Friday, May 31, 2013

San Zeno

Church of San Zeno, Pisa
The church of San Zeno was a former abbey built around 11th century as part of a Camaldolese monastery. It has been deconsecrated a while back and the building is now a museum, also used for exhibitions.
This is the last post from our self-imposed cyber-exile, but we have not yet finished with Pisa: in the future we will probably visit our cousins more often and on regular basis...

External links: San Zeno - Camaldolese (Wikipedia)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Domus Mazziniana

Facade of the Domus Mazziniana, via Mazzini, Pisa
This is the house where Giuseppe Mazzini spent the last years of his life and where he died on 10 March 1872. Practically rebuilt after the damages of the Second World War, it is now a museum dedicated to his life and works: the lettering on the facade of the building represent the verbose oath of the Giovine Italia (Young Italy), written by Mazzini himself in 1831 in Marseille.

External links: Giuseppe Mazzini - Young Italy (Wikipedia) - The oath of the Giovine Italia (Mazzini: His life, Writings, and Political Principles)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Santa Maria della Spina

After the destruction of the Ponte Nuovo in 1400, it became the repository of a small piece of the Crown of Thorns, and took the name of Our Lady, of the Thorn. Brought from over seas by a Pisan merchant, the thorns were preserved with loving care in a little urn. Before faring again to distant lands he entrusted the precious relic to the care of his family. He never was heard of more, and one of his descendants, a Longhi, presented it to the church.
(“The Story of Pisa” by Janet Ross and Nelly Erichsen, 1909)
Church of Santa Maria della Spina, Lungarno Gambacorti, Pisa
One of the wonders of Pisa is the small Gothic masterpiece of Santa Maria della Spina. The church was built around 1230 on the lower bank of the river Arno, but it was dismantled and rebuilt on the higher bank during the works for the construction of the nearby Solferino bridge, in 1871.

External links: Santa Maria della Spina (Wikipedia) - “The Story of Pisa” by Janet Ross and Nelly Erichsen (Archive.org)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Via Santa Maria

Repaving via Santa Maria, Pisa
At work re-asphalting Via Santa Maria, in Pisa. We don't see often this kind of works in Livorno: repaving streets is clearly not a priority here.

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Monday, May 27, 2013

Kinzica de' Sismondi

Whereupon, according to the legend, the Saracen Emir Moezz-Ibn-Badis, called Musa or Mugettus by the Italian chroniclers, left Sardinia, which he had conquered, and sailed up the Arno by night to attack Pisa in 1005. The houses on the left bank of the river were in flames and the inhabitants in full flight, when a woman of the Sismondi family named Chinzica rushed across the bridge to the palace of the Consuls and gave the alarm. A statue was erected to her when the burnt portion of the town was rebuilt and called after her.
(“The Story of Pisa” by Janet Ross and Nelly Erichsen, 1909)
Kinzica de' Sismondi, fragment of Roman sarcophagus, Casa Tizzoni, via San Martino, Pisa
The story is probably only a legend and the presumed statue of Kinzica, still visible outside Casa Tizzoni in Via San Martino, is almost certainly only a fragment of a 3rd-century Roman sarcophagus.
Kinzica de' Sismondi by Angelo Ciucci, piazza Guerrazzi, Pisa
A more modern statue, called “Chinzica” and representing the heroine of the legend, is the work of the sculptor Angelo Ciucci and was erected in 2005 in the middle of Piazza Guerrazzi.

External links: “The Story of Pisa” by Janet Ross and Nelly Erichsen (Archive.org)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Sunday, May 26, 2013

Camposanto Monumentale

Camposanto Monumentale, Monumental Cemetery, piazza del Duomo, Pisa
The Gothic tabernacle above the entance of the Camposanto Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery), at the northern edge of Piazza dei Miracoli. The Campo Santo, which translates as Holy Field, is a 13th-century cemetery built after the Fourth Crusade. Ubaldo de' Lanfranchi, archbishop of Pisa, decided that the Pisans were to be buried in the very earth of the Holy Land and commissioned a fleet of ships to bring home thousands of tons of soil from the hill outside Jerusalem where Jesus is believed to have been crucified.

See also: Santa Maria Assunta - Leaning Tower - Baptistry of St. John
External links: Piazza dei Miracoli - Leaning Tower - Baptistry - Camposanto Monumentale (Wikipedia)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Nicola Pisano

Monument to Nicola Pisano by Salvino Salvini, Santa Maria del Carmine, corso Italia, Pisa
The work of Nicola Pisano (c. 1220—c. 1284), along with that of his son Giovanni and other artists of their workshop, created a new sculptural style for the late 13th and the 14th centuries in Italy. This monument to him, made by the sculptor Salvino Salvini in 1864, is placed in front of the church of Santa Maria del Carmine (St. Mary of Carmel) in Corso Italia.

External links: Nicola Pisano (Wikipedia)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Friday, May 24, 2013

Baptistry of St. John

Baptistry of St. John, piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
Still in Piazza dei Miracoli, facing the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, lies the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistry of St. John). The building has almost the same hight of the Tower of Pisa, it took as long to be built (1152-1363) and it is also slightly leaning.

