art, marble and tourism - newsletter december 2008

8/4/2019 Art, Marble and Tourism - Newsletter December 2008

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www.pietrasantaresort.com

Pietrasanta Newsletter

Do you know wherethis picture has been

taken ?

The first who emails

us the right location

will earn one of our

T-shirts:

Hic manebimus op-

time(specify your size).

There are many artists livingand working in Pietrasanta. To-day we talk about Christine

Aspelund, from Norway.

When I was a student in the ArtAcademy of Oslo, on the wall inthe plaster mould workshopthere was a poster about an exhi-bition: "Pietrasanta, Artisti eFonderie, LA VESTE DELVUOTO"

So I have known about Pietras-

anta for a long time, but foryears Pietrasanta was just a fardream.

Last spring I came back at theacademy as a teacher of figura-tive sculpture, and the posterwas still there, after so manyyears !

The town Pietrasanta is famousworld wide for its marble work-

shops, and they indeed are ex-cellent. But for me, Pietrasantais mainly about bronze.

I arrived here for the first timefive years ago, in the beginning

of May 2003, in order tosupervise and retouch thewax of my sculpture

"Lying low- male nude",

which was in process ofbecoming a bronzes c u l p t u r e a t t h e"Fonderia d'arte Mas-

s i m o D e l C h i -aro" (www.delchiaro.com).

The art of bronze castingis a highly specialized

profession, and every artist sculptingin this material needs to find a foun-dry in which he finds confidence and

a good cooperating attitude.

Details and surface are of the greatimportance of the expression of mysculptures, and I had to look abroadto find a foundry matching my de-mands.

In Norway the domestic foundriesare by all means decent, but quitesmall and lacking capacity to makelarge casts in one piece, as well as tokeep specialized artisans on the last

Page 2

One artist at a glance: Christine Aspelund

Do you know Pietrasanta ? (.and win !)

Christine at the 'Peer Gynt-suiten' Sculpture Park, Oslo


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Weather forecast ? Look at the past !in London and New York.

In December the average temperature isbetween 42 and 57 degree F atPietrasanta. On average, we have 7 daysof rain, with a total of 100 mm ofprecipitation. In London, they have a

In order to forecast the weather of theChristmas period, we can consider thecharacteristics of the weather of the lastyears.

We can say that the Winter weather atPietrasanta is warmer than the weather

mean temperature that goes from 38 to47 degree F, and in New York theminimum temperature is 31 on average,and the maximum is 43. In New Yorkand London there are more rainy daysthan in Pietrasanta, 9 and 13 days,respectively.

Christmas

at

Pietrasanta:

Nativity scene atthe main square,and the medievalbridge at Marinadi Pietrasanta.

7 Dec and 4 Jan: antique-brocante open market, Domesquare, Pietrasanta

6,7,8, 21, 22, 23,24 Dec: artisanopen market, Dome square, Piet-rasanta

Sunday 21 Dec: Christmas songsat the Cathedral, Pietrasanta

Untill 6 Jan: Gina Lollobrigidaexhibition at SantAgostino, Piet-rasanta

Dec: Christmas tree and nativityscene at Dome square, Pietrasanta

New years Eve at Dome Square:songs, dancing, panettone andspumante for all, Pietrasanta

21 Dec: Living nativity scene,Serravezza

Have you ever been at

Pietrasanta during the Holiday

Seasons ?

All Pietrasanta downtown islighted by Christmas lights andcandles, that are majestic in thepedestrian street.

In the middle of the cathedralsquare, you see a huge Christmastree is decorated by blinkingcoloured candles, whereas on theleft of the Cathedral, at the base ofthe Tower, there is a traditionalnativity scene, made by thestudents of the local Art school(Istituto Stagio Stagi).

New Years Eve in the mainsquare is terrific: music and danceall night long, panettone and

spumante for all the citizens, localpeople cheering each other. Alldowntown celebrates the New YearsEve in this public party.

Maybe, you are a bit bothered by theso-called petardi, that are noisebangers that kids (and their dads) useto shoot in the last year eve. As amatter of fact, every evening fromChristmas to New Year is celebratedby some shoots of petardi.

