 1245, with some modifications in later centuries.

A bronze statue is a tribute to Antonio Stradivari in Piazza Stradivari

The entrance to the Museo del Violino

Antonio Stradivari cello "Stauffer - ex Cristiani" 1700

Here is a recording of this cello from the Museo del Violino. Click HERE.

Stradivari guitar "Sabionari" 1679

This guitar and the following 1566 Amati violin are featured in a performance recording from the Museo. Click HERE to view.

Andrea Amati (ca. 1505-1577) violin "Carlos IX" ca. 1566.

Notice the remarkable one-piece back. It's rare that a maker can find a single piece to serve as the back. Most are made by joining two pieces. There are many examples of one-piece back violins in the collection

Giuseppe Guarneri "del Gesù" (1698-1744) violin "Stauffer" 1734:

Violin by Stradivari "Hellier" (1679) with elaborate purfling inlay:

I took a break at noon to hear a recital in the beautiful auditorium at the Museo. Lena Yokoyama performed solo on the Stradivari "Clisbee" 1669 violin. The instrument had been placed on a cloth-covered table for her. She did not walk in or out with the violin. At the conclusion of the recital, she placed the fiddle back on the table as the armed guard quickly moved into place at the table. A museum official entered soon after to remove the violin in a case.

After visiting this astonishing collection of instruments at the Museo del Violino, there was one more thing to see in Cremona. Here is another painting by Caravaggio, at the Museo Civico. In contrast to the Caravaggio paintings in Rome and Florence, which attract huge crowds of tourists, this museum is little known. I was able to sit in a comfortable lounge chair in front of the painting alone with no distractions.

Caravaggio, St. Francis in meditation, early 1600s

Florence and treasures of the Renaissance #1

What a thrill to arrive in Florence for a 17-day visit. So much to see, so much to do! So I start with the Uffizi Gallery. Here is a view of the Ponte Vecchio spanning the Arno River as seen from the Uffizi. Click on any photo to enlarge.

The Uffizi is home to great sculpture and paintings of the ancient Greeks and Renaissance Italians. The Medici family collected and commissioned the items in the gallery.

Bacchus with grapes, Greek marble, 1st-2nd century CE, with 16th century restorations:

Giovanni Caccini (1556-1613), Hercules and Nessus. 

This piece has been in the same location since 1595:

Cupid and Psyche, unearthed in a garden on the slopes of the Celian Hill in Rome in 1666. The work, which can be dated to the second half of the 2nd century CE, is a Roman interpretation of a Hellenistic original developed in the late 2nd century BCE:

Paolo Uccello, The Battle of San Romano, ca. 1435-40:

One wing of the Gallery, lined with sculptures, and ceilings covered with elaborate paintings.

Sandro Botticelli, Spring (late 1470s or early 1480s):

Botticelli, Birth of Venus (ca. 1485):

The Accademia Gallery is a smaller museum than the Uffizi and houses several sculptures by Michelangelo (1475-1564), including his David and many unfinished pieces.

Michelangelo Pietà

Michelangelo, Prisoner, unfinished work for the tomb of Pope Julius II

The Accademia contains a collection of historical musical instruments.

Here is a cello by Nicolò Amati from about 1650

Tenor viola 1690 by Antonio Stradivari:

By now, I am suffering from Stendhal Syndrome.

Marie-Henri Beyle (1783–1842), better known by his pen-name Stendhal, was a 19th-century French writer. Best known for the novels Le Rouge et le Noir (The Red and the Black) and others.

In 1817 Stendhal was reportedly overcome by the cultural richness of Florence he encountered when he first visited the Tuscan city. As he described in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio:

As I emerged from the porch of Santa Croce, I was seized with a fierce palpitation of the heart (that same symptom which, in Berlin, is referred to as an attack of the nerves); the well-spring of life was dried up within me, and I walked in constant fear of falling to the ground.

The condition was diagnosed and named in 1979 by Italian psychiatrist Dr. Graziella Magherini, who had noticed similar psychosomatic conditions (racing heart beat, nausea and dizziness) amongst first-time visitors to the city.

In homage to Stendhal, Trenitalia named their overnight train service from Paris to Venice the Stendhal Express.

Click HERE for the next page on the Italian tour

Bomarzo, Park of Monsters

Bomarzo is a village of about 2,000 inhabitants about 50 miles north of Rome. Pier Francesco Orsini (1523-1583) was a condotierro, an Italian military leader. Following his capture and imprisonment in war, he retired to his family's estate in the province of Viterbo, turning away from war, politics and religion.

Here is a view of the medieval town of Bomarzo dominated by the palazzo:

And HERE is a link to my short video from atop the distant hill.

Views of the medieval town of Bomarzo:

In retirement, Pier Francesco Orsini devoted his time and efforts to art, creating the Sacred Grove, also called Park of Monsters. Carved out of the natural rock outcroppings, the mythical creatures are scattered about several acres of natural vegetation. The park is open to visitors.

One of Hannibal's elephants attacking a Roman centurion:

The Etruscan Bench

"You, who wander the world,

Anxious to see huge and magnificent marvels,

Come here where you will find hideous faces

Of elephants, lions, bears, ogres and dragons."

Hercules and Cacus:

The Ogre:

The Fury:

The Argentine writer Manuel Mujica Láinez published a novel in 1962 that creates a fictional story of Prince Orsini. The novel became the basis of the opera Bomarzo by Alberto Ginastera. I attended the 50th anniversary performance of the opera in Madrid in 2017. My review is HERE

Click HERE for the next page on the Italian Grand Tour

Roger's Grand Tour to Italy 2019

It is time to realize a long-held dream of visiting the grand monuments of Italian Renaissance sculpture, painting, architecture and music. So I reserve the month of May 2019 and create an agenda to visit Rome and Florence, with side trips to the medieval country village of Bomarzo to see the 16th century Sacred Grove, or Park of Monsters; and to Cremona, a center of violinmaking for the past 500 years. I also intend to learn as much as possible of the Italian language and culture.

The adventure begins in Rome, with lodging not far from Saint Peter's. It's an easy walk to the Vatican Museums and the ancient sculpture of the Laocoön.

I didn't get the message that photos are not allowed in the Sistine Chapel until after I had taken this one:

On my agenda this month is to track down paintings by Caravaggio. This is the Madonna of Loreto (1604-06) at the church Sant'Antonio, a Baroque church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Lisbon. Renaissance church officials were not pleased with the soiled feet of the peasant, and with Mary's exposed bare feet.

At the church San Luigi dei Francesi, three paintings by Caravaggio decorate the Contarelli Chapel, on the life of Saint Matthew. This one is the Inspiration of S. Matthew.

At nearby Piazza Navona are some of the numerous fountains in Rome. These are the Moor Fountain (1575) by Giacomo della Porta and the Fountain of the Four Rivers (1651) by Bernini, with the Egyptian obelisk in the background. The heavy crowds of tourists made it difficult to get clear photo views.

A visit to the Borghese Gallery astonishes with gorgeous ceilings

The Borghese has these paintings by Caravaggio

Self-portrait as Bacchus

Youth with basket of fruit

The Palazzo Barberini is the home of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, 

with many Renaissance masterpieces:

Narcissus by Caravaggio

Judith beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio

Carlo Saraceni (Venice 1579-1620), Santa Cecilia and the angel:

I visited the Santa Cecilia concert hall for a wonderful concert with pianist Yefim Bronfman and the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Daniele Gatti. The all-Brahms program offered the Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 2.

My review of the concert is here

This is just a sampling of the many treasures in Rome. Next, it's off to Bomarzo, Florence, and Cremona. Click HERE for the next page.