Larry's Advent Calendar

As he has for the past six years my dear Larry has created a virtual Advent Calendar to count down the days until the Feast of the Nativity.  I'll quote from Larry's entry for this first day of Advent by way of introduction: 

Previous years I have posted Roman windows, doors, gates, angels and fountains. This year I will continue my Advent Calendar tradition with Modern Churches in Rome. It is a type of building that is usually not seen in the Eternal City by most visitors (and residents). Every day of Advent you will be able to log in and see a different church of the 20th or 21st century that I have encountered here in Rome.

A click on this very beautiful modern church door by Igor Mitoraj will lead you to the beginning of Larry's photo tour through some of the 250 modern churches often overlooked amongst the baroque splendour that dominates the city.

Another door by Mitoraj - one of the two for Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri - posted on the sidebar will give you access to each day's door and another modern church in our beloved Roma.

December 1 - 1885: First serving of the soft drink Dr Pepper at a drug store in Waco, Texas .

A Quick Bit of Sharing

Normally when I do a "Sharing" post it contains photos from a recent trip and links to postings I've read on some of my favourite blogs. But this time its just one item.

My friend Larry over at Amoroma has always been a source of great enjoyment with his wonderful Advent Calendar, trips with the school and "birdwalks" through Roma and "beyond the walls". He had taken a well-deserved rest in January - if a quick trip to the U.S., getting back into the school year and all his other interests and activities can be considered rest.

His first "birdwalk" of the New Year took him past a monument but not one of the old Roman kind. This is a sculpture by Mimmo Paladino not just to victims of the Nazi Holocaust but to all who would be potential targets of fascism, racism or discrimination.

A left click on the shackled hands will take you to Larry's photos and remarks on a work that I find a true memorial to the Holocaust.  And hopefully a warning to future generations.

01 febbraio - Santa Verdiana

Advent 2010

Over at AMOROMA my friend Larry continues his tradition of an Advent Calender to mark off the days until the celebration of Christmas. In previous years he has taken us daily through Roman Windows, Roman Doors and Roman Gates; this year he has created his calender from a remarkable series of angels that are omnipresent in architecture and decoration throughout our adopted city..

A left click will take you to the first day of Advent on Larry's Calender.

Once again this year I'll be providing a daily link to open the virtual door at Larry's site and reveal the angelic delight and reading for the day to be found there.

01 decembre - Sant'Eligio di Noyon

Latin Lovers .... Postscript

Just after I posted that silly poll I came across this rather sweet little item from my friend Larry over at Amoroma.

And this certainly scores points for romantic.. and damn it even sensitive.

Colour me wrong ... or at least wrong in this one instance. He may have moved the Italian team up a notch!

30 settembre - San Sofronio Eusebio Girolamo

Sharing

Haven't done one of these posts in a while. Again not that I haven't read some wonderful stuff just that two very active puppies (and some really heavy ballet review translations) have been keeping me a tad busy. And I also have done any GPP or GPV items in over a week. So why not combine the two. Here's some posts I've enjoyed and a few pics of the deadly duo - though I realized I have more photos of Nora than Nicky - maybe because she stays still long enough.

It hard to believe they were ever this small ... this friendly ... or this quiet. They both weigh in at slightly over 2 kgs now, fight constantly and seem to have boundless energy. Hell they're puppies of course they have boundless energy.

• She hasn't been blogging regularly for a while but as always when she does Big Ass Belle hits the mark every time. Her most recent post reminded me of the big part that serendipity has played in my own life and has even encouraged me to start working on a post about it.

Okay we have a moment of repose here but it's just in preparation for the next assault on the race course that use to be the hallway.

• Also absent for awhile, Elizabeth has such a full creative plate that she can be forgiven for not putting in more frequent appearances. Her recent trip to New York brought back memories of previous times in a city that helped shape her life.

Stick with me kid, says our Nora. I'm older than you and been around more, 'cause its just you and me against the world. Very appropriately Dashiell Hammett don't you think?

