The most famous statue in the world

Michelangelo's Masterpiece The David

Chapter 12

See slide show on left side of the blog

     There it was, The David, the most famous statue/sculpture in the world. Only I was looking at it in front of the City Hall of Florence in the Palazzo Vecchio. This was a replica. A very good one at that.

     The real David was up the street a few blocks in the Galleria dell”Accademia. Be ready for the tourists, and if you don't have your ticket paid up in advance, be prepared to wait in a long, long, long line.

     Our tickets purchased on line while still at home in Bainbridge, we entered the galleria at our appointed time. The David was just ahead, dominant in its own prominent place. It was carefully guarded, and the guards watched the crowds for anyone attempting to take a picture.

     “No foto. No foto.”

      So here, we have the museum's official photo of how you will see it.

     You can try to take your own photo, but believe me, here the guards mean business.

     The David is one of those objects of art you want to study, look at it for a long time and contemplate its majesty. Try to do it with hundreds of tourists surrounding its base, all chattering, kids running, guards confiscating cameras. Come back in January, closed on Monday.

     The statue copy, at right, of the original in the Palazzo Vecchio along with an entire courtyard of copies, the originals inside away from the weather. To David's left here is the Uffizi Museum, one of the oldest if not the oldest museums in the world, where here the Renaissance began.

     If you go to see the real David in the Accademia, he stands 17 feet tall in a special added wing of the museum where it was moved inside in 1873. In both the replica outside and the original inside, you can't help to notice the enlarged right hand, veined and tense just at the moment when he slings the rock at Goliath.

     In 2003 and 2004, The David was given a cleaning and a restoration, where today as you see it, it gleams and sparkles in its original Carrara marble.

     There are other works in the Accadamia, but The David outranks them all. You will see some works by Alessandro Allori and Bronzino, and you also will see two works by Michelangelo, his Four Prisoners and his portrayal of St. Matthew.

Visiting Parma cheese factory

Chapter 11. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

     Note: At left, there's a slide show of our visit to the Parma cheese factory, and a slide show on how to make pici pasta.  Also, if you are a first-time visitor, go to the left at archives, click on July 17, for the first chapter.

     When I was a second grader, I would stop at my Italian grandmother's house for an after-school snack before going to my own home.

     The snack usually consisted of a parmigiano cheese sandwich. Now, I am sure everyone thinks of this cheese as something you sprinkle on pasta dishes or blending into soups. But you haven't lived until you have eaten a parmigiano cheese sandwich, two slices of crusty Italian bread, lavishly buttered, then filled with several thin slices of the cheese.

     How good is that?

     That's why the one thing I wanted to do on our trip to Italy was to visit the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese factory in Parma. The town was only a few miles away from our hotel in Reggio-Emilia, and on the first morning in Italy, we were in a taxi headed for Parma.

     It was 8 am., and we were joined in the cheese production room by several ladies whose husbands were attending business meetings.

     The milk truck had already arrived, having picked up the morning milkings from neighboring farms surrounding Parma, Reggio-Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua. We were taken into the main production mixing area, spotlessly clean, white walls, red tile floors, slippery and wet. Workers were dressed in clean white coveralls and had already gotten an early start.

     The morning's stock of milk is mixed with skimmed milk, pumped into copper lined vats and heated.     Whey and calf rennet (an enzyme taken from the stomach of calves) is added which breaks down the milk

into tiny pieces, then left to curdle. The curd is cooked, and then settles in these vats, then raised, collected and compacted using muslim or cheesecloth, separated in two, now called twins, then dumped into stainless steel round forms.

     For the next 20-25 days, the cheese wheels are soaked in a salt brine, then aged on a shelf from 1-3 years before going to market.

     There are some Publix markets where in the cheese and wine sections, a cheese guru in a funny hat holds forth at the cheese counter, doling out samples on a toothpick. In the Killearn store, there is one of these cheese wheels, and if you look at it carefully, you will see a tough outside rind with lots of markings.

     Our guide in Parma told us the markings on the rind tells the history of that particular wheel – the day it was first processed, how long it was in the brine, how long it aged on the shelf in the aging room. It also will tell you which cow the milk came from, which farm, which provence, which day the cow at the grass in which field, and the name of the cow.

     The factory has a small retail shop, and as we sampled some of the cheese, the shop was doing a brisk business. I bought a sizable piece of cheese, shrink wrapped for travel, and hoped to enjoy it when we got home. Alas, through the next three weeks of changing temperatures, sometimes in a refrigerator for a few days, then in hot baggage, in the car trunk, back and forth, by the time we got it home, it didn't look appetizing.

