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Cortona Cathedral, Diocesan Museum and MAEC

2 Jun

The Cathedral

The Church of Santa Maria Assunta is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the city, built on the foundation of an ancient parish church. It is believed that the original church was built on the foundation of an ancient pagan temple dating back to the 4th century. The interior of the church was remodeled in the 18th century. With only outside lighting, it’s difficult to show much of the interior.

Cathedral altar

The Diocesan Museum

Originally built as the Church and Oratory of Gesù, between 1498-1905, the nine room Museum holds some of the most valuable religious art from Churches in and around Cortona. Included in this collection are amazing masterpieces by the local artist, Luca Signorelli, who was born in Cortona around 1455 and died in 1523.

Signorelli: Communion of the Apostles

Signorelli: Lamentation over the dead Christ

Signorelli is considered to be among the most important painters of the Italian Renaissance. The intensity of the color and the detail in his designs are breathtaking.

Also found in the museum is this masterpiece by Fra Angelico, the Annunciation:

Fra Angelico: Annunciation

One ticket buys entrance to the Diocesan Museum as well as the Museum of the Etruscan Academy (MAEC), and it’s good for two days, so we spread our visit. And good that we did as we had no idea how much we’d find in the MAEC. Arranged in chronological order, from room to room, is the history of ancient Cortona up to the Romans, and also more current works. Looking at pieces that are over 2500 years old is mind boggling.  So much and so well preserved! Here’s a sampling.

                                                                                  

Yes, that is gold jewelry, and nothing on the Ponte Vecchio can compare!

We are off to Rome tomorrow for three nights. I probably won’t be writing, but I will be reading so feel free to leave me comments. Mike leaves us next week…he’ll be busy in Rome and even spending a day in Pompeii with our friends Larry and Sandy, who are joining us in Rome. They are scheduled to have dinner in Naples and promise to bring us back a pizza…the best in the world!

So, Mike, farewell to you from Cortona!

Ciao,

Judy

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Around Cortona

1 Jun

These are some of the sights in Cortona we see daily on our walks…

                                                                          

                                               

                                                

This year, we are delighted to be here for the Giostra dell’ Archidado, a fully costumed festival that commemorates the wedding of the lord of Cortona in 1397. Starting tomorrow, there will be many events held over the next week including crossbow competitions, a reenactment of the wedding, dinners, and all types of medieval entertainment! A photographers paradise and we are ready!

Ciao!

Judy

Andiamo al Mercato!

31 May

Getting the girls moving earlier in the day is easy when I announce, “Let’s go to the market!” First stop, however, cappuccini per cinque…cappuccini for five.

Sarah and Benita

Judy and Len

Mike

On Thursdays, the large market spreads its wares in Camucia, the city at the bottom of the hill. There’s something for everyone: food, kitchen, shoes, clothes, lingerie, toys, linens, flowers, every kind of stuff, and unlike the antique market that was in Cortona on Sunday, everything is new.

And shop we did, well, we girls did anyway. Shortly after arriving, Len and Mike found a caffe where they gradually moved from cappuccini to birra and panini while waiting for us, but they didn’t mind a bit.

Camucia Market

Camucia Market

Prosciutto

Funghi crudi – raw mushrooms – you eat in a salad – the most expensive!

Bellissimi fiori

Arance and ciliegie

Sarah buying her purse

Some of our purchases!

We returned to Cortona for a light lunch outside at Cacio Brillo and were witness to another beautiful wedding.

On the balcony

This one added a new dimension where the bride and groom delighted their guests with a kiss, (this time after the ceremony!) on the balcony of the Commune.

And off they went!

Tonight we are going to relax at home with a large fresh tomato salad and a few pizzas from the local pizzeria. Perhaps later we will get some gelato. Len has figured out the washer and dryer, (unusual in Italy!)…the engineer in him always does! Just one machine at a time, however!

And finally, a nice thing happened to me on the way to the bus this morning. As we walked passed the home we rented last year, a woman leaned out of the second floor window. “Do you write a blog?” she asked. Could it be that she recognized me from my blog photos? Quite surprised, I answered yes! She said she had read the blog and as a result, rented the home for a week with her daughter. Wow…so happy to have helped!

All in a day’s fun – and it’s only 5:09 PM.

Ciao!

