One of the people I've come across in life who has been very important to me being where I am today was a professor of art I had back in Rhode Island College between the years of 1987-90. It was during this time I sort of put photography aside in order to learn about drawing mostly(this led to learning about paint). I really didn't, and in many ways still don't, have an ability to draw. I marvel at artists with impeccable draughtsmanship as my hand seems to move faster than my eyes and is harsh and crude. Yet Henry(Enrico Pinardi) saw something in me and really pushed me. My first real meeting with him came in a materials workshop that he held. Suddenly here is this incredible draughtsman telling me that you can make 'drawing' by using things like tape and dissolving charcoals with mineral spirits and applying them with a brush. Light bulbs went off for me in that simple 1 hour workshop. Next thing I knew I was abandoning my realization that I wasn't very good and going forth with my ideas for pictures in completely new(at least to me) ways. I found my art. I remember making still life drawings using a lit light bulb and a plate. I also had this burned out smiley face candle that I drew over and over again. These objects soon became symbols and Rico was always pointing out symbolism to me even when I didn't know what I was doing. Recently we started the Enrico Pinardi fan club page on facebook which is really funny because Rico could really care less for the internet. He will be 80 soon and we thought about maybe making some work for him for his birthday. This made me rethink some of these old ideas and re-do them using photography since that is where my life has gone these last 14 years. I wanted them to be portraits of Henry in a sense, but still be self portraits, so I began working out some very Rico-esque ideas and set-ups and combining them with my own imagery. I'll be working on these for a little while and they will grow into their own thing in time. I'm not sure if I still have that burned out candle, but this little bouncy ball came to me somewhere along the line and it didn't hit me until today that memory of the candle back when I was still a student under Rico. Photograph by Richard Sayer.
Kelly and I departed Roma, Italia this morning. It was kinda cool though. We were riding in a shuttle that was driving us to the Fiumicino Airport. The driver had the radio on, all in Italian of course. As we were riding along, I was looking out the window recounting the last two weeks in Italy. Then something amazing happened, I heard George Harrison's voice coming out of that little Italian radio. He and his friends were singing to me...."Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right. Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter, little darling, it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun and I say it's all right...." THE BEATLES were with me as I said arrivederci to Italia!
Here is my trip summary:
Miles traveled: 9,275.04
Hotels stayed: 7
Food: 11 breakfast pastries 2 plates of spaghetti and meatballs 1 plate of lasagna 1 plate of eggplant parmigiana 2 plates of pasta arrabbiata 4 slices of pesto with mozzarella focaccia 6 slices of pizza 3 caprese sandwiches1 bruschetta 2 pieces of tiramisu 1 piece of chocolate cake 2 cones of tiramisu gelato 3 cannolis 13 cafe lattes 5 cappuccino 6 glasses of red wine 1 glass of white wine 2 glasses of limoncello
5 bug bites 1 near drowning while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea 1 hour trapped in an Italian elevator
Starring at the Statue of David, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Sistine Chapel...PRICELESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am sitting in front of the ancient Roman Colosseum. I am taking it all in...The sounds of the traffic, the whistle of the traffic policeman, the man sitting next to me, speaking Italian. I LOVE this! Here is some history on the Colosseum.......The Colosseum is the largest amphitheatre ever built in the Roman Empire. It is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and Roman engineering. It's construction started in 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD. Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such as, animal hunts, executions, and dramas. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the earlymedieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops and a Christian shrine.
A photo of me outside the Colosseum.
A photo of me inside the Colosseum.
My hand touching the walls of the ancient Roman Colosseum.
After touring the beautiful Colosseum, we visited the haunting sites of the Roman ruins. Julius Caesar Augustus said, "I found Rome a city of brick and left it a city of marble," and that he did. I can only imagine what this city would have looked like in it's day. Julius Caesar Augustus is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in 14 AD.
Flowers are left at the site of Julius Caesar's cremation.
So much extraordinary art and so little time to see it. I am now in the Vatican Museum working my way to the Sistine Chapel.
Soon I am about to turn the corner to walk into the Sistine Chapel. Tears come to my eyes, I am so excited and so happy to have had this amazing opportunity! I feel like I am dreaming!
Ohhh, The Sistine Chapel!! It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen! Oh, the colors of the painting! Michelangelo was so cool! I wish I could stand here for along time. But, we are off to dinner. Kelly and I toasted to our last night in Italy with a glass of Flute Di Spumante and I enjoyed some spaghetti and meatballs and chocolate cake! Tomorrow will be my last entry as we depart for America!
They say..."All roads lead to Rome, " and Rome is where the road led us!
