Art History Alive

arthisto December 12th, 2009

Lago di Como

“My commitment to cultural immersion travel is strong. That is why I insist on research trips.  I continue seeking out sites, smells, and tastes that will envelope and enrich my AHA guests.  This is a different kind of travel, a more personal approach, with a focus on a deeper understanding of a culture other than our own.”  -Cynthia Quist

Wonderful discoveries and some dismal disappointments.  That sums up three weeks of pretty intense research in Italy for Jim and I.  We worked hard, ate a lot, and took notes on everything.  One difficult night, the only consolation that we had, as we laid awake in our two tiny twin beds in a HOT, stuffy room with a party going on outside our windows, was the knowledge that you, our guests, would never have to experience this.  On the other hand, in Sorrento, where we had booked for just two nights, everything was so perfect that we longed to extend our stay.

Our itinerary: Paris 3 days, Lake Como 3 days, Tuscany 6 days, Rome 5 days, Sorrento 2 days.

We covered a large part of that little boot, (and sometimes felt as though we had been kicked by it).  The good news is that our guests benefit from the good and the ill.  Based on our pages of notes we will create a beautiful and delicious new Italian Itinerary for 2011.  It will be a Northern Italian trip to include The Lakes region, Florence, and Northern Tuscany.  If you are interested in the new itinerary, keep your eye on this blog.

But for the present, if you are interested in a, post-battle report on our three week sojourn, here you go.

Paris Bakery

Paris: Hotel Pas du Calais remains a favorite, with its warm and welcoming staff, pretty rooms, delicious breakfast, and a perfect location on the Left Bank.

We will be adding the beautiful town and immense cathedral of Chartres to our Paris itinerary in the future.  A beautiful day trip from Paris.  We discovered new parts of Versailles to explore, and some that we weren’t supposed to be in.  Oops!

The food in Paris was a dismal disappointment, and it shouldn’t ever be that way.  We ate at all types of eateries, and found the bistros and brasseries to be most dependable.  The two star Micheline, with it’s fish foam, will surly appeal to some, but I think I lost weight in Paris.  Our favorite brasserie, is as delicious as ever and I wouldn’t miss eating there for anything.  However, the day we left Paris we felt we were fleeing the land of butter, cream, and Bordeaux wines, and were in a hurry to arrive in the land of tomatoes, olive oil, and brunello.

Lakeside lunch at the San Giorgio

Lake Como: The four star Grand Hotel Imperiale was a bit of a disappointment.  But the very peaceful Hotel San Giorgio was adorable and is calling to me this very minute.  Located on the lake with a large gently rolling lawn, dotted with lawn furniture and easing down to the lapping edge of the lake, is the place for me.  Not trying to be something it is not, it exudes character, delicious food, and a lakeside walk into the little town of Lenno.  From here you can catch a boat to other pretty towns on the banks of the lake, never having to get into a car.  All of this with the snow capped Swiss Alps looming above you.  This place was magic and I will be sure that my guests have enough time here to really let down.

We landed on four wonderful restaurants here.  The garden and terrace restaurant at the San Giorgio, where Jim swears he had the best pizza of his life and I had a beautifully presented caprese salad.  After lunch it was all we could do not to drop into one of the hotel lounges for a nap.  If we had been guests of the San Giorgio, that is exactly what we would have done, but instead we walked to Lenno and did some exploring.  Darling!

Another wonderful discovery was Trattoria Del Fagiano (guinea fowl), high up above the lake, each course in this great place was perfect.  Maria Louisa and Enza run the front, and you better clean your plate or you are going to hear about it.  Wilma is in

The Fagiano Crew

the kitchen with Chef Gabriele, who masterminds the absolutely delicious country Italian fare, and Mr. Giorgio (Wilma’s husband) runs the bar and makes the oh so important espressos.  I cannot wait to share Trattoria Del Fagiano with AHA travelers!  The Italian menu was daunting so Maria Luisa took over.  If you are interested, below is a description of what she decided we were going to enjoy at this eatery.
Antipasti: Paper thin prosciutto with shaved parmigiano cheese, sauteed mushrooms, bruschetta topped with bacon, braseola with melted mozzarella, drizzled with vinegar.  At that point, and I know that you know this feeling, I was pretty much done.  Oh no, no, no.  Primi piatti – house twisted pasta with a sauce of  light tomato and ground fagiano, plus the lightest crepe ever, oozing a bechamel sauce, rolled then sliced very thinly, smothered in fresh tomatoes and baked in the oven.  OK, now its not funny.  Remember those elastic waisted pants I bought before departure, yeah well, you can imagine where I am going with this when Maria Louisa arrives at our table with a wild boar stew served over country polenta.  Yeah, not to filling.  But hey, I told myself I was doing it all for you, the reader and traveler, it was my responsibility, right?  Jim looked across the table at me and gasped something rather negative about our food in Paris . . . .

