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Verona
 "In fair Verona where we lay our scene..."
Act I, Romeo and Juliet
The ambiguities about the "real" Romeo and Juliet aside, Shakespeare was absolutely accurate about fair Verona. The city is a lovely blend of its ancient Roman roots, medieval churches and squares, sleek coffee bars and patisseries (a legacy from its Austrian Empire days), romantic bridges, posh restaurants, and, yes, Via Mazzini, Verona's golden mile of shopping, between the beautiful open Piazza Bra and the Arena and Piazza delle Erbe with its palaces, pink marble columns and frescoes. Though Shakespeare never visited Italy, he could not have chosen a more romantic setting for his iconic lovers.
Verona is the second largest city and second most important art center in the Veneto. As you know, we will visit the Castelvecchio and Ponte Scaligero,which includes the Museo d'Arte.
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Dal Forno Amarone Wine Spectator
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Let's not forget Verona's splendid food and wine.Valpolicella Amarone, the savory risotto alla veronese, and the wonderful gnocchi...let's go there now!
Verona Comune
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Vicenza, the Golden City of Palladio
Last Tuesday evening, we were at the Italian Embassy for a presentation on Palladio's
I Quattro Libri by Guido Beltramini of the Centro Internazionale Studi di Architettura and chatted with him about our upcoming trip. Vicenza is such a beautiful and noble city.
After viewing the videos below, you will see why it became known as "Venice on terra firma."
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Discover Palladio
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Left, is a brief introduction to the city and Palladio. "Vicenza and Palladio" (on the right) is a more thorough view of the architect, his ideas and his work.
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Vicenza and Andrea Palladio Part 1,2
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The Teatro Olimpico is absolutely breathtaking! You cannot visualize it - you have to be there. The three dimensionsal stage with its amazing perspectives, a small city, or rather a small section of a large city on stage, the colonades, the statues. This will give you some idea. Vicenza and Palladio and the Teatro Olimpico The influence of Palladio extended far beyond those who actually saw his buildings. His widely translated , meticulously illustrated treatise I Quattro Libri disseminated his ideas throughout the world. Thomas Jefferson's inscribed "This is the Bible" in his copy. The short films are from the National Building Museum which hosted an exhibit on Palladio last fall. Palladio, The Revolutionary Palladio's Treatise: The Quattri Libri
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Mantua and the Gonzaga
Yet another UNESCO site, Mantua was home to Vergil but it is better known for its magnificent Palazzo Ducale of the Gonzaga family. The Gonzaga were one of the great princely, families of the renaissance. Their palace became an intellectual and artistic center with Francesco Gonzaga's patronage of the famous humanist Vittorio da Feltre and Pisanello. Here Andrea Montegna painted his fresco cycle in the Camera degli Sposi.
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Mantegna - La camera degli sposi
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To read more go to:
Mantua and the Gonzaga
Andrea Mantegna
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Books and Films
Non fiction
The Venetian Empire, Jan Morris (or anything else by her that you can get)
The Renaissance, Paul Johnson - a concise history.
Fiction
On the Wings of a Dove, Henry James (book & film)
Garden of the Finzi - Continis, Giorgio Bassani (book & film)
The Stone Virgin, Barry Unsworth
Mrs. Garnett's Angel, Sally Vickers
Film
Pane e Tulipani
Vincere
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