aroundtheworldwJudy: Returning to ......ITALY

This time in Italy was a returning ….

Long ago....

As a college student in the summer of 1965 I traveled many weeks around Italy with my Danish cousin Eva in a VW Bug purchased in Germany, used by my father and mother for some months, then by me for several months, finally shipped from Copenhagen to NYC to a drive-away to California to brother Art ….

Eva and I ambled our way along – Florence, Rome, Naples, Capri, Cinque Terra, the Amalfi Coast, Ravenna, and Venice.

Two young women with a whole summer, a nifty car, and just a few dollars (or kroner) to spend – many memories remain, along with a few good photos taken with my Ricoh square-format box camera.

Ceiling Fresco, Galleria Borghese

Galleria Borghese, Rome
Exterior sculptures were removed by Napolean and are now in
Paris in the Louvre

Rape of Prosperpine, Bernini 1621-1622

Sometime in the 90’s studio mate Skip Willis and I visited Barbara MacCallum and Bob Johnson for several weeks Sicily – just WHEN was that exactly?

While Bob worked at the University in Catania, Barbara and I … and sometimes Skip … explored the whole island right at the time that some prominent Italian Mafia were on trial --- and I recall with a shudder the wide-stride soldiers with Oozie guns outside the courtrooms in Palermo

So … these 6 days in Italy were returning to Italy....

Rome 2015

The World Odyssey came in to Civitaveccia which is the port about an hour north of Rome.

DAY ONE: My first SAS Field Lab with Drawing class to the Borghese Galleria and the Villa Borghese gardens in Rome. After a morning of drawing from the Bernini sculptures, the Caravaggio paintings, contemporary couture fashion sculptures by Azzedine Alaia, and more, we lunched under the trees at a long sidewalk table. After lunch the class people-watched and people-sketched at the nearby Spanish Steps.

David with the Head of Goliath, Caravaggio

DAY TWO: Luncheon in Rome with fellow SAS Faculty as the guests of Academic Dean Sharon Hostler and her daughter Gioia.

Via Margutta, Rome, where Roman Holiday was filmed

Old Rome City Gate near Plaza de Popolo

I believe this is an embassy sitting atop Roman ruins from centuries earlier.

Orvieto

DAY THREE: Day trip to Orvieto. – a medieval city on Etruscan foundations, perched atop a rocky hilltop riddled with more than 1000 caves which were used for industry (olive oil and wind production, weaving hemp ropes, cutting masonry blocks, storage, plus hundreds of dovecotes for pigeons!)

Beside it’s majestic beauty, the Orvieto Cathedral is remarkable to me for it’s illustrative paintings of Judgement Day, Hell, and anit-Hell! Wow!

Orvieto

Orvieto cathedral - one of two Gothic
cathedrals in Italy

What earthly sins might result in a green bottom on Judgement Day in Orvieto Cathedral ?

Louise, Katrina, and the waitress in mini-panini shop

Below Orvieto, a maze of 1000+ caves were used for industry in addition

to storage.

Caves were dug under the houses to house pigeons for
a source of meat and for sales

To feed, the pigeons flew freely out to the valleys from the vertical cliffs of
the sides of Orivieto town on top.

Civitaveccia

DAY FOUR: Errands in Civitaveccia plus an afternoon visit to Repubblica dei Regazzi, a boy’s home of 60+ years for middle and high school age orphans, wards of the court, delinquents – and recently, including some girls. The noteworthy aspect of this center is that the youth themselves govern, establish and enforce ‘laws’, issue and earn their own money, and prepare themselves for participation in the larger adult society.

A pick-up game of football (soccer) between SAS students and Repubblica students was the highlight of the day!

We enjoyed a tasty custom salad lunch in this cafe - only
we did not get the memo that orange florescent vests were the
appropriate attire......

Naples

DAY FIVE: Transit day to Naples: Students and faculty may elect to travel overland or to stay on board – it was a quite day of passage.

Passing Mt. Vesuvius as we approach Naples.

The Naples harbor Pilot zips over to the MV World Odyssey to
direct the ship into port.

Staff Captain Korny, the Naples Pilot, and the Captain are attentive as

the MV World Odyssey comes alongside the pier.

Naples at night: busy, energetic,and loud.

Pulcinello

Procida Island

DAY SIX: My second Field Lab with the other section of Drawing to the island of Procida which is a small, stunningly picturesque island in the Bay of Naples. We took a 35-minute JetFoil to arrive there. Wow!

This is somewhat like a tiny Capri, but with only a few tourists. A fishing industry island with multi-colored houses, steep winding stone streets, and the Abbey St. Michele Archangelo at the highest point, this island was a delight to experience and to draw.

How about that for a drawing field trip???? An almost-perfect Field Lab ... until one student drifted away and missed our return Jetfoil - OOPS! - but she promptly caught up with us 20 minutes later.