Prosciutto on melon

A departure from the country food is the Imperialino. Very, very beautiful terrace dining, lakeside.  Service was impeccable and yet friendly, and the food was absolutely wonderful.  I just have to mention my antipasti.  I ordered Prosciutto and melon and that is what I received but the presentation was amazing.  Thin slices of cantaloupe covered the bottom of my huge plate, but someone had taken the thin prosciutto and fashioned it delicately into the shape of a rose in full bloom sitting on top.  I will look forward to sharing this quiet, elegant restaurant with guests.

And finally, La Locanda.  This place you have to experience to believe.  Located on the only island on Lake Como, we arrived by boat to a very famous, yet casual six course lunch, under a tree on the terrace.  Please!!!!  It just could not have been more perfect.  This became a must for all of the AHA trips to the Lake Como area.  Take a look at their website.  Too fun!

From Lago Di Como we headed south to Pienza, located in the heart of Tuscany for the next six days, stopping for lunch in Cremona.  Cremona is the town where Stradivari lived and created his perfect violins, now on display, and I have wanted to visit for many years.  It was not a disappointment.

Abbey of Saint Antimo, Tuscany

Tuscany:  Staying in a beautifully redesigned farmhouse on top of a hill, we relished traveling through the area at a very leisurely pace.  The high points were the 12th century Abby of Saint Antimo, where the resident Gregorian monks chant . . . .  stunning.  The beef steak restaurant, Osteria Acquacheto, so good we went twice, the town of Montepulciano, and the perfect Renaissance town of Pienza.  There were some disappointments that taught us where not to go as well.  Restaurants that are full and bustling, but without an Italian in the place.  We were in Italy, right?  Or were we in Germany or England?  Several got scratched off of our list, and that is a good thing.

Rome: Continues to amaze us and we have been visiting annually for over 20 years, with guests and on our own.  Exploration of some sites we’d not seen before proved fruitful.  The hillside town of Tivoli, just outside of Rome, with its two enormous villas will make a great addition to a week long itinerary in Rome.  This would be a day trip, out of the bustling city to visit the ancient Roman Villa Adriana, lunch and then visit the Villa ‘d’Este c. 1565.  Both have gorgeous gardens, gushing fountains, and views of Rome.  A super way to spend an easy day, I loved it there. We were disappointed with a restaurant that we have been enjoying for years, because it decided to go up market.  So, whereas their pizza and pastas were wonderful, they have been replaced with items like parmigiano mousse served with middle eastern flat bread.  What?  I am in Italy, right?  Too bad.  But, the Enoteca (wine bar) near the bottom of the Spanish Steps, and Ciampini, at the top, were just as great as ever!

Home with patio, c.79 AD - Herculaneum

Sorrento: This has become a favorite.  Perhaps the fact that  beautiful Hotel Antiche Mura pampers us is part of the reason we keep returning? Perhaps that, as well as the aqua waters lapping on the shore, the slower pace, the pirate history, the fresh seafood and icy white wines, and the limoncello?   Yeah, that’s probably it.  In Sorrento it is easy for me to wrap my guests up in history and culture.  It is a place to let down, slow down, and just be.  A must for AHA clients.

This trip we visited Herculaneum (in Italian, Ercolano) for the first time.  A seaside city destroyed by the same volcanic eruption that flattened Pompeii, in 79 AD, but smaller and better preserved.  Unlike Pompeii, in Herculaneum we found full homes that survived with their artwork still on the walls.  I was able to walk through a home in which the dining room looked out onto a garden with a patio complete with patio furniture.   I stood in the kitchen gazing out the window at the garden imagining that more than 1,930 years ago, a woman just like me, had done the same thing.  Perhaps she wondered what kind of weather they would have that day, as she watched her children play with a pet.  Suffice to say, that in Herculaneum, one could easily step back in time, and I loved it. I will look forward to sharing this experience with guests.

