ItalyUpdate

THE ENIGMATIC WARRIOR OF CAPESTRANO

The Abruzzo Region has changed its official crest to include a stylized image of the prehistoric sculpture known as the Capestrano Warrior, designed by the celebrated contemporary artist Mimmo Paladino.

The 2m-tall statue, carved out of a single limestone block, has been dated to the VI century BC, and identified with the Vestini, an ancient Italic people who once lived in the area stretching from the mountains of Gran Sasso to the Adriatic coast.

The sculpture was discovered by chance in 1934 in an ancient burial site near the town of Capestrano, and has intrigued archeologists and scientists ever since. An inscription on the base, which was only fully interpreted in 1986 after years of study by noted archaeologist and Etruscologist Adriano La Regina as “Aninis made this fine image for King Nevio Pompulledius” has also provided the key to understanding other inscriptions found in this hitherto unknown language.

The warrior is a unique and impressive work of art, representing a noble chieftain, armed for battle, holding a sword and a small-headed axe in arms crossed over the breast, with a mask over its face and a unique wide-brimmed hat on its head. Recent restoration has revealed traces of red colouring and bronze, suggesting that it once had metal shin guards and breast plate. The face was covered by a mask that was originally painted white.

The warrior intrigues some researchers for other reasons, thanks to certain anatomical anomalies. While the upper torso is flat and conforms to the male form, the lower part of the trunk tapers into a slim waist above generously curving hips and typically feminine buttocks. Did the statue actually represent a Warrior Queen? Another theory suggests it was a mythical figure of a divinity representing both sexes.

The Warrior of Capestrano is part of the collection of the National Archeological Museum of Abruzzo at Chieti.

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Tel. +39.0871.331666      www.museiabruzzo.cultura.gov.it      https://cultura.gov.it

SEEING THE INVISIBLE WITH MARCONI

The Italian Ministry of Culture is commemorating Guglielmo Marconi, the pioneer of radio communications, with a major exhibition in Rome's monumental Victor Emanuel Memorial to mark the 150^th anniversary of the scientist's birth.

The multi-medial exhibition, complete with rare and exclusive material supplied by Cinecittà, Italy's major cinema studios and the historic Luce Archives of photographic material, was launched on the 8^th November with the title: “Seeing the Invisible”

Meanwhile, other exhibitions and tributes to Marconi's genius are being staged all over Italy, with special initiatives involving the Marconi Foundation, located in the Villa Griffone near Bologna. This was Marconi's family residence and where he conducted some of his earliest experiments with “wireless” communications.

Marconi conducted most of his experiments from his yacht, the Elettra, the name that he also gave his daughter, now aged 94. A living custodian of her father's memory, she is much in demand this year by both Italian and foreign media.

Marconi was forced to move his operation and experiments from Italy to Great Britain in 1896 when he was unable to obtain sufficient funding from the Italian government. Within a year, he was able to transmit signals over a distance of 12 miles and took out his first patents. In 1901 he successfully made his first transatlantic contact in the form of the morse code letter “S” between Newfoundland in Canada and Poldhu in Cornwall.

Originally, the potential importance of his experiments were underestimated – until the Titanic disaster in 1912. The doomed ship was equipped with radio transmitters but the signals were not picked up immediately and rescue ships were slow in arriving. Nonetheless, some 700 survivors were saved and the era of modern communications was born.

“Seeing the Invisible” runs until the 25^th April 2025

M. STENHOUSE

Info: Museo Marconi at Villa Griffone: Tel.- +39.051.846121) www.museomarconi.it

“Vedere l'Invisibile” https://cultura.gov.it www.archivioluce.com

THE BOOK BOAT: NEW CRUISE ROUTE

After its successful series of voyages between the Italian port of Civitavecchia and Barcelona (this year in its 12^th edition), Grimaldi shipping lines has launched a new literary cruise for book lovers with destinations Naples and Palermo.

During the voyage, between the 13^th and 19^th November 2024. participants can enjoy meeting a selection of well-known authors who will present their books, with live musical accompaniments.

The “A Ship of Books” event is part of the programme “Leggere Tutti” (Everyone Read), promoted by the publishing company Agro Editrice, with the collaboration of the Grimali line. It will not be, however, an exclusive bookworm event. Emphasis will also be on the gastronomical treats of the two cities, prepared by local top chefs and patisseries.

Time off shore is spent exploring the marvels of the two cities, accompanied by local guides and will include the splendid Norman Cappella Palatina, Monreale and Villa Niscemi in the Park La Favorita.