• Always a keen observer of the world - and with plenty experience of it - Helen has penned her most recent letter to Margaret and has a few words about Mr Obama and some things that were better left unsaid.

The house tends to be a bit on the dark side - no direct sunlight anyway because of all the angles. But there is a nice spot out on the service balcony that was just made for sunning.

• It seems the ladies - I was going to type women but you know in my mind every one of them is a lady, sorry I'm old-fashioned that way - I know in blogdom are a busy lot. Cowbell has been busy with work and a few adult education opportunities including learning Spanish. Her class has given her food for thought and for a post.

Nick always likes to make sure the bed covers are perfectly arranged before a good night's sleep.

• For awhile there Sunday drives with Jeff was becoming a regular feature of my life, however there were a few Sundays when he had more pressing things to do. I'm glad to say he's returned to take us through the high and by ways of the LA area. In the past two weeks he's shown us cool signs with a decidedly 50s feel and then stopped off at a BBQ pit for some ribs and more 50s nostalgia.

Nora is completely unimpressed with the internet - its just too modern. She tends to be an old fashioned girl - the sort who hides demurely behind the lace curtains when she isn't chewing on them!

• And finally my friend Larry spent a few days in and around Sienna and has shared several posts about that lovely area of our adopted country. Rather than list them all why not just go over to AmoRoma and do a bit of a "birdwalk".

Good reading and you'll have to excuse me I have two puppies who have to be walked.

04 agosto - San Giovanni Maria Vianney

Push Me Pull Me

The subject of flushing toilets has popped up twice on blogs I read this week. Rainey over at Here's The Thing has been explaining the wonders of water swirling down the bowl clock-wise to their Australian exchange student. Or is it counter-clock-wise, I can never remember and am too lazy to go flushing toilets to find out.

And over at AmoRoma, Larry has proven once again that he is an astute observer of life in Roma with an overview of toilet flushing systems he's discovered here. And now that he mentions it, he's right, I've never seen so many types of buttons, handles, cords, pedals et al to activate the simple flow of water into a toilet bowl.

Mind you there is one type he forgot and I can't blame him because I'm sure we're the only people in the world who have it: the vacuum pump button!

The idea is you push the button:
It sends a rush of air down the tube which forces the trap to lift and the water flows.Technically a very simple premise but like any pump it sometimes, to the confusion of guests I might add, requires priming.

17 gennaio - San Antonio abate
Hmmm, I realize I have just posted an item about flushing toilets - this is getting a little strange but what was even more disturbing is I was going to add the label Ballcock, a perfectly fine plumbing term, then I realized what sort of hits I would probably get.

Sharing

I always look upon these Sharing posts as a two-fold opportunity - I can bring your attention to some of the wonderful posts I've found in the past few days and put up some of the photos that I'm frankly too damn lazy haven't had time to get to as photo essays. This time around its some photos from my Torino, Genova, Parma opera week back in late October.

This fascinating bronze entitled "Out of Africa" was prominently placed in the lobby of the Teatro Regio di Torino. I have mixed reactions to it - it is a beautiful piece but something about it disturbs me.

More often than not the holy water fonts in churches here are either dry or have a small bowl of water placed in them. But in Torino's Chiesa di San Filippo Neri the font was more a fountain of holy water.

• And talking about sharing, Michelle at Bleeding Espresso has been good enough to share her nonna's polpette (meatball) recipe. Guess what we're having for dinner on Sunday night?

Il Museo Egizio in Torino has one of the finest - and stunningly displayed - collections of Egyptomania in Europe. I was particularly taken with this gold and lapis necklace. The pyramid as a display may be the obvious choice but it is subtly handled. Click for a close up.

The gates of the Palazzo Reale in Torino are a direct steal from Versailles but wasn't every palace in Europe?

• My friends Larry and Vincenzo spent Capodanno (New Year's) with Vin's family in Sicily. They made a trip over to Taormina to see the sights and Larry found some rather pretty, if unusual, Christmas decorations.
  

