Lucca Comics & Games

Pubblicato il 2 Novembre 2012 da Beppe

A nice break in Lucca before the oncoming winter, just for the weekend,  profiting from the accommodation at reduced price  offered by Tuscany Holiday Rent and from the Lucca  Comics & Games which started yesterday, November the 1st 2012.

The  customary tribute to art, creativity and imagination is going on for three days up to November the 4. Until Sunday the city is going to be the hub of comics fans whirling around the fantastic world of comics, games and animated films. The event includes meetings with the authors,  presentations, historical re-enactments, workshops and musical performances  spreading over the squares and  historical buildings of this Tuscan jewel.

The show celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of  the first issue of “ Diabolik”, the comics featuring the handsome and brilliant thief, flanked by the charming Eva Kant and the inspector Ginko. “ Fifty Years lived Diabolically”  lands  at Lucca comics now after stops in Milan, Naples and Cremona.  The journey  into the life of this smart adventurer  is accompanied by  the memorabilia from the archives of its publishing house Astorina.

Another anniversary is celebrated,  “ Eighty Years Together” a memory publication of Mickey Mouse comics.

The book is  rich in  unpublished curiosities,  rare historical stories as Mickey Mouse journalist of 1935. Another important show about “Il Corriere dei Ragazzi”, popular Italian  kid comics of the seventies  is held at Palazzo Ducale,  hosting its famous characters such as  Nick Carter, Jolly Flipper and Lupo Alberto.

The comics fans are not going to miss the retrospective dedicated to the Argentine comics strip artist Enrique Breccia or the original watercolours of the young Portoguese Cyril Pedrosa.  A special mention deserves” Marvellous Divas” the strips of Sara Pichelli and Laura Zuccheri designers of the official poster of the festival.

Japan is playing a major role at Lucca Comics. It is possible  to admire Yoshihiro Tatsumi’s third collection ”Drawn& Quaterly’s” where the author of manga collections  peers  into lives pervaded by darkness and  loneliness  such as in his famous ” Good-Bye”. Another great artist of manga, Takeshi Obata, known to most fans  for his “Death Note” and “Bakuman” is the protagonist of a much waited conference.

In the extraordinary event , the show of Gary Frank , the designer of Batman and Superman  exhibits at Palazzo Bernardini 16 original drawings of his own personal collection.

The  film section hasn’t got to be neglected.

It focuses on “Frankenweenie” the new film of Tim Burton which is going to be shown in Italy in January.

The aficionados are surely going to appreciate the previews of ” Django” by Quentin Tarantino and the latest adventure of Marvel studios “ Iron Man 3”,  sequel to Iron Man 1 and 2 ,  scheduled in the States in May 2013,  starring Robert Downey, Gwyneth Paltrow  and  Ben Kingsley among others.

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Palazzo Strozzi ” Anni Trenta. Arti in Italia oltre il Fascimo “

Pubblicato il 18 Ottobre 2012 da Beppe

The exhibition in Florence at Palazzo Strozzi ” Anni Trenta.  Arti in Italia oltre il Fascimo “ (The Thirties. Art in Italy beyond Fascism)  up to January, 27th 2013 really deserves a visit.  On show the masterpieces of over forty leading artists,  including Mario Sironi, Giorgio de Chirico, Alberto Savinio,  Achille Funi,  Carlo Carrà,  Corrado Cagli, Arturo Nathan, Achille Lega, Ottone Rosai,  Ardengo Soffici, Giorgio Morandi,  Ram,  Thayaht,  Antonio Donghi, Marino Marini,  Renato Guttuso,  Ivanhoe Gambini,  Carlo Levi, Filippo de Pisis, Scipione,  Antonio Maraini and Lucio Fontana. The  Italian 30s, characterized by the dictatorship of Mussolini, expressed an extremely active artistic background,  featuring classicism, futurism, expressionism, abstractionism,  which can’t  be,  grossly and  tout-court,  oversimplified as  lifeless and provincial art  inside the controversial issue of art and fascism.

Two remarkable previous exhibitions focused on the same subject, the one held by Carlo Ragghianti in 1967 in Florence and the other one  at Palazzo Reale in Milan in 1982 organized  by Renato Barilli, Luciano Caramel, Enrico Crispolti and Vittorio Fagone.

Both of them paved the way for following studies,  more able to overcome  the  negative assessments and  the enduring prejudices on the art which  flowered on the sinister rise of fascism.

The perspective of the present  exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi,  organized by Antonello Negri, Silvia Bignami Paolo Rusconi, Giorgio Zanchetti e Susanna Ragionieri is probably getting  a wider  historical  detachment from the political framework.

