“City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas” by Roger Crowley – Book Review

Roger Crowley’s new book, “City of Fortune – How Venice Ruled the Seas” (Random House, New York, 2011, 432pp.),  is a stunning narrative history of Venice’s Empire, the Stato da Mar, Territory of the Sea.

City of Fortune by Roger Crowley (2011)

His history of this incredible place looks outward to and across the sea, as did Venice, the place of those who fled and turned their back on the land to chart a new history.  “City of Fortune” charts it across along each of the four “compass points of Venetian life”, “Departure, Risk, Profit, Glory” from humble and desperate trading beginnings in 1000 to a humbling and desperate ending of trade domination — and a lot more — by 1503.

He saves us from the Republic’s following two hundred years of slow and decadent self-denial and decline in this book, but I would encourage such a venture in his inimitable style to enlighten readers with a “no holds barred” completion of this singular saga.

Of course, there are too many parallels to other nations that have risen and declined, including perhaps some around today, that May make us too uncomfortable.

Crowley has subdivided a millennium and a half into three overarching historical eras, 1000-1204 building the story of “Opportunity: Merchant Crusaders”, 1204-1500 reaching zenith through “Ascent: Princes of the Sea”, and 1400-1503 descending into “Eclipse: The Rising Moon”.  The narrative is accompanied throughout by excellent contemporaneous quotations, meticulously cited, and an extensive Bibliography of the source materials utilized in its development.

This book is a milestone achievement in the crafting of a comprehensible, non-pedantic understanding of how a now almost physically invisible Empire came to be, bracketed by the powers, skills and virtues that nurtured it,  and…

The powers, ennui and vices that destroyed it.

As Roger Crowley observes, Venice was the first “virtual city”, the only Italian city not Roman in origin, founded within creation myths seemingly as nebulous as the fog on the  Lagoon, then constructed upon the labor, enterprise, profit, loot and blood of  its people, its dominions and its implacable enemies.  No jewels, gold, spices, timber or stone was produced in Venice, only imported, transformed and claimed as its own.  Its Saints were, for most of its history, Levantine and Greek, their bodies or remnants thereof, gifted, purchased or purloined from the previous owners.

Its greatest victories, expansions and enrichments came via several Crusades, but Crusades that were hijacked and diverted from reclamation of the Holy Land to the savage destruction of other Christian cities and nations, particularly the remnant of the mighty Roman Empire in Byzantium.   Ironically, its greatest defeats came also through its imports – of, plague and covetous rivals eager for its demise.  The Venice you see today is not only of another time, but…

A Venice of many other places.

Beware Your Friends

"Tell me no secrets and I'll tell you no lies" Anon. (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

The story of the siege and investiture of Constantinople solely for riches and power may be the foremost demonstration of betrayal, murder, rape, pillage, plunder, enslavement and devastation in the name of avarice and greed in world history – by far.  Constantinople was a city of wealth, art, history and elegance that put Venice to shame, and Venice resented it.  For much of Venice’s centuries of rise, Constantinople was in a long decline most likely as a result of simply being worn out by its gross – even morbid – obesity of wealth and privilege.

The more youthful, ambitious and cunning vice of its offspring Venice, along with other warring, murderous “trading states” and their allies that gutted out their friend Byzantium, brought it to morbidity in preparation for its final destruction and possession by the foes of all its European coveters.

“I call the things to keep them with me to the last”  G. Celati

Many are familiar with names for places still existing today that ring of wealth and adventure in Venetian times: Constantinople, Crete, Cyprus, Rhodes, Alexandria, Beirut, Corfu and Trebizond, for example.  Some were the locations of trading enclaves for hundreds of years, some – like Crete – were “owned” by Venice for 500 years.  Other places, names that were dear to and legendary for Venice, have been changed by later waves of conquerors with their own languages, or returned to familiarity for those whose land the Venetians had invested a toe-hod, or have faded from memories and maps.  Tana, Kaffa, Modon and Coron (The “Eyes of Venice”), Lepanto, Negroponte, Rovigno and Ragusa to name a few.  Roger Crowley brings us knowledge of each, from gain to loss including those who oversaw both, and opens our minds to a more inquisitive examination of the City of Venice itself when invested with that knowledge.

A Purposeful and Creative Collage

As we look at all of those riches embossed into the fabric of the City of Venice today — that we think are Venice’s – and see them anew in the light of how they came to be there across the bravery, cowardice, carnage and grace of so many centuries because of ”How Venice Ruled the Seas”, our awe and wonder must now always be tempered by how ”virtual” an assemblage — a very purposeful and creative collage – La Serenissima ever really was throughout its history.