I began this post with my commitment to you, the AHA guest.  I hope that as you have read this article, it has become clear just how I will immerse you.  My goal is to envelope you in the people, the art, history, music, and food of the places we explore.  Complete Cultural Immersion, hope you can swim!

Happy Travels

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arthisto November 5th, 2009

California's beautiful Highway 1

Trip #1 ~ CALIFORNIA COAST, CASTLE AND CABERNET
April 30 – May 7, 2010 ~ 8 DAYS ~ GROUP SIZE: 6
PRICE PER PERSON $2,800.00

After two days in pretty San Francisco, wandering Chinatown and maybe visiting Alcatraz, our little group will travel south to picturesque Carmel. Here we will visit this quaint town and its gorgeous mission. Continue Reading »

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arthisto November 5th, 2009

Notre Dame, Paris

PARIS IN SPRINGTIME
JUNE 13 – 20, 2010 ~ 8 DAYS ~ GROUP SIZE: 6-8
PRICE PER PERSON $4,100.00

I love Paris in its prettiest season, springtime.  So, we will spend a week exploring this gorgeous city; its museums, shops, and bistros, but we will also visit Claude Monet’s home and garden in its most gorgeous showtime.  Who of you, have stood in front of a Monet painting, of his beloved garden, and wondered if it was as beautiful in real life? On this trip we will stand in his garden and you will see for yourself. For those of you, like me, who have been to this marvelous place before, together we will spend a few leisurely hours wandering not only his enormous garden, but his home as well. Continue Reading »

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arthisto November 5th, 2009

Inspiration Point, Yosemite National Park

CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH WINES, AND YOSEMITE

October 15 – 18, 2010 ~ 4 DAYS

GROUP SIZE: 4-6
PRICE PER PERSON $1,600.00

This tour’s focus is pampering first and then regaining perspective. Designed with working professionals in mind, and yet not exclusive, we will leave the bustling Bay Area and drive to the slower paced heart of the California Gold Rush, Sonora.  Nestled in the foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevada Mountains, we will spend two days between relaxing professional spa treatments, and tasting some of the best wines produced in this area.  Leave it to AHA to discover relaxing spa treatments in an historical building built in 1895. Now, that is cultural immersion! Built after the gold rush, this classic western boomtown style building with its wooden sidewalks, was the very necessary Mundorf Hardware store with the Mundorf family living above. They would probably be shocked to know that within the rooms where they raised their children, today, soft music and candle light beckon clients into the quiet,warm and relaxing treatment rooms.

Our spa treatments will be divided between a one hour body massage that is designed by you, and another glorious hour-long European facial. Whether you prefer a Swedish, sports, or lighter aromatherapy massage, it will be tailored to your achieving an all over “wet noodle” experience. I have spoken at length with, and experienced first hand these professionals, and they understand completely what my goal is for each of you traveling with me on this trip. Pampered excellence and a long lingering memory of travel with Art History Alive.

Day 2 After a nice breakfast in Sonora we will to the adorable town of Murphy’s , CA.  Here the main street is about four blocks long, lined on both sides with fun shops and oodles of tasting rooms.  We know these well and are wine club members of a few, so we will introduce you to some of the winemakers and let you choose your favorites.  The last time I took this trip, my guests  became wine club members as well, and now receive regular shipments from Murphy’s, a nice reminder of their time there.

The Ahwahnee Hotel Dwarfed by the Royal Arches in Background

Then, on day 3, we will drive into Yosemite National Park and check into our beautiful rooms at the historic Ahwahnee Hotel.   This historic hotel, built in 1926 and like no other in its massive grandeur, still cannot compete with the drama and majesty of Yosemite Valley. You will feel your life slip into perspective as we quietly walk the pathways of Yosemite with its enormous granite cliffs surrounding us and as its magnificent waterfalls crash; all outside troubles and pressures seem to morph back into perspective where they should be.  Now we are on Yosemite time.  All my life I have been visiting this natural cathedral and always have the same response to it.  It makes me quiet, thoughtful and enormously thankful.  If you have been before, maybe it is time to go again, if this will be your first time, brace yourself for a powerful experience.

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.” John Muir

From Yosemite we will drive back to the Bay Area and life, but uplifted, I promise.

Physical Level: Moderately Strenuous.

Art History Alive will offer these five destinations in 2010! Great places to visit, more interesting things to learn, and very small groups. Over the next few weeks I will post on each tour individually to include a more detailed description, and a list of recommended reading and movies that will allow you to front load your travel experience.

You will notice that we have added two itineraries that include my absolute favorite places in California.  If Europe is not on

California wild flowers

your radar screen for this year, consider touring the best that California has to offer.  I am a fifth generation Californian and would love to show you around.  I think that you will agree, this is wonderful line up and I sincerely hope that you will share it with your friends and family.

We are very happy to announce:

• Early booking benefits
• Alumni discounts
• Refundable deposits

The NEW money saving opportunities are on the Specials and Discounts Page. These trips can fill up fast so early booking is important and saves you money.

All trips include: Hotels, all meals and house wines, (well, you don’t have to have wine with breakfast) ground transportation, museum admissions, and travel insurance.

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arthisto July 10th, 2009

We have space available on this tour, but you will need to move quickly.  Rooms are being booked, train reservation are being made, and emails are flying.  If you would like to be a part of this small group that will see Italy the AHA way, just fill out the application and hit the submit button, or contact me directly at 831.475.3807 or aha@arthistoryalive.com.

Naturally, I am so looking forward to this trip to Tuscany with its hilltowns and castles, and then the beauty of Sorrento and Positano hanging on the cliffs above the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. What a gorgeous combination. Four days of enjoying hearty Tuscan cuisine and wines while exploring ancient Etruscan towns as well as beautiful Renaissance jewel-like hilltowns. Then off to the Southern Riviera of Italy, the Amalfi Coast. Here, just south of Naples, there is an entirely different feeling, food, wine, and history.

A more detailed description of the trip is below.  Enjoy!

TUSCANY AND THE AMALFI COAST
SEPTEMBER 16–24, 2009
9 DAYS GROUP SIZE: 6
PRICE PER PERSON $5,000.00

After arriving in Rome and having our first cappuccino in Italy together, we will gather into our spacious, panoramic-windowed van and travel toward the tiny hill town of Proceno, in southern Tuscany. However, on our way, we will drive up a hill to soaring Orvieto for a delicious lunch and the first of many an awe inspiring wander. No one actually knows the age of Orvieto, however we do know that around 750 B.C. the Etruscans thrived here, inheriting it from their Iron and Bronze Age ancestors. How exciting it is to visit a city that has survived for thousands of years, with its bustle interrupted only once, in the 14th century, by the Black Plague. We will meander at our own pace through Orvieto’s crown jewel, her Cathedral, with its brightly colored mosaic facade. Built over a mere 300 years, it holds precious art that I love to visit and share. So, within two hours of landing in Italy you will be immersed in its ancient beauty, and this will just be the beginning.

Forty minutes deeper into beautiful Tuscany and we will arrive at Castello di Proceno. This castle/fortress was built in the 11th century and has been creatively redesigned into several beautiful apartments. This is my favorite landing spot in all of Tuscany. Once we check in and relax a bit, we will take a walk around town so that you can get your bearings. It isn’t difficult as it is tiny, but the views, in all directions are dreamlike, no, actually they are “calendar-like”. I will introduce you to Pucci and Giovanni, the owners of the castle, Roberto the grocer, where you can buy anything from locally made salami, to bedroom slippers, and Gianfranco, of Trattoria da Gianfranco. The castle will be our home for the next four days as we explore more picturesque hilltowns and savor some of the most delicious food and wine you will have ever tasted.

On the list of must sees, in these first four days, are the cathedral of Sovana, that took so long to build that it actually spans two architectural periods. So, as we sit in the back of the church you will see that two of its three aisles are Romanesque and the third is Gothic. Amazing! The hilltown hamlet of Pienza that was, luckily for us, caught in a time warp. During the first half of the 1400’s, Pope Pius II, responsible for the revitalization and redesigning of his beloved hometown, was called away to raise troops for a crusade to the Holy Land. He left a Papal Bull, in beautiful Latin, that stated nothing should be touched until his return. Unfortunately, in 1465 he died while away, and Pienza dutifully has left everything just as it was. Because of this, a visit to Pienza gives us a real-time snapshot of Tuscan life in the 1400’s. Pienza was miraculously spared during World War II bombing raids, however the machine gun holes in the exterior side wall of the cathedral are a reminder of what happened here when both Germans and Americans took turns occupying Pienza and the surrounding towns. This is a fascinating area with lots to explore, learn and taste. Brunellos come from here as does a most delicious soft, not salty, pecorino cheese.