The second day contemplates visits to Bagheria with Villa Palagonia (the Villa of the “Monsters”), Villa Cattolica, seat of the Guttuso Museum, plus the famous wine cellar of Duca di Salaparuta at Casteldaccia, celebrating its 200^th anniversary this year.

Naples offers a city tour of the city monuments and artistic marvels, including a visit to the Museum of Capodimonte.

The “Leggere Tutto” publishing house aims to encourage and promote reading, also in schools and public libraries. Previous cruises of “A Ship of Books “ included Erasmus students, teachers and school children among its passengers .

M. STENHOUSE

Info: +39.06.44254205 www.leggeretutti.it info@leggeretutti.it

FORGOTTEN WOMEN ARTISTS IN ROME

The ground-breaking exhibition “Le Signore dell'Arte”, focussing on Italian women artists of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, held in the Royal Palace of Milan in 2021, opened a door onto a hitherto unknown reality: that art had not been an exclusive prerogative of men from the Renaissance onwards, but that many women artists had also had successful careers during the same period. The Museum of Rome at Palazzo Braschi has now taken up the theme, offering a spectacular exhibition of the works of 56 women artists who worked in Rome between the 17^th and 19^th centuries.

On display are 130 works, coming from major Italian galleries and museums in various Italian cities, as well as the National Gallery of London and the Thorvaldsen Museum of Copenhagen.

For many of these artists, this is the first time that their work has received official recognition, since many of their paintings were catalogued as “artist unknown” or were attributed to their maestro or to a male family member.

A series of talks, open to the public, describing the lives and works of the artists on show are available during the exhibition period, as well as a map of Rome indicating the places connected with the life and work of many of the artists

“ROMA PITTRICE, Artiste al Lavoro tra XVI e XIX Secole” (Rome Women Artists, working between yhe XVI and the XIX centuries) runs until the 23^rd March 2025 at the Museo di Roma, Palazzo Braschi.

Info: Tel. 060608 www.museodiroma.it museodiroma@comune.roma.it

BATS IN MILAN

Bats are the focus of the exhibition “Ali nella Notte” (“Wings in the Night”) that recently opened inside the historic San Romano Farmhouse in Milan's agricultural park near the San Siro Hippodrome.

The 300 acre “Bosco in Citta” (City Woodland) is a spacious green area, gifted to the citizens by the city authorities and cared for exclusively by volunteers. It includes woodlands, a lake fed by streams, wetlands and paths with observation points where visitors can observe the spontaneous flora, fish, birdlife and other native fauna in their natural setting. In addition, the park contains over 200 citizen allotments, plus orchards, bee sanctuaries and a “Green Library” containing books on the environment, farming and conservation, created in 1973 by the Italia Nostra Heritage Protection Association.

In recent years, environmentalists have expressed concern that the number of bats is declining fast and the current exhibition aims to bring more public awareness of the problem. The “Ali nella Notte” is curated by the Natural History Museum and the Platypus company, specializing in the planning and management of natural resources,

Running until the 19^th March 2025, with a special event programmed for the 5^th November 2024.

Info: Tel. +39/02.4522401 info@efu.it

POSTAGE SERIES FOR ITALY'S SPECIAL TOWNS 

The Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy has launched a series of official postage stamps commemorating some of Italy's lesser known small towns listed in the “Borghi Piu Belli d'Italia” (“the Most Beautiful Small Towns of Italy”) sure to attract collectors. The stamps have been printed by the official Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato S.p.a. (the State Mint and Polygraphic Institute) and can be used for regular postage purposes.

The first series features Pescocostanzo (in Abruzzo), Stilo (Calabria), Codrongianos (Sardinia) and Scicli (Sicily)

The choice cannot have been easy as there are at present 325 listed “borghi” (small, historic towns that have remained architecturally and culturally intact over several centuries).

The Borghi are mostly off the beaten tourist track in scenic and unspoiled areas, and offer alternative destinations for the more discriminating tourist. They all abound in Italy's classic attractions, such as splendid monuments and works of art, gastronomic treats, cultural events and local folklore festivals.

Info: www.posteitaliane.it

THE ROOMS OF THE LAST DUCHESS

Palazzo Pitti (Florence) has now opened, for the first time, the sumptuous apartment that once belonged to the last owner, the Duchess Anne of France, widow of Duke Amedeo d'Aosta.

