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Your Vatican Visit - Part 1

“St Peter’s Basilica is the world’s largest church in the world’s smallest country.”

The Vatican is a must see…don’t go to Rome without seeing it. And, how best to see it? That’s a good question. Read on for the answer.

The Vatican

“The Vatican” is composed of four entities, as follows:

Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome…we can’t roam around there

Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope…we can’t go there, unless invited
St. Peter's Basilica…yes, we can, and should, go there
Vatican Museum…definitely go there

As mere mortals, we can’t just wander around the Vatican City. However, we can visit the Vatican Museum and St Peter’s Basilica…so, that’s what we will look forward to seeing.

When visiting the Vatican, it is recommended that you first visit the Vatican Museums, and then head to the Basilica. There is good reason for doing this, and that reason will be revealed in next weeks Part 2 installment. Also, I’m reversing the visitation order by giving you St Peter’s Basilica today, before we visit the museums, next week. I know, I know, you are anxious to learn the mysteries of Vatican visitation, but you’ll have to wait for next week’s installment to have them revealed to you. So, in the meantime, I give you the…

Vatican City Layout

Before visiting the Basilica, let’s look at the layout of Vatican City, and where the Basilica and the museums lay within.

In this map of Vatican City, I have outlined the Vatican Museums in blue. The museum complex is huge, with many artifacts that will be revealed next week. In the red, you see St Peter’s Basilica, fronted by St Peter’s Square. The square is a gathering place for the faithful to see the Pope when he makes an appearance, as well as a place to gather for many other Vatican-related events…it’s a beautiful venue. The areas shown in green are the parks of Vatican City…you can look from several vantage points, but, please don’t touch.

Though it is referred to as ‘Vatican City’, it is actually a country unto itself.

St Peter’s Basilica

Just a small bit of history today, but mainly photos of the interior of he Basilica.

Is it actually a cathedral? No, it isn’t. A cathedral must be the seat of a bishop…and this isn’t. Though the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, his cathedral is actually the Cathedral of Saint John Lateran.

The Basilica was consecrated on November 18, 1626. However, understand that it was a work in progress for 120 years. The Basilica is huge, at 720 by 490 feet, and with a height of about 450 feet. It’s the largest church on Earth…and maybe the whole Universe? We’ll never know! But, we know that St Peter’s Basilica is the world’s largest church in the world’s smallest country.

Because it took so long to construct the church, there were at least 8 architects involved over the years. Donato Bramante is credited with the plan, while Michelangelo was the chief executer of that plan.

You might remember that Christ said, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church”. After his own crucifixion (upside down at his own request, by the way), Peter was buried where the current church sits today…that’s why the Basilica was located there.

OK, let’s move on to see what St Peter’s Basilica looks like…here is the exterior, taken on a dark and stormy day whilst in Rome in 2012. One almost expects to hear dramatic organ music and to see lightening descending to strike the dome.

The stone work of the exterior is very…stone like.

And who provides the security for the Basilica…why the Swiss Guards do, that’s who.

Nice looking guys, right? Wouldn’t they look a bit more formidable with black outfits, weapons (other than a spear thingie) strapped on, and Kevlar vests? I think we might have seen someone dressed like this in a Cirque du Soleil show. Though I jest, they are a proud and capable group of dedicated Vatican guards.

When you enter through the massive doors, you are struck by the sheer magnitude of the Basilica’s size.

The baldacchino can be seen way down there…under the dome. Here is a closer view of the baldacchino.

To give you an idea of the size of the Basilica, the top of the baldacchino is 95 feet.

And speaking of domes, here is a view of the 136’ diameter main dome, with the baldacchino below.

Just inside and to the right as you enter the Basilica through the massive front doors, you find the magnificent Pieta. I wrote about the Pieta in September of 2015. You can see that article here.

Here are various photos that I have taken of the interior of St Peter’s Basilica.

See that female (yes?) figure with the bow in the bottom-left of the last photo above. In this detail photo below, you can see that these figures adorning the support for this small dome are mosaics. Don’t ask…I have no idea what the head under foot represents, or how it got there.

