For the first show about our recent trip I chose to return to Lake Como, actually our last stop on this tour. Normally I would begin with our first destination and work my way through each broadcast chronologically. Because there is a chance that the owner of the Bar il Molo in Varenna, Simone Deghi, might come to the United States and appear live on the Alan's Italy, I rearranged things to make certain that when he actually arrived that the series of shows on Lake Como in general and Varenna in particular had already been broadcast. If he doesn't make the trip, it would't matter, because this current series of shows is spectacular anyway.
So I started the series using my favorite destination in Italy Varenna. Even though there are no museums and churches, it is the scene of some of my most relaxing and enjoyable times in Italy, truly a place to slow down and enjoy the stunning beauty of Italy. I went back and did some background on Lake Como and my five trips there beginning in 2007 when I first met Simone. I then showed the variety of charming and gorgeous side streets and lanes that make Varenna so remarkable. I also focused on the Hotel Villa Cipressi where we used to stay and the current favorite, Hotel du Lac, where possibly we will stay from now on. The spectacular location with the lake in the background and the amazing patio where we spent a lot of time kicking back with prosecci and lemoncelli made for a sublime and relaxing experience, truly unforgettable. I also spent a lot of time talking about how wonderful Bar il Molo was, and also our formal favorite, Vecchia Varenna, also lakeside for stunning sunsets (for which I chose about a dozen of my favorites photos taken during our five previous trips).
I ended the show with a brief preview of the next two shows. The first will feature why Bar il Molo is our favorite informal venue on the lake highlighted by a series of interviews totaling thirty minutes with Simone, owner of the bar (really a restaurant, pizzeria, and gelateria). He shows us around his various enterprises including his B and B and new art gallery. The second show in that series will mark the 100th broadcast and will focus on my five favorite times in Italy since we started Alan's Italy in December 2011 ending with the penultimate moment, the sunset motor boat ride hosted by Simone and his partner, Silvia, to a wonderful restaurant where we dined away the evening. That spectacular boat ride and dinner will be the main focus of that special anniversary show.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Friday, August 8, 2014
Professor D'Ambra Returns to the Show
Ever since Professor Eve D'Ambra agreed to come back to the show to make a presentation on Pompeii I have been very excited. I knew that this would be just like taking a course, but even better because I would be able to guide the presentation and ask questions along the way. It was very easy to set up this show. Eve sent photos, I set up the album, and with very little preparation on my part, we nonetheless put together an excellent broadcast. Her husband, Franc Palaia, who has made perhaps a half dozen or more shows in his own right was present as well. With Ellen also, of course, in the studio, it was nice and lively, and very exciting. Our only concern was that there would be too much material to cover in the one hour and sure enough as I kept glancing at the clock on the wall, I began to realize Eve would never be able to complete a discussion on each of the photos. Franc and I agreed that the best kind of show is one in which there are no limits either way and that I would just go for as long as I wanted whether it would be 90 minutes or even shorter with 40 mins or whatever. It's really very hard to judge how long a broadcast will be. Eve did not cover all the photos, but even leaving out about 2 or 3, it was still a wonderful summary of the greatness of this extraordinary archeological site.
Pompeii itself is an amazing place to study and visit. A lot of it has been rebuilt, but the basic framework of the 2000 year old city remains quite intact after all these years. Professor D'Ambra's expertise clarified so many of the important aspects of the town. It is important to have a guide with her knowledge to explain what everything means. After all not only are we viewing a great city from Ancient times, but we are learning how people lived two centuries ago. To me it always appeared that the Ancient Romans had an amazingly advanced culture complete with beautiful pubic baths, stunning open spaces, and magnificent homes of many wealthy people, two of whom were women, Eumachia and Julia Felix indicating that despite the patriarchal society women did have some major power.
I have been to Pompeii twice, and despite that fact a new story unfolded. My initial question to her was to compare the degree of preservation (and reasons for that) of Ostia Antica (near Rome) and Pompeii. The former was the Ancient Roman seaport abandoned because of the disease that prevailed at that time which prevented any kind of habitation. Thus the town survived almost as intact as Pompeii which, of course, survived because it was buried by volcanic ash. Both towns are fascinating to learn how people lived two thousand years ago. However, the advantage of having a professor explain is an amazing privilege that I once again thank Eve D'Ambra very much.
We now begin to broadcast the places which Laura and I visited this past May and June beginning with Lake Como. In that regard we begin with Varenna, our favorite town on the lake. We continue with a focus on Bar il Molo, our favorite cafe/restaurant on the lake, so for spectacular scenes, tune in.
Pompeii itself is an amazing place to study and visit. A lot of it has been rebuilt, but the basic framework of the 2000 year old city remains quite intact after all these years. Professor D'Ambra's expertise clarified so many of the important aspects of the town. It is important to have a guide with her knowledge to explain what everything means. After all not only are we viewing a great city from Ancient times, but we are learning how people lived two centuries ago. To me it always appeared that the Ancient Romans had an amazingly advanced culture complete with beautiful pubic baths, stunning open spaces, and magnificent homes of many wealthy people, two of whom were women, Eumachia and Julia Felix indicating that despite the patriarchal society women did have some major power.
I have been to Pompeii twice, and despite that fact a new story unfolded. My initial question to her was to compare the degree of preservation (and reasons for that) of Ostia Antica (near Rome) and Pompeii. The former was the Ancient Roman seaport abandoned because of the disease that prevailed at that time which prevented any kind of habitation. Thus the town survived almost as intact as Pompeii which, of course, survived because it was buried by volcanic ash. Both towns are fascinating to learn how people lived two thousand years ago. However, the advantage of having a professor explain is an amazing privilege that I once again thank Eve D'Ambra very much.
We now begin to broadcast the places which Laura and I visited this past May and June beginning with Lake Como. In that regard we begin with Varenna, our favorite town on the lake. We continue with a focus on Bar il Molo, our favorite cafe/restaurant on the lake, so for spectacular scenes, tune in.
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