Rebuilding Vernazza, a pixel at a time · Jan 1, 05:38 PM by James Martin
Vernazza is one of the 5 lands, the Cinque Terre, a series of cute and colorful villages strung out along the Ligurian coast and well known around these parts. The Cinque Terre was hit hard by devastating floods, as you know. Vernazza is still a bit dirty and needs cleaning up.
One of the ways I’ve been told that this cleaning up can be facilitated is by the donations of folks who remained high and dry through 2011, the old year, the one whose ringing out might make your head throb in pain on this solemn day after.
Would you buy some pixels to help the Cinque Terre? Well, you can. What can a pixel or ten cost, anyway?
Look here: A Pixel for Vernazza. Not only can you buy pixels in 10 by 10 blocks to bring color to the iconic photo, but you can also link your luscious box of color to your web site. If you don’t have one, perhaps you can link it to your favorite site. Perhaps that is Wandering Italy. I’d like to hope so, but I suspect other sites with neked babes or sleeping cats might be more popular. Use your own discretion. Or, if you have none, use someone else’s. It’s what I do.
I do not know if this avenue will produce a better Vernazza. Nor do I know where the money goes, exactly. But you might want to check it out. There are worse places to send your money, I suspect. Giving it to rich people is popular in America, but I think that’s nuts. I’m pretty much alone in this.
Rebuilding Vernazza, a pixel at a time originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Jan 01, 2012, © James Martin, 
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Italy After Berlusconi · Nov 20, 04:14 PM by James Martin
I’m worried. So worried that I haven’t been able to write for the last couple of weeks. I’m worried about the state of Italian culture now that a coup d’état, beautifully executed by Europe’s hit squad, has left in its malodorous wake an unelected representative of Goldman Sachs sitting as Italy’s PM—just as everyone and his rich brother is clamoring for growth!.
Sure, Berlusconi was an embarrassment; my Italian neighbors felt ashamed every time the conversation turned toward the skirt-chasing midget. But growth? I mean, not a single one of my neighbors salivates over an iPad they will never use. Their desire for goods doesn’t seem to be growing. Population isn’t growing. You’re telling me growth is the answer, the only answer?
Well then Bunky, Italy is certainly dead—or doomed to an endless coma. Can half hour lunches be far behind this clamor for industrial efficiency and growth? Is the pursuit of pleasure also dead, something the Italians do extremely well, even well enough to irritate the delicate sensibilities of America’s right wing lunatics who ignore that part of their own constitution? Will the pursuit of pleasure have to be jettisoned in favor of the nose-to-the-grindstone life so the “the Vampire Squid” (Goldman Sachs) can fatten itself like a tumor with its tendrils immersed in the delicious fattiness of that unlimited growth? (To ancient Romans, cancer was the crab because of those tendrils visible on tumors, but maybe they were thinking of squid…)
Perhaps I am underestimating the Italians because they aren’t on the street like Americans trying to get their government to return to the good old days of “government of, by and for the people,” the days before huge industrial companies magically became “people” by someone’s misinterpretation of law and banks simply lent money provided by depositors.
Definition: good old days—when being conservative meant you didn’t take unnecessary risks with your capital. Today bankers get bonuses for taking risk. The bigger the risk the bigger the bonus. There is no downside, no deductions for failure. Any engineer worth his salt would see the same thing as I see: Positive Feedback=Highly Unstable System. Avoid! Avoid! (Meaning bailouts will be needed every goddam time if this idiocy continues. And they’ll use your money.)
Yes, that’s it. I’m not reading the Italians right. They have their savings. They have their underground economy. Perhaps just a shrug is all they need. Ignore the bastards in Government; get on with your life. Plant by the moon. Eat what you plant. Love like you’ve never loved before.
That’s the ticket. Nothing bad will happen. I’m better now. Perhaps I’ll go to Venice. Venice is a good place for a fantasy life disconnected from reality.
If asked to give a speech on the issue, I’d give this one:
Is anyone else worried? Is it just me?
Italy After Berlusconi originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Nov 20, 2011, © James Martin,
Ligurian Floods: How to Help · Nov 5, 07:26 AM by James Martin
Just as the Cinque Terre had started to dig out of the mess the last heavy rains had left, now a new set of storms has begun to batter Genoa and other nearby areas, including the Val di Vara.