September 27, 2011 Day 10 Rome, Italia.
We are nearing the end of our Italian journey. Rome is our last stop. But, we still have so much to see.
We visited the Pantheon. The building wascommissioned by MarcusAgrippa as a temple to all the gods of ancient Rome.
The Pantheon was rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD.
After the Pantheon we were off to the most beautiful and most famous statue in the word, the Trevi Fountain. It is 85 feet high and 65 feet wide. The history is that In 19 BC, supposedly with the help of a virgin, Roman technicians located a source of pure water some 8 miles from the city. The aqueduct served Rome for more than four hundred years. The fountain was built at the endpoint of an aqueduct that brought water to Rome.
A traditional legend holds that if visitors throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain with one's right hand over one's left shoulder, they will return to Rome, if they throw two coins they will return to Rome with a lover and three coins will ensure either a marriage or divorce. An estimated 3,000 euros are thrown into the fountain each day. The money has been used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome's needy. However, there are regular attempts to steal coins from the fountain.
The sun sets in Rome. After tossing my coins into the fountain we dined. I enjoyed pasta arrabiata with chicken, a salad, tiramisu and a cappuccino.
Above is a photo of me watching Italian television. I cannot understand one word of it.
Ahhh, I love, love, love Italy. But, after 10 days of non-stop traveling and nine cities visited....I am a TIRED girl! Tomorrow I will wake to gaze at the great, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling.
Venice (Venezia) is a city in northern Italy which is known for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. Venice has also been described as being one of Europe's most romantic cities. The city stretches across 117 small islands in the Venetian Lagoon along the Adriatic Sea.
Today was about trains, boats, a wholelotta walking and more boats and more boats and another train and awholelotta walking. We toured Venice...What an amazing city! We meandered through the "floating city's" tight alleyways and canals to find grand squares, art filled plazas and interesting little shops.
Above is a photo I snapped while relaxing in Venice.
Reflections of Venice!
Above is a photo of a random gondola driver. I guess the I had it in my mind before I came to Italy that all of of the gondola drivers would be tall, dark, Italian, young men named Paolo. Nope, this is not the case. Most of them seemed to be of average height, not so average weight and not so young. I looked for Paolo but, didn't find him anywhere.
Kelly and I enjoyed a gondola ride while sipping sparkling white wine. We sat back and watched the city open up before our eyes. While floating along the canals, Venice's charm just grabbed us from every curve.
After the gondola ride we headed to a lace making demonstration at Lace & Linens. Venice introduced the invention of needle-made laces into Europe.Venice was the center of fashion for the courts of Europe in the middle ages.
Check out this guy's lace!
An old woman begs for money along the street in Venice. A lot of tourist pass these people by. They are told by tour guides that most street bums are fakes, only posing as homeless to make money. I couldn't really see how this woman could be a phony. She looked to be about 85 years old. Her legs were shaking and she could barely stand up. I was thinking about how we were all walking around and seeing these amazing sights and eating these wonderful dinners with delicious red wine. Here she was. I don't know, maybe she was a fake and maybe I fell for it. But, I tossed some money into her cup regardless.
"But, soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! It is my lady: O, it is my love!"
September 25, 2011 Day 8 Verona ,Italia.
Today was all about William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. We travelled to Verona. Oh Verona! The city of love. We visited the Casa di Giulietta (Juliet's house). I stood on Juliet's balcony and pictured Romeo at the bottom whispering sweet nothings to me in the night.
As we were touring Juliet's house we stumbled upon a mailbox. It seemed like a perfect time to mail a letter. Before I left for Italy my family made me a card. Everyone signed it....my Mom, Eric Bell, Sarahbeth, Levi, Jeremy, Justin, Harmony Behr, Aaron, Mae-Mae and Jessi Bean. It made me feel so special. I decided to send it as a love letter to Juliet. After all of these years she showed us what true love was. I wanted to share a bit of my love as well.
Looking out a window at Juliet's house in Verona, Italy.
A scenic shot taken while passing through Verona.
So, I know that today was all about Romeo and Juliet and the love that they shared. But, as I was out and about this afternoon, I found this lady. I have been in Europe for about a week now and I have heard a variety of foreign languages. I have heard French, German, Japanese and of course Italian. I thought this picture was funny. Prior to this woman posing for a photo that her husband was taking of her, she was speaking German. So, it just goes to show you that no matter where you go, there is one universal language!
We toured Milan today. Milan reminds me of New York City. It moved very fast, high fashion, very loud and lots of color. We visited Luini's for lunch and ate a panzerotti. The panzerotti originated in central and southern Italy.They are small versions of the calzone or a closed pizza but made with a softer dough. The most common fillings are tomato and mozzarella cheese.I ordered mine with mixed berry and custard. Agostino Luini brought panzerotti to Milan in the late 1940s. He set up shop near the Gothic cathedral.