Very Small Place, Very Large Ambition

Venice was a place run by never more than a few hundred entitled merchant families, with usually no more than 100,000 to 150,000 people, yet still the largest City in Europe for many of the centuries of empire.  The populace was usually much smaller due to colonial adventures, many of which were punctuated by the wholesale slaughter of the Venetian colonists abroad by even more bloodthirsty enemies.  Whole Seas were subdued except for ever-present pirates, and nations placed in economic servitude — although many held their belief that Venice was the one in servitude to them.  The City sustained massive losses in warfare, and the unspeakable horrors of repeated plagues that decimated its population by 33% to 75% per occurence and eliminated scores of families in toto within a fortnight.

The glory that was – that is – Venice remains, the physical City that is the creation of that Stato da Mar and not of the later, substitute land empire that was created when the sea and the lands bordering it became the ally of others.  Venice remains a very, very small place, one that can be walked from end to end or side to side in an hour.

That is all of it. 

The Paradox of Virtual Reality

Evidence of its existence across the far reaches of the Eastern Mediterranean and Black Seas through its armed merchant empire is – and always was - limited to a few jewels and scattered ruins hugging the rugged shores.  Crowley is right.  This beautiful and enigmatic place is, paradoxically, La Serenissima with never-ending rivers of blood on its hands.  It was and is still today the first ”Virtual City”, possessor of and possessed by an ephemeral empire..

All and always at the mercy of the Sea.

I highly recommend “City of Fortune: How Venice Rules the Seas”, not just for lovers of Venice but for all interested in gaining a better understanding of how the geo-political world we inhabit today came to be.  That is an essential education.   As you absorb it, think of its people, its leaders, and consider that,

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible.”  T.E. Lawrence

Venice Churches – The First 250 Years

The number, location and names of parish churches in Venice has varied over the millennia, along with reassignment of some former parishes as subsidiary locations and some monastery closings leaving a parish church in later times.

"Now, Where did I put that church?" (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Churches were also established in other island communities around the Venetian Lagoon – Torcello, Burano, Mazzorbo, Murano, Ammiano and Costanziano in the Northern Lagoon and others in the Southern Lagoon, as well on the barrier islands, the lidi,  between the Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, often in  chronological related developments.

Historical archives — although incredibly numerous and detailed due to the obsessive-compulsive record-mania of the Republic — are now incomplete due to fires, plundering, flooding and other assorted archival maladies. 

Over 1700 years, a few things are bound to become misplaced.

Ss. Apostoli Campanile (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Long-forgotten or often changed ”original” island names, island expansions and mergers also cloud the issue.  Even today, so many different spellings for places in Venice are in circulation on signs and maps that the difficulty of following the historical trail is easily perceived.

A mystery found in many historical development studies that identified and dated “proto-island communities” is the uniform exclusion of communities and islands in places where history records a church or monastery to exist at the same times as the islands that the studies identify!

Regardless of such exclusions, we can safely assume that such churches were,

a) NOT without a community; and/or, b)…

 NOT in the water!

Another dilemma is an insistent dating of many church foundings to when the first masonry structure was built on a site even though in many early cases a wooden church existed during prior decades if not a century.

Those accounts do strive to avoid “conjecture” and “legend” by limiting ”existence” to surviving paper records, yet excluding certain ancient historians’ reports as “unreliable” is often too judgmental.

Reliable records state that thirty parishes existed prior to 900, with the first said to be San Giacometto di Rialto, founded around 421.  Paolino’s 1346 map of the City, preserved in the Marciana Library, shows over 100 churches.

S. Giacomo dall'Orio Detail (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Eight of those churches were “Matrix” churches, founded upon the direction of St. Magnus of Oderzo, the first Bishop of Venice.  Some contemporary writers and their uninquisitive copyists state that there were twelve “Matrix” churches, but eight appears to be the correct number of them.

Prior to Bishop Magnus’s designation of the eight, a number of churches existed in the already two hundred year old Venice.

Here is a roster of just the first 250 years of churches noted after the City’s “official” founding…

Exactly at Noon on Friday, March 25, 421

FIFTH CENTURY

Only two church foundings can be identified during this century, perhaps parish churches serving communities that pre-dated the permanent exodus of a number of mainland communities to the Lagoon islands:

San Giacomo di Rialto (421), now referred to as San Giacometto, on the high island of Rivalto (Rialto), the first Ducal (Doge) seat after the 810 consolidation of island community governments.

San Pantaleone e Giuliana (444), now referred to as San Pantalon in Dorsoduro, its original island name remains uncertain.

SIXTH CENTURY

Six more edifices added to the list – including the first “Doge’s Chapel” and two that  may have been founded as monasteries and later served their adjacent communities as parish churches as well.

San Geminianus e Menna (552), on the original island of Brolio and later called San Geminiano and last rebuilt by Sansovino to accommodate lengthening Piazza San Marco, finally demolished for construction of the “Napoleon Wing” at the west end of the Piazza.

