Going through Italy » Monuments

A Museum for the Tomato

Veronica — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:00:59 +0000

A museum for the “Red Gold” of agriculture, the secret ingredient of the Food Valley, is born in Collecchio, at the Court of Giarola – 15 Giarola Road, Collecchio – Parma

Perhaps not everyone knows that the most important district for the production of tomatoes for sauces and pulp is found in Emilia, and that is why the local Institutions have decided to dedicate a museum to the “Red Gold” near the City of Parma. The Museum is inserted into the Food Museums Circuit (www.museidelcibo.it) which are already present on the territory and are dedicated to Prosciutto and deli meats (Langhirano), to Salami (Felino) and to Parmesan Cheese (Soragna).

The inaugural cutting of the ribbon is scheduled for Saturday, September 25: starting a 10:00 a.m. there will be a convention entitled “The Tomato in Parma: history, entrepreneurialism, and taste” with lectures by Tullio Gregory, Director of the Italian Treccani Encyclopedia Institute, and Giorgio Calabrese, nutritionist, Davide Paolini, a gastronomic journalist, and Giancarlo Gonizzi, Coordinator of the Food Museums. The inauguration includes a guided tour of the Museum at 12:30 a.m.. In the afternoon, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. the Museum will be open to the public for free, and there will be free guided tours starting every hour. In addition to all this, during the same hours, science workshops for children will be held thanks to the collaboration of the Googol association.

The museum is organized in seven theme sections, starting with the history of tomato and its arrival in Europe in ‘500 and its following diffusion. Then a second section deals with the development of the processing industry in Parma, and the third section shows the development of production technologies. The fourth section deals with the theme of the finished product and of its packaging, the fifth is dedicated to the development of the mechanical industry, and the sixth narrates the protagonists of factory work. The culture of the “World of Tomato”, with advertisement, citations and paintings, closes the tour.

The Pisa Cathedral

Serena — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:27:35 +0000

This Romanesque church was built between the XI and the XII century and it is characterized by a fascinating façade made up by four series of columns and by marble decorations. All its external surface is ornamented by horizontal black and white strips and by a beautiful elliptical dome.

The Pisa Cathedral

Its internal Latin cross structure is divided into five aisles through imposing granite columns. Its Main Altar and its wonderful painted dome can be reached passing through a triumphal arch. Inside this church you can also admire its polychrome marbles’ geometric decorations and its XVII century ceiling.

The Main Altar and its wonderful painted dome

The XVII century ceiling

Other important features you can see here are: the beautiful XIV century Gothic pulpit by Giovanni Pisano and the apse’s mosaic. Other important works present in this church are: the painting titled “La Madonna delle Grazie” by Del Sarto and Antonio Sogliano and a “San Giovanni Battista ” made by Cimabue.

In front of the Cathedral’s façade there is the Baptistery with its rich floor made up by red and black stones while beside this church there is the famous leaning tower of Pisa.

The Baptistery in front of the Cathedral

The Tower of Pisa beside the Cathedral

The Leaning Tower of Pisa

Serena — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 11:36:45 +0000

This is one of the most famous Italian symbols in the world. This construction was built in 1174 to be the Cathedral’s bell tower being characterized by a circular structure made up by a basis full of arches surmounted by a series of loggias that end with the elegant bell-ringer.

The Tower near the Cathedral

The first subsidence occurred in 1185 and in 1990 this tower was closed for restoration because its inclination reached the alarming level of 4,5 metres. In 2001 it became visitable again after 11 years of continuos security measures that aimed at reducing the inclination in order to make it complitely safe.

The Tower of Pisa

The opening hours change according to seasons; every group of visitors have to be made up at the most by 40 people accompanied by a guide. You can reach the terrace through an helicoidal staircase made up by 293 steps.

The Pisa Tower's helicoidal staircase

Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office closed to the Cathedral.

The Cenacolo Vinciano in Milan

Serena — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:50:57 +0000

At the end of the XV century Leonardo da Vinci entirely painted the wall of the refectory belonging to the Santa Maria delle Grazie Dominican monastery.

The Cenacolo Vinciano with the contiguous Santa Maria delle Grazie church

Here you can admire one of the most famous and copied masterpieces in the world: the “Last Supper” that is now completely restored.

The “Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci

There always is a great number of people who wait for entering into the Cenacolo and so it would be better to previously book your visit.

The “Teatro alla Scala” in Milan

Serena — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:20:54 +0000

This is the veritable temple of the Grand Opera being also the most famous theatre in the world. It was built at the end of the XVIII century on the ruins of the Santa Maria della Scala church. All the most important Grand Opera’s artists debuted inside this prestigious construction: Rossigni, Donizetti, Bellini, Puccini and Giuseppe Verdi.

The “Teatro alla Scala” in Milan

The Scala Theatre is placed in the namesake square where you can also admire the central monument dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci and the wonderful Marini Palace.

Piazza della Scala

All the best opera singers performed on this stage like Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Josè Carreras and Renata Tebaidi together with the most famous international conductors like Riccardo Muti and Zubin Metha.

Inside the Scala Theatre

Thanks to a recent restoration this theatre can now contain 2.030 spectators.