     How tragic was that?

     Evan more tragic were reports of the earthquake in this region in May of this year. It was reported that 300,000 wheels were destroyed, from which 600,000 wheels fell from the shelves in the aging rooms. The other 300,000 wheels only sustained minor damage

     It has been said that the cheese produced today in this area can track its origins to the 13^th Century, beginning in Reggio-Emilia.

Also at left, a slide show on how to make pici pasta.

Next chapter on Friday Aug. 17

Downtown retail steet in Reggio-Emilia

Market days in Reggio-Emilia

He told her, "look, he's taking your picture."  Then she smilled.

No car zone.  Either walk or bike ride.

In background, it's a bank.

A second floor window Reggio-Emilia 

Walk or ride a bike in Reggio-Emilia

Chapter 9. We arrive in Reggio-Emilia

Chapter 8

Reggio—Emilia and our encounter with the policio

     Our first day in Italy was spent mostly on the airplane. It was also a day I had a few problems with the Policio

     Our flight was from Paris to Florence, but a thunderstorm over Florence, diverted us to Bologna.

     They said, a bus would take us to Florence, where we had a car reservation. Faye said she would wait for the luggage, while I went into the airport to see if we could get our car reservation transferred. They said they had one car. But I would need to hurry.

     Going back to the baggage area, I was stopped by the security guard. He spoke no English and I spoke no Italian. All kinds of gestures got us nowhere. I just need back into baggage area to get my wife.

    "No No," he kept saying. I tried to get around him a few times, but he kept catching me.

     Finally, he was on the the phone and I heard the word “policio.”

     I beat a hasty retreat.

     We finally got the car, and went on to Reggio-Emilia where we had a hotel reservation.

     Our car reservation was in Faye's name because since I was over 70, the insurance for me to drive the car in Italy was beyond any thing Geico could cover.  It also was a stick shift, to which Faye said, "I can't drive a stick shift."   So I said, "I'll drive."  The clerk led us out into the front of the airport where our car was waiting, and I said, "thanks for all your help," and suggested Faye jump into the driver's seat while a slowly loaded the luggage in the trunk and waited for the clerk to dissappear.  Once the clerk was gone, we switched seats and beat a hasty retreat out onto the autostrada heading for Reggio-Emilia."

     The hotel had given specific instructions on how to drive the streets of this ancient city which dated back to 187 BC. We kept missing the hotel, driving around and around, when suddenly we found ourselves going the wrong way on a one-way street, clearly marked in Italian, of course.

     Enter “policio.”

     He stopped us. “ Hotel Posta,” I said several times, to which he finally pointed back up the street in the direction we were driving. I think I saw him roll his eyes, and give one of those Italian hand expressions which could only be interpreted as.....

     We are Reggio-Emilia to visit the home of parmigiano-reggiano cheese. It was in Parma, a short drive to the next town, and we had made reservations on-line for the tour.

     To which I said, “let'stake a taxi.” I had no intention of driving unless it was necessary.

     The hotel called a taxi for us, then told the driver where we wanted to go. The driver of course spoke no English and we of course spoke no Italian.

     Our guide at the cheese factory spoke both Italian and English, actually very good English. Several ladies, all American, husbands at a business conference, joined us.

     More about the cheese factory later.

     Best way to explain Hotel Posta is to take it direct from their outstanding marketing book which was in our room, which is now in our living room back home

     “Located in the centre of the ancient heart of Reggio Emillia, close to the Romanesque style Cathedral, the Town Hall where the Italian Tricolour flag was born in 1797, theatres, restaurants, shops and banks, the medieval “Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo” has been the most outstanding symbol of the town for over 800 years.”

     Wow. Does it get any better than this?.

     It went on to say – “The Hotel boasts a five-century tradition in hospitality; in 1515 the building became a guest house for travelers with the the evocative name of “Locanda del Cappello Rosso.”

     As you wandered through the building you realized that this was a hotel that catered to world-wide travelers, conventioneers and business people.

     It had the usual meeting rooms, large dining hall, and small cafe, where a buffet breakfast was served, unlike “continental” breakfasts served at the Ramada or Holiday Inns.