And who can be in this area and not visit the most haunting of all hilltowns, Civita di Bagnoregio? Not me! Civita sits a top a rock spur, built entirely of rock taken from the spur, it appears to be something organic that simply grew out of the mountain. However, because of earthquakes over the centuries much of the spur and city have dropped away, leaving Civita sitting like a diamond nestled in a round solitaire setting. There is one approach to the city, a walking bridge that spans the gorge that encircles Civita. Often, in the morning, the city is engulfed in clouds or fog and it appears that the bridge leads to no where. Sometimes the fog fills just the gorge with Civita above as if floating in the sky. This is like nothing else you would have seen up to this point, and you will remember it always. Comfortable walking shoes, a camera, and a hefty appetite are a must for Civita da Bagnoregio.

Eventually, we will have to say goodbye to our castle and Tuscany, and head south to Rome where we will jump a fast train and travel further south to the dramatic Amalfi Coast. This is the land of old lemon trees, heavy with the fruit that will lend itself to that delicious, yellow, after dinner concoction, limoncello. The land of soft buffalo milk mozzarella, and fresh fish. While here we will divide our time between Sorrento and Positano. Even though they are only separated by a one hour drive, they are so beautiful and unique unto themselves, that I want you to experience both. Sorrento is built high above the Mediterranean on a flat plateau, where you can walk to the edge and look straight down into the warm, see-through water. Positano is built in a cove and its villas, hotels, shops and restaurants look like pastel building blocks tumbled down a hill. Here, overlooking the aqua waters of the Mediterranean, where centuries ago pirates marauded, we will wander, shop, visit Pompeii, Capri, and maybe even Amalfi, mostly by sea. With all the fresh seafood and crispy white wines you can take in, you will ask yourself, “Can it get any better than this?” Nope!

Which will be your favorite? Cobblestoned Tuscany, with its full o’flavor red wines and where you met the locals and stayed in a castle, or the warm seafront terraces and fishing villages of the Amalfi Coast? These will be ongoing comparisons that may never have a definitive conclusion. As for me, after 20 years of loving these places, I could say it’s like comparing apples and oranges, but it’s not, it’s cobblestones and lemons.
Physical level:  Strenuous

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arthisto June 19th, 2009

OK, off the top of my head; I love Paris, I love Paris, I love Paris!!!! In such a pretty city, packed with art, history, and dripping with that magical sidewalk cafe culture, we girls had a fantastic time. These girls have traveled with me to Italy in the past, longed to experience Paris, and plan to visit Rome and Tuscany with AHA in 2010. Great ladies, great travelers, and fun friends.

Together we visited the Louvre, where we sat rather spellbound staring at Winged Victory. Uncovered on a Greek Island in 1863, carved in 210 B.C., she is magnificent for all of her movement. She stands as though she is the figurehead on a ship, wind whipped and spray swept. With her damp clothes clinging and her enormous wings out stretched, she stood on a cliff side patio, high above the crashing waves in Greece, commemorating a great navel battle. Amazingly, just off to the left of where she stands, in a glass box, is her hand and finger, discovered a century later, 1950, in TURKEY!

After visiting some of the most important works in a museum together, we would split up to pursue our individual interests. Art is oh, so personal. In this manner we visited the Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Sainte-Chapelle. We lunched on crepes on the Ile Sainte Louie, as well as in the Michelin two star restaurant, Helen Darozze. Unbelievable! While in Paris we tasted fish, chicken, beef, pidgeon, the most delicate vegetables and mild goat cheese, the best french fries on the globe, and always, always ordered dessert.

Our visit to Versailles was staggering. About twelve miles outside of Paris, the improvements to the exterior of this massive palace are blinding, literally. The chateau has been cleaned, painted and the brightest gold has been reapplied liberally. Now, especially on a sunny day, you see just what staggered visitors approaching the chateau to have an audience with the king. Louie XIV was ever so clever. He was convinced that if he could build a palace that would shock and awe, the word would spread and he would be revered above all others. It worked perfectly, and he made Paris the cultural heartbeat of Europe. He ruled for 72 years, from 1643 to 1715, and his court determined, for the rest of the world, what was good taste in food, fashion, hair, table manners, dance, theater, art and kissing. Because of the recent filming of Sofia Coppola’s, “Marie Antoinette”, on site at the chateau, Versailles’s interior looked beautiful as well. Again, much the way it must have looked when Louie XIV, the infamous Sun King, called Versailles home. We were having such a wonderful time wandering around this amazing site, that the time started to slip away too quickly. We had arrived at the chateau in a car with a driver and had set a time for the return trip to Paris, but I could see that we were pressed. Because it is important to me that we never be rushed, I let our lovely driver, Max, go back into Paris without us. We grabbed a train when we were filled to the brim with Versailles, and not a moment sooner. Can’t wait to go back. The photo to the left is but one small corner of the chateau, and yet the opulence and colors are evident.