San Giacomo Maggiore Apostolo (555), now San Giacomo dall’Orio, on one of the Luprio group of “high-backed” islands

San Teodoro (564) – the first “Doge’s Chapel”, but the Ducal (Doge) seat was established in 810 at Rialto, not San Marco, so this may have first been a parish church, later called San Todoro, on Morso island, then demolished for construction of the first San Marco “chapel”

San Ermagora e Fortunato (569), on the island named Lemio or Lemeneo - missing from most ”proto-island” studies, its name contracted to San Marcuolo

Santa Croce (5xx), originally a monastery, in the Luprio group of “high-backed” islands

San Lorenzo (590 +/-), now San Niccolo di Mendicanti, on Mendigola island in western Dorsoduro, also a monastery.

SEVENTH CENTURY

Three “pre-Magnus” parish churches were noted to have been established in the early 7th or perhaps very late 6th Century:

San Marcilian (600?), now San Marziale, original island unidentified

Sant’Antonin (600?), later San Antonio, on one of the two Gemelle islands, “The Twins”

San Martino (600?), on the other “Twin” island of Gemelle

Following them chronologically, the eight St. Magnus “Matrix” churches:

Santi Apostoli (some say it was founded in the 800′s, but Magnus claimed the site in around 643), perhaps on Orio island, the other “high bank” of the rivalto area, but a place where the “proto-island community” folks cannot seem to find an island (the existence of the church and historical high bank designation might be a clue…)

Santi Sergius e Bacchus (650), where the bishop’s seat was first designated in 775, later rebuilt as San Pietro, on Olivolo island, in far eastern Castello

San Zaccaria (827), founded as a monastery on Ombriola island, not a parish church – Bishop Magnus’s designation came in 840 or a bit later

Angelo Raffaele (840+), perhaps on Iria island in Dorsoduro

San Salvatore (638), original island name unidentified

Santa Maria Formosa (640+), original island name unidentified

Santa Giustina de Traviso (640+), with an adjoining monache, in northern Castello, original island name unidentified; and,

San Giovanni in Bragora (640+), perhaps in the reclaimed ”bragora” west of Gemelle

By the late 600′s, at least 19 churches existed in Venice 250 years into its “official” existence as a commune, including two monasteries also serving as parish churches and one that would later become the first Doge’s Chapel.

A Modern Fog Machine – “The Web”

Since so much of what is published on “the web” is sourced and sourced (or copied, edited, folded, spindled and mutated) again, and again – often without attribution or caveats – modern technology seems to be making the historical record more cloudy and imprecise than less.

What is a ”non-academic” student of Venice to do? 

Well, with forgiveness easier to obtain than permission, I offer the above “best construction” gleaned from what I have been able to access and review over the past several years.

Your mileage may vary, and I am, as always, appreciative of verifiable corrections!

Marshall Noice, Artist of Shadows and Light

"Shadows and Light" 2011 (c)Marshall Noice at Altamira Fine Art

Walking into Altamira Fine Art in Jackson, Wyoming to view Marshall Noice’s one-man show,

“Shadows and Light”

a few months ago, our first impression was,

Wow!  The Color!

Marshall Noice’s paintings reflect a unique contemporary vision of the Rocky Mountain West.  His works transmit scenes of beauty and remembrance, with a palette primarily of the colors found in autumn mountain scenes, when aspen, cottonwoods, maples and willow create a season as colorful as the Spring wildflower bloom with a kind of Autumn Bloom of changing leaves, grasses and color-shifting branches.

We had seen his work before, at Altamira and elsewhere, but not to that extent of number, size and sheer wall area.  During a long evening chat with the very hospitable artist, he voiced his balanced approach between color and composition, combining dissonant and complimentary colors to achieve  “analogous color harmony”, vital in art that draws upon your memories of those Northern Rockies places that are powerful and sublime at the same instant.

For a detailed exposition on his work and artistic philosophy, the article “Technicolor West” by Devon Jackson in the June, 2008 issue of Southwest Art magazine devoted to Plein-Air painting is a worthwhile “find and read”.

Marshall’s gallery in Kalispell, Montana, Noice Studio & Gallery – Fine Art of the New West, hosts a website that also provides even more insights into his inspiring work (Link: http://bit.ly/wwW6o0 ).

Marshall Noice’s next exhibition is again at Altamira Fine Art in Jackson Hole, at the Second Annual “Art of Conservation” Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012 from 5 to 7 p.m. Altamira Fine Art.  That is a fund-raising event for the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, so contact the Alliance via their website at  http://www.jhalliance.org/events.htm to obtain costs and reservation information before you consider attending.

Marshall Noice, Artist of Shadow and Light (c)2011

His development as a painter through a variety of artistic careers over his life and his roots in Kalispell equipped Marshall with a work ethic and the artistic eye that he shares with those who enjoy his work today.

As he said in preparation for another exhibition in Park City,

“I don’t believe I could have created the art if I had not first lived the life”. ..

“The West  — her people and her places  —  are my muse.”

