Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Piero was not just a painter; he was a member of an important family in Borgo Sansepolcro. There is a fresco painting attributed to him that might have alluded to the family business, which was producing and selling leather goods.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The restorers take us through the meticulous cleaning process involving Japanese rice paper, a gel made from marine algae, and a solvent.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Restoring the Resurrection was a lengthy and complex process, consisting of reinforcement, cleaning, and the retouching of the painting itself.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
The host describes the fascinating story of a British army captain who, during World War II, happened to have read Aldous Huxley's words (quoted in the previous segment), and remembered them just in time.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Borgo Sansepolcro is an out-of-the-way Tuscan city. But, as this video sets out to explain, it boasts one of the most beautiful paintings in the world, so it is well worth the journey. The video begins with some passages from a 1925 essay by Aldous Huxley: “The Best Picture.” We have translated the Italian translation back into English, for learning purposes, but you can find the original English version here.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Ungaretti mentions 2 poets who attracted him as a youth: Mallarmé and Leopardi. He talks about the famous poem Alla primavera, o delle favole antiche by Leopardi but gets the title wrong. You can see the entire poem (in Italian) here.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Ungaretti talks about how he got his start. He frequented a café in Paris, where artists and poets would gather.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
As Mimmo and Franca enjoy the beach and swimming in the clear water, he tells her about his childhood in the town they can see from where they are sitting.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
After thanking his host for his kind words, Ungaretti begins talking about his life. He gives a lot of credit to young people, first of all.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Ettore Della Giovanna, noted Italian journalist (1912-2004), interviews Giuseppe Ungaretti, considered one of the greatest poets of his time, besides having been a writer and scholar.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy Tuscan
Arianna takes us down to a beach near Pisa, and explains a bit about how beaches work in many parts of Italy.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy Tuscan
This beautiful church is worth a stop on the way from Pisa to the seaside. Arianna shares her discovery of it. The ceramic bowls that decorate the church are technically known as “bacini ceramici” in Italian, which could be translated as “ceramic basins.” Art historians who write in English, however, also use the term “bacini” for these tin-glazed works.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy Tuscan
Arianna shows us around the Cathedral Square, where the bell tower, better known as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, is located.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Gianni explores the interior of the abandoned villa, imagining what it might have been like before.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Italy
Gianni takes us up to an abandoned villa, and reflects on the tremendous challenges the builder faced.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment? You will not be able to recover it.