Tag Archives: Arts and Culture
Painting Italy: An Artist Profile

Painting Italy: An Artist Profile

by Melanie on 17. Feb, 2010 in Fun Stuff

The beauty of Italy has inspired countless artists through the years, including ones who live here in the United States. Today, I am profiling artist William Renzulli, who was moved to paint his ancestral home Castelnuovo della Daunia in Puglia after a family reunion visit in 2008 and who will soon be headed to Bologna [...]

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Culture Week 2009

Culture Week 2009

by Melanie on 18. Apr, 2009 in Arts and Culture, Museums and Exhibits

Today begins Culture Week throughout all of Italy. Through April 26,  state-run museums will be open for free and many will be extending hours. Tons of special events and exhibitions are part of Culture Week. To see what’s on, visit the Italian Culture Ministry’s website.

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Caravaggio’s Innovative Painting Techniques

Caravaggio’s Innovative Painting Techniques

by Melanie on 12. Mar, 2009 in Arts and Culture, Fun Stuff

Discovery.com recently reported that the master 16th century artist Caravaggio used a “camera obscura” among other techniques to trace the models in his paintings. According to a Florentine researcher, Caravaggio made use of a dark room, first described by Leonardo da VInci, and was able to fix the outline of his subjects in order to [...]

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Bernini Up Close and Close To Home

Bernini Up Close and Close To Home

by Melanie on 24. Sep, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Museums and Exhibits

If you’re not taking a trip to Rome, the former stomping ground and site of many works by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, don’t fret. Approximately 57 of the Baroque artist’s marble sculptures will be on display at the Getty Museum through October 26. The highlight of the show, according to David Littlejohn in his Wall Street [...]

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Two New World Heritage Sites in Italy

Two New World Heritage Sites in Italy

by Melanie on 04. Sep, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Lombardy

Time to add two more Italian sites to the UNESCO World Heritage List. In July, UNESCO inscribed the Po Valley towns of Mantua and Sabbioneta and the Rhaetian Railway, which passes through the Swiss Alps into Tirano, Italy. Both new sites are located in the region of Lombardy. Mantua (Mantova) and Sabbioneta were selected for [...]

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Rome, Siena, Sardinia, and more

Rome, Siena, Sardinia, and more

by Melanie on 24. Aug, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Festivals and Events, Lazio, Museums and Exhibits, Rome, Sardinia, Siena, Travel Articles, Tuscany

We hope you’ve had an enjoyable August. Obviously, we took a little time off for rest and relaxation (and a move!), so there’s been little time to fill you in on some of the latest Italy travel news. Here’s a recap: Some people in Rome think it’s a good idea to create a Disneyland-like theme [...]

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Pompeii By Night

Pompeii By Night

by Melanie on 09. Jun, 2008 in Ancient History, Arts and Culture, Campania, City Walks, Destinations, Out and About, Pompeii

Question: What’s eerier than surveying the ruins of Pompeii? Answer: Visiting them at night. According to the ansa.it news service, Pompeii will once again offer its popular “Sound-and-Light” tour, a one-hour look at the ancient Roman city complete with ambient music, flood-lit ruins, and a video simulation of the eruption of Vesuvius that destroyed the [...]

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The Lost Leonardo

The Lost Leonardo

by Melanie on 22. Apr, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Florence, Tuscany

Over the weekend, 60 Minutes had a fascinating piece on “The Lost Leonardo,” which is Leonardo da Vinci’s storied painting of the Battle of Anghiari. Italian art historian Maurizio Seracini believes that the missing artwork lies behind a giant Vasari painting in the Palazzo Vecchio: “He is convinced Leonardo’s mural lies protected behind an immense painting, [...]

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“Palladio” in DC

“Palladio” in DC

by Melanie on 03. Apr, 2008 in Arts and Culture, Museums and Exhibits

As part of Italy’s celebrations of the birth of architect Andrea Palladio, born 500 years ago this year, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Italian Embassy in Washington, DC, are hosting a free screening of “Abitare Palladio,” a documentary about the man and his works. The film will be shown tomorrow April 4 at noon in [...]

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Art Teacher in Your Pocket

Art Teacher in Your Pocket

by Melanie on 19. Apr, 2007 in Arts and Culture, Destinations, Florence, Lazio, Religion, Rome, Siena, Tuscany, Umbria

Art history junkies take note: learning about Italian art is easy with Jane’s Smart Art Guides. Order a CD set – or, even better, download the MP3s to your iPod – and you can learn more about St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome’s Santa Maria del Popolo, or the Fra Angelico fresco cycle in Florence’s San Marco [...]

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