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The Miracle Players — English Language Theater at the Roman Forum

admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 11:00:17 +0000

The Miracle Players at the Roman Forum

Since 1999, the English-language theater group, the Miracle Players, has been putting on witty, yet informative plays in English in heart of Rome. This summer, their outdoor performance at the Roman Forum illustrates the legendary tale of the seven kings of Rome. Using the words of classic Latin writers, author Denise McNee has devised a show seasoned with their usual mix of humor, satire, and impromptu style, this time taking audience participation to a new level.

Guaranteed fun for all ages!

The 40 minute show will be performed al fresco at the Roman Forum every Friday from June 24th to August 5th 2011 at 7:30 pm. Entrance is free, and you do not need tickets or reservations. For further information visit www.miracleplayers.org

Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones: The Myth of Italy

admin — Mon, 16 May 2011 06:17:49 +0000

Less than a month before the exhibition Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and the Myth of Italy comes to a close at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. So if you haven’t yet seen this Rome exhibition, there’s still time to catch it.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Venus Verticordia, 1864-68

Displaying works by Rossetti, Burne-Jones, and other prominent Pre-Raphaelite artists such as William Morris, John William Waterhouse and Ford Madox Brown, this exhibition brilliantly highlights the reciprocal exchange between Italian and British art during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

When Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Holman Hunt and John Everett Millais formed the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in the mid-nineteenth century, they sought to revolutionize the aesthetic standards of their times. Rejecting the artificial style of Mannerism, which was influenced by high-renaissance masters such as Michelangelo and Raphael, the Brotherhood looked back to Dante and Giotto, finding in their era an artistic and spiritual integrity they thought had been lost.

Edward Burne-Jones, Perseus and the Sea Nymphs, 1877

Despite their fascination with medieval aesthetics, the Brotherhood also valued artistic realism: the artist must study nature faithfully, and express what he saw and felt truthfully, without resorting to stylistic conventions. With such guiding principles, the Pre-Raphaelites painted with brilliant colors and light, producing a stylistic bi-dimensionality that evoked medieval iconography.

Frederick Leighton, Nausicaa, c. 1878

The female form is central in Pre-Raphaelite art. Elaborately adorned and infused with symbolism, she is often framed up-close, with a languid or melancholic expression. One of the highlights currently on display at Rome’s National Gallery of Modern Art is Rossetti’s Venus Verticordia (1863-68), which depicts a partially-nude Venus with flame-colored hair, surrounded by roses and honeysuckles. The aura around her head and the apple in her palm infuse the pagan goddess of love with deep religious connotations. The painting was considered daring during Victorian times, and received public criticism for its overt sensuality.

The exhibition includes a look at the diffusion of Italian art in England during the 18th and 19th centuries, as well as some early 20th century Italian painters, among them Giulio Aristide Sartorio, Adolfo de Caroli and Nino Costa, whose reassessment of their own classical and renaissance heritage is in many ways indebted to the diffusion in Italy of a Pre-Raphaelite sensibility.

National Gallery of Modern Art
www.gnam.beniculturali.it
Via delle belle arti, 131
00197, Rome

Spring Vegetables in Rome

admin — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:18:37 +0000

Spring is here, and there’s no better time to visit Rome. The weather is mild, there are lots of events around town, and best of all, plenty of delicious vegetables and fruits are on offer in Rome’s many open-air markets and farmer’s markets. Here are just a few suggestions for what to eat to satisfy your taste buds:

Agretti

They may look quite simply like grass, but these Mediterranean succulents are delicious, vitamin-rich, and simple to prepare. Normally found in the coastal regions, they thrive in saline soil and embody a rich flavor that is slightly reminiscent of Japanese sea algae.
To prepare: After removing the roots and rinsing, simply steam or boil them for five to seven minutes. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and lemon, add a touch of pepper, and you’ll be in for an exquisite treat.

Wild Asparagus

photo source: ##http://www.greenheartofitaly.com/newsletter/05_10/may10_news.html##greenheartofitaly##

You might be surprised at how expensive wild asparagus are compared to the cultivated kind, but this long, thin variety has a knack for hiding amidst brambles and bushes, so foraging them requires an expert eye. They have a strong and slightly bitter flavor, which is probably why they are hardly ever served in and on their own as a vegetable dish. More often, they are used in frittate, and as part of risotto and pasta dishes where they blend deliciously with flavors from the sea. In fact, you can often find specialities like risotto con gamberetti e asparagi selvatici (risotto with shrimp and asparagus), or spaghetti alle vongole e asparagi selvatici (spaghetti with clams and wild asparagus) served in restaurants around Rome.

Fava

The fava, or broad bean, is popular in Mediterranean cuisine, and used in many spring and summertime dishes. Amenable to different kinds of preparation, they can be pureed or sauteed, used in soups or salads, or quite simply, eaten raw. Romans traditionally eat raw fave and pecorino cheese on the first of May to mark Labor day, ideally with a good bottle of wine, and under the shade of a tree in the Roman countryside. Apulians like to puree fave with wild chicory, and serve them as an antipasto along with toasted bread.

Radicchio

photo by ##http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radicchio_from_Venice.jpg#file##Marieke Kuijjer##

The radicchio is another flexible vegetable that comes in many varieties and finds its way into diverse recipes. The raw radicchio is distinctly bitter, which adds a hearty zing to salads and blends particularly well with honey, balsamic vinegar, walnuts, gorgonzola and pear. When eaten grilled, mixed in risottos, or stuffed in strudel or duck, the bitterness cooks out and you’re left with a slightly sweet taste that easily compliments stronger flavors.