Today’s Schedule
Maggie & family off to points yet unknown. Carol & I are making a visit to a special friend we met last year. Paola Vojnovic, an art historian. After our last visit, she was heading a crowd-funding effort for restoration of the chapel façade of the Basilica Santa Croce (Holy Cross). Poala and us, with another couple who were also donors, climb the scaffolding to view restoration in action.
http://www.theflorentine.net/authors/author-view.asp?authorid=456
http://www.theflorentine.net/articles/article-view.asp?issuetocId=9266&browse-by=&level=
http://www.airpano.com/360Degree-VirtualTour.php?3D=Florence-Italy
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/florence-santa-croce
To clean the 500 year old stone work, we were surprised at the simplicity. A light pressure spray from a water hose nozzle directed at a different section every few minutes when the years of dirt accumulation was removed, without damage to the stonework. Of course, some areas required major work like replacing broken or missing pieces. For those parts, molds were made and reconstruction made to fill in missing items.
While visiting the chapel interior, Paola told us of the building acoustics. Was very good when the monk who were the original occupants used it for many centuries. Poala suggested that I might sing something to hear what she had described. I gave a try using the song – you are my sunshine. It startled a few of the other visitors, but wondered of it might collect a few coins like the street buskers we see. No luck. Guess I need to keep my day job – independent scholar. Keep studying and maybe someday, I will...?
Next we visit the basilica proper. Like most places we visit, very ornate with a feeling of spaciousness to include many works of art. Some pieces were memorials to notables like Michelangelo and Dante.
From there, to the museum that also had wood block prints made by a monk – Pietro Parigi. A very talented person.
http://www.contemporaneaprogetti.it/exhibition/gallery.php?type=past-exhibitions&cat=modern&gal=01__Museo%20Pietro%20Parigi&lang=eng
http://www.google.com/search?q=firenze++%22pietro+parigi%22++prints&client=safari&rls=en&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ved=0CCoQsAQ4CmoVChMIj5-n9NyuxwIVw3A-Ch1t3gS_&tbm=isch
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/pietro-parigi-signed-xylograph-print-459445585
Time now to try pasta – which is not too difficult.
My Observations
As I wrote earlier, art is everywhere, whether in the architecture painting, sculpting or leatherwork.
Before leaving Santa Croce went to visit a special school stated after Word War II – Scuola Del Cuoio. A school to train leather workers. The leather work originated around 1220, when Saint Francis of Assisi was traveling thru the area. Since the area is known for cattle raising for meat, the hides are also used to make things. There are tanneries, dyers, and the finished leather craftsperson's in this area.
http://www.scuoladelcuoio.com/scuola-del-cuoio-about-us.html
Because of the many war orphans, local Santa Croce father superior, Padre Farnetani, asked a local artist, Marcello Gori to help. Marcello started the leather school to give the orphans a craft and be able to make a living. Since that time business has continued and expanded.
Seeing that there are still people interested in learning about and using the old crafts was appealing. Once those skills are lost, is difficult to “reverse engineer” the process. I still have yet to see a modern 3-D printer duplicate to wood , stone or leather work we have enjoyed.
Photo 1 - See. Another friend from prior visit – Poala Vojnovic, art historian at Opera Santa Croce.
Photo 2 - Do. Visit the chapel at Santa Croce that we helped in the crowd funding for restoration.
Photo 3 - Eat. More good pasta, this time, tagliatelle, with sweet tomato sauce – yummy (-:
Click here for today's online photo album.