Giverny, what can you say about Giverny? Claude Monet’s home for some 43 years, surrounded by his dramatic and beloved gardens, is where we spent our last afternoon. It was a drizzly, gray day, which bummed us out at the start, but evolved into a great opportunity. Perfect lighting for picture taking, and, where as typically there are hundreds of like minded folks, from around the world quietly wandering the gardens, because of the drizzle, we had them to ourselves! Of all my many visits to Giverny, this one was the most intimate. The photo I brought home of Monet’s famous Japanese Bridge with no one on it, is proof. Usually that is an impossible photo to get. Gorgeous. I absolutely LOVE wandering through his home! It is as he left it, sitting room, bedrooms, and dining room, all decorated with his 300 original Japanese block prints. But my favorite room is his kitchen. Monet enjoyed cooking and loved to entertain. His interior color choices are blindingly bold, very striking, and there was no off white for him. The house is warm, very lively, with each room looking out into the garden, of course.

All in all, Paris is a fabulous city. In fact, on my way to Italy this fall, to escort the AHA Tuscany and Amalfi Coast trip, I will stop in Paris for three more days. Just can’t get enough.

I will make this same Paris in Springtime trip available again in 2010, and I would love to have you along.

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arthisto May 27th, 2009

I am off tomorrow, Thursday, May 28, 2009 for a few days in NYC before heading over to Paris. I will arrive a day ahead of my very excited clients, to be sure that all is in order. Even though I have visited Paris several times, I am as excited as they. You see, I have the advantage of knowing exactly what is in store for them. Those of you who have traveled to Paris with me, know also. Along with the precious art and history, is the amazing Paris sidewalk culture, which I will immerse them in beginning their first morning. Cafe au lait at Cafe Flore, the well known, Left Bank meeting place of the literati of Paris for decades, is just the start. Coffee here is an experience and will afford us a few moments to shed our flight memories, and realize that we are indeed in Paris!

Because this group is all girls, the beautiful French department stores, Printemps, and Galleries Lafayette are a part of our itinerary, right after the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. It is all Paris.

I have received these notes as our planning went forward, the excitement is evident, and I thought you might enjoy them:

“I am looking so forward to this!! We have had a very cold dark winter..ice!!! The economy has made it all so more depressing but I agree with you…life is fleeting and I’m going to save to travel!!!!!!”

AND

“Hi Cynthia – I am so looking forward to this trip to Paris in June. All the sights that I wanted to see, especially Giverny.”

AND

“Hi Cynthia – Thank you for all the information, I can hardly wait to get to Paris. The itinerary looks great, and for myself, I know I will want to visit the Louvre twice.”

Well, we don’t have to wait any longer and of course we can visit the Louvre twice! It’s our vacation so whatever I can do to make it perfect, I will!

I am planning to make this “Paris in Springtime” tour available in 2010, as it is a favorite of mine. So why don’t you start planning toward it right now? I would love to have any of you along, but remember, I only take about six folks at a time.

I will have lots to share when I return, and don’t forget that Tuscany and The Amalfi Coast is coming up in September. Ahhh, Tuscany during the harvest . . . . but wait, I can’t do that now, my head is in Paris. One beautiful place at a time.

For now,

Au revoir

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arthisto April 30th, 2009

By the time you read this post, some very excited AHA alumni and I will be about one month away from our Springtime arrival in Paris!

Our tickets are bought, our car and driver reserved, and as I write, Monet’s garden is just beginning to show off. The azaleas, tulips, and the wisteria on his Japanese Bridge, are beginning to pop in Giverney. All the shades of pink and purple that you can imagine, and some that you can’t! Ooh la la!

I am now in the final stage of checking and double checking our reservations in that beautiful city. So, if you have ever wanted to experience “The City of Light”, in a very up close and personal way, come and do Paris with us! We still have space in our little group of like-minded friends-to-be, and we would love to have you along. Simply contact me, (soon) and the more the merrier. Air prices have not been this low in a decade, I have never flown to Europe for so little!

