photograph by Manfredi Bellati
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Vicenza:
The Basilica Palladiana. After a massive restoration, that lasted five years
that transformed the Basilica Palladiana into a modern cultural center which re-opens
to the public with a great exhibition, called Raphael to Picasso. The Basilica Palladiana is a Renaissance
building in the central Piazza dei Signori in Vicenza, near Venice. It was originally constructed in the 15th century and was known as the
Palazzo della Ragione. It was
the seat of government and also housed a number of shops on the ground floor.
When part of the building collapsed in the sixteenth century, the Council of
One Hundred commissioned many architects to submit designs and selected
Palladio to reconstruct the building in 1549. Palladio added a new
outer-shell of marble classical forms; a loggia and a portico that now obscure
the original Gothic architecture.
photograph by Manfredi Bellati
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The Basilica Palladiana - a detail. The Basilica was an expensive
project and took a long time to complete. Palladio received an income for the
work during most of his life. Only in 1614 - thirty years after his death - did
the building stand complete.
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The
Basilica Palladiana. The most notable feature of the edifice is the loggia,
which shows one of the first examples of the what came to be known as the
Palladian window, designed by a young Andrea Palladio, whose
work in architecture was to have a significant effect on the field during the
Renaissance and later periods.
Vicenza: The Basilica Palladiana – Raffaello Verso Picasso – “Stories of
eyes, faces and figures” exhibition. Considered
by far one of the most important art events in Italy, the Raffaello to Picasso
exhibition, until January 1, brings together more than one hundred masterpieces
from around the world in a unique exhibition in the Basilica Palladiana in the
center of Vicenza. Curated by Marco Goldin, it tells the story of the portrait
and the figure from '400 to '900 through the works of famous artists, like: Fra
'Angelico, Botticelli, Mantegna, Bellini, Giorgione, Raphael, Titian, Dürer, and again Rubens, Caravaggio, Van Dyck, Rembrandt, Velázquez, El
Greco, Goya, Tiepolo up to the Impressionists from Manet to Van Gogh, Renoir,
Gauguin, Cézanne to Monet and the great painters of the twentieth century with
works from Munch, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani and Bonnard and then Giacometti,
Balthus, Bacon and Freud.
Contessanally note: I was most surprised, for such an important exhibition, not to find
one caption or text in English and even the catalogue was only available in
Italian.
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Vicenza: Da Renzo – Assortimento tartine. After the wonderful exhibition, to crown the
perfect morning just around the corner from the Basilica in the Contrada
Frasche del Gambero 16 a much needed stop and aperitivo in the small bar Da Renzo. We celebrated Vicky Ceschi a Santa Croce’s birthday with an assortment
of small appetizers, or tartine, so moist and tasty, to die for.
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Da Renzo. The small bar is a historic reference point
for the locals, a sort of Venetian “baccaro” in the Vicentino style where the
cicchetti are replaced by tartine and served by Monica, who was very shy of the
camera.
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Da Renzo. Just
one of the many assortments of open-faced tartine, made with prosciutto, and
garnished with homemade mayonnaise and an olive on a soft and moist white bun.
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