We found that Marshall also has a great sense of humor, perhaps formed to a degree by surviving his early career as a drummer in a touring rock and roll band — a different form of “shadows and light”!  Yet, I may come to regret that he will remember me as Hieronymous Bosch, artist of non-nuanced, definitely not sublime nightmares and visions!

I Prefer “Shadows and Light”!

Burano – Piazza Galuppi – A Day to “Go Fish”

Burano

The small island community of Burano lies fifteen minutes north of Murano and the transfer point for the lonely vaporetto to Torcello.  From the Fondamenta Nove on the north shore of Venice, the one-way trip can take about forty-five minutes, and is worth every minute of that time for the experience of the Lagoon – whether or not you transfer to sojourn on the cemetery island of San Michele or spend a lot of time on the glass island, Murano.  An entire day can be easily and delightfully whiled away on Burano, wandering its quiet lanes, enjoying the vistas across the Lagoon, and sampling its monuments, food and wares.

The Houses of Burano (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Burano is extremely famous for its brightly painted houses – a riot of colors - and its historic fine lace production, both of which make it a very bustling tourist stop, particularly around lunch time!  It is also famous for one of its native sons, Baldassare Galuppi.

Baldassare Galuppi

Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785) was born on Burano, and was later nick-named “il Buranello”.  A virtuoso pianist and composer, he became famous as “The father of comic opera”, along with his most renowned librettists, Metastasio and Carlo Goldoni.  He was enticed to England for a while, and worked in Russia for Catherine the Great for three years.  In both cases, he was granted leave from his job as Director of Music for the Ospedele dei Mendicante in Venice.  He also served at the Basilica di San Marco, eventually becoming the head of music.

Although best known for comic opera, he wrote a considerable body of religious music, as well.  His statue stands in the middle of the Piazza, perhaps looking toward the home of his birth.

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi - Burano (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Piazza Baldassare Galuppi and Via Baldassare Galuppi were canals reclaimed to become the major public open space and commercial street of this ancient island community.  The pre-Piazza canal separated the two islands of San Martino Sinestra to the south and San Martino Destra to the north ( “Left” and “Right” ).

San Martino

On the south side of the Piazza  rises the parish church, San Martino.   The oldest surviving records indicate that it was founded in 959.  However, Burano was one of the earliest “refugee” communities built in the Lagoon, most probably by residents from the nearby mainland city of Altinum when they began fleeing recurring Trans-Alpine incursions by Attila and the later Goths that started in the early 400′s.

Don't Lean On Me - San Martino di Burano (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

In his “Cronaca Altinate”, John the Deacon (died 1009) referred to island communities named after the six gates of old Altinum, originally a large and very important Roman city. Porta Boreana was its north gate, and most historians believe that “Boreana” became “Burano” over the years.  The church is the second or third building on the site since then, most likely succeeding an earlier wooden one.  Given the incredible tilt of the early 1700′s campanile, another may be needed in the near future, but it looks like it might be headed away.  The church was designed as a Greek cross plan with a mid-apse transept, the north arm of which serves as the main entrance directly off Piazza Galuppi.  For some unknown reason, the front of the church abuts houses and, therefore, no real facade exists.

Across the Piazza from San Martino is the Museo del Merletto di Burano (Merletto = Lace) in the old Palazzo Communale, (town hall), one of the Municipal Museums of Venice.  If you will be in Venice for a few days, purchasing the multi-pass is an economical way to gain entry to a great array of fantastic museums for not much more than the price of a couple of single admissions.  This museum was rebuilt a few years ago, and provides a fascinating history with original examples of lace through the ages, particularly from famed Burano.

Go Fish?

A few doors down from the Piazza on the Via Baldassare Galuppi commercial main street is Da Romano, a restaurant famous for its  Risotto al Pesce (rice with go fish).  “Go” is the name of the tiny and very delicate fish used in making the stock for the risotto, not a reference to the childhood card game.  Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” television show, episode “Venice 1:3″ contains a scene at Da Romano and the preparation of this very special (and delicious!) dish (Link: http://bit.ly/AopG3p ).  The go must be very delicately handled to prevent the stock from becoming bitter, and risotto always prepared fresh.  Because of the extra labor in preparation, this dish is only served to order to two people, with no “single” serving available.

A Day Off From Venice?  Really?

Burano Canal Scene (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Give yourself a “day off” from the bustle of Venice out on Burano.  A Lagoon cruise, remarkable houses, the search for actual, genuine “Made in Burano” lace, great food and wine, all await you, while Baldassare Galuppi smiles down on you approvingly from his perch in his Piazza.  And remember, if you crave fish risotto at Da Romano, take along a like-minded friend because,

“Go Fish is a Game for Two”

Gary Ernest Smith – Artist of Two Landscapes

We were privileged to view the extraordinary work of artist Gary Ernest Smith and converse with him at length at his “one man show” at Trailside Galleries in Jackson, Wyoming a few months ago.