That's the house of Christopher Columbus in Genova sticking up in middle way back there. His front yard is now a parking lot for motorinos - that's one way to destroy the lawn and bring down prices in the neighbourhood.

This altar in il Duomo di San Lorenz once held relics of San Giovanni Baptista, the patron saint of Genova. His story is retold in the stone carvings in and around the altar. I'm constantly fascinated by the use of coloured marble throughout the churches in Italy - designs and colours always created to take the eye to a focus point.

• Evilgnome calls the Fenway home in Boston, sadly last week he saw part of what makes his neighbourhood so unique destroyed by fire. And as he remarks when the Mom and Pop stores leave a neighbourhood so does much of its character.
  

Though the waterfront in Genova has been restored - and magnificently - its is still separated from the historic centre by an elevated freeway. There is no way to see this fascinating painted facade the way it was meant to be seen - approaching from the water.

A complete replica of a Turkish galleon is moored beside the Aquarium on the waterfront. It was original created for some Roman Polanski film and is now a tourist attraction. The Neptune figurehead is a great example of the carver's art.

• My darling Dora introduced me to two of the feistiest ladies in Blogdom: Margaret and Helen are two 80-somethings who chat on their blog - Margaret from Maine and Helen from Texas. They've known each other for over 60 years and their outspoken - often salty - take on the world is often amusing, always insightful and invariably controversial. They even have their own on-line store.

The Cross of St George (red cross - white background) features in the coat of arms of many cities throughout the world. It's the municipal coats of arms in both Milano and Genova in Northern Italy - as in the New World it is in Montréal

I only intended to pop into the Aquarium in the harbour for a few minutes and ended up spending over 2 hours. Though not a fan of zoos or the like I found a peaceful fascination in the unusual sea fauna. I really must post a few more to these shots of jelly fish, I found them incredibly beautiful.

• And speaking of beautiful, my friend Lotus Green is constantly revealing the beauty of the Japanese influence on our world. Her December 30 post on Fireworks is as spectacular as New Year's Eve display. And her post naked is a enchanting mixture of the visual and the aural.

08 gennaio - San Lorenzo Giustiniani

Christmasy Things - Sharing III

So many wonderful things and stories are being posted in the days leading up to Christmas. I thought I'd just do a final little bit of sharing of things that have made me laugh or perhaps mist up or just smile with the joy of sharing with my wonderful blog buddies.

And I thought I'd also share the incredible frescoes that adorn the bedroom of the Cardinal in the Museo Romano at the Palazzo Altemps near Piazza Novona. We went in to see the Presepe of the King of Naples and stayed to view some of the most fascinating Greek and Roman sculptures in the setting of a Renaissance palace.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth ...

• Michelle over at Bleeding Coffee has posted one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes panels: Christmas Eve. Bill Waterston always seemed to able to capture the honesty of childhood - warts and all. But in this one there are not warts, only love and tenderness. Thanks Michelle.

And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda; And entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elizabeth.

• One of the great things about blogging, and there are many, is that you find out all sorts of things about people you love. My darling Dora tells us all about a Christmas party where the celebration reached a new high.

And they came with haste and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe laying in a manager.

• Every day since the first of December my friend Larry has been opening an new door of Rome on his Internet Advent Calender. Its been an incredible series of photo giving a peek into the history of the city. If you haven't been opening them every day from my sidebar might I suggest going over to Amoroma and opening a few doors.

... and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

• Jeff has been posting a different sort of Advent Calender. First he revealed some of Santa's dirty little secrets and now he's leading us up to Christmas with music and dance. Again there are too many good things so just go over to World o'Jeff and click around.

The Madonna and Child

• And though its not a blog entry I came across a book review for The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits by Les Standiford in the Toronto Star. Writer Hans Werner has had adverse comments from a few "devote" Christians for his slightly irreverent remarks but I enjoyed it. And looking around I realize how Dickensian many of our traditions are.

