Ucchino and Friends

Art was a highlight of my trip to Italy. I was lucky to visit Savoca, Sicily (near Messina) to meet the Sicilian sculptor Ucchino Antonino.

His works include the following:

The sculpture above is called "The Mermaid" and the sculpture below is in Savoca, in honor of Francis Ford Coppola who brought fame to the small town when he used it for his "Godfather" movies.

I love the sculpture below that could represent the importance of the donkey in holding up the "world" of Sicily...or helping to build Sicily.

The sculpture below is pretty self-explanatory.

The sculpture below is called "The Marlin."

and the piece below is titled "Come l'amore."

and his studio is shown below.

The sculpture below is in Savoca, but I believe it is by a sculptor other than Ucchino. The coffee shop behind the sculpture is a meeting place for the various artists living in town.

Below are artworks that were displayed in the Sassi of Matera. The Sassi are cave-dwellings that were used as homes until the 1950's. One of the caves is a church and the art was displayed in the church.

The following art was found in a shop in Positano, Italy.

Liftoff to Rome

My dream was coming true as I flew from Austin to Chicago to Rome on October 5...my excitement was overflowing. We flew over trees in their autumn finery, the blue Great Lakes seeming calm from such altitudes, lands of year-round snow and ice, and the mighty Atlantic. We skirted the British Isles, then transected France...treated to her mountains poking through the veil of puffy clouds.

We landed at Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicello, near Rome. A shuttle took me to my hotel, the Anglo American in the heart of Rome...within walking distance of the Spanish Steps and the posh Via Veneto. I was in heaven. That afternoon I was able to wander around the center of Rome, exploring the beauty.

I found many fascinating sights at the Spanish Steps, including the Spanish Embassy with guards dressed in wonderful uniforms, a fountain surrounded by thousands of people, and a woman kneeling and begging for money.

I encountered priests walking along the streets and at Loyola Church a priest was holding mass. What a fabulous church with the details that you can see below.

I was fascinated by the details on the buildings in Rome. Here is a sample of doors.

And here are some door knockers.

Sometimes the details above the doors were exquisite.

And next to the doors, stone figures greeting the visitors.

Beautiful windows amazed me.

Domed ceilings evoke heaven on Earth,

and embrace the spaces.

Exteriors are straight or curved,

and embellished with vignettes

detailed signs,

and statues.

Fountains were everywhere. I could walk to the famous Trevi fountain and

a Bernini fountain was a block from my hotel.

And the fountain in front of the Pantheon provides fanciful creatures to greet the visitors as they enjoy the ancient temple that has been converted to a sacred Christian space.

Walking around the city to see the many treasures can help a person build up quite an appetite, so luckily there are many ristorantes and pizzerias to recharge our energy.

And if a person wants to avoid all of that walking, there are always alternative transportation methods.

But if considering a car, keep in mind that parking spaces are at a premium in the center of Rome, so there could be difficulty finding a place to leave the car.