We spent considerable time observing the great collection of new and recent works before speaking with him.  We found that he works with ease in two quite different styles,

Woman With Bucket - (c)Gary Ernest Smith

The Human Landscape

Formal portraits of people and buildings;

Little Big Horn - (c)Gary Ernest Smith

The Natural Landscape

Scenes from the great Western American countryside.

Components of each style are found the other, but as entourage, not focus.  He has mastered this technique.

Gary Ernest Smith is a thoughtful and warm conversationalist.  He does not over-rationalize his art, but is very aware and intentional about his work.  He summarized his approach as,

“I am a Western Artist not in the ‘Tame the Land’ genre, but in a ‘Cultivate It’ sense.  No roping cowboys, fur trappers or Native Americans, but the NEXT generation of those making a living, sustaining, settling the land.” 

I warned him that the “Don’t fence the range” folks might take exception to that viewpoint – jokingly, since THEY fenced off pastures, grazing allotments, wilderness and “reservations” for the Native Americans that they displaced.

Norman Kolpas wrote an extensive and well-crafted article that is well worth reading, “Gary Ernest Smith | New Western Perspectives”, published on Southwest Art’s blog on February 15, 2011 (Link: http://bit.ly/zHGgzP ).  It provides a wealth of detail into Smith’s life, artistic formation, and philosophy.

If you have an opportunity to see Gary’s work, take advantage of it and gain new insights into the places, the people who “cultivated” community and lives, who sustained the land through solid conservation and community endeavor.  People who would be excellent models for our culture today,

Whether “on the land” or in the City.

“Do the Work” by Steven Pressfield – Book Review

“DO THE WORK!: Overcome Resistance and get out of your own way”, by Steven Pressfield (The Domino Project, Do You Zoom, Inc., New York, 2011, 98 pages, price?: cheap!) follows his wonderful book “The War of Art” by a few years of time and wisdom gained in, well, overcoming resistance and doing the work!  I highly commend both to you – in any order that intrigues you – just act!

Do The Work, by Steven Pressfield

“DO THE WORK“ is a short little book that follows the development of a writing project from beginning to end, illustrating each positive step and each setback along the way as an example to readers.  The lesson is not just for writers but for ALL creative people, and as a writer, Steven Pressfield does most what he does best.

As in “The War of Art”, Pressfield’s antagonist – and ours in whatever creative endeavor that we attempt – is “Resistance”. 

Without any false empathy (after all, we’re the problem blocking the solution), he provides simple yet profound insights into our self-chosen barriers to carrying an idea forward to fruition, whether they are internal or blockades thrown up by others that we choose to embrace.  When we make that choice, we “own” the resistance – or does it own us?

Steven Pressfield tells how that enemy manifests itself, along with other enemies to the process, rational thought, friends and family.  He also illustrates their principal allies, stupidity, stubbornness, blind faith, passion, and assistance.  He is the “case study”.

He breaks down the illustrative project’s development into four simple steps, beginning, middle, middle (yes again, after you “hit the wall” and break through), and end.

Significant barriers can be overcome at the beginning of a project by defining what the “end” of it is, and how you will know it, not being overwhelmed and therefore sidetracked by monumental research before your idea has “legs” and, as many established authors tell us again and again,…

“Re-Writing is Essential to Writing.”

There is no “middle” without a “beginning”.  Even with a well-grounded start – not too much, not too little, and there is never a “too soon to start”, Resistance does not leave you alone, but escalates.  Pressfield sets forth key tenets for work and overcoming set-backs during this critical phase.  For me, the one that resonates most is a clear-eyed understanding that “ideas do not come linearly”, for creativity is an iterative process.  One of the deadliest forms of Resistance in mid-project is self-judgment.  Suspend it!  Instead,

Act > Reflect > Act > Reflect

Why two “middles” to a project.  For Steven Pressfield, and many of us, the middle is “when you hit the wall” – and you will hit the wall!  What happens to him – and us – when we find ourselves flattened against the wall and sliding down toward defeat?  Don’t fall victim to the “failure is good” siren songs.  You haven’t failed, but have discovered the opportunity to learn from your experiences in the “first half”.  That analysis allows you to engage in what he calls “creative panic”, and move to a higher plane in your work (in writing, that usually means re-writing, again and again and…), learning from the lessons that Resistance has unwittingly revealed to you, and that YOU are not the Problem…

“The Problem is the Problem”… “Solve It (!) By Working the Problem!”

Seth Godin is a good friend of Steven Pressfield.  Steven asks us to clearly comprehend  Godin’s emphasis on “shipping”, the critical part of a project.  If you cannot finish and deliver, you’ve wasted your time, talent and treasure… and everyone else’s expectations.  Many times, he points out, the problem is fear of success.  Therefore, he echoes one of Seth Godin’s mantras:

“Always Finish.  Always Deliver.  Always SHIP !!”