The Epiphany is celebrated in Marinadi Pietrasanta with a public party forkids. From 7 January on, all the localshops are on Winter sales.

Page3

Whats on: Holiday season and Christmas 2008

Month

Mean Temperature C Mean TotalPrecipitation

(mm)

Mean Number

of P recipitation

Days

Daily Daily Daily Daily

Minimum Maximum Minimum Maximum

Pietrasanta 5,9 14 42,6 57,1 100,6 7,3

New York -0,8 5,9 30,6 42,6 86,9 8,7

London 3,4 8,2 38,1 46,8 57 13,2

Mean Temperature F


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3) Botero and Mitoraj are themost famous .... who are stillliving in the city of Pietrasanta.

A) scultori

B) scolpitori

C) pittori

D) attori

4) You would like to visit atypical laboratory of crafts.Which is the best and polite

way to ask for visiting it?A) posso visitare il suolaboratorio ?

B) voglio visitare il suolaboratorio ?

C) devo visitare il suolaboratorio ?

D) visito il suo laboratorio ?

5) You would like to visit someinteresting places with a friendin the district of Lucca. Youneed a guide, so you arelooking for:

A) unincursione organizzata.

B) una passeggiata organizzata.

C) unaccompagnatriceorganizzata.

D) unescursione organizzata.

6) You are in Versiliatasting good and fineTuscan wine. Pleaseorder the words andmake a sensiblequestion how fitting

cheese and wine.

TEST AND WIN !!

This is an easy test for your Italian language.

Send us your answers: well

correct them and if you got the

right answers youll win a T-Shirt

(Hic Manebimus Optime).

1) The big artist Michelangelostayed in Pietrasanta because he

had to choose the right type ofmarble for San Lorenzos Churchin Florence. These fine qualitiesof marble were necessary forbuilding ...:

a) la faccia

b) il volto

c) la facciata

d) il viso

2) The beautiful Roccadominating the city of Pietrasantais usually the place for manyinteresting . above all inthe summer time:

A) maestre darte

B) mostre darte

C) recensioni darte

D) musei darte

A) meglio/ formaggio/ conquale/si combina/ questo vino ?

B) questo vino/ formaggio/ conquale/ meglio/ si combina/ ?

C) con quale/ formaggio/sicombina/ meglio/ questo vino ?

D) questo vino/ meglio/ con quale/si combina/ formaggio ?

Page 4

Italian language tips for smart tourists

LEARN ITALIAN LANGUAGE AT PALAZZO

FERRETTI

This test is edited by Ilaria andCristina, teachers of Italian asa foreign language at Pietrasanta.

They organize individual courses atPalazzo Ferretti or small groupcourses at Pietrasanta.

There is a list of Palazzo Ferrettisguests that met Ilaria and Cristina andappreciated their teaching skills.

For information and bookings:[email protected] [email protected]

Studing Italian Language in the garden ?


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as there are so many things that

make Pietrasanta special.For example, our Marconiapartment at Palazzo Ferretti,with its roofed terrace andwonderful garden, is ourhome away fromhome. When we land at Pisaairport we really feel at home.

In addition, Ray enjoys hisclasses with his teacher John

Taylor very much and Loisloves the Ligurian sea at Lidodi Camaiore.

We both enjoy the comraderie

of friends we have made at ViaPaduletto as well as our otherItalian friends. Usually webook our apartments alltogether in the same month ofJune, as it is so nice to bewelcomed back every year andto spend your holiday in goodcompany: Margaret, Alfred,Mac, Ansley and other

worldwide friends are ourcompanionships at Pietrasanta.

Lois and Ray,

New York, USA

-------

Dear Reader,

I would like to thanks a lot Loisand Ray for their travel diary. Iam so happy to hear from themthat they built strong links with

(Continua da pagina 1)

local people and other Palazzo

Ferrettis guests.This kind of attitude is veryimportant in order to create alarge Community of Pietrasantalovers, where you can share yourexperience and get some advicefrom the others. This is animportant tool to understate localculture, wherever you are, atPietrasanta as well as at NewYork City. I met Lois and Ray atNew York City last summer, andI strongly confirm that they are a

goodfriendship evenat home, in

their district atManhattan.