Milan Cathedral: The Gothic cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. It is the fourth largest cathedral in the world and by far the largest in Italy.
We shopped a bit in Milan. I won't tell you what I purchased...just saying, when in Milan, spend a lot of euros! We visited the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It really just seemed like an extravagent shopping mall. Don't get me wrong, I loved it!
This famous Torino's bull mosaic is located in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. It is said to make your wishes come true if you stomp on the bull's balls and spin around three times.
After stomping on the bull's balls, I paid tribute to the great, Leonardo da Vinci. He is considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time and perhaps the most talented person ever to have lived. His works include, the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and the Vitruvian Man.
It was a long day in Milan. We stopped at Lo Strapuntino for dinner and had eggplant parmigiana. It was fantastico! Mama-Mia!!
We departed Florence this morning and stopped for a bit in Pisa. I gazed at the leaning tower of Pisa. It was so Cool! I'll admit it. I have a 'bucket list.' It includes things like: Feeding a kangaroo Visiting John Lennon's memorial, "Strawberry Fields." Climbing the Eiffel Tower. Walking the bridges of Madison County. Looking up at the leaning tower of PIsa.
This afternoon we hopped a ferry to Monterosso (means red mountain). It was beautiful.
Me standing on the beaches of Monterosso!
We ate focaccia withpesto and mozzarella cheese and drank cafe lattes.Focaccia is a flat oven-baked bread. It is related to pizza. Focaccia is popular here and is seasoned with olive oil and salt, and sometimes herbs. It is eaten as a snack here in Italy.
Scenes from Monterosso.
We found this cat hanging out in the walk-way. I thought he was neat. Because, it was such a busy place with so many people passing by and he was content to just sit back and relax. After our time in Monterosso, we jumped a train and were off to La Spezia. We leave for Milan in the morning.
September 22, 2011 Day 5 Florence or (Firenze) ,Italia.
I woke up in Florence this morning. This is my favorite city so far. It is full of beautiful paintings and sculptures. Ahh, the statue of David...There are no words. So, today was all about Michelangelo's David. We had pre-purchased tickets for the Accademia Gallery to see David. The gallery is under strict surveillance and David is not to be photographed. As much as I wanted to photograph him, I honored Michelangelo and put my camera away. David will only live in my memory. There are other replicas of David floating around the city and I was happy to photograph them. For those people who know nothing about this young boy, here is a brief art lesson. David is a Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. He is 17 feet tall. The statue represents the biblical hero David. Originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, the statue was instead placed in a public square. He was unveiled on September 8,1504. He was moved to the Accademia Gallery in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica. As I was standing inside the Accademia Gallery, I was thinking that these are paintings and sculptures that I have only seen and read about in books. Now I am standing right in front of them and they are starring back at me. Am I dreaming? Is Michelangelo's David really 10 feet away from me.
My ticket to the Accademia Gallery to see David.
After having my fun with David we walked to the Basilica di Santa Croce where we found the burial tomb of Italian artist Michelangelo Buonarroti.
After a long day of walking we took time for a cafe latte and a tiramisu gelato.
Florence, Italy.
The photo above is of my friend, Kelly and I on our way to enjoy a Tuscan dinner. It was amazing! The meal included 3 bottles of wine (red and white), ham, liver and olive bruchetta, pork and potatoes, pasta al dente with black olives and parmesan cheese, with an espresso and a biscotti for dessert.
I woke up in Sorrento this morning. We are traveling through rural Umbria and Tuscany's rolling hills. We visited the Castello Il Palagio. They are a high quality wine maker and produce olive oil as well. I sampled many delicious wines and purchased some olive oil. I love Italian red wine! It is fantastica - Mama-Mia!!
September 21, 2011 Day 4 in the Tuscan hills of Italia.
The photo above is of the olive trees located in Tuscany.
My favorite wine was the Chianti Classico from 2006. If anyone wants to buy me a Christmas present, I will give you the name of this winery and their contact information. Hint-hint!!
After 8 hours of traveling, we arrived at our Hotel B@B in Florence...only to find a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me from Jack and Riley. Yes, I had flowers delivered to me in Florence, Italy from America. I am a special girl! This evening we walked around Florence. I ate spaghetti with meatballs for dinner and had tiramisu and a cappuccino for dessert. When I returned to my hotel, I called Jack and Riley to thank them for the amazing flowers. I am going to sleep now...Laundry in the morning.