In the Lunigiana region of Tuscany, Equi Terme, a spa town, is getting pounded with rain as I type.
To get an idea of the amount of water we’re talking about here, and the tenacity of Italian bus drivers as they float down the streets, you need to see Simone Lupi’s video
Again, people have died in this latest disaster: Six killed, others missing in latest Liguria storm
How can you help? The Italian Red Cross has set up an English language page to accept your donations for the flooding in Tuscany and Liguria via credit card or Pay Pal. It’s in English: Croce Rossa Italia donations
For history of flooding in Liguria and video of the flooding in the Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera, see: Devastating, Lethal Floods in Cinque Terre
To see where Liguria is located, see the Map of Liguria
Ligurian Floods: How to Help originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Nov 05, 2011, © James Martin,
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Flooding in the Cinque Terre and Tuscany - The Aftermath · Nov 1, 11:46 AM by James Martin
If you’ve followed the story of watery mayhem and destruction in Liguria and Tuscany, you may have come away with a mental map showing a large section of Italy chunking off from the mainland and crashing unceremoniously into the sea, never to be fawned over by a tourist or travel writer again.
It’s time to put all this in perspective. I feel a need to do this because I was with friends from Oakland on a Greek ferry when the 1989 earthquake struck the Bay Area. We could see pictures of the destruction on the TV in the bar. Every 15 minutes the crowd fell into silence as the television replayed scene after devastating scene. Cripes, Frisco was no more!
Of course, this was not the case. Not even close. By the time we came home, you could not tell there had been an earthquake at all, unless you happened to be at the dinner table with folks who just had to fill you in on the details. In the end, you have to admit: humans are quite resourceful when it comes to repairing things, expecially beautiful things.
It’s the same with northern Italy. Sure, there’s been destruction. But it’s not like either region has been wiped off the map. And flooding here is a frequent occurrence, as David Downie points out in Devistating, Lethal Floods in the Cinque Terre”.
The Lunigiana was hard hit by the massive rainstorm. Aulla is still closed to outsiders, the whole of its downtown area a mass of mud and messed-up cars. But Mike Mazzaschi of A Path to Lunch fame tells a story of the rest of the Lunigiana:
We walked all around Pontremoli, but could find no damage! Despite those incredible pictures, the building along the rivers were fine, no evidence of flooding, no one cleaning up. We drove by one bridge which was closed – down the valley at the edge of town, but all the walking bridges around town were fine.
Of course, there are allso sad stories about the folks who’ve come to help as well. Friend Paula Loi reports from her home in Sardinia:
Sandro Usai from Arbus (Sardinia), passed away while helping as a volunteer. A big wave took him away! His body was finally found today after searching for him for days! how sad!
Yes, folks from far and wide have come to help. Ciao Lunigiana reports that “refugees from Lampedusa helping with the cleanup in Lunigiana.”
What’s to come? More work. More rain. Again from Ciao Lunigiana: “Forecasts are still for heavy rain arriving on Friday through to 10 November, although not as heavy as the rain expected in Liguria and Piemonte. Piemonte is expected to receive 50% of its annual rainfall in this period.”
Bad weather and good deeds continue in Liguria and Tuscany— è sempre cosi.
Flooding in the Cinque Terre and Tuscany - The Aftermath originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Nov 01, 2011, © James Martin,
Now is not the time to go to the Cinque Terre--or Tuscany · Oct 26, 01:40 PM by James Martin
It’s devastating to hear the news from our little corner of Italy. Torential downpours over the last few days have ravished the medieval cities along the rivers they depended upon. Friends say our market town of Aulla has been completely trashed by the swollen river. Two have died there; three in Liguria. Hundreds sleep in the old train station. Folks are being evacuated. Sad pictures from Aulla.
The Cinque Terre is suffering a similar fate, with the steep slopes sending monumental amounts of water into the towns. Look at Vernazza.
There is not much to say. For the first time in my life since buying our Italian house, I can be sincerely glad I’m not inside it at the moment.
Now is not the time to go to the Cinque Terre--or Tuscany originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Oct 26, 2011, © James Martin,
Mountain Biking in the Lunigiana · Sep 11, 06:37 AM by James Martin
We were lucky. After deciding to amble over to Serricciolo for our Sunday coffee and pastries, we flung open the newly-varnished door and discovered flagmen lining our “street”. Their presence reminded us that there was a mountain biking race scheduled for the morning. Our battered guard rails held taped-on notices. The race was slated to head right past our door; racers would almost clip the corner of Francesca and Armando’s place.