On thisnewsletter, Ipublished somemarblesculpturescarved by Rayduring his stay

at

Pietrasanta. Is he a goodstudent ?

I really think so.

Page 5

Continued from p.1 Travel Diary

I was there to work on my

commissions, and had no

intentions of messing around.

Every June, Marconi is the Lois and Rays lovedapartment at Pietrasanta downtown.


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La Befana is an important character ofthe Christmas tradition in Italy. Shedelivers presents to children, likeSanta Claus, on the eve of 6 January.

She is usually portrayed as an old lady(almost a witch) riding a broomstickthrough the air wearing big black fullskirt, an apron, a shawl, a kerchief ora hat in bad condition on her head, apair of slobs shoes, and she is coveredin soot because she enters thechildren's houses through thechimney. She often smiles and carriesa bag or hamper filled with toys,chocolate and candies. Before goingto bed on January 5, children hangstockings for La Befana to fill withgifts. They may expect to find candyand presents if they are good or alump of "coal" in their stockings(actually rock candy made black withcaramel coloring) if they are bad.Being a good housekeeper, many sayshe will sweep the floor before sheleaves.

In the supermarkets, after the secondof January, the mountains of pandoroand panettone cakes are beingreplaced by little plastic stockings

filled with candies, that will bedelivered by the Befana.

A popular belief is that name Befanais derived from the mispronunciationof the Italian word epifania (English:epiphany), but there is evidence to

suggest that Befana is descended fromthe tradition of exchanging gifts to anancient Roman festivity in honour ofIanus and Strenia (in Italian a

Christmas gift is called strenna),celebrated at the beginning of theyear, when Romans were used togiving each other presents.

Also, popular tradition avers that ifone sees La Befana one will receive athump from her broomstick, as shedoesn't wish to be seen. This aspect ofthe tradition may be designed to keepchildren in their beds while parentsare distributing candy (or coal) andsweeping the floor on Epiphany Eve.

La Befana is a well known holiday inRome: in Piazza Navona, in the centerof Rome, there is the Fiera dellaBefana, a popular market where toys,sugar charcoal and candies are soldfor the Roman children. The Popeblesses the crowds that gather atSt.Peters Square in the Vatican Cityon the 5th of January.

In Veneto region, on the night ofJanuary 5th farmers use to make ahigh towering bonfires that representa sacrificial pyre for an old lady witha broom. Somewhere nearby therewill be a baby placed to represent theNew Year. They drink spiced wineand dance about the old lady as shegoes up in smoke. The toweringbonfires reach as high as thirty feet

into the air and whose remains willsmoulder well for one month long.

In other parts of the world where avibrant Italian community exists,

traditions involving La Befana may beobserved and shared or celebratedwith the wider community. InToronto, Canada for example, aBefana Choir shows up on WinterSolstice each December to sing in theKensington Market Festival of Lightsparade. Women, men, and childrendressed in La Befana costume andsing love songs to serenade the sun tobeckon its return.

There are poems about La Befana,

which are known in slightly differentversions throughout Italy. Here is oneof the versions:

La Befana vien di notte

Con le scarpe tutte rotte

Col vestito e la sottana

Viva, Viva La Befana!

The English translation is:

La Befana comes by night

With her shoes all tattered and tornShe comes dressed with a big skirt

Long life to the Befana!

Page 6

Italian culture and traditions: la Befana

Great News from Palazzo Ferretti

We are pleased to announce that a

new WIFI internet access isavailable at Palazzo Ferretti.

Every apartment is within theWIFI area, as well as thecourtyard and the garden.

Our guests can use their laptopwherever they are: in theapartment, in the courtyard, in thegarden.

Thanks to our WIFI internetaccess you can surf the web inorder to get all the local

information you need for your

holidays. In addition, if you useSkype, you can phone your familyand your friends at free of charge.Even if your friends do not have a

PC, you can phone them by Skypeat a very low price.