Buone Feste a tutti!
24 dicembre - San Giacobbe

Christmasy Things I

Last year I posted a series on our Christmas traditions and I don't want to repeat myself but I thought a little updating on the odd Christmasy Thing or two wouldn't be amiss. So I'll be doing that during the weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas.

And speaking of Advent my dear friend Larry at AmoRoma is keeping up a tradition he started last year - can two years be a tradition? I think so. Last year he created an Internet Advent Calender. Each day he posted a Roman window and one of the "O" antiphons for the season. This year, from December 1st - 24th, he'll post a picture of a different door that he's seen in Rome and a verse taken from Handel's Messiah.

And again this year I've posted a sidebar link to Larry's Advent Calender for anyone who'd like to join us in this tradition. And that would be Vincenzo, the other half of the team, inviting you to open a new door each day. Thanks Larry for keeping up the tradition.

And speaking of Advent Calenders the folks over at Sellmer are still producing wonderful advent calenders like this charming one of Old Stuttgart. Many are reproductions of favorites from years past including one of the Christkindlmarkt at the Marienplatz in Munich. I may buy one for next year but in the meantime Laurent and I will be heading up there this weekend to experience the Christmas Market first hand.

01 dicembre - San Egilio

Hallowmas Eve

Tonight is the Eve of the Feast of All Hallows - Halloween. It still isn't a big thing in Italy, unlike the British Isles and North America it is simply what the name originally meant: the Night before the Feast of All Saints. Tomorrow will be the big day - Ognissanti is the day for families to come together and remember loved ones who have died and to make a special trip to the cemetery.

I've noticed that pastry shop windows are starting to go all the way with pumpkins, witches, skeletons but candy for Halloween isn't all that popular - a torta di cioccolata, well that's another story. As for pumpkin carving that probably strikes most Italians as the waste of a good filling for ravioli. But the young students at the school where my friend Larry teaches carved jack o'lanterns for a good cause. Larry mentioned on Amoroma last week that for €10 a family could take a pumpkin and participate in a pumpkin carving contest. The proceeds went to the the Haiti Cherie fund to feed street children in Port-au-Prince. There are some really fine and frightening examples of the pumpkin carvers art on display - I particularly love Carmen Miranda.

Trick or treating isn't a big thing and given that most people live in apartments probably not all that practical. And children here don costumes more for Carnivale in March than for Halloween. Which brings me to the pictures accompanying this post. Those would be of my friend Marc B. and members of his wild trick or treating crew. Every year the family go out - en masse, if 4 can be considered a masse - to trick or treat in their neighbourhood. I recall a Star Wars theme one year and it appears that this year has taken on a decided Tim Burton tone. That would be Marc as the Mayor of Halloweentown, Justin as Jack Skellington, Erika as Sally and out of camera range putting the finishing touches on Erika's costume Christiane who I understand will be a witch for the festivities.

Now I may be wrong but it seemed to me that during the last few years I was handing out treats at the door the costuming became more and more mundane and at times minimalist - come on kid a red ball on your nose doesn't mean your disguised as a clown! In fact I recall some older kids just showing up in their pseudo-ghetto drag with a pillowcase and mumbling "trek er tret." So its nice to see the famille B. entering into the full spirit of it all. I hope those candy sacks are overflowing by the time you get home guys.

Happy Halloween Everyone!

31 ottobre - San Quintino

Sharing

With half of Rome gone on holiday and the other half preparing to go its been quiet in the neighbourhood. But if last night's crowds at Largo Argentina are any indication the void, in Centro at least, is being filled by tourists on a Roman Holiday. We haven't joined the general exodus and really won't be going much anywhere except Pesaro on the Adriatic for a few days at the end of the month. Laurent is busy at work, his dad is coming over for a visit mid-month and we're getting ready to move - so much for Feragosto being the time for rest and relaxation.

Overlooking the Latina Plain from the belvedere at Sermoneta.

But a few of my lucky blog buddies have been doing some travelling and sharing of photos and tales. And two weekends ago we did a Sunday jaunt down to Sermoneta with our friends Lorraine and John. Sermoneta is one of those incredibly charming medieval hillside towns that dot the Latina countryside As always I took a few pictures.

