Posted by grazia on January 7th, 2010 — in Lombardy
The Palazzo Te is a monumental building in Mantua. It was built between 1524 and 1534 commissioned by Federico II Gonzaga by the most famous Italian architect Giulio Romano.
It was built in a marshy area of the city reclaimed by Gonzaga Family. Francis II, father of Frederick II chose it as the place for the practical training of his esteemed and beloved horses.
Frederick, at the tome lord of Mantua, decided to turn it into a place of recreation, rest and gorgeous parties. Here Giulio Romano had the opportunity to give vent to his genius.
Palazzo Te was often used by the Gonzaga family to receive and great important guests like emperor Charles V on two occasions, in 1530 and 1532. While Henri III, king of France, was here a guest in 1574.
The Palazzo Te consists of several Chambers and Halls. Each of them has its special name and houses beautiful paintings and frescoes.
Some important Chambers:
The Chamber of the Giants is the eldest. The painting covers completely and without interruption all the available space: a fresco that puts the viewer in the centre of the event. Here Jupiter, with a beam of lightning, defeats the Giants, while they try to climb Olympus. An episode related to the myth of Gigantomachy, the Giants fight against Jupiter, as narrated by Ovid. Here Giants are represented as men while Ovid described them as as monsters with a thousand arms. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on December 6th, 2009 — in Italy, Lombardy
The Italian Chrimas Cake: PANETTONE
Panettone is a typical cake of Milan, associated with the culinary traditions of Christmas and widely distributed across Italy.
The true story of the birth of the famous Ambrosian cake is shrouded in the thick of mysteries.
However, other legends tell of the origins and among these the most reliable tells of a grand Christmas dinner by the Sforza family.
The powerful lords were very pleased with their dinner, where each course had exceeded the previous in tastefulness and anxiously awaited the moment of desserts.
The cook noticed suddenly that the oven had played a bad joke! All cakes he had prepared had burned.
So in despair he was preparing to go into the room to apologize to the guests, when Toni, his scullion proposed to bring the lords the cake he had prepared with the leftovers.
The cook, having no other choice, accepted and presented “that kind of bread”.
Soon a chorus of cheers and congratulations rose from the room. And the cook, that was a very honest person, despite being praised by all, confessed that the recipe came from his credit went to his scullion Toni. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on November 23rd, 2009 — in Italy, Lombardy
Monteforte Cilento is situated in the province of Salerno and it is 66 kilometers far from the city of Salerno. It has 625 inhabitants and lies 600 meters above sea level.
Located at the foot of Mount Chianiello, Monteforte Cilento (from “Mons Fortis”, which means “fortified hill”) dominates the high valley of the Alento, which looks out among rugged cliffs, pastures and chestnut and oak forests, offering superb views of a uncontaminated nature.
This ancient place is enchanted and the clearest sign of time passing is indeed the disappearance, in the last century, of the country’s most significant architectural element: the castle.
Very interesting areas from the natural point of view are located along the beautiful scenic route coming form Trentinara. Among these, the mountain forest Chianiello, rich in oaks, turkey oaks and Mediterranean scrub.
The peak of the mountain is reached via a pleasant trail. Ideal for picnics in the mountains are the great chestnut wood and the natural arch located in area Cavallazzi and, on the road to Roccadaspide, the forest Valdicioffo rich in maples and oaks, with its large picnic area and a fresh and clear spring. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on October 18th, 2009 — in Italy, Lombardy
Serves 4 people:
Ingredients:
8 slices of ossobuco
6 handfuls of rice
1 package of dried mushrooms, 500 gr.
1 onion
2 glasses of red wine 
stock cubes
parsley
oil
butter (if desired)
Preparation:
Take the package of dried mushrooms, wash them and leave at least 1 hour in a cup full of water and a dash of milk.
Take a pot to cook the rice and a pan for the ossobuco. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on October 7th, 2009 — in Italy, Lombardy
La Rinascente is an Italian department store specializing in clothing and accessories. Currently has 12 stores found in the major Italian cities.
Its story began in 1865 when Ferdinando Bocconi opened in the centre of Milan a small cloths shop. In a few years its activity expanded to become the first Italian store.
After the great fire on Christmas Eve of 1918 destroyed it, the warehouse was rebuilt and renamed La Rinascente by Gabriele d’Annunzio.
La Rinascente became synonymous with elegance and good taste thanks to the quality of clothing and accessories sold there and thanks to the valuable posters of Dudovich Marcellus, which captured all the charm of a lifestyle made of holidays, sophistication and attention to fashion and style.
Under the bombings of World War II the old building of “La Rinascente” was seriously damaged. Later, the old building was completely demolished, and “La Rinascente” was rebuilt in completely different ways. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on October 5th, 2009 — in Lombardy
There are several cycling routes going through the province of Bergamo. All of them enable bickers to reach small villages with ancient castles or town walls.
These spots cannot be easily found and this kind of trip offer fascinating views and environments difficult to forget.
Among the beauties of this area there is Clusone, a peaceful town boasting an important artistic and architectural heritage. The larger monuments are found in the town centre although important examples of local culture can also be seen in the smaller streets and these are often quite surprising.
An example of this is the XV century complex of Paradiso Church opening onto the piazza with the same name with a sombre bell-shaped façade.
In the centre there is the elegant residence of the Carrara Spinelli and a short distance away there is an interesting Art and Time Museum, housed in the XVII century Palazzo Marinoni Barca.
Continuing onwards there is the sweet church of Saint Anne dated 1487, decorated with votive frescoes.
In the Piazza dell’Orologio (Clock Piazza) there is a lovely collection of historical buildings that revolve around the serious façade of the Palazzo Comunale (Town hall). On the side of the palazzo there is the Clock Tower, an extraordinarily elaborate mechanism created in 1583 by the Clusonese Pietro Fanzago. (more…)
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Posted by grazia on August 10th, 2009 — in Lombardy
Stresa is a town of about 5,000 inhabitants and is situated in the north-east of Piedmont, opposite the Borromeo Gulf and the Borromean Islands (Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori), and for the fascinating panorama it offers, it is easy understandable how this city could become one of the largest gatherings of international tourism.
Its tourism development began in the eighteenth century, in fact many of its villas were built at that time.
The strongest growth has been at the beginning of 1900 and it is precisely in this period that the beautiful Liberty hotels were constructed on the lake (Lake Maggiore).
Today, also thanks to the imposing hotel network, it is a sophisticated holiday resort and an important seat of cultural events as meetings and conferences of international importance.
(more…)
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