A keener  sensibility  is now able  to clearly establish a shrewd assessment of the works’ artistic value, telling them apart. On one side the politically functional paintings which  heavily suggest embarrassing  flattery subjects such as the ones exhibited at the 1939 Cremona Prize or  at the Biennale di Venezia or the Quadriennale of Rome. On the other side the ” more  liberal”  works  employing  free languages, unrestrained,   at least, until 1938,  when the racial laws implied the condemnation of the vanguard art.

In fact, initially unchecked by a strict  political power  some young  artists  could exhibit in the Exhibition of the Fascist National Union of Fine Arts, held in Florence in 1933. Among them Guttuso,  Birolli,  Fontana,  Sassu who gradually would open  up  to new  European trends,  together with other artists, the so called “ Sei di Torino” .

Under  the guide of Felice Casorati  they breathed a new air, thus overcoming the gloomy inner  horizons in the approach of the broader issues of  the Fauves,  Modigliani,  Manet,  Picasso,  Matisse,  Braque or  the German Expressionism.  A brave new world,  labelled by  the pure German art as  degenerated.

Thence the symbolically meaningful painting of nazi art,  shown for the first time in Italy ” The Four Elements”  by Adolf Ziegler, the artistic advisor of Hitler, featuring four naked  female figures.

The exhibition,  divided into several sections,  focuses on  artists according to various geographical areas.

Milan  with masterpieces of Sironi, Martin,  Carrà,  Funi,  Adolf Wildt.

Florence with Soffici e Rosai. Rome with Donghi.

Turin with Casorati and the “Six from Turin” and last Trieste with Nathan, Bolaffi and Sbisà.

The section ” I Giovani  e gli Irrealisti ” numbering  Sassu,  Birolli,  Fontana,  Gentilini,  Cagli,  Guttuso,  Prampolini,  Licini and Radice witnesses  the variety of free languages.

“ Gli artisti in viaggio ” (les Italiens de Paris) together with Vinicio Paladini,  much influenced by Berlin cultural background, belie the cultural isolation.

A last remark on the Milan Triennale of 1933  which set forth  the modernization of  the country,  featuring an essential esthetics where design represented a turning point  in Italian lifestyle thanks to its  ideas still relevant to modern and dynamic  man.

As an ending note, our  comforting doubt about the harsh considerations  of the Guardian journalist Jonathan Jones who in his blog marks  the  Florentine exhibition  as “ a bleak journey into the aesthetic lifelessness of a totalitarian society”

If you are interested in  spending some days in Florence,  have a look at the accommodations downtown offered by Tuscany Holiday Rent

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Volterragusto : the white truffle of San Miniato hills

Pubblicato il 12 Ottobre 2012 da Beppe

Visit these days a small Tuscan jewel, Volterra in the Cecina valley, profiting from the special prices of the accommodation ( 10%  off  the ordinary price) offered in the area  by Tuscany Holiday Rent.

It is an appealing town, rich in a multifaceted heritage ranging from Etruscan to Roman from Medieval  to Renaissance. Historical remains will be discovered not only in its museums  but  at any  street corner, while strolling about its charming streets.  Take part,  in this period of the year,  in the many local events which mingle culture and food and you will discover a nice way to look at the world through often neglected hidden links.

Alabaster, which draws back to Volterra’s Etruscan origins  is the focus of an interesting show “Torre Pendente e  altri miracoli in alabastro”( Leaning Tower and other alabaster miracles), open up to November the 4th

Archeology, too, plays a main role in the town’s  history. Since  November the13th, 2012, guided tours and excursions, downtown and in the natural park of  Vulci will have been  showing  the visitor  historical remains, including a simulated archeological dig.

On two weekends, October 22nd and 23rd and 29th and November the 1st,  Volterra is going to host ”Volterragusto”, an event  centred on the white truffle of the nearby San Miniato hills. The locations,  unlike the previous years,  are going to be the  old palaces’ courtyards  to better link culture and gastronomy. A new route, often unknown to the general public.

The other excellent local food  such as meat, olives and cheese, together with gorgeous Tuscan wines won’t be  forgotten .

At last a literary prize, the “Premio Letterario Jarro” to a  person of the showbiz  who has particularly distinguished for  spreading  Tuscan  food culture around.

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Astor Piazzolla at Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence

Pubblicato il 9 Ottobre 2012 da Beppe

A night with Piazzolla, today October 9, 2012  in the unique backdrop of the hall of Palazzo Medici Riccardi in Florence. The  free concert ” Vuelvo al Sur”, is meant to be  a right homage to the Argentinian composer. Guitars, accordeons,  basses, violins, violas and cellos will celebrate in a concert  the virtuoso of bandoneon, on the fifth anniversary of his death. The protagonists  Angelo Colone,  Massimo de Lorenzi, Giuliana Soscia, Andrea Avena and the Quartet Pessoa made up of Marco Quaranta , Rita Gucci,  Achilles Taddeo and Kyung Mi Lee are going to perform Piazzolla’s unique language.  His tango pieces  are a challenge for the  group; the task of  communicating  the successful mixture of  different musical genres and composition types is not an easy one. The unique synthesis of tradition and  innovation stands as a vanguard work  where  the tango framework is able to successfully embrace  contrasting elements  such as jazz and classical music. The tango- in Piazzolla’s  own words -becomes a music to  be listened more than danced.