Of course every Italian hill town has to have its castle. After all that's why the town is there. Il Castello di Sermoneta dates from the 12th century.

And every Italian hillside town has to have steps; flights and flights ...

... and flights of steps. That's what you get when you build on a hillside.

• Larry and Vincenzo have been spending the past few weeks in Sicily including a visit with Vin's family in Enna. And they've been touring around the island with stops in Castelbuono , Cefalù, and Erice. This B and B that they stayed at near Palermo looks wonderful. And needless to say they found some incredible beaches. Now I let Laurent postpone Sicily this year because he wanted to spend a few weeks in Japan in October but I am serving notice - publicly - we are going to spend at least two weeks in Sicily sometime in the next year.
  

This is the view down to a belvedere and small piazza from ...

... the top of this flight of stairs.

The town hall on the piazza betrays its origins as a monastic building .

In another part of town an Eternal (electric) Flame burns in memory of sons of Sermoneta who died in the many wars that have raged in the area over the past 200 years.

• And my darling Dora was off to New Orleans, accompanying her Beastman on a business trip, and knocking the town ass over tea kettle in a fabulous new red dress. And being our Dora, she and Madame Destin had a meeting on a rainy street that turned into a lovely and touching experience and started a friendship. And she has... ahem... ahem... promised to give us some shots of her in that red dress!

I did a double take when I saw the Irish lace curtains - shades of my childhood - then I realized it was an Irish pub. Honest! They're everywhere even hill town Italia.

Even amongst the marble, concrete and cobblestones people here make sure there is greenery surrounding them.

The crowds from a bicycle regatta had dispersed by the time we reached the central piazza and it was getting close to pranzo (lunch) so strollers where starting to turn attention to their stomachs.

• Jeff is famous for those drives through the Los Angeles area that he's been taking us on every Sunday - the radio playing classic rock, camera at the ready he has captured the often fantastical architecture that is SoCal and LA. Last Sunday we drove through Beachwood Canyon and found out the real story behind that Hollywood sign. And two weeks ago we had the pleasure (?) of a sleep over at the Madonna Inn. I can only echo Dora on that one: Words fail me.

Il Duomo di Maria Vergine Assunta in Cielo is a fine example of the Fossanova style but sadly in need of restoration. I found this St Joseph with the young Jesus oddly touching.

The most notable treasure in the Duomo is Benozzo Gozzoli's altarpiece of the Madonna holding Sermoneta protectively in her lap.

This family was taking no chances: St Joseph with his flowering staff protected the door way and St. Michael defends against Satan in the entrance way. Hopefully between the two of them they defeated any attempts of evil to enter.

• Back in June Cowie and Brownie at Around Britain with a Paunch - and by the way I'll be damned if I can see a paunch on either one of them - spent a weekend in Burgundy. As always the produce and food photos make the mouth water and the soul yearn for such a weekend. Hell weekend let's make it a week.

A deserted street in an Italian town at 1 PM on a Sunday can only mean one thing: everyone must be at ...

... pranzo. As indeed they were and we joined them in the garden of Simposio, a wonderful restaurant overseen by the ebulient Flabio Stavali. He can charm in five different languages.

But all the charm in the world wouldn't matter if the food wasn't exceptional. And Fabio's food is exceptional. We managed two portions of antipasti (including the best fried artichokes I've ever tasted) between the four of us, a tasting of 4 different pastas, and this secondi of beef and a wild boar sausage, a docle (heavenly pana cotta smothered in Fabio's brandied cherries) a pleasant local prosseco, Fabio's home made grappa and coffee. Colour us well fed!

• And it was wonderful to see comments yesterday from my Blog Mother Lynette- she's been missing for far too long. And though it is travel of a different type she took me down memory lane and frankly made me homesick with her most recent post. Whither she's writing political, social, biographical or nostalgical she always captures with her thoughts and her words. Welcome back Belle!

06 agosto - San Sisto II