If you do not know how to

manage with Skype, send us anemail and well give you all theinformation you need.

If you do not have a laptop withyou during your holidays, you canrent it (ask for the notebookbookings and rates).

Take this new great opportunity inorder to improve your holidays:for example, you can work at

Pietrasanta and have longerholidays.


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again. Collodi also wrotecomedies and edited newspa-pers and reviews. He took thepen name 'Collodi' from thename of the Tuscan townwhere his mother was born.

In 1861 Italy became a unitednation and Collodi gave up

journalism. After 1870 he set-tled down as a theatrical cen-sor and magazine editor. He

turned soon to children's fan-tasy, translating Italian ver-sions of the fairy tales of the

French writer Charles Per-rault's. It was Perrault whoreintroduced such half-forgotten tales as 'Little RedRiding Hood, 'SleepingBeauty, and 'Puss in Boots.Collodi also began to write hisown children's stories, includ-ing a series about a characternamed Giannettino.

The first chapter of Pinocchiowas serialised in the Giornaledei bambini in 1881 and be-came an immediate success,

even if the church culture wasafraid that Pinocchio wouldencourage rebellion. The storydepicted a wooden puppet

carved by a friendly old mancalled Geppetto. Pinocchiocomes to life, but has to learnhow to be generous throughhard lessons. His feet areburned off, he is chained, andthen hanged. The story wasfirst translated into English in1892 by M.A. Murray. Collodidied in Florence on 26 October1890 and lies buried in Cim-itero Monumentale Delle PorteSante, at Florence. The Na-tional "Carlo Collodi" Founda-tion was established to promoteeducation and the works ofCarlo Lorenzini, and the Parkof Pinocchio attracts many visi-tors each year. It is not far fromPietrasanta (50 km).

The first sketch illustration ofPinocchio was made in 1883 byEnrico Mazzanti. Giulio Anta-moro made a silent film versionin 1911. Luigi Comencini'sfilm version in 1972, starringGina Lollobrigina, was morefaithful to the somber, originalstory than Walt Disney's ani-mated movie, produced in

1940. Roberto Benigni's Pinoc-chio (2002) was cut for theAmerican audience.

Pinocchio includes a complexweb of moralquestions. Crit-ics have notedits antiauthori-tarian tone, thecontrast betweenwealth and pov-erty, and distastefor the hypocrisyof the judicial

system. When a moralizingcricket gets in his face, it getssquashed. Eventually Pinocchiogrows from an egoistic child,

guided by the pleasure principle,into an adult who understands thefeelings of other people. The psy-chological studies of the story in-clude Freudian analysis of thepuppet's nose - of course - and aJungian approach to "shadow"figures such as Lampwick.

At times dark and comical, withallegory to the socio-political

times in Italy, Jiminy Cricket andThe Blue Fairy accompany him ashe redeems himself to become a"real" boy whilst learning themoral of the story.

Would you like to read the storyof Pinocchio ? The small librarylocated at Collodi apartment sup-plies the Pinocchio story, both inItalian and in English.

Book the apartment and read thebook during your holidays.

In any case, if you cannot wait foryour holidays, you can downloadthe book at


(look for the tourist section).

Continued from p.1 History and Stories : Collodi

Page 7

Reading Pinocchios book on the hammock ?


8/11


Pietrasanta Newsletter Page 8

Your comments

Dear Giampaolo,

We really enjoyed thenewsletter.

Thank you !

Mayo and Ansley

Spartanburg, South California,USA

Hello Giampaolo,

Your newsletter is outstanding!

I learned much from it and willcontribute to the future issue.

Gary

Culperer, virginia, USA

Please, dont hesitate to email us

your comments about this

newsletter: do you like it ? How

can we improve it ? Which kind of

information do you need ?

Less money, more holidays

CLASSIFIED (write us

your classified adv)Are you looking for ateacher ?

Would you like to sharean apartment ?

Would you like to rent abike ?

LOW-COST SECTION

Christmas at Pietrasanta.

Special offer from Ryanair:

from London to Pisa(23/12) and return (03/01),at 99,98 euro, taxes in-cluded (www.ryanair.com).