Judy

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Cortona Weddings

30 May

Local Wedding:

On a Sunday morning at 11 a.m., a horse drawn carriage carried a lovely bride and her father to S. Maria Nuova Church in Cortona. The church of Santa Maria Nuova was built in the mid sixteenth century by Giorgio Vasari.

Italian weddings are not always destined for Saturday, and this one reminded me that  Len and I were married on a Sunday as well.

The carriage arrived to the thunderous roar and applause of the waiting guests. We heard and watched this from the top of the hill until I decided I needed some photos. Most of the guests had filed into the Church by the time I ran down the hill, but I was able to see the proud father help his daughter out of the carriage.

The simplicity and loveliness of the bride, her father, a flower girl and ring bearer brought a smile to my face.

Although I couldn’t really see her face, I’m sure she was radiant as she entered the Church and approached her waiting fiancé.

Destination Wedding:

Others travel far to wed in Cortona. This union took place in the Palazzo Comunale, built in the early 1200’s. I believe the bride is American and the groom British, from a military family. The wedding attendees waited with anticipation, as well as many onlookers such as us, in front of the massive staircase.

The beautiful bride emerged from Via Nazionale to the waiting arms of her proud fiancé.

And before entering the Palazzo, they delighted their guests with a kiss.

Who needs movies?

Congratulations to all!

Ciao,

Judy

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Happy Memorial Day!

28 May

Last summer, we were here for the 4th of July and I was determined to find an American flag. I’m happy to show this photo once again.

Today, I want to include a special note and link I received from my niece, Loren. “Nice reminder on Memorial Day of the good in the world and reasons to be optimistic about and for future generations.”

Good in the world and optimism…important things to think about, especially today.

The Editor’s note below describes the link, which is well worth the read.

Editor’s note: Fareed Zakaria recently delivered the commencement address at Harvard. While the audience was graduates, the message could apply to a great many of us, so we’ve reprinted a modified version below.

And finally, courtesy of Benita, a magnificent tribute in Cortona dedicated to those who have served. The bronze statue, by Cortonese sculptor Delfo Paoletti (1895-1975),  graces the entrance to the public gardens and depicts a soldier being lifted in the arms of an angel.  Our thoughts are also with those who continue to serve.

Cortona War Memorial

Ciao!

Judy

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Saturday To Do List

26 May

1. Skip Italian Class: (note to my Italian teacher and classmates): Buongiorno a tutti! Mi dispiace io non sono con voi, ma devo ammettere, preferisco essere qui. Anche se non ho fatto i compiti della scorsa settimana, Giovanna sarebbe fiero di come ho praticare ogni giorno, per tutto il giorno. Ci vediamo in autunno. Ciao, Giuditta

2. Go to Market: Items for lunch for Trattoria Gingerella: let the pictures speak for themselves!

At the market

Roses from our garden

Roasted chicken, tomatoes and mozzarella, melon and prosciutto, antipasto and vino

3. Take random photos:

Benita and Sarah

Real mozarella!

Mike and the original Fiat 500

A 1910 wardrobe trunk

4. Dinner at Trattoria Toscana: http://www.trattoriatoscana.eu/

Goat cheese with balsamic

Gnocchi with leak and tomato

Tagliatelle con porcini

A wonderful day!

Ciao, Judy

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Home Again!

25 May

Cortona. We arrived yesterday, tired but invigorated and anxious to see people from last year.  Ti ricordi di noi? we asked, wondering if they remembered us. The warm embraces, big smiles and wonderful double cheek kisses let us know they did. I learned recently that the first kiss goes on the left cheek…funny I never knew that!

Benita L-front), Judy, Len, Michael, Sarah

Sarah, Davide, Benita

We had dinner at Taverna Pane e Vino. Unlike last year, when it was just Len and me, this trip we have a cast of characters including son Michael, daughter Benita,  and her friend Sarah. Benita and Sarah are both minoring in photography and will graciously lend some of their wonderful photos to my posts.

Also, a photo with our server Davide… the girls attract a lot of attention!

Afterward, heading out for gelato, we bumped into a group of professional photographers we had met earlier. They are doing several photo shoots throughout Italy for a travel company…a dream job! They answered my Mac converter questions and I provided some info about Cortona. In Cortona, strangers seem to easily become friends.