Keep this in mind for the Art History Alive trip to Tuscany and Amalfi coming up in September.

Below is our itinerary for six days in, under, and around Paris, and at the very bottom are some suggestions for pre-reading and watching. These are great whether you are going or not, but if you are traveling with AHA, these will whet your appetite and front-load your knowledge and appreciation for what you are about to experience. This is a part of the uniqueness of Art History Alive. I will encourage you to be in that “Paris state of mind” before we ever leave home. Ready, set, go!

PARIS IN SPRINGTIME
JUNE 3 – 9, 2009
7 DAYS GROUP SIZE: 6-8
PRICE PER PERSON $3,700.00
I love Paris in its prettiest season, springtime. Of course we will spend a week exploring this gorgeous city; its museums, shops, and bistros, but pictured here is Claude Monet’s garden in the season in which we will visit. Who of you have stood in front of a Monet painting, of his beloved garden, and wondered if it was as beautiful as he saw it? On this trip we will stand in his garden and you will see for yourselves. For those of you, like me, who have been to this marvelous place before, together we will spend a few leisurely hours wandering not only his enormous garden, but his home as well. Left as it was, it appears that he has just stepped out to pick some herbs to be incorporated into the family dinner. The dining room table is set, fresh flowers abound, and all is ready for a family gathering. Here in this beautiful and gracious home, Monet thrived from 1883 until the time of his death in 1926. I never, never tire of Giverny.
While in Paris, our home will be a tiny, very French hotel on the Left Bank, where I have been staying for years. I am well acquainted with the neighborhood and its restaurants and really look forward to showing you around. The Louvre, Musee d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and on and on and on.

Below is a sampling of how I like to spend my days in Paris. Why not join me? Apply to travel to Paris and let’s start planning.

Physical Level: Moderate

DAY 1

Arrive Paris and check into our hotel, Calais des Pais, in the late morning. This day will begin in the center of historic Paris with a visit of Notre Dame Cathedral and the pristine Gothic chapel of St. Chapelle. We will enjoy a relaxed evening with a delicious dinner within walking distance of our hotel.

DAY 2
A slow morning with breakfast at the famous Café Flore. We will travel to the outskirts of Paris to visit the Palace of Versailles, and its beautiful gardens. Then onto Monet’s beloved home and garden in Giverny. Another easy evening.

DAY 3
This morning we will explore the Musee de Cluny. This museum holds the foremost collection of medieval art in the world within a renaissance mansion, built over the ruins of a huge Roman bath. Extraordinary! Free afternoon wandering the streets of Paris.

DAY 4
In the morning, we will visit the Musee d’Orsay with its collection of paintings and sculpture beginning in the late 1800’s. Monet, Renoir, VanGogh, and Latrec are all here. In the afternoon, we will enjoy the Eiffel Tower, its magnificent views of Paris, dinner, and a night time boat ride on the Seine.

DAY 5
This will be a free morning. At midday we will meet for lunch in the famous Tuillerie Gardens of the Louvre Palace. After lunch we will visit this most famous museum. We will enjoy the museum’s highlights including, of course, DaVinci’s, Mona Lisa. Following this experience of inside art immersion, we will go outside on to Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine stood during the French Revolution, and walk the beautiful Boulevard Champs-Elysees.

DAY 6
Today we will have another lazy morning and then decide how we would like to spend our last day in Paris. We might want to travel to Chateau Vincennes, a leisurely day trip, we might decide to split up with some returning for a second dose of a favorite museum and others doing some shopping. No matter what we choose to do, we will all be in Paris together for our final evening, that might just call for some Champagne.

DAY 7
Travel back to the United States or elsewhere. I am going on to Rome, care to join me?

Shopping and rest time are built into this itinerary, and all is done at a leisurely pace.

Suggested movies: Charade, the 1963 romantic thriller, and Amelie, the 2001 romance. Both will give you a strong sense and beautiful views of where we will be walking.

Suggested book: Capturing Paris: A Novel By Katharine Davis. “A delicious world where life’s important moments happen around the dinner table.”

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arthisto March 26th, 2009

Having recently read and reviewed Robert Clark’s, Dark Water, and happily moved on to my next book, I found that I could not shake the images and anxiety he had described in his pages? Images of Florence’s art floating in filthy water or stuck in a tar like mud, while distinguished curators and librarians openly wept. Why now, forty-three years later, was I feeling such angst over these events? Empathy? Grieving? I went back to the book, and focusing on the fate of just one piece of art, Cimabue’s Crocifisso c. 1288, I began rereading.