I will leave you with one, final dome (there are many within the Basilica)…not the main one, but an impressive one, none the less.

That’s it for our short visit to St Peter’s Basilica…well, almost. I need to share a humorous (maybe, maybe not?) anecdote…and a warning…about entering St Peter’s.

We visited St Peter’s in 2000, when the church was celebrating one of the recurring Diamond Jubilees (25-year anniversaries). The men in our group neglected to wear long pants (I have not taken shorts to Italy, since). We were stopped at the giant doors with, “Hey, you can’t go in like that…what do you think this is? A tourist site?”. Well, at 10,000,000 visitors a year…yes, that’s what I thought it was. There is a standing tradition of passing down, at the cost of $10, a pair of simple nylon pants with elastic waist…one size fits all. After coming out of the Basilica, there is absolutely no problem in holding them up and selling them to get your $10 back. So, be prepared to wear long pants, or to have $10 ready for temporary ownership of nylon pants. While we were waiting, two girls from Germany were stopped because of their shorts, so they stepped to the side of the massive doors, stripped down to bra and panties, reached into their backpacks, and then dressed in something more appropriate. Was that strip show less offensive than bare knees?

As I stated at the beginning, don’t go to Rome without seeing St Peter’s Basilica…it is a worthy, inspiring stop on your journey. You too will stand in awe at the magnitude of this beautiful structure. And, don’t forget that next week, you will understand how best to visit the Vatican Museums in Part 2.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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The Results Are In: Part 19

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“It’s an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 6,378 entries from 69 countries we received this year” said Basil O’Brien, the awards Creative Director.”

I just got word from the folks at the Spider Awards that I received recognition in their 2020 photo context, which is a contest for black & white entries.

There were many, many photos submitted…to be exact, the number was 6,378. And, it is an international competition, where entries came from 69 countries.

The Spider Awards is a juried competition, which means that it isn’t just one gal sitting at her computer making decisions. There’s a whole panel involved…and the judges are the photo industry’s biggest names, like these so-called ‘captains of the industry’:

Musee de l'Elysee, Lausanne
Sotheby's, London
Travel/Discovery Channel, New York
Kunsthaus Zurich, Switzerland
Portuguese Center of Photography, Porto
Aeroplastics Contemporary, Brussels
The Guardian, London
Contrasto Galleria, Milan
ADK Creative One Inc., Tokyo
Hiroshima MOCA, Japan
MACBA, Barcelona
Pereira O'Dell in New York

The judges from these agencies viewed all of the photo entries, picked out ‘Nominations’ for further review, and then pared all down to the winners of 1st, 2nd & 3rd place, followed up by the ‘Honorable Mentions’. Unlike other contests, I didn’t have any photos in the top-three Winner’s categories (grrrrrr), but I did have a number of Honorable Mentions and Nominated photos.

So, here are the photos that made the Nominated and Honorable Mention recognition.

Nominated

Abstract Category

An afternoon walk in Venice after a rain shower was the time and place. This brushed aluminum tabletop caught my eye for its abstract quality, and where the accumulated rain drops seem to float above the metal surface.

Architecture Category

Driving from Jackson, Wyoming to West Yellowstone in January is definitely a chilly experience. This abandoned General Mills grain silo pulled me off the snow-covered highway to take this photo. Is it possible that the grain for my childhood Cheerios came from this very silo?

Fine Art Category

During a trip to Northern Ireland, we drove on a narrow strip of road through The Dark Hedges. These weren’t your between-your-house-and-your-neighbors type of hedges…these were ancient, gnarly trees. This was a dark, brooding, and moody place…so that’s what I work toward in this photo.

Coastal Maine is a fabulous place. I just love the whole culture of fishing and lobstering and the super-quaint fishing villages along the coast. Here, it was early morning…the tide was out…it was very, very quiet and peaceful. And this photos brings back treasured memories.

Still Life Category

Another thing I love to do is drive the back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee. Photo opportunities abound around every corner. In the spring, the dogwood are blooming in all of their glory. I seem to drive a herky-jerky path along these backroads as I constantly stop to take photos.