Clay (L-front), Cornelius, Marco, Barney
Dining al fresco on Via Nazionale

Talk about feeling home again. This morning, while the others slept, Len and I went to Trattoria Taconi for our usual morning cappuccino. This is the five-table teeny restaurant where we enjoyed cappuccino each morning last year. They actually only serve pranz0, or lunch, and you eat whatever Graziella is preparing for the day, on crisp white linen table cloths, of course. Yesterday we stopped in just to say hello. This morning, while having cappuccino, I noticed four of the five tables had reservation signs on them. I asked Angelino if something special was going on, and he pointed to the largest of the tables and said, per voi…for you! Of course, a table set for five. They were expecting us for lunch. Home again!

Graziella preparing our lunch

Pasta ragu

Lingering at Trattoria Taconi (panorama courtesy of Benita)

Happy to report that the sun is shining and we are all rested and ready for adventure.

Ciao,

Judy

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Trattoria Toscana

14 Apr

I just received the renewal notice for my blog site and must confess that I hadn’t looked at it in some time. I knew I’d resume writing late this May, when we return to Italia, but the notice caused me to read some of last summer’s posts. Doing so brought a smile to my face and also the realization that there are several posts I never had time to finish. In the next few weeks, I hope to be sharing them.

We are eagerly anticipating our 2012 trip, a return to Cortona and the friends we made there last summer. In the meantime, hope you enjoy reading about Trattoria Toscana. When I close my eyes, I can still smell the spaghetti con porcini!

From 2011 Summer

One of our favorite restaurants in Cortona is Trattoria Toscana. The owner Sara, chef  Santi and waiter Enzo are all very accommodating and fun! This restaurant is on Via Dardano, just down the street from our house on Via Mazzuoli. They exhibit local art work, paintings and photographs on their walls – one of the pieces shown by Len below. We have tried the fix prix menu as well as a la carte, and all have been delicious. Tonight we couldn’t resist spaghetti con funghi porcini freschi, or spaghetti with fresh porcini mushrooms…truly a local favorite!

One of the wonders of Cortona is the close proximity yet efficiency of pedestrians and motorized vehicles. During dinner, we realized that something was going on in the main piazza at the end of the street, so all vehicles had to make a sharp right turn on the street directly perpendicular to the Trattoria. The old cobblestone streets are so narrow we feared a few tourists might be crushed or a few cars might join our table for dinner, but alas, no problem for the Cortonese.

Ciao,

Judy

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Lunch anyone?

25 Jun

Wish you could have joined us for a simple yet wonderful lunch at Casa Gingerella. As mentioned earlier, we ordered the chicken at the market this morning and picked it up a few hours later, roasted and cut.  In the meantime, we shopped for the bread, tomatoes, pecorina and Orvieto. Ah, life’s simple pleasures, especially since I didn’t have to clean the chicken!

Buon Appetito!

Judy    

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Grazie! And other things….

25 Jun

Thanks to all of you who are following along and adding comments to the site. It is great fun for us to get up each morning,  read comments and know people are actually reading and enjoying. Please know that while we don’t expect the comments, they are wonderful fun for us as we always appreciate hearing from you. We are having a  wonderful time and love sharing our experiences.  Sandy, hope your Italian dinner was a great success! And Vince, Buon Compleanno!

Although most pictures of us show us eating, rest assured that we have actually each lost a pound or two walking and climbing and climbing and climbing! As Len said, no need for pilates or yoga classes here!!!

Went to the market this morning and ordered a roasted chicken off the rotisserie…still roasting as I write. Then bought some amazing tomatoes, pecorino cheese and foccacio. When we go back to get the chicken, we’ll get a bottle of wine, and then we are all set for lunch at home today. Two photos here of two women we encountered going and returning from market. Elderly, yes, yet sufficiently strong to carry a large half watermelon back up the street.

Len decided to tackle the washing machine today…he loves the idea of hanging our clean clothes in the fresh air. Speaking of which, the weather has been perfect…sunny and warm with breezes and rarely a cloud in the sky.

Also, just a word about technology. Besides being able to communicate and share photos with so many relatives and friends, we are also able to see and talk face to face with Benita in our living room almost everyday through Skype and Face Time…it’s not only amazing but great fun! Benita, looking forward to hearing about last night’s concerts!

At the market today, besides food for lunch, we bought this table cloth for Len’s next pizza dinner….bella, non?

12:16 here…almost time to prepare lunch!

Ciao,

Judy

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