See also: Santa Maria Assunta - Leaning Tower
External links: Piazza dei Miracoli - Leaning Tower of Pisa - Baptistry (Wikipedia)

After twelve days and twelve nights they finally shut down that damned generator. Livorno Daily Photo in Pisa will go on for twelve days as well, so we have another Pisan week before returning on home turf.

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Lungarno Pacinotti

Lungarno Pacinotti seen from the Ponte di Mezzo, Pisa
Lungarno Pacinotti seen from the Ponte di Mezzo (Middle Bridge): several historical palaces of Pisa lie on this bank of the river Arno.

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Leaning Tower

Leaning Tower, piazza dei Miracoli, Pisa
The 55-meter tall Tower of Pisa (Torre di Pisa) is the freestanding campanile (bell tower) of the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta. The marble-covered tower leans at about 4 degrees and took almost two centuries to be built (1173-1372). Inside the belfry there are seven bells, one for each note of the musical scale.

See also: Santa Maria Assunta
External links: Piazza dei Miracoli - Leaning Tower of Pisa (Wikipedia)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Piazza della Stazione

Fountain by Arnaldo Pomodoro, piazza della Stazione, Pisa
Fountain by the sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, in Piazza della Stazione (Train Station Square).

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Monday, May 20, 2013

Santa Maria Assunta

Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Pisa
There is much more to see in Pisa than just the Piazza dei Miracoli (Square of Miracles), but we will start from there. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta (St. Mary of the Assumption) lies in the middle of the wonderful square, also known as Piazza del Duomo. “Duomo” is another term for “Cattedrale” (Cathedral).

External links: Piazza dei Miracoli - Duomo (Wikipedia)

(Why are we posting about Pisa? Click here for an answer)

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Enough!

People queueing for water, piazza della Repubblica, Livorno
We are now well into the XXI century, but as a Livornese you may still end up without running water for several days. It happened last March and small army of technicians wasn't able to fix a broken main for the best part of a week.
Ten-kilometer speed sign, viale Marconi, Livorno
If you are an academic researching potholes, our town would be the perfect destination for your sabbatical year, but the task is going to be huge nonetheless. For your dissertation keep an eye on Viale Marconi: it is our crown jewel, with more holes than asphalt and a funny speed limit of 10 kilometers (6 miles) per hour.
Electric generator, via Gherardi Del Testa, Livorno
Everywhere generators are used in emergencies or to supply power to faraway places, but in Livorno a huge diesel model can materialize itself at your doorstep, in a central street, where it is kept running for days and nights, with a complete disregard for the quiet and the sleep of the people living nearby, left to cope with an ugly synergy of noise and exhaust pollution.

As a form of protest, our blog will stop posting until this monster is turned down. But who will care?

After twelve days and twelve nights they finally shut down that damned generator. Livorno Daily Photo in Pisa will go on for twelve days as well, so we have another Pisan week before returning on home turf.

See also: Without Water - Dried Up - Third Day without Water - Habemus aquam! - Viale Marconi

Saturday, May 18, 2013

From My Terrace

NHIndustries NH90 helicopter, Livorno
What they won't do to get a picture of me, sunbathing on my terrace...

External links: NHIndustries NH90 (Wikipedia)

Friday, May 17, 2013

Thursday, May 16, 2013

The Cool Gates

Gates, scali della Dogana D'Acqua, Livorno
The unusual set of gates protecting a building on Scali della Dogana D'Acqua.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Nave Italia

Nave Italia (A 5314, IMO 8872825), former Swan fan Makkum, Italian Navy, Livorno
The sailship “Italia” was born in 1993 in a Gdansk shipyard as “Swan fan Makkum”. She is still the largest two-masted sailing vessel in the world, with an overall length of 61 meters. She can carry 1300 square meters of sail and has an impressive air draft of 44 meters.
Nave Italia (A 5314, IMO 8872825), former Swan fan Makkum, Italian Navy, Livorno
Since 2006 the boat, renamed “Italia”, is jointly owned and operated by the Italian Navy and the Yacht Club Italiano.

See also: Swan fan Makkum
External links: Swan fan Makkum - Yacht Club Italiano (Wikipedia) - Italia (A 5314) (Italian Navy)
Search labels: TAN - Tuttovela - sailship

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

The Dog and I

Front door, Via Giovannetti, Livorno
A front door in Via Giovannetti, with an English Cocker Spaniel and a tiny reflection of myself...

Monday, May 13, 2013

Galileo

Cardinal Pietro Maffi (1858—1931) wasn't your usual porporate: he was a scientist, an astronomer and the director the Vatican Observatory since 1904. In 1922, when he was Archbishop of Pisa, proposed to erect a statue of Galileo Galilei in piazza dei Miracoli, to make an amend of sorts to the scientist condemned by the Inquisition as a heretic, but nothing came out of this at the time.
Statue of Galileo Galilei by Stefania Guidi, lungarno Ranieri Simonelli, Pisa
About twenty years ago Flaminio Farnesi, a Pisan entrepreneur, commissioned a 5-meter bronze statue of Galileo to the sculptress Stefania Guidi. When the work was ready the city of Pisa wasn't yet able or willing to find a suitable location for it, so Mr. Farnesi placed the statue at the entrance of his factory.
Only recently he succeeded in getting the monument erected in Pisa, on Lungarno Ranieri Simonelli. How did he managed that? Mr. Farnesi seriously threatened to donate the bronze to Livorno...