Delta Airlines offer: fromNew to Pisa (23/12) andreturn (03/01), at 1500 US

dollar, taxes included(www.delta.com).

Dear Giampaolo,

thank you for your email, I live inSurrey, UK, with my wife and weare both retired. We first went toPietrasanta in 1976 and rented avilla in via Andreotti which is setin about 5 acres of land. We fell inlove with the area, the people, thefood, wine, and about everythingPietrasanta has to offer.

.

.

We drive to Pietrasanta in our owncar which enables us to do trips toall the beautiful towns and citiesincluding Florence, Rome, Siena,Portofino as well as many of littlevillages in the mountains.

We also spend many lazy days onbagno Coluccini which again wehave used every year since 1976.

We have eaten at many of the res-taurants and trattorias in the areaas well as spending many hours in

the bars in piazza in the old townof Pietrasanta. I think we also

never miss a holiday without adrive to Lucca a beautiful citywalking shopping and sightseeing.

We now look forward to Junewhen we spend 4 weeks in oursecond home and meet up with allour good friends.

Regards

David and Pat, UK


9/11



finishing part of the long processof bronze casting: the so-calledpatina.

I had been searching for a foundrywith good skills on patina, andfrom a colleague of mine I wasrecommended this foundry in Piet-rasanta.

The Pietrasanta foundries are ingeneral larger, have a higher pro-duction, and keep highly special-ized artisans on the different stepsof the bronze casting process.

For instance, there are craftsmenwho do only patina, and of coursetheir knowledge on their expertfield will be on a much higherlevel.

Getting to know Pietrasanta hasbeen epoch-making for my profes-sional life, and I remember myfirst trip very well.

With electronic communication

systems, distances are no longer abig obstacle, I easily got in contactwith the foundry, and by e-mail Icould discuss all details about thework to be done.

Nevertheless, crossing borders isstill involved with lots of emo-tions.

Well, I made an agreement withpeople I had never met; not only I

sent my original plaster sculptureto a completely foreign foundry,but also to a distant country, inorder to rediscover my own work,the sculpture I knew so well, in atotal unknown environment.

And I was to communicate and co-operate with strangers in an unfa-miliar language. At that time I didnot understand a single word of

Italian.I escaped from a cold springy

snow fall and I met the Italian sunand the perfumed air of spring andblossoming what a nice felling!

I remember so well my curiosityand eager tension while sitting onthe train from Pisa airport towardsPietrasanta this first time.

Pietrasanta has for generationsbeen a meeting point for profes-sionals of the highest internationallevel in the world of sculpture,both artisans and artists alike.

It all made a strong impression on

me - the spirit of the culture; how Iwas accepted at the foundry; theinspirational co-working with arti-sans performing their profession

with highly specialized skills - notto forget the meetings with col-leagues, sculptors from all over

the world, drawn to Pietrasanta.

Through the years, Pietrasanta hasbecome a second home to me. Allmy bronzes are done here now,and in the future I guess I also willbe focusing more also on marble

and stone sculpting.

I am aware that Pietrasanta and its

artisans are facing new challenges,but I predict it will be a marvel-lous place for a sculptor to per-

form his work also in the future.So Im looking forward to comeback to stay in the Palazzo Ferrettiin via del Paduletto at downtown:my apartment was nice, quiet,cosy, comfortable and just in thecity centre.

I appreciate that it is so well or-ganized; good rules to follow, safeand secure. Kitchen, bathroom and

heating, all well-functioning. Andthe porter located just across thestreet.

What I like the best, is that therenovation of the building and theapartments were done with such agood taste, without destroying theaesthetic and the spirit of the an-tique house.

*****************

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Turid Christine Aspelund is a Nor-wegian artist, living in Oslo,

working in both Oslo, Norway,and in Pietrasanta, Italy.

She is an award-winning sculp-tress, performing her art on a highprofessional level.

She works in a figurative style,

executing her sculptures mainly inbronze, but also in different othermaterials: wood, stone, marble,wax, epoxy, etc.

Depending on the project, sheworks in smaller scales, as well asin monumental statures.

