Rebuilding The Renaissance

From the natural beauty of its countryside and coast, to the man-made beauty of its architecture, to the beauty of its artisanal and culinary traditions, the Italian region of Puglia is simply astonishing. The capital city of Bari is the resting place of one of Christianity's best-known saints - St. Nicholas. The city of Lecce is referred to as "the Florence of Southern Italy" for its beautiful art and architecture.  The historic coastal city of Otranto feels more like Greece than Italy. in fact, Puglia is so rich in art, beauty, and tradition that you feel like you are being carried away by some invisible force, which the Apulian singer Domenico Modugno sang about in his 1958 hit song "Volare!" 

From the weird shading in Masaccio's "Expulsion of Adam and Eve,", to whether Michelangelo's "David" is left or right handed, to how to find out about upcoming exhibitions dedicated to Italian Renaissance art, to my opinion about the "Cupid" sculpture attributed to Michelangelo by the Met, to why more people don't listen to Rab Hatfield, and much, much more - this episode answers the very questions that you ask me about the great art, artists, and history of the Italian Renaissance.

Originally built in the 3rd century BCE, the ancient Greek theater of Taormina is the second largest Greek theater in Sicily after Siracusa. Constructed against the natural slope of Mt. Taurus, the structure can accommodate up to10,000 spectators and offers spectacular views of the Ionian Sea and Mt. Etna. It is still used today for musical performances and film festivals.

Often called the "Pearl of the Mediterranean," Taormina, Italy is set on Mt. Taurus and surrounded by endless magnificent views of both sea and mountains, offering Mediterranean beauty everywhere you look. Taormina is also home to the second largest ancient theater in Sicily after Siracusa. As is customary for Greek theaters, it is carved into the stone slope of a natural hill, using the backdrops of Mt. Etna and the Ionian Sea to create a jaw-droppingly beautiful natural panorama. 

The archeological park of Siracusa, Sicily is in one of the five ancient districts of Siracusa known as the Neapolis - "the new city." Its two major ancient monuments are a massive ancient Greek theater from the 5th century BCE carved directly into the limestone rock of the Temenite hill and an equally impressive ancient Roman amphitheater which had a seating capacity of some 20,000 spectators. But the park's most famous site is the so-called "Ear of Dionysius" which was named by the celebrated painter Caravaggio and has extraordinary acoustic properties.