Of course, Pressfield warns, Resistance is still not done with you!  He has found through hard experience that, after you SHIP… “Start (again) before you’re ready” on the next project.  Ship, celebrate, then tomorrow get back to work on the next project.  Remember to trust your gifts, talents and experience, to get the juices flowing again before ennui sets in, and do not over think and rationalize why you cannot achieve the next project’s goals.  As we often remind readers of this site, including on every page, right at the top …

Action is the New Competence!

(P.S.:  Get Back to Work !!!)

Castello di Vertine in Chianti – Tuscany

Chianti, the legendary domain in the heart of Tuscany between Firenze and Siena, spanning provincial borders and several millennia.  The heart of Chianti enfolds many extraordinary, peaceful towns, country monasteries, castles, villas and vineyards, and the ruins of a thousand years of war.  This is the production zone of the famous wine, Chianti Classico, protected by the quality control and marketing consortium known as…

Gallo Nero, The Black Rooster.

Valley Market Towns and Hilltop Fortress Towns

Vertine - View West from the Wall to Radda (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

On the high west ridge above the market town of Gaiole in Chianti and almost due east from walled Radda in Chianti, Vertine encompasses all of those landmarks within its 360 degree view of this world.

The highest range of the Monti del Chianti and its summit, Monte San Michele, limit Vertine’s command to the east and north in a haze of unbelievably green forest, dotted with castle ruins.

This country invites the explorer (adventurous and cautious!) with its serpentine roads and glorious views.  The SR’s – State Routes – are very well maintained, although often without any shoulders, but many hairpin turns and amazing drop-offs!

Any route, whether busy or almost untouched by the automobile, beckons and leads to lasting memories.

We have never managed to truly “get lost” (a wonderful internal compass prevents that), but have often delighted in the wrong turn or the choice to take an “I wonder where that goes” road with some confidence in our knowledge of the lay of the land.

Wonders, and wonderful people, await! 

A 10th-Century Helix

Vertine - North Gate (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

The fortified town of Vertine was apparently founded sometime around 950 AD, designed and constructed with a spiral street leading to the hilltop fortress.

Access is through the north gate, and past the tall remnant of the extremely sturdy torre, the “castle keep”.

A gate on the opposite side of town is not intact, although part of its defensive tower remains to mark the spot.

In Vertine (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

The walls are generally in good repair around a significant part of the town perimeter.  The current, 14th-Century church of San Bartolomeo has been well restored and retains portions of frescoes from the 1400′s inside.

Overall, because of the lack of many battles over the town in the Guelph versus Ghibbeline Wars, and its control by a single Florentine-allied family for many centuries, Vertine is one of the more remarkably intact small castle towns in Chianti.

There is little commerce here – one cafe, Cafe Blue – since Gaiole provides for all non-farm needs just down the hill, so pristine and ”peaceful” – almost to the extent of “solemn” – best describes the atmosphere of this high aerie.

Vertine - Un Piccolo Casa (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

We have wandered the entire town without seeing anything alive and moving except cats, and the only sound that of soft voices of families within the houses.

What Do You Mean, “Easy to Find”?

To reach Vertine from Siena, take the S408 (like all designations, maps and signs sometimes use “S” and sometimes “SR” – follow the numbers and the plentitude of signs!) north via Pianella to Gaiole.  After Pianella, the road follows the Torrente Arbia and its tributaries upstream to Gaiole.  Near the middle of town, turn west (left) up Via Spaltenna (an Etruscan origin name – the Romans were newcomers!)  curving near the fortified church of Santa Maria di Spaltenna onto Via Vertine to wind up the ridge on a classic but short Tuscan “white road” through airy vineyards.

From Firenze, head south on the S222, the famous “Via Chiantigiana”, through Strada and the bustling market town of Greve on the banks of its eponymous river until the base of the final climb up to the fortress town of Castellina in Chianti.  You will have passed through the homeland of the Mona Lisa and the great explorer Verrazzano.  Turn east (left) there on the S429 through proudly walled Radda and, about 4km further, turn south onto the white road Via Aldo Moro through the fields and Castello di San Donato in Perano to then finally rise up the ridge to the Via Vertine and a short turn to the castle.  Coming either way, if you miss Via Vertine you will be in Gaiole near Via Aldo Moro!

From both Siena and Firenze, your travels will take you through a dozen remarkable historical places, close by a hundred wineries and a score of castles.  We cherish — and share — our memories.  Along the way or at the destination,…

 Your memories are waiting for your presence.

Castello di Gargonza – Tuscany

Castello di Gargonza rests steadfastly at the end of a small “white road”, Strada Communale di Gargonza, a narrow branch off of the serpentine Strada Statale Senese Aretina (S73) in the woods of the southern Chianti Mountains in Tuscany.  Not far west of stunning Monte San Sevino towering high above the A-1 superstrada in the Val d’Chiana below, and east of tiny Colonna di Grillo at the S73 interchange with the E78 expressway, Gargonza soars skyward about half-way between the A-1 and Siena.