Not only that, it was a stiff uphill climb to get up to the place, and I knew the racers would be huffing and puffing—and the pictures would be easy.
So, I strapped on the big lens and headed out the door. In a couple of giant steps I got to where I could see exactly where they’d come up the hill, aiming for the corbeled passageway under the building to continue on to even higher ground. There I set up. I’ve done lots of racing photography in my life, and never has the commute been easier.
First came a moto, sputtering up the hill, then the strung out pack. The guy leading must have been good, he had quite a lead. After the next ten, the rest of the pack seemed to fade. But that meant they had time to greet all the folks along the road. It was nice. They wear colorful clothes.
After they had all passed, I shoved the lens in my bag and we headed down the road to Serricciolo, as we usually do when we’re home in Piano di Collecchia, lusting for a half-dozen or so of their famed tiny mini-pastries and a coffee.
Twenty minutes later we ambled into town. We turned to head toward the bar, passing a man with one of those red lollypop things cops stop you on the highway with to check your documentation. Right there, in front of the bar was the Arrivo, nicely planned it so that the sun would be cranking out its light behind the racers, making the photos nicely dim and shadowy.
After coffee and cakes, the first racer arrived. It was the same man who lead the race up the hill in Piano di Collecchia.
Finally, the guy sponsored by “brains” had time to get some shuteye.
Mountain Biking in the Lunigiana originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Sep 11, 2011, © James Martin,
Holy Foreskin Batman! Help Make the Movie · Aug 27, 12:37 AM by James Martin
If you enjoyed An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town by David Farley, maybe you’d like to help make a movie of the quest to acquire “the most sacred relic in Christendom.”
Yes, they’re looking for contributors:
In The Quest for the Holy Foreskin we will follow writer David Farley on his mission to find out what happened to the Holy Foreskin. He has been offered a certified Holy Foreskin by an Italian relic dealer. Could this be the relic that went missing from Calcata?
And the characters brought to life look interesting:
They start in Calcata Vecchia in Lazio; we have a Calcata Vecchia Map to show you where it is, in case you want to visit.
Here are some other sources of information you can follow:
Twitter
Facebook
The Quest for the Holy Foreskin Contribution Page
Holy Foreskin Batman! Help Make the Movie originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Aug 27, 2011, © James Martin,
News from the Trimming of the Phallus Tree · Aug 19, 10:40 AM by James Martin
Certainly by now you know of Massa Marittima’s famous Phallus Tree. It’s part of the Fonti dell’Abbondanza, the Fountain of Abundance.
The phallus tree is a medieval depiction of a tree that seems to spout phalluses—along with all the associated bits would make one functional in “real life.” Those other bits were recently the subject of a bit of bickering by “experts and connoisseurs” according to an article in Corriere della Sera.
The just completed three-year restoration of the 1265 fresco seems to have trimmed the size of some testicles, some even appearing to have disappeared altogether, according to experts. A “castration” of the art, according to the article.
I mention all this because living in a puritanical culture brings out the desire to see things that would be hidden from view by a society that believes that knowledge can hurt them badly. But here at Wandering Italy we are bold. We know that now that you know the truth you are hooked. You want to go to Massa Marittima and see these dangerous shrunken testicles yourself, do you not? (You will go while your womenfolk are shopping, won’t you?)
So I have compiled some interesting things for you to do on your little secret excursion to Massa Marittima. First off, you’ll want to know that there’s a whole substructure that was created to make sure the Fountain of Abundance was always abundantly supplied with water—tunnels, wells, stalactites, those kinds of things. And you can visit them with the proper authorization and equipment. See: Fonti dell’Abbondanza Tunnel.
Kyle Phillips has a good article on a walk through the city that includes the Palazzo dell’Abbondanza and the fountain: Massa Marittima, La Cucina Ebraica, Rice & More
Casina di Rosa has a nice article on visiting the area as well: Massa Marittima and the Metalliferous Hills
And of course, if you’re too darn lazy to go there yourself and just want to satisfy your curiosity with a lascivious collection of pixels (close-up dirty picture) and a scholarly discussion, see Got Medieval
News from the Trimming of the Phallus Tree originally appeared on WanderingItaly.com Aug 19, 2011, © James Martin,