She is also a very skilled portrait-ist.

Christine Aspelund has partici-pated in several juried art exhibi-tions (Hstutstillingen, stland-

Continued from p.2 One artist at a glance: Christine

Page 9


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sutstillingen, etc.), and in artshows both domestic and abroad.

Her art includes works for outdoor

spaces, both public and private:

'Peer Gynt-suiten' Sculpture Park,Oslo; Jennestad Sculpture Garden,Vesterlen, as well as church art:Iladalen parish church, Oslo.

Education

She has her education in arts fromthe Norwegian State Academy of

Fine Arts (SKA), 4 years, graduat-ing in 2001, and from the NationalUniversity College of Arts andCrafts (SHKS), 5 years.

Today both these institutions areincluded in the new Oslo NationalAcademy of the Arts (KHiO)

Previous education was at OsloUniversity College (HiO) and atthe University of Oslo (UiO):

Studies in art history, pedagogicaltheory and practice and thetheacher training program in gen-eral studies, 5 years combined.

Grants

2007: The Selvaag Gruppen figu-rativ sculptors grant for furtherdeveloping

2006: Grant from the Norwegian

Compensation Foundation.(Vederlagsfondets stipend)

2005: The Norwegian state work-ing grant for younger artists.

2004: The Norwegian state work-

ing grant for younger artists.

2004: Grant from The Ingrid Lind-back Langaards Foundation for

visual artists

2003: The Norwegian state work-ing grant for younger artists

2002: Grant from the NorwegianCompensation Foundation.(Vederlagsfondets stipend)

2001: First prize from The Sel-vaag Gruppen National awards foryounger figurative sculptors

2001: Scholarship from the Acad-emy of Fine Arts (BKHAkademistipend)

Memberships

- Association of Norwegian

Sculptors; NBF, Norsk Billedhug-gerforening

- The Young Artists Society;UKS, Unge Kunstneres Samfund

- Norwegian Visual Artists Asso-ciation; NBK, Norske Billed-kunstnere

- Union of Education Norway; Ut-danningsforbundet

Teaching

- Spring 2008: Guest professor insculpture at the Oslo NationalAcademy of the Arts; KhiO,www.khio.no

- Teacher in sculpture at artschool, Olav Mosebekks Tegne-skole (from 2003)

- Private students

- Teaching art courses for school-teachers

- Teaching part-time in publicschools (1993 - 2003): arts andcrafts, mathematics, science, Nor-wegian and religion

**************************

I like very much ChristinesSelaag Gruppen bronze at thePeer Gynt Suite Sculpture Park,Oslo, Norway.

And you, what do you like themost?

Many thanks to Christine for her

travel diary: please, send us yourtravel diary too, and well share itwith the other members of ourCommunity.

Continued from p.9 One artist at a glance: Christine

Page 10

Let us know if you wantto receive this postcardby mail.

Do you find where islocated the PalazzoFerrettis garden ?


11/11



Who are we ?

This is a quarterly newsletter for foreign tourists.

Its about Pietrasanta and its surroundings. The newsletter

is mainly made by you: your comments, your experience,

your true stories. We want to collect and publish them on the

newsletter.

Please, dont hesitate to email us your personal experience

about your stay and your holidays in Pietrasanta: write

about one day off, one trip to Lucca or Florence, one friend

you met there. Well publish it on the next issue. This issue

has been emailed to about 200 foreign tourists. Please, send

it to your friends: maybe they will become Pietrasanta lovers,

too.

All the best

Giampaolo Vitali (Palazzo Ferretti)

PALAZZO FERRETTI SPECIAL OFFER

Palazzo Ferretti is pleased to offer one week in December or January at 450 euros,

all fees are included (except heating and electricity).

This special offer is only for Newsletter readers and their friends.Bookings at: [email protected]

Your holiday rentals in downtown

Palazzo Ferretti

Via del Paduletto 10/12

55045 Pietrasanta

For bookings:

Giampaolo Vitali

Phone +39 328 2259111

email: [email protected]

Page 11

art, marble and tourism - newsletter december 2008

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