Torre de l'Castello di Gargonza (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Fleeting glimpses of the castellated tower through the forest give the only hope of eventual arrival.  Soon, however, travelers arrive at a ridge top clearing below the Castle, flanked by a country inn and an ancient house.Those are virtually all that remain of the part of town and its industry that lay outside the walls centuries ago.

After peace was achieved in central Tuscany, this was an agricultural estate for centuries, then abandoned after World War II’s conclusion convinced many rural residents and agriculturalists to move to the cities for work.

The inn is a converted agricultural building, now the La Torre di Gargonza Ristorante, and across the parking lot is a large swimming pool.  All are part of the bed and breakfast plus vacation rentals operated inside the Castle village wall by its owner and restorer par excellence, Count Roberto Guicciardini Corsi Salviati (information on rentals, conferences and weddings can be found on-line at www.gargonza.it).

Strada Communale di Gargonza (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

The Castle is also the home of the prestigious Gargonza Arts program, introduced by Count Guicciardini at the urging of its current head, Professor Michael Faust, supported by InterArtes e.V. Cologne  (the program’s brochure in .pdf format is accessible on-line via www.gargonza-arts.com ).

Rather than drive around and up to the castle walls on the steep and narrow stone paved cartpath, leave that and the limited, tortuous parking near the hilltop to the few residents and guests.  Instead, park by the inn and walk up around the northeast side of the oval-shaped walls under the shady tree canopy.

You will soon reach an impressive gate through the medieval wall.

Guelphs and Ghibbelines

Through the Wall - Castello di Gargonza (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Historical records indicate that Gargonza was probably founded in the early 1100′s, with much of what is visible today constructed in the 13th Century, the tower, castle keep, town wall, a Romanesque church and about thirty houses.  Gargonza was the scene of several battles in the lengthy wars between the Guelphs and Ghibbelines because of its prominent location.

Inside the wall, the imposing Torre rises out of the old piazzetta, flanked by a few well-kept Renaissance palazzi and the nearby small Romanesque church.  On our visit, silence was broken only by a solitary artist carrying her portfolio from the keep across the piazzetta.

We were impressed by the excellent restoration and maintenance, and the peace and quiet, and would consider it as a retreat and hub for future explorations of Tuscany and Umbria.

When you travel between Siena and Arezzo, Cortona or Perugia, take a little time to travel back seven centuries to the beauty and peace of Castello di Gargonza and a respite from the bustle of the highways and cities to reward yourself with a little…

Dolce Far Niente.

Venice – Campo della Misericordia and the Scuola Nuova

Prosperity and Public Welfare

The Scuola della Misericordia was founded on Isola Valverde next to the ancient Abbazia Santa Maria della Valverde, as was shared in a previous post, “Venice – Campo dell’ Abbazia” (follow the link to read it: http://wp.me/pVUDj-1vw ).

The scuola prospered and rapidly outgrew its quarters, hopefully because of its good service to the general welfare of the community.  It supported the operation of a hospital for indigent women (and an adjacent cemetery!) on the grounds of the Abbey, a common mission for “Misericordia” organizations throughout much of Italy.

Newly Grand and Really Big

Rio della Sensa approaching the Scuola Nuova della Misericordia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

With prosperity, the officially certified Scuola Grande commissioned a new Sansovino designed building (only the best architect of the age!) was built across the Rio della Sensa to the south of the old home by the Abbazia – almost to completion by 1583 -  a massive structure towering over the surrounding city, and even visible from the Grand Canal up the Rio de Noal.

The Scuola turned its back on the old Abbazia to focus on a new south-side campo of its own Campo de la Misericordia along the Rio de la Misericordia.  The property completed and dominated the eastern end of the island, Isola Sensa.

Renewed Purpose

Scuola Nuova Dominates Campo della Misericordia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

We were privileged to see the gymansium sized interiors (stacked two high) of the Scuola Nuova in 2011, when it housed two art exhibitions.  On the primo piano, up about 76 very high steps, the Swiss artist Pierre Case displayed 20 of his “Mystery of the Sottoportego” works (Read more about the man and his art on the “RenaissanceRules” post, “Pierre Case: the Mystery of the Sotoportego, via the link: http://wp.me/pVUDj-1mh ).

Ground Floor and Pieta' - Scuola Grande Nuova della Misericordia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

On the ground floor, Belgian artist Jan Fabre displayed a striking and disturbing series of contemporary sculptures in the exhibit, “La Pieta’ di Michelangelo Rivisita”.  You can view that exhibition on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4NmZVlf3R8 and…

see the Ground Floor at the same time!

