This collection of 'vacation pictures' represents highlights, not
a complete travelogue.
(You want complete? Pop for the airfare and
hotels, and retrace the itinerary yourself;
you won't be sorry.)
The main purpose of the trip was to visit museums not previously seen,
and the cemeteries of Northern Italy, particularly those in Liguria - the
horseshoe of land on either side of Genova, sometimes referred to as the
Italian Riviera. My obsession with certain 'themes' in funerary sculpture -
guiding angels, sculpture seen on the Web without proper identification as
to title, location and/or sculptor, and so forth - will be noted as you read
through the captions (assuming you're not here just for the pictures).
Please enjoy.
Now look at the English title: "Bellerophontes tarts on his campaign against Chimera." I must say, I've never seen 'tarting' as a verb, but I suppose if one can be a tart, one can tart. You can't make this stuff up!
Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, has been Disneyfied (my own term). Apparently its main source of income, by far, is tourism from the cruise ships that have been docking here in recent years. In a lengthy walk around town, trying to avoid the beaten paths, I found only one back street with a tiny bit of graffiti. Everything else was freshly planted for Spring, and scrubbed down to the nub. Rather pointless.
On the other hand, Cuban cigars here are about half the price I've found elsewhere in the world, so Tallinn has its 'up-side'.
This 1937 sculpture by Ercole Drei (1886-1973) has what we art lovers call 'levels' of meaning. I'm not going to explain this too much, but just be aware that it's called Il seminatore (The seed-sower) as you look at the enlargement (the pun is intended!) below.
Now, take a close look. I guess Jesus hasn't arrived yet.
According to the book Dirty Italian (Gabrielle Euvino, Berkeley CA: Ulysses Press, 2012 [Second Edition], p.40), it's the equivalent of what Italian-Americans refer to as a 'Guido' - "sun-glasses . . . good looking (in a Ken-doll kinda way) . . . the typical Jersey Shore stereotype."
Now I'm more confused than ever.
Note that the monument is in very good shape, showing the obvious signs of being restored recently. I'll never cease to be amazed how sculptors can make their figures appear to be floating on air.
The restoration revealed that the monument uses three different types of marble - white (Carrara) for the angel and the effigy of the deceased (barely visible here at the right of the picture); marble of brownish hue for the bed; and a darker grey colour for the blanket covering Sig. Casella's body. The illusion of the angel in mid-air is nothing short of magic from any viewing angle.