The palace was first purchased in the 16^th century from the wealthy merchant Luca Pitti by Cosimo 1 de'Medici who transformed it into a royal residence for Maria de'Medici, his niece and future Queen of France. Subsequently it was reserved as the private residence of various members of the Medici and Hapsburg-Lorraine families until the arrival of the Savoy dynasty, the Unification of Italy and the end of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Subsequently, the palace was the residence of the Italian royal family until 1911, when it was known as “the Apartment of His Majesty the King”. The present décor and furnishings of the 14 lavish rooms have remained those created by the last inhabitant, the Duchess Anne.

From November 2024 regular guided tours are available for groups of max 10, with entrance from the Modern Art Gallery, 2^nd Floor.

Info: www.uffizi.it www.palazzopittibigliettitickets.com

NATURE RING WALK TO ENCLOSE POMPEII

A proposal to surround the archaeological site of the buried city of Pompeii with a protective “green belt” is under serious consideration on the part pf the Italian Ministry of Culture and the Pompeii Archaeological Directive. The proposed masterplan put forward by the Bellesi Giuntoli Studio of Landscape Architecture and Urban Design of Florence recently received a thumbs up from ASLA, the prestigious American Society of Landscape Architects, which awarded the project in their 2024 Professional Awards list as “capably of enhancing the link between the excavation area and the surrounding natural and agricultural landscape.

The plan involves reviving a 4 km walk around the ancient perimeter, as well as the creation of a cycling track, rest and leisure areas, special tracks for disabled visitors, plus bird-watching observation points and bee hive havens. Green spaces already reclaimed include the great orchard of the Insula Occidentals,and the Via dei Sepolchre above the Villa of Cicero, the new avenue of cypresses between the Amphitheatre and the Porta Nola visitor entrance.

The park area outside the perimeter walls will have free access to the general public and the citizens of the modern town of Pompeii.

M. STENHOUSE

Info; Tel: +39.081.1865.8177/081.8575347 www.pompeiisites.org pompei.info@cultura.gov.it

MATERA'S FOSSILZED MONSTER WHALE

“Giuliana”, the largest fossilized whale found in the Mediterranean area, continues to be a major attraction at the National Archaeological Museum Domenico Ridola of Matera (Basilicata) where it was put on exhibit this summer.

The fossil dates from around a million years ago during the Pleistocene era. It's immense size sets it above the average dinosaur, which is calculated to have weighed some 100 tons. The 26 meter-long monster whale instead weighed between 130 and 150 tons. It isn't known whether Giuliana was male or female, but “she” has been named after the Lake Giuliana reservoir where “she” was discovered a few kilometers from the city of Matera in 2006.

Research on the whale's skeleton involved teams of international scientists from the Universities of Pisa, Catania, and Brussels who worked incessantly recovering and analysing the fossil fragments before they could be pieced together and put on exhibit.

Examining the rock formations and sediment layers underneath the whale, scientists made a revolutionary discovery. In the remote past, when “Giuliana” inhabited the seas, the surrounding rocky area, now known as the Murgia National Park, covering part of Basilicata and spreading out over Apulia, was in fact an archipelagos in the middle of an ocean that connected the present Ionian Sea with the Adriatic. This explains how the whale managed to be found as if stranded on land that is now quite distant from the sea.

Giuliana the Whale is now on permanent display at the Domenico Ridola museum of the celebrated cave city of Matera

Info: Museo Nazionale di Matera Domenico Ridola Te; +30.0835.310058

www.museonaziomaledimatera.it mp.my@cultura.gov.iy

ELBA'S UNIQUE MAGNETIC ATTRACTIONS

The island of Elba, celebrated for its memories of Napoleon's first, brief exile, is launching new, unusual itineraries, centred around the rich mining activities of its past. The Etruscans extracted iron ore from the earth three thousand years ago, and a flourishing mining activity continued right up until 1981, when the introduction of new technologies and market demands made Elba's mines no longer profitable.

The three old mines, Capoliveri, Ginevro and Vallone, now offer fascinating tours , including the Old Workshop Museum, (located inside the Vallone mine,) that documents the life and work of the miners, with original machinery and material and a reconstructed infirmary and offices The Vallone mine possesses the largest deposits of magnetite in Europe, with a concentration in the Capoliveri peninsula containing Elba's unique Monte Calamita (Magnetic Mountain), that local fishermen and yachtsmen affirm sends out rays powerful enough to alter compass readings.

Elba's rich deposits of stone and metal are not confined to iron ore or magnetite. Walkers around the area can easily pick up pieces of semi-precious stone like tourmaline, beryl, quartz, haematite, limonite, pyrite and others.

Guided tours of the mines are available: For information:

Tel. +39.0565.935492 www.visitelba,com info@minieredicalamita.it