     The typical Italian breakfast is a cup of cappuccino and a pastry. This breakfast was grand, displayed at a long, long table, stuffed with sinful pastries, artistically decorated breakfast cakes, fresh fruits, cereals, etc...,

     We continue with the description of the hotel from its marketing book –“ the charm of the past centuries blends with today's modern amenities to satisfy the most exacting guest. Among the numerous facilities, we offer WI-fi internet connection, garage, laundry service and bicycles that our guests can ride at no extra charge.

     Bicycles????

     A morning stroll outside Hotel Posta encountered bicycles. Lots of them. Everywhere.

     There were few cars in the narrow streets of the town, so if you wanted to get someplace fast, you rode a bicycle. Riders were everywhere, and we soon learned: Do not divert your direction to get out of the way of a bike rider. It's their responsibility to miss you.

      Just keep going straight.

     Next chapter on Tuesday, Aug. 14

Please see my website: www.JamesEllistonSmith.com

and drool over the food.

Il dolce far niente

If you feel like feeding the pigeons, feed the pigeons. 

Non guilty relaxation

Chapter 7 – The Sweet Life

How to enjoy the sweetness of life.

     Il dolce far niente.

     The sweet life, or delightful idleness, the art of doing nothing, knowing the value of leisure.

     Did you know Italians take siesta?

     Everyday from 1-4 p.m., except perhaps in tourist areas, businesses close, people go home for long lunches, play with the family, take a nap, or do anything they want to do without feeling guilty about it..

4 p.m. Arrives. Back to work. Stores re-open.

     I first encountered siesta while in at our agritorismo.

     I drove into Pienza looking for a grocery store. Found one, a mini super market, but it was closed.

     It was three in the afternoon. A sign on the front door announced the hours.

9 am To 1 pm – and 4 pm. to 8 pm.

1pm. To 4 pm was reserved for siesta.

     Siesta?

      I thought that was a Mexican tradition.

     Even shops in the high tourist areas close, except perhaps restaurants, taverns and tourist traps.

.Il dolce far niente. Make time in your day to enjoy the sweetness of life.

     One could do a doctoral study, perhaps, on when the Italians discovered siesta. Was it during the medieval age? The renaissance, the classical age? Or is it recent. While Michelangelo was carving the David, did he stop three hours for lunch each day to do nothing?

     Yes, we did find many shops closed for siesta that we wanted to visit. No problem. Ah. An open tavern. We'll order a glass of wine, take a table on the piazza, and until 4 o”clock, observe tourists stroll by. If no one strolls by, we'll just sit and watch the facade of the church age.

     We discovered several important things quickly. Since everybody works until 8 pm,that's when dinner begins.

     We were the subject of strange looks on our first night in Tuscany. Arriving late to our farmhouse, we went into Pienza to seek dinner. It was 7 o”clock, and we looked through the windows into this delightful Italian restaurant, which seemed to be open. But there no customers.

     We asked if they were serving, and they gave a reluctant “yes” We remained the only customers until 8 o'clock when the restaurant came to life.

     Now, it was dinnertime.

     When you dine at an Italian restaurant in Italy, the tradition is that the table you have before you, is yours for the evening.

     Il dolce far niente.

     Enjoy your meal, enjoy your friends, drink the wine, eat, eat, eat. The wine is full bodied. The food an art form.

     The next tradition we did not know was the ritual of the check. You will not get your check until you ask for it. I did not know that the table we sat before was ours until the restaurant closed. Or, that if the waitress had brought our check before we asked for it, it would have been the height of rudeness.

     So, tired of waiting, I got up and asked for the check, which was graciously provided.

Enjoy where you are, what you are doing, particularly if it is nothing. No guiltplease..

     Enjoy the present moment. Sit on the steps of the Duomo in Siena, and read a book, if that's what you want to do.

     Learn how to enjoy yourself, something Americans don't know how to do, the Italians will tell you.

     Let yourself go and see the world

     Drink wine with lunch.

     Take a digital vacation.

     Make dinner for someone you love, then leave the dishes.

Measure the day by how many times you have smiled. Let go of the guilt that you always have to be doing something.

     Practice how you would find your il dolce far niente.

     Now for the commercial. We help pay the rent by indulging in a former activity, helping non profit groups make money. Please go to www.JamesEllistonSmith.com and see if we can help. Also, for more ideas, go to www.fundsrus.net

     Next chapter on Friday, August 10. Trying to compile NEW slide shows, but will have to be able to get through computer engineering courses first at MIT and Cal Tech, in order to properly wade through the complications of this blog.

The Campo Siena

Fountain scupture on campo at Siena, below, St. Catherine, patron saint of Siena