Villalpando at the Palacio Iturbide, downtown Mexico CIty, only until June 4th, 2017

If you want to see all the best works of the foremost baroque painter of New Spain, Cristobal de Villalpando (1649-1714), in one exhibit, and you will be in Mexico City during the next few days, this is your last chance to see the show before it moves to the Met in New York City.

 

Display announcing exhibit

at the front entrance of the

Palacio de Iturbide, on

Calle Madero, downtown

Mexico City

The Transfiguration of 

Christ by Villapando, which

we saw in very poor

condition at the Cathedral

of Puebla, has been

completely restored.  

Villalpando creates in this magnificent masterpiece

a juxtaposition of Moses with the serpent of bronze

 and the Transfiguration of Christ with the Apostles

The composition created by Villalpando on the

Transfiguration is full of scriptural content as

well as theological content.

Villalpando creates a whirl

wind of actions in this work

full of drama, a typical

element of baroque art.

 

The Israelites rally around Moses and Aaron and

the Bronze Serpent, seeking a cure against the

snake bites they received during the plague.

The scenery used by Villalpando includes Calvary,

the desert of the Exodus and Mount Tabor.

Christ descended from the

Cross.

The Holy Family was a work

done by Villalpando during

his second period (1680-

1688) and is part of the

Cathedral of Puebla

Collection

The Flight into Egypt was

executed by Villalpando

during his final period

(1700-1714)

It is part of the Tepotzotlan

Museum Collection

Agony in the Garden,

corresponds to his first

period (1670-1679) and

is part of the Museo del

Carmen collection.

Adam and Eve in Paradise (1689),  oil painting

on cooper.

Saint Theresa receiving her

veil of silk and her collar

from Saint Joseph and the

Blessed Mother, part of the

collection of La Profesa

(1680-1689).

 

Martyrdom of a Saint

(1700-1714), private

collection.

Saint Catherine of

Alexandria (1690): this work

was only recently discovered.

Saint Ignatius of Loyola

(1680-1689) collection of the

Museum of the Basilica of

Our Lady of Guadalupe.

 

Saint Agnes of

Montepulciano (1690-1699)

in the collection of the

Museum of the Basilica of

Our Lady of Guadalupe

Adam and Eve at the foot

 of the Tree of Life form the

introduction to a series of

Marian Allegories (1706).

The Annunciation is the

perfect correction of the

mistake of Adam and Eve

(1706).

The Mystical City of God. 

(1706)

A closer look at the Mystical City.

Our Lady of the Rosary.

Floral detailing in the corner

of the pait

 

Our Lady of Mercy with the

martyred saints Vincent,

Prosperus and Victorinus.

Conciliar Seminary

Collection (1690-1699),

oil on wood.

The Virgin of the Stairway

La Profesa Collection

(1680-1689).

Our Lady of Aranzazu

(1690-1699)

 

Casale Monferrato, Lunch on the road to Vercelli

As we drove north on E25 to Vercelli, Estela and I realized again that we would arrive too late to have lunch there. So we took the exit to Casale Monferrato. In the back of a shopping center, we found a "ristorante" with a very exotic name: "I Templari".

 

 

From the outside of "i templari", we were not sure if it was a nursery for plants or a restaurant. Then we asked the cashier if we could have something to eat. Without saying a word, she just gestured: "Take any table you want!"

 

Prosciutto crudo with a bottle of

vino bianco Roero Arneis Casale

Wholesome food and delicious wine, together with warm and friendly hospitality, have helped Pilgrims for centuries experience that unforgettable moment along the Via Francigena in Italy.

Prosciutto cotto.

Food, Wine and hospitality are all forms of art, that even the simplest of Italians seem to dominate. But this dexterity of the Italians is by no means an improvised skill.

Salume fatta in casa.

I have been reading this month Cato's "De re rustica", part of his masterpiece, "De Agri Cultura". This work, written by the Roman Praertor, is a simple handbook, on farming, cattle raising and cooking.

Homemade bread, homemade salumi, and a bottle

of wine from the local vineyards make for a

delicious antipasto.

One of my favorite chapters, is Cato´s instructions on how to knead dough. Italians are social conscious, and everyone understands his station and position in life.

Agnellotti ripieni con carne

bianca: tacchino, corniglio e pollo

 (agnolotti filled with three types

of white meat: turkey, chicken

and rabbit).

 

However, at mealtime, the lines dividing social class disappear, as a new hierarchy takes its place: those who know about food and wine, those who know how to cook, and the rest of the universe.

Agnolotti are smaller than ravioli

and are usually made with meat

fillings, whereas raviolis are

filled with cheese. Raviolis are

flatter than agnolotti. Agnolotti

are originally from Piedmont.