Honorable Mention

Aerial Category

Here we find a couple of aerial photos that you’ve seen in color from previous photo contests.

The first image was captured with my drone in the area of East Vail, right here in my home state of Colorado. It was springtime, and the sun was out, casting long, afternoon shadows.

Driving through central Nevada (which I absolutely love because of its geology and stark beauty), I noticed in my rearview mirror…well, nothing really…there wasn’t a car in sight…just a very long, straight stretch of nothing but highway. I just had to pull over to launch my drone to capture this image. It is arrow-straight all the way to the horizon, with nary a quiver.

Abstract Category

It’s back to Venice for another abstract photo. Canal steps like these are found along many of the canals of Venice. As the water level fluctuates with the tides, you may need to step down steps like these to gain access to an awaiting boat. Here, it seems that the tide was out…but would soon rise.

Well, my lips are a bit sore from tooting my horn, so I’ll rest them by having a glass of Italian DOCG wine. I hope you enjoyed seeing what the distinguished judges picked out from thousands of photo entries. Until next time…

Ciao for now,

Steve

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DOC, DOCG, IGT and DOG

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What in the world is this about?! It’s about wine; that’s what it’s about!

“I’ll start with the highest classification system and go to the least restrictive”

Italy is unarguably* one of the best places in the world to grow grapes and vinify them into beautiful, outstanding wines. In the early 1960s, Italy came up with a regimented system to protect the quality of their wine. If a particular wine varietal (e.g. Brunello, Barolo, Chianti, Valpolicella, etc.) gains a reputation as a great wine, you don’t want some upstart winery coming in with their own formula using the very same varietal name to give that varietal wine a bad name and ruin everything. So, it’s kind of a marketing thing. And it’s kind of an safeguard thing. And, it’s kind of confusing thing on top of all of that.

You can see the DOCG designation written out at the top of the label, just above “2011”

So, the system that they developed is a series of laws that classifies Italian wines by quality of specific wine varietals, like those mentioned above. It’s a way to regiment the stature of Italian wines and to guarantee that they come from whence they say…in other words, they’re authentic. And not just where the wines come from, but their alcohol content, type of grape, and their aging are regulated in their classification systems.

It’s a good bit about geography, as wine zones have been set up within Italy. Within these zones, the growers and producers of wine must follow government regulations in order to have their wine certified within this system. You will find that most of the DOCG wines (defined for you just a bit later), for example, come from Tuscany (e.g. Brunello and Chianti), Veneto (e.g. Amarone, Valpolicella, and Soave), and Piemonte (e.g. Barolo and Barbaresco). This gives you a wide variety of wines from which to choose for your drinking pleasure.

And on the neck of the bottle is the serial number

Can the classifications lead you to the better Italian wines as you shop? Yes, they can. That’s pretty much the whole point. You will need to look for words on the label, like the words on the back label of the Banfi 2011 Brunello di Montalcino shown above where it says, “Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita”, i.e. DOCG. There will also be a paper band that has a serial number on the neck of the bottle…or it might cover the cork, like the band on the neck of that same bottle of Banfi 2011 Brunello di Montalcino, as seen here. A serial number? Are you serious? Yes, these Italian law-makers are serious about their wines. [More on Banfi wines here]

You may hear the word ‘appellation’ used. This comes from the French system of classifying their own wines. Basically, it refers again to a specific wine varietal.

Now to the classification system. I’ll start with the highest classification system and go to the least restrictive. Here’s how it works.

DOCG

Short for Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, or in English, “Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin”.

DOCG is the highest level of quality recognition which can be bestowed on an Italian wine. Because there were so many DOC wines (covered next), and because not all of those wines were of equal quality, this DOCG designation was created in 1980 to ratchet down the quality designations of those wines. Government officials actually have to taste the wines to give DOCG status! Hello…can we get one of these jobs?

