Summer exodus

When the inhabitants of the big cities overflow the streets heading towards the Italian provinces looking for refreshment and a taste of well living, provincials not employed in turistic activities go to the capitals to finally enjoy,  without the chaos and the everyday inconveniences, the city artistic beauties. Together with tourist of the entire world interested in the 'città d'arte' art's cities we venture in the exploration of some of the treasures of Italian culture in historical-artistic paths focused on the knowledge of the enormous Italian heritage. While the city dwellers crowd into more or less crowded seashores, or between contryside trees and mountain freshness after hours of trafic jams during holiday exodus to enjoy, paying crazy prices, some moments of the pleasures inherently part of living in the provincia, the naive provincials wander in wonderful streets and squares, brought back to a human dimension, in churches and archeological paths emptied from the ear-splitting and  rinky trafic to enjoy, with really cheap prices, the treasures of big capitals freed from, what for the province dwellers is unbearable chaos and for those who live in the cities is the electrifying heart-beat of the city. And then here we are brushing up history of art books, crossing ages and places looking for moments of pure intellectual joy. One of the many possible paths is the one on the traces of great painters, such as Caravaggio, whose works are literally spread around the Roman urban texture in churches that really deserve to be seen, or the ones in historically relevant 'quartieri', nieghbourhoods, where you can walk nose-up without fearing to be hit by a car while observing architectures and frescos, suddenly discovering a silent XVth century cloister in the chaotic Piazza Venezia, or following the footsteps of the ancient Romans in the extraordinary markets, forums, domus. True is that some of the most delicious 'pasticceria's (confectioners), 'gelateria's (ice-cream shops) and urban refreshment bars might be closed for holidays but a mental map of the places of gusto not to get knocked back by the summer heat or the mild winter cold might be of great help. So, ready to re-open the arts history books, wear confortable shoes and clothes, hats, a city map and a backpack with fruit and a bottle of water, ready to discover the Italian capitals of art and culture provincia style.

©2010.2020

The 'cunto', UNESCO world heritage

A relevant part of Western culture was handed down to our times thanks to the storytellers. Charachters wandering through the provinces and the cities, telling the romanticized deeds of great warriors and  leaders, the heart-beats of troubled loves and what was going on in the neighbouring towns and provinces.  During Internet and mass-media age the role of the storytellers slimmed down, to the point of becoming a treasure to be preserved and put under the wing of UNESCO. Well, at least that's what happened to a great storyteller, best said 'cuntista' rather than 'cantastorie', and puppeteer of the Sicilian  'Opra dei Pupi' (Pupi puppets theatre, note that it's not 'opera' as for the opera houses, but 'opra', more likely to resound the adventures of the heroes), Mimmo Cuticchio, an artist that can enchant and make the deeds of the chansons de geste come alive in pure Sicilian dialect incredibly absolutely comprehensible thanks to the ancient knowledge of the cuntisti. In 'cunto' there is the epic poem, the singing and a syncopated musical rythm similar to modern rap that make it an extraordinary instrument of artistic communication that can cross borders and barriers as it includes the most ancestral element of tales and of Western culture,  the narrative storytelling.

©2009.2022