 

Marcus Porcius Cato was profoundly proud of his native Tusculum (very close to Frascatti, one of the Castelli Romani, about 15 miles southeast of Rome), of its fields, its olive trees, its livestock, and its vineyards.

Estela poses by the fireplace.

The owner of the trattoria made

us feel at home.

Estela had pesce spade

(swordfish) cooked over a

charcoal grill.

Arrosto di Maiale al Forno

Maiale di Verona di Pelle Nera

Vanilla ice cream for desert. 

Asti, a city of nobles, of writers and of sparkling wine.

From Alba, we followed the Tanaro river, first going west over to Pollenzo as we reported in our last post, and then  backtracked , following again the Tanaro river, this time  upstream, going north east, past Neive, past Barbaresco, and arriving to a city  called Hasta Pompeia in Roman times. Hasta in Latin means spear of Javelin, but today this city is simply known as Asti.

 

Statue of Vittorio Alfieri in

Piazza Vittorio Alfieri

 

When Estela and I decided that we had to include Asti as part of our pilgrimage along the Via Francigena in the Piedmont region of Italy, it was motivated more out of curiosity, and our love for its famous vini spumanti or sparkling wines, especially the Asti Moscato. Little did we realize that Asti is much more than sparkling wine.

Torre Comentina, Piazza Roma,

 Asti

 

When we arrived in our van, traveling north from Pollenzo, we realized as we started to enter the downtown area of Asti that parking was limited, and that many of the streets would be more comfortable for us to visit on foot, so when we asked around for a good parking lot, we were told to look for Piazza Alfieri (first picture in this post). Who was Alfieri?

Monument Unità d'Italia, Piazza Roma, Asti

 

Alfieri wrote in his autobiography "Vita scritta da esso": "In the city of Asti, in Piedmont, on January 17th of the year 1749, I was born of noble, wealthy and honest parents". His father died when he was one year old, and his mother remarried. He was educated in his palace in Asti, but by the time he turned 18, he began one of passions of his life, travel: France, London, Holland. This passion led to his passion for writing. He is buried alongside Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Gallileo in the Basilica di Santa Croce, in Florence. 

Santuario di San Giuseppe,

Piazza Fratelli Cairoli

Asti is in the heart of the Monferrato region, famous for its red wine, the Barbera di Asti, as well as its sparkling white wines and Moscato. Many compare the Asti sparkling white wines with French Champagne, or with the Cavas of Barcelona, but each one has a different origin, a different process, and a different gastronomical setting.

Sparkling white wine of Asti

The Asti sparkling wines are a marvelous everyday wine, while the Cava is drier sparkling wine, and Champagne is more formal. Champagne ferments in the bottle, and the bottle, set upside down, must be turned regularly.

A "Spritz" is a popular early

evening drink at cafes and bars

in Italy, made with an "bitter"

or low alcoholic (or even a 

zero alcoholic) drink, and

sometimes it they add an

"Asti secco" sparkling white

wine, and a piece of lemon.

Super refreshing! Order one on

your next stop at an Italian bar!

 

In many cases (but not always),  the Asti sparkling wines are ferment under pressure, in the stainless steel tanks. Italians not only drink Asti sparkling wines during special occasions, such as Christmas dinner or il Pranzo Pasquale (Easter Luncheon), but right before lunch or as a mid-afternoon cocktail, such as a "Spritz" (see above picture). Here you would use a "Asti secco" instead of a "Prosecco".

Equestrian Statue of Umberto I

Piazza Fratelli Cairoli.

Asti was an important commercial city throughout the middle ages, as it was on the crossroads to France, Switzerland, and the Holy Roman Empire.

Façade of the Collegiata di

San Secondo

Saint Secundus (San Secondo) is the patron saint of Asti. Saint Secundus was born in the first century.

The side of the Basilica of San Secondo offers us

Splendid example of Piedmont Gothic style

 

Estela and I overlooked the possibility of entering into this Church, which contains the relics of the martyr and patron of Asti. Something we will leave as a pending item for our next trip to Asti.

 

Here is a closer view of the dome of this Basilica

a jewel of Piedmont Gothic style architecture

with its pinnacles crowning the dome,

 

Saint Secundus born of a Patrician family, became a high ranking officer in the Roman Legion, converted to Christianity, and beheaded by orders of the Emperor Hadrian, when he refused to recant his belief in Christ.

Estela strolling down the elegant

pedestrian walkway of Benso

di Cavour, with the Piazza

Statuto and its Torre dei

Guttuari in the background.

 

If you are in the vicinity of the Monferrato, take the time to come see a relaxed and enjoyable Piedmont city: Asti. I have been told that the Palio is really worth seeing. It will be time well spent!!!.