Besides taste, they make sure that the grapes were grown in the correct geographic region, have a lower portion of blending grapes, come from lower yield fields, have a higher alcohol content, and receive longer aging. All of this creates and opportunity for a great wine to emerge from the certification process.

Who got the first DOCG designations? Piemonte’s nebbiolo-graped Barolo and Barbaresco, and Tuscany’s Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, both of which come from the sangiovese grape. It was a presidential decree that gave these wines their DOCG status. Is it just me, or does the Italian government seem to be more on the ball than our own?! I mean, tasting wine, making decrees…life is good in Italy.

After the forces of government complete their evaluation, a wine is “guaranteed” with an official, government, serial-numbered seal/label, like the one shown a bit above. That’s what you look for whilst wine shopping. And, how many DOCG wine varietals might you find? That would be 74 at this moment.

Before we leave DOCG wines, I need to clarify something. Those 74 wines don’t represent 74 wines from 74 wine makers with a total of 74 wine labels. That number 74 represents the number of varietals of wines, not the number of producers with the label of DOCG attached to their bottles. For instance, whilst in Italy, I’ve seen hundreds of different bottles of Brunello di Montalcino with DOCG on their label in wine stores, and it’s the Brunello di Montalcino varietal that is but 1 in 74, not a particular wine makers issue of Brunello di Montalcino. It will clear things up a good bit if you click here to see the full list of DOCG varietals of Italy.

DOC

Right below DOCG is Denominazione di Origine Controllata, or Controlled Designation of Origin. The lack of the word ‘guaranteed’ is the key here. Those government sponsored DOCG sippers and spitters aren’t there to put their official guarantee on these wines. Compared to the DOCG rules, think of these rules as strict, but generous. The wines still must be scrutinized for quality, and there are still rules about permitted grape varieties, maximum harvest yields, and aging requirements, but the rules tend to be less stringent than with DOCG, which adds a quality tasting panel to the mix.

The label of the Renato Ratti ‘Ochetti’, just above the word ‘Nebbiolo’ (the varietal), clearly states on the label that it is “Denominazione di Origine Controllata”. [You can see more about Renato Ratti here]

So, DOC isn’t as stringent as DOCG. Does that mean that the wines won’t taste as good. Not at all. You are the determinant of what you like…not designations, wine raters, and government types.

The DOC rules vary by region, but there must exist a traditional formula for the vinification.

In this label, we find that even Vin Santo can have a DOC designation.

How many have DOC designation? At around 329, they are much more common, but the number is a bit slippery. You can see the current full list here.

IGT

One of our favorite wines is IGT- so don’t shy away from them

Indicazione geografica tipica, or “Geographical Indication”, or IGT, was created in 1992 to recognize the unusually high quality of many of the wines not making the DOCG or DOC category. Mostly what you get with an IGT designation is the locality of their creation.

Don’t confuse this lower ranked designation with poorer tasting wines, as many Super Tuscans are in the IGT classification, and they can be quite tasty.

And that label in this photo for Allegrini’s Palazzo della Torre, shows IGT status, and I can guarantee you that it is an outstanding and inexpensive wine. [See more about Allegrini wines, and in particular Palazzo della Torre and the unique way that it is made, here]

INTERESTING SIDE NOTE (at least it was of interest to me): Sometimes, when the harvested grapes in a particular year are not of a superior quality, a producer might abandon the production of their normal DOCG- or DOC-designated wine because, with asperations lowered, they don’t want to adhere to the more stringent and costly standards using a lesser-quality grape that just wouldn’t wind up meeting the standards for the wine that it winds up producing. So, they drop down to the IGT designation and move on. They might even do this a year or two into the vinification of a wine that was destined for appellation status to cut their losses, yet in the meantime, they produce a pretty darned tasty wine of IGT quality. One more thing: quality can be defined as meeting the customer’s expectations…so if you have less of an expectation of an IGT-priced wine, you are more likely to have your expectations met. IGT wines can have a high quality-to-price ratio.