The final result is  definitely fascinating. His  hectic life,  his continuous travelling  abroad from the native Buenos  Aires to New York, from Paris to Italy  are just  hints reflecting the never-ending research, the longing for experimentation. His   biography  includes   incredible characters such as Carlos Gardel, Julio de Caro , Anibal Troilon,  Arthur Rubinstein, the legendary French composition teacher at the Fontainbleau  conservatory, Nadia Boulanger, the  writer Jorge Louis Borges, the poet Horacio Ferrer, Gerry Mulligan, the founder of cool jazz, just to name a  few. Astor Piazzolla is surely a myth  to be discovered and loved.

A concert which is an opportunity not to be missed

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Festival del Turismo Medioevale 2012 (FTM – Festival of Medieval Tourism 2012)

Pubblicato il 8 Ottobre 2012 da Genni

Yesterday, October 7th, saw the conclusion of the second edition of an event destined to grow, thanks to the exceptional enthusiasm and interest it fetches for tourism in Tuscany and in Italy: the Festival of Medieval Tourism (FTM) of Pistoia. An event that involves the most representative towns of medieval Tuscany and Italy, thanks to the authorities of those places, who investing in the care and preservation of ancient structures, have made the medieval features a milestone for the development of tourism. A Festival of Medieval Tourism that involves both Italian and foreign tour operators, and personally us of Tuscany Holiday Rent, constantly looking for new ideas and inspirations to enthral the foreign tourist and introduce him or her to other realties of our region besides the greater ones of Florence, Pistoia, Siena, Arezzo, Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano etc., such as those wonderful pearls which in one way or the other are the heart of medieval Tuscany and the greatness of this territory.

A mention to Serravalle Pistoiese, a small village on the border between the seaward plain and the hills of Pistoia and Florence, whose magnificent towers, of which the tallest recently restored and accessible to the public, looks over a wide-ranging landscape, which stretches as far as the eye can see, giving the inquisitive spectator a complete vision of much of the northern part of Tuscany. Mentions also go to Certaldo, a tiny fortified village, birthplace of Italian humanist Boccaccio, and Pescia, a charming town with medieval origins. And here we stop, not to be disrespectful to all the medieval landmarks in Tuscany, but because this article such wants to remain, so as not to dwell too much and bore the reader.

This is a Festival of Medieval Tourism that involves numerous public visitors, offering valuable information, often little known and hardly disclosed to sightseers, and represents traditional medieval performances. Furthermore, thanks to the precious collaboration of a group of passionate medieval authenticity scholars, the Sestiere Castellare group, the Festival also offers a small glimpse of life as it was in the Middle Ages, from wax making, textiles, tools and delicious dishes, with the conditions and especially operating time typical of that period, oblivious to the haste of our age. Among the many interesting organizations, we also cite C.E.R.S. (Consorzio Europeo di Rievocazioni Storiche), the European Society of Historical Re-enactments which is engaged in recreating past events.

Not only Tuscany. The Festival of Medieval Tourism, as mentioned, involves all the medieval circumstances on the Italian territory.  This year’s edition saw the presence from Piedmont of  Cremolino, Cassine and Incisa Scapaccino, from the Aosta Valley the town of Saint Denis, from Trentino those of Lasino and Trento,  from Liguria the town of Zuccarello and from Emilia-Romagna those of Verrucchio, San Leo and Casteldelci. These are all resorts which a lover of the Middle Ages cannot fail to visit, and even stay in order to fully plunge in this enchanting atmosphere, almost unaltered in time.

Compared to the preceding edition, this year the Festival of Medieval Tourism, has increased the number of attendants. In short, it is expanding and, with greater perseverance, is uniting our beautiful medieval locations, thanks to this brilliant initiative that converges all enthusiasts and leads them to have a single point of reference.

Furthermore, this year’s presence of the organizers of “Times and Epochs”, a extremely large medieval festival held in Moscow, Russia, is a strong signal and incentive in pursuing this path and bring Pistoia’s Festival of Medieval Tourism to become a worthy Italian example in the context of similar events already present abroad.

Tuscany Holiday Rent attended also this year’s edition as buyers, as always drawing inspiration, finding new ideas and reference points for our clients. With all due respect our thanks to the Musiké organization, who had this idea, and to the great professionalism show by its operators, both from the technical and human side, and the friendship they are able to lavish on all those who actively participate in the event, starting from us tour operators, to the representatives of the medieval towns, and to all the medieval history and culture enthusiasts who introduced their activities on the spot.

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