How to arrive

By Subway: MM1 Duomo Stop (Red Line) or MM3 Montenapoleone Stop (Yellow Line)

By Bus: Line 61, via Verdi – via dell’Orso Stop

By Tram: Tram n. 1, via Manzoni – piazza della Scala Stop, Tram n. 2, via Manzoni – piazza della Scala Stop.

The Sforzesco Castle in Milan

Serena — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:17:46 +0000

The original nucleus of this construction was built during the XV century for the Francesco Sforza Duke. As time went by it underwent many transformations that heavily damaged its structure. However, during the IXX century all this building was completely restored.

The Sforzesco Castle

This castle is a grand construction whose internal space is characterized by gothic-renaissance courtyards and by wonderful rooms planned by Leornardo and ornamented with frescos made by important Italian painters like Bramante.

The Sforzesco Castle's courtyards

Here you can find several museums like: the Egyptian Museum, the Musical Instruments Collection, the Decorative Arts Collection, the Pinacoteca (Art Gallery) and the Ancient Arts Museum where you can admire some masterpieces like the “Pietà Rondanini” by Michelangelo and the “Sala delle Asse” that is a room completely painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

The “Pietà Rondanini” by Michelangelo

The “Sala delle Asse” painted by Leonardo da Vinci

The Milan Cathedral

Serena — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:15:24 +0000

This church, called “Duomo”, is dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente being placed in the namesake square in the Milan urban centre. This gothic cathedral is the very symbol of this Italian city dating back to the XIV century: it is characterized by a Latin cross structure and by the presence of five aisles. In this imposing religious construction you can find more than 3500 statues distributed on a surface of 120000 square meters.

The Milan Cathedral

Its highest pinnacle, surmounted by the famous Holy Mary’s statue called “Madonnina”, is 108 meters high. The statue placed on its top is covered by 3900 golden leaves.

The statue placed on the highest pinnacle of the cathedral

The Arena in Verona

Serena — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:33:03 +0000

The Arena is the main Roman monument in Verona: this is an amphitheatre built during the I century after Christ in the historical centre of this beautiful city. Its structure is perfectly preserved with its different series of tiers and with its squared marble blocks. Under its stalls there are many galleries and passages.

The Verona Arena

The Arena also is the most known monument in Verona and one of the symbols of this city. It has always been used for spectacular events: in the Roman period, for example, it was used for the fights among gladiators. From the Middle Age to the first part of the XVIII century it was used for jousting and tournaments.

Internal view of the Verona Arena

In 1913 the Arena became the most important open-air opera theatre in the world. During summertime there is here a very famous opera festival which involves many famous international singers. However in the Arena you can find many other fascinating events all year long especially at Christmas when there is an International Exhibition of nativity sets.

The Aida opera performed in the Verona Arena

The church of San Fermo in Verona

Serena — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:01:13 +0000

This is one of the most beautiful religious construction in Verona whose origins date back to the VIII century. During the XI century the Benedictines built the inferior and the superior church starting the construction of the bell tower finished during the XIII century.

The church of San Fermo and Rustico

According to tradition the two Saints Fermo and Rustico suffered the martyrdom in Verona not so far from this church characterized by the presence of several columns, of round arches and of beautiful frescos.

The superior church has a unique nave and a wooden ceiling ornamented with more than 300 faces of Saints. Throughout time some chapels were created on its walls by some important local families. You can admire for example the chapel of the Alighieri family (the heirs of the famous Italian poet) and the beautiful Brenzoni chapel ornamented with the frescos by Pisanello and by the sculptures by Nanni di Bartolo. There also is the chapel of the Della Torre noble family: here there is a funeral monument made up by marble and bronze and considered an excellent Renaissance work by Andrea Brioso.

In this church you can also admire a wonderful pulpit with a gothic canopy ornamented with frescos.

The wonderful pulpit of the San Fermo and Rustico Church

This religious construction is a veritable treasure full of artistic works that deserve your visit. Here in fact you can also admire the magnificent triumphal arch that will surprise you once arrived in the church.

The Juliet’s grave

Serena — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:00:57 +0000

This grave is placed in the religious compound of San Francesco al Corso: more exactly it is placed in the crypt reachable from the cloister. In this ex-monastery’s vegetable garden there was an ancient red marble sarcophagus that was completely empty and devoid of its cover. At the beginning of the XIX century it was identified as the grave of the beautiful Juliet.

The San Francesco al Corso cloister

The Juliet's grave

Today many civil weddings are celebrated in this place: many couples come from many countries of the world to live here this unique experience.

Here there is also a particular tradition that is which one of addressing love letters to “Juliet in Verona”. A team of secretaries collect all these messages to give them an answer.

Inside the church and in the monastery there is the “G.B. Cavalcaselle” Frescos Museum (Museo degli Affreschi). Here you can admire frescos belonging to different local residences built between the Middle Age and the XVI century and XIX century sculptures. Exactly in the church there are big XVI and XVIII century paintings. Some Roman amphora can be seen in this compound’s cellar.

The "G.B. Cavalcaselle" Frescos Museum

The Roman amphora in the compound’s cellar

In the newest open-air zone created beside the ancient construction there are some modern sculptures and various stone carving creations.

A modern statue in the newest open-air zone