VdT

Vino da Tavola (VdT), or simply ‘Table Wine’ is a lesser known designation. It doesn’t have a geographical component. The wine must be made from grapes grown in Italy. I’m not sure that you’ll see the VdT designation in your local wine store, as they normally aren’t worth the effort of shipping them here. Our experience is that most ‘vino della casa’ (house wines) of a ristorante in Italy, often served from a spigot like beer, are usually good with their pasta and pizza, and I’m guessing that many of these would be of the VdT variety.

The Settecani Castelvetro Winery had a mishap…but a good one!

Not to belabor the point about wine from a spigot too much, here is an interesting anecdote. We all know who once turned water into wine…right? Though this time it was just an accident, earlier this year the people of Settecani, Italy thought they were seeing a miracle as they turned on their faucets to see water turn to wine. People were literally showering in Lambrusco from the Settecani Castelvetro Winery as the winery’s valves got a little out of kilter.

DOG

Finally we get to DOG. That simply spells ‘dog’. We tend to like dogs, so I’m just throwing this in. Thought you’d want to know. In Italian, that designation would be ‘CANE’. And maybe you’ve heard of the dyslectic agnostic who didn’t believe in Dog? Sorry — I’ll stop now.

So, I’ve always said that ‘I don’t know what’s supposed to be good, but I know what I like’. That covers it for wine, too. But, I have to say that in our experience, the wines that we really, really like happen to fall into the DOCG appellation. In the ‘really, really like’ category we find in no particular order: Brunello, Amarone, Valpolicella, Rosa Regale (a magnificent type of Brachetto d'Acqui, or sweet spumante red wine), Soave, Prosecco, Moscato di Asti, Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Vin Santo, Florus, and many more. I just had an epiphany! Right here, at this moment, I’m creating a new ‘RRL’ appellation…for ‘Really, Really Like” — so look for a little RRL appellation sticker on the bottom of certain Steve-approved wines.

And by the way, Ellen and I are generally available to join you for a meal and to sip Italian wines. Really. Just call. I’m serious. And, if you don’t want to cook, we can just drink wine.

Ciao for now,

Steve

* I said ‘unarguably’, but I’m not sure that there is anything that one can’t argue about these days…though I’m not sure I agree with that!

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Venice's San Giorgio Maggiore

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The church of San Giorgio Maggiore sits just where it should sit…where it needs to sit.

“Here is what I like about San Giorgio Maggiore: its front-and-center location...”

Yes, it is placed where it is best viewed by the millions who have visited Venice over the centuries. That place is its own little island just off the eastern tip of the Giudecca Island of the Venetian lagoon. That’s it dead-center in the aerial photo.

I like this church, sitting on its own little island. Read on to see why.

The island of San Giorgio Maggiore is dead center

The Church

The church interior isn’t as charming as many in Italy…as a matter of fact, it’s a bit austere. It gets its just attention from the location just across the Bacino San Marco (St Mark’s Basin) from the heart of Venice, Piazza San Marco. If you’ve browsed photos of Venice, you’ve most likely seen the Church of San Giorgio Maggiore.

‘San Giorgio Maggiore’ you’re wondering? That’s ‘Saint George the Major’…not to be confused with any lesser Saint Georges. This is the one that slayed the dragon in the days of dragons. Be thankful that his work gave us one less thing to be worrying about these days.

There was an original church sitting in the same location in about 790. That church was given over to the Benedictine monks. But alas, in 1223, the buildings of the island were destroyed by an earthquake. The very famous architect of his time, Palladio, came along in the 16th century, and he built the present Palladian-looking church.

The Benedictines

Benedictines? I don’t know much about them. But, I do know that if they had anything to do with creating the liqueur known as ‘Benedictine’, which is a key ingredient of ‘Benedictine and Brandy,’' further known by those of us who know it well as simply “B&B” — then I give them kudos for their early work at distillation. I think they are also known for chanting whilst thumping themselves on the forehead with their tomes of supplication…though I’m not sure that Monty Python and the Holy Grail is considered serious history.

The Campanile

Prominent when viewing the church is the campanile, also known as a bell tower.

You can see both the church and its campanile in this night-time, time-lapse photo.