Then I thought that it might be challenging and fun for you to wrangle with this conundrum a bit, to weigh the options and try to determine what you would have done. But remember, the devastating flood of 1966 created a dilemma for the ages, and the art historians and restorers were acutely aware that whatever they decided to do, or not do, with the drowned cross, would impact what future generations saw, and perhaps even felt, when viewing this piece of art. What would Cimabue have them do? But there is no time to ponder this enormous responsibility. For us this is a brainteaser that we could ponder for days. But in November 1966, when the decisions were made on how, or if, Florence’s art could be saved, they were made in a race against time. Every hour of every day that the Florentines considered what to do, fast growing mold and mildew were taking hold of these priceless antiquities.

The Background:

Florence, Italy – Firenze, Italia

In 1566, a fourteen foot tall wooden crucifix, built and painted by Cimabue, c. 1288, is removed from above the high alter, where it has been suspended high above the floor of the Basilica of Santa Croce since its creation. The gigantic crucifix is carefully moved to the refectory of the Basilica, where it is hung low on a wall, and where it remained for the next 400 years.

The neighborhood around the Basilica and the church are the lowest areas of Florence and were therefore hardest hit by the great flood of 1966. The water and mud levels reached well over 20 feet.

Rescue workers found Cimabue’s crucifix immersed in the water surrounded by tiny floating flecks of paint. Using tea strainers they were able to collect about 100 of these, none larger than 1/16 of an inch in size, in hopes of one day reapplying them to the cross. Sadly, that was never accomplished.

The Dilemma:

What was left of the crucifix, when the waters receded, was the original cross, that had been constructed by the artist, swollen to four times its normal size and waterlogged to about 1,000 pounds. Two thirds of the Christ painted on the cross had washed away in the flood waters.

• Should the art restorers attempt to repaint and fill in the areas destroyed by the water? Should they try to bring Christ’s image back to Cimabue’s original creation? If so, does it remain an original Cimabue? No matter how meticulously brush stokes are copied and colors matched, isn’t it still an imitation? Should a disclaimer follow it for the rest of its existence?
• Should they slowly and carefully dry the crucifix and leave it as they found it, the way an archeologist digs up an ancient vase and displays it as is, an “authentic remnant”? But what does this have to do with art? “Isn’t it the beauty and transcendent value in these works that are supposed to make them worth looking at in the first place”? Or, should we look at it in the same way a body receives a wound that leaves a scar? Isn’t it all part of the life span of the piece of art?
• Is the crucifix in such terrible repair that it should simply be removed and put away? Almost immediately the mold and mildew became visible in the widened damp cracks in the wood. Perhaps it should be let go like a person that is dying? Perhaps this was simply the death of this piece of art?
• And what about the cross itself? Some see the art applied to the cross, while others give reverence to the cross itself, decorated or not. For many believers, since 1288, Cimabue’s crucifix, not the painting on it, has been a tangible symbol of a deep commitment of faith. With Cimabue in particular, art historians knew that the rationale for his art was not aesthetic, but devotional. Further, because he created the cross himself, isn’t it art in and of itself?

The situation begs the question, “What would Cimabue have us do”? There was no easy answer.

Each of these possibilities were considered carefully and hotly debated. Art is very, very personal and therefore such decisions can become extremely emotional. The only thing that the historians and restorers had in common was the heart sick feeling that they carried with them everyday following the flood. As the water slowly receded and the tons of mud were hauled away, something had to be done. But what?

Which road would you have chosen? Repaint, display as is, or let it go? And why would you have chosen that alternative? You can write your comments and thoughts at the bottom of this post. Finally, a resolution was decided on and carried out. I think it was brilliant, however, it remains controversial to this very day. In an upcoming post, I will include a description of the resolution, respond to your comments and post a recent photo of the Crocifisso. If you find this incident as fascinating as I do, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Dark Water, by Robert Clark. Since reading this book, I can’t wait to be in Florence again! Art History Alive will be traveling to Rome and Florence on June 11 – 19, 2009. Why don’t you join me as we see Florence in the new light of this knowledge and with heightened appreciation of her art? Recently added to this itinerary, for obvious reasons, will be a visit to the Cimabue’s Cocifisso!!

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