The upper floor perimeter walls were scaffolded full height for restoration work, including extraordinary floor-to-ceiling murals.  The lower floor’s grand columns and pilasters demonstrate the wealth of design detail that had been present throughout.  Also present were extensive cracks in the mortared brick walls, leading us to hope that structural repair is also is forthcoming.  We look forward to re-entering the vast building in a few years, to see it restored to its original glory.  In the meanwhile, we will recall the wonder of Pierre Case’s paradoxical installation, the mystery of…

The Sottoportego Upstairs

Venice – Campo dell’ Abbazia and the Isola Valverde

An Island Lost in Time

The island of Valverde in north-central Sestiere Cannaregio, Venice, was apparently a relatively stable velme and barene combination (higher mudbanks with arable soil) one of the earliest habitable islands in the archipelago, known for its copse of trees and greenery projecting into the Northern Lagoon from the surrounding marshes.  Around 936, an abbey was founded on this notable island, the Priory of Santa Maria della Valverde Madre di Misericordia, and the land was further stabilized.

Santa Maria di Valverde Madre di Misericordia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

At first, the abbey may have been established by the Regular Order of St. Augustine.   Later in its history, other orders held sway – the Dominicans and, at the end, the Servites.  The abbey and its convent may have accounted for the island’s only occupants for centuries, along with  expansive food gardens to support them.

Another Mystery of Venice

Curiously, as the adjacent areas were reclaimed and developed over hundreds of years, Valverde‘s frontage on the Lagoon was maintained, a basin now known as Sacca di Misericordia, primarily a yacht harbor.  Even those who planned to complete the hard, final edge of the City’s north side, the Fondamente Nova, apparently intentionally left the Sacca as open water – an extraordinary statement of the wealth and power of the Abbey and its patrons, or perhaps also of those whose palazzi eventually lined the east and west sides of the sacca and remainder of Isola di Valverde.

The broad Canale de la Misericordia runs past the Abbey from the southeast corner of the Sacca, then splits into two strands, Rii de Noal and de Santa Felice, to reach the Grand Canal.  They constitute the busiest waterway from mid-Grand Canal to the North Lagoon.

Tragedy and Persistence

The old abbey church was rebuilt several times, and enlarged in the 13th Century.  All of the monks died in the mid 14th-Century plague, after which the patronage of the abbey and its lands passed to the Moro family who invested in restoration to make the place habitable for a new Order.  Periods of occupancy and semi-abandonment spanned the centuries until just over a century ago, when the shuttered facilities passed into secular hands.

The church of Santa Maria di Valverde Madre di Misericordia was rebuilt once again in the 1650′s, and a new main facade designed by Clemente Moli was finished facing the relatively small and private Campo dell’Abbazia to the south.  Bounded by the Canale on the east and Rio de la Madonna Dell’Orto on the south, this small campo was eventually accessed from the Fondamente Misericordia Abbazia along the Canale, a dead-end that offered pedestrian access to the Sacca, and from the west on the Fondamente dell’Abbazia from Madonna Dell’Orto after that area of Cannaregio was reclaimed and developed.

The third access is across one bridge to the south that connects the Fondamente and Campo to the heart of the City.  Even with these relatively “modern” links, the place seems lonely, forlorn and disconnected to this day.

For the Public Good

Scuola Vecchia at Campo dell'Abbazia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Around 1308, the Confraternity Scuola della Santa Maria di Valverde Madre di Misericordia was established in support of the Abbey and for public welfare.  Its first known building was built by the Bon family on the west side of Campo dell’Abbazia.  That structure still exists today, now known as the Scuola Vecchia (old school), bridging over the Fondamente dell’Abbazia on the south with a gracefully colonnaded sottoportego that has an unidentical twin on the north side facing into the old cloister garden.  The Scuola founded and supported a hospital for indigent females, and an adjacent cemetery, on the grounds of the Abbey.

After the Scuola Grande de la Misericordia (thank you for shortening the name!) moved into new, grander, quarters to the south, the old building was used as a hospice for about fifty years and then became a Piccolo Scuola for the silk cloth weaver’s guild.

A Return to Solitude

Fondamente Abbazia sotto Scuola Vecchia (c)2012 Randy D. Bosch

Today, the deconsecrated church is in great disrepair and of uncertain ownership or usage.  The Scuola Vecchia is owned by the Municipal Museum of Venice and used intermittently as an art restoration workshop.  Much of the rickety convent was demolished in the early 19th-Century.  Some structures may have been adapted for other private uses along the waterfronts.

A large swath of the gardens remain, the part owned by the Municipality quite lovingly restored, and includes a nursery favored by residents of the City.  The best opportunity for access occurs when that nursery is open for business, at 3353 Cannaregio on Fondamente dell’Abbazia.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to visit the nursery and gardens, try to imagine how this isolated island monastic community may have seemed over 1,000 years ago, when its occupants truly knew the meaning of…

The Solace of Open Spaces