External links: Pietro Maffi (Wikipedia)

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Via Solferino

Via Solferino, Livorno
Via Solferino with the San Marco Gate in background

Cartolina d'epoca, via Solferino, Livorno
Via Solferino in the early years of the 1900's

(Postcard digitized from the collection of Antonio Cantelli)
Search labels: postcard
See also: Porta San Marco - San Marco

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Friday, May 10, 2013

New Leaves

New leaves on hat-racked trees, viale Marconi, Livorno
The hat-racked trees in Viale Marconi are already sprouting new leaves ...
New leaves on hat-racked trees, viale Marconi, Livorno
... but most of them are around the bottom of the tree!

See also: Hat-racked Tree

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Sun of May

Sun in splendour, Sun of May, via Calzabigi, Livorno
A way like another to have some sun on your balcony...

External links: Sun in splendour - Sun of May (Wikipedia)

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Capricia

Capricia A 5322, Italian Navy, port of Livorno
The yawl “Capricia” was built in 1963 at the Bengt Plym shipyard in Sweden, on a project by Sparkman & Stephens, the world famous yacht design firm. The vessel is entirely made of wood: white oak for the structure, mahogany for the planking, teak for the deck, Canadian spruce for the masts.
Capricia A 5322, Italian Navy, port of Livorno
The Agnelli family bought it in 1971 and the boat went through a thorough renovation of the interior, which included the creation of an unusual bathroom with a large bathtub. In 1993, the Fondazione Agnelli gave the Capricia as a present to the Italian Navy, and she has been used since as a training vessel for the young officers of our Naval Academy.

See also: Ojalà II
External links: Agnelli (Wikipedia) - Capricia - Design 1645 (Sparkman & Stephens)
Search labels: TAN - Tuttovela - sailboat

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Beer Bottles

Empty beer bottles, playground, piazza della Vittoria, Livorno
People drinking at night leave empty beer bottles everywhere...

Monday, May 6, 2013

Works of Mercy

These are two medallions representing the Corporal Works of Mercy, they are placed on the external wall of the “Spedali Riuniti”, the city hospital of Livorno, in Viale Alfieri.
To visit the sick medaillon, City hospital, Livorno
We can easily expect that “curare gli infermi” (to heal the sicks) should be a pertinent act for any self-respecting clinic. By the way, Matthew (25:36) speaks only of visiting the sicks, which is comfortably easier for those of us with no medical background.
To clothe the naked medaillon, City hospital, Livorno
A little more curious is the medallion about “vestire gli igniudi” (to clothe the naked), even spelled with an unnecessary i, but probably it is there only to make a pair.

See also: Spedali Riuniti
External links: Corporal Works of Mercy (Wikipedia) - Matthew 25:36 (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Piazza del Santuario

Piazza del Santuario, Montenero, Livorno
A recent view of Piazza del Santuario in Montenero

Vintage postcard, piazza del Santuario, Montenero, Livorno
Piazza del Santuario in a 1942 postcard

Vintage postcard, piazza del Santuario, Montenero, Livorno
Piazza del Santuario in a 1937 postcard

(Postcards digitized from the collection of Antonio Cantelli)

See also: Montenero - Sanctuary of Montenero - Villa Azzurra - Funicolare - Sagrato - Famedio
External links: Sanctuary of Montenero (Wikipedia)
Search labels: postcard

Saturday, May 4, 2013

Friday, May 3, 2013

Dad

September 1965, dad, babbo, Gimes Spagnoli
Today would have been my dad's 85th birthday. Obviously he wasn't a cowboy, here he was just posing somewhere near Abetone, on the Tuscan Apennines. It was the mid 60's, my brother and I were just kids, and our family spent long summer vacations up there, in a tiny village called Gavinana.
My father used to work for what was then our State Railway, until he retired in the early 90's. Beyond being a great dad, he was an avid reader, an amateur mathematician, a lover of opera and classical music. He died of a heart attack at the end of September 2001.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

The Tamarisk Tree

Lone tamarisk, Tamarisk Rock, Scoglio della Tamerice, Antignano, Livorno
In one of our first posts we showed you a lovely place on the rocky coast of Antignano called “Scoglio della Tamerice” (Tamarisk Rock). The lone tamarisk is still there, defying the winds and the sea.

See also: Tamarisk Rock

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Theme Day: The Creative Artisan

Colorful soap cubes with alphabet letters, via Guglielmo Oberdan, Pisa
Colorful soap cubes with alphabet letters, arranged in a nice display. Signed: Gino. (This picture hides a terrible secret... it was taken in Pisa!)