The campanile was built just before Columbus headed west into the sunset, but it suffered the embarrassment of collapse in 1774. It was soon rebuilt to its present, stable (we hope) stance. It’s this campanile that gives the church my own blessing.

So, What’s There to Like?

Here is what I like about San Giorgio Maggiore: its front-and-center location and the great view of, and from, the afore mentioned campanile. You’ve seen the pirate movies where the pirate captain has his spyglass up to his eye, seeing a captain of another ship spying right back at him, right? That’s how it works for San Giorgio Maggiore…while you are spying it from across the basin, you are being spied upon right back from that well endowed campanile. The point? You get a superb view of the main island of Venice from the campanile, and versa vice.

Check Out the Views — Of San Giorgio Maggiore

Here are photos I’ve taken over the years of San Giorgio Maggiore.

And here is Glenn’s favorite view of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Check Out the Views — From San Giorgio Maggiore

So, here we will be spying back the other way, just like Craig and Leslie are doing, here.

The expansive view of the Venetian sestiere of San Marco

If we turn our backs to Venice proper, we get a view of the Benedictine hedge maze, called ‘Labirinto Borges’ . It looks to be a great plot element for a Venetian mystery novel, complete with Benedictine monks chanting and sipping a B&B or two whilst being maze-chased by a despicable monk-loathing villain.

And then there’s the view of the exclusive Hotel Cipriani, of the-only-swimming-pool-in-Venice fame.

The Man Himself

Whilst making one’s way around the campanile, you will get a view of Saint George, himself…standing atop the dome of the church. But, here’s a mystery for you.

In this photo that I took in 2012, we see that alas, Saint George may not have gotten the best of that dragon as reported throughout history!

But ahhh, here we are during our 2018 visit, and we find that St George has been able to assemble all his parts into one place, including his famed dragon-killing spear. Great recovery, George!

I’ll leave you with a view captured by Claude Monet, just one of many he produced in a series featuring San Giorgio Maggiore.

Claude_Monet,_Saint-Georges_majeur_au_crépuscule.jpg

I highly recommend that you visit the church of San Giorgio Maggiore during your Venetian explorations. The view from the campanile is all-encompassing, and on a clear day, you might be treated to a backdrop of the Alps.

It is a quick vaporetto ride from either the Zattera vaporetto stop of Dorsoduro, or the San Zaccaria stop of San Marco. And don’t fret over climbing several flights of steps to get to the observation deck, as an elevator will carry you there, leaving your breathily exhalation for the view.

Ciao for now,

Steve

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Transformation x 2

Just a couple of transformations today, as I’ve bene busy shoveling snow! Someone has to do it…right?

Trasformazione Uno

For this first transformation we go from a really blah snapshot of a door on a slightly inclined street, to something much more appealing. So, let’s get started.

Here’s that blah snapshot. I wasn’t wrong about the blahness, was I? I’m glad you agree.

As usual, I want to get rid of modern distractions, like the plumbing and its tarnishment, the address plaque, and that vestige of graffiti to the right of the door.

Now that it’s cleaned up a bit, it’s time to work on the color. I’ll work on the plaster by giving it a bit of old-world patina.

And as you know, I just have to do something with that humdrum door. So, here is the final image. Better, huh?

Trasformazione Due

Ouch! Why did I even bother to capture this image?! I guess that I thought I could do something with it back home, so I might as well give it a try.

Such a clutter of ‘stuff’ to resolve, like the address plaques, mail slots, doorbell ringers, chotskies, etc. So, here goes.

Here I am back after a bit of clutter removal. I’ll give the door a bit of color while I’m at it…I’m not happy with that dark green. Now that reflection behind the iron work has to go.

Reflection done and gone.

I’m ready to give the plaster some of that patina that I like so much.

And, for the final product, I’m going to brighten up that door so that the photo will look better on our wall.

There you have it. Two quick transformations in one sitting. Now I’m going out to shovel a bit more snow. I’ll be back next week with more on our favorite place…Italy, Our Italy.

Ciao for now,

Steve