Making Up for Missing Comic-Con

This year, my trip to Italy meant missing New York Comic Con. While there is nowhere I would rather be than Italy, I must admit I missed the thrill of hunting for long-sought fetish properties, admiring the elaborate cosplay costumes, and perhaps finally acquiring an original Frank Thorne Red Sonja illustration, one I still regret passing up last year.

To “console” myself, I paid a visit to my local comic book shop and treated myself to a few elusive pieces for my modest hoard. Among my finds were Kull the Destroyer #11, finally completing my collection of the original Kull series (Vol. 1); Conan the Barbarian: Red Nails #1, the giant-size, ad-free special issue published in 1983; and King Conan #1, illustrated by the great John Buscema.

It wasn’t quite the same as wandering the aisles of Comic Con, but there is something immensely satisfying about filling those long-standing gaps. As for that elusive drawing of the She-Devil with a Sword, the hunt will hopefully continue at next year’s convention.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 22nd, Feast of San Simmaco di Capua.

Caravaggio’s Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy: A Masterpiece of Suffering and Divine Rapture

La Maddalena in estasi, c. 1610, oil on canvas,
Michelangelo Merisi, known as Caravaggio

The Italian Cultural Institute in New York is offering a rare opportunity to admire one of Caravaggio’s most haunting and emotionally powerful paintings, Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy (c. 1610).

Having long held a deep personal devotion to Mary Magdalene, I found this exhibition especially meaningful. Painted near the end of the artist’s turbulent life, the work captures the Magdalene suspended between earthly suffering and divine transcendence. Her head falls backward, her eyes nearly closed, tears streaming down her cheeks. Emerging from the surrounding darkness, her illuminated figure conveys an extraordinary mixture of anguish, repentance, sensuality, and spiritual surrender.

What makes the painting so compelling is Caravaggio’s remarkable ability to transform a profoundly religious subject into an intensely human experience. There is nothing distant or idealized about his Magdalene. Her suffering is palpable, her ecstasy mysterious, and her beauty inseparable from her sorrow.

The painting’s dramatic history, including its disappearance from public view for centuries and eventual rediscovery, adds another layer of fascination to an already extraordinary work.

On view through November 6th, this intimate exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity to encounter Caravaggio's genius firsthand. Admission is free, making it all the more worthwhile for anyone who appreciates the enduring beauty and spiritual intensity of the Baroque master's art.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 21st, Feast of Blessed Karl I of Austria

A Farewell to the Eternal City

Mattino a Ponte Sisto (Morning at Ponte Sisto), 1955, oil on canvas, Francesco Trombadori (1886-1961). Perhaps it was fortuitous that I inadvertently omitted this painting from my earlier post about visiting Rome’s Galleria d’Arte Moderna. Depicting a tranquil view of the Tiber and Ponte Sisto, it seems a fitting addition to this final installment of my Italian travelogue

Previous: The Splendor of Parma Cathedral

The final evening and morning of my Italian sojourn were spent in Rome, a fitting conclusion to my travels.

After visiting the Galleria d’Arte Moderna, I met up with a friend for dinner at a contemporary Roman osteria, where we enjoyed a wonderful selection of seasonal dishes, including zucca in saor, terrina di lingua di vitello scottata, patate sfogliate croccanti, and medaglioni di coda al sugo.

After dinner, we walked off our meal with a romantic passeggiata through the Eternal City. We first made our way to the Spanish Steps and the Church of Santissima Trinità dei Monti, where we attended Mass, before continuing on to admire the illuminated Column of Marcus Aurelius, Trajan’s Column, and the Colosseum. As I had during my previous visit to the Eternal City, I made it a point to drink from the nasoni, Rome’s distinctive public drinking fountains.

The following morning, we attended Mass at the Basilica del Sacro Cuore di Gesù for the Feast of Our Lady of Victory and the Most Holy Rosary. Afterward, we lingered in my hotel courtyard over caffè and cornetti, and I read her some Rilke.

With the morning slipping away, it was time to say a reluctant goodbye. My journey had come to an end, but as always, leaving Italy was easier said than done.

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 20th, Feast of St. John Cantius

Remembering Marie Antoinette, Queen of France

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France (2 Nov. 1755–16 Oct. 1793)

On Friday, October 16th, a small group of friends gathered for our annual dinner in memory of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France and Navarre. Ordinarily, I would have organized a larger affair, but recent travels, work, family obligations, and preparations for an upcoming trip to Napoli had occupied much of my attention. As the occasion fell on a Friday, we eschewed meat in favor of an assortment of eggplant dishes, a veritable Sagra della Melanzana. Though modest in scale, the evening was no less meaningful, as guests raised their glasses in tribute to the martyred queen, whose grace, dignity, and courage continue to inspire devotion more than two centuries after her death. Viva ’a Reggina!

Caponata

Melanzane sott'olio

Polpette di milinciani

Pasta alla Norma

The Splendor of Parma Cathedral

Previous: The Splendor of Santa Maria della Steccata

Among the most impressive places I visited during my stay in Parma was the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta, better known as Parma Cathedral, a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture.

Consecrated in 1106, the cathedral's greatest artistic treasure is undoubtedly Correggio’s extraordinary fresco of the Assumption of the Virgin, which transforms the cathedral’s dome into a breathtaking vision of heaven.

Looking upward, it is easy to understand why Correggio’s masterpiece has inspired wonder for nearly five centuries.

Next: A Farewell to the Eternal City

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 18th, Feast of San Luca Evangelista 

The Splendor of Santa Maria della Steccata

Previous: An Old Fascination, a New Discovery

Among the churches I visited in Parma was the Basilica di Santa Maria della Steccata, one of the city’s great architectural and artistic treasures. Unfortunately, much of its exterior was obscured by scaffolding and protective wrapping as part of extensive seismic safety improvements.

Completed in the sixteenth century, the Renaissance basilica is particularly remarkable for its richly decorated interior, including magnificent frescoes by Parmigianino. It is also the magistral church of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of St. George, a distinction that adds another layer of historical significance to an already extraordinary place.

Stepping inside, I was reminded once again that some of Italy’s greatest treasures are found not in museums, but in its churches.

Next: The Splendor of Parma Cathedral

~ By Giovanni di Napoli, October 17th, Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque