another day, another coffee!
this morning, cappuccinos at Bar Cafe' de' Rossi
where we stood at the counter
& quaffed just like the locals
then strolled a meandering path
to the Duomo
under a BLUE sky - finally!
we popped into their post office
(as it was still in the historic building)
& spied a sweet little Christmas tree
atop an old mail carrier bicycle
then continued along
enjoying this northern Italian architecture,
the different street doors,
endless variety of door knockers,
& the unknown but (surely)
interesting stories
behind the doorbells
in short order, we spied
the Duomo's bell tower
as well as the octagonal Baptistery
Plaza del Duomo
was fairly quiet,
with Parmesan residents
going about their daily commute
we strolled around
the outside of the Duomo
before sliding through
its massive front doors
guarded by two crouching lions
there were so many beautiful corners
& side chapels
& - yes! it was new year's eve!
the faces of these angels appeared so elfin
every surface - painted!
i had admired these bottle glass windows
from the outside, as we skirted the Duomo
one evening - and enjoyed
admiring them from inside today!
each circle was its own rainbow
inside the magnificent Duomo
looking UP!
a skull & batwings
seems rather ominous
Deposition from the Cross
c. 1178
money offering in the floor grate near the main altar
cupola & altar area
looking UP to the cupola fresco,
completed in 1530 by Correggio
& many more spectacular UP views...
still looking UP.UP.UP
dizzy ceiling video with bells
& some DOWN views
(stairs to/from the main altar)
scowling, howling face
with snake hair/horns
& a secret, keyed little door nearby
lovely decorated chapel gate
had to google St. Theopiste
quite a stunning & gruesome tale
locked chapels & old frescoes
side chapel with quite old wall frescoes
i'm not sure when these side chapels
are ever open...i suppose
originally they were a specific family's chapel,
but i'm not sure if that has continued into today
maybe they are opened for worship
on specific days related to whichever
saint to which the chapel is dedicated
or maybe they are opened during services
so that congregants can enter them to pray?
this appears to be a pregnant angel
with her foot on a skull &
holding the scales of justice
a quite stunning black and gold pulpit
& some beautiful saturated colors
in this side chapel's ceiling
then we traipsed back across
the Duomo's cobbled plaza to the museum
where they house some of the original statuary
of the Baptistery (which we would soon tour)
the Prophets David and (possibly) Nathan
likely by Benedetto Antelami
c. 1196
6th century mosaic discovered in 1955
during excavation/construction
within the southern area of the Duomo's plaza
(likely from an early Christian church)
Archangels Michael and Gabriel,
which originally were at the Baptistery entrance
facing the Duomo
King Solomon & the Queen of Sheba
a very weathered, anthropomorphic lion
gorgeous history
still part of everyday life
here in Parma
the amazing Baptistery
built between 1196 - 1216
& likely designed by Benedetto Antelami
the Portal of the Virgin
zoophorus tiles around the outside,
(which are real and imaginary animals & humans)
along with the four Virtues
Chastity, Charity, Faith, & Hope
the Portal of the Redeemer
more beautiful zoophorus tiles
then we went inside
i like how a statue was brought into
the fresco at the top
here are some of the tourist signs,
so you can pretend you are there
the sculptures of the Seasons are attributed to
Benedetto Antelami,
but only two seasons were completed -
including Spring
another statue incorporated
into a fresco
Nursing Madonna with Saints
Baptismal font along side wall
with Italian tour guide speaking
this font is from the 14th century,
decorated with vines symbolizing
the Garden of Paradise
and the base is a lion with prey,
symbolizing Christ conquering Death
this was an incredibly tall space!
the statues of the months & seasons
would have been in the alcoves
you see near the dome
beautiful front of the small cube-shaped
communion altar,
made of pink Verona marble
with a Priest, John the Baptist, & a Levite
this piece seemed so modern
compared to the rest!
& these fresco fragments, so old!
Archangel Michael and the Scales of Justice
(possibly?)
the amazing ribbed dome of the Baptistery
called an "umbrella dome"
the large octagonal baptismal font
made of Verona marble
and raised on a stepped platform
at the very center of the Baptistery
with four-leaf clover center
360 of Baptistery looking up
just gorgeous!
i love these six-winged angels,
called seraphim,
here's a decent site with some information,
if you're interested
i'm unsure what this is,
on one of the walls -
thinking it's something to touch
& utter a prayer?
always amazed at the construction
of non-linear spaces
looking down & up
then, in a somewhat startling contrast,
we walked the streets & remembered
(briefly) that
it's the 21st century
or maybe not...
"entry prohibited with bicycle"
we strolled around & around
i think we were, possibly, looking for lunch
& waning in our brain's ability
to continue saying "wow"
as well as finally recognizing
some time alone might
rejuvenate our journey's end
so, he went north
& i went south
on a mission to view more
Amadeo Bocchi!
at the APE Parma Museo
the few paintings they display
are in what appears to be
a conference room & foyer,
which they unlocked for me,
required no admission,
& then walked away -
leaving me completely alone
panorama of the foyer room
Viso di Donna 1927
(Woman's Face)
Nella Veranda 1919
(On the Veranda)
Viso di Donna 1917
Bianca con Vaso di Fiori 1925
(Bianca was his daughter -
Bianca with a Vase of Flowers)
Bianca con Geranio Rosso 1928
(Bianca with a Red Geranium)
Bianca in Abito da Sera 1924
(Bianca in an Evening Dress)
panorama
Olivi a Tivoli 1959
(Olive Trees in Tivoli)
Paesaggio c.1935
(Landscape)
La Moglie Rita 1907
(The Wife, Rita)
La Moglie Rita in Abito da Sposa 1906
(The Wife, Rita, in a Wedding Dress)
long view of Nella Veranda
Pomeriggio d'Estato 1919
(Summer Afternoon)
Tre Donne con Bimbo c.1926
(Three Women with Child)
close up of green scarf
rest break,
where we plotted our plans
for new year's eve
the stairwell of our very old building
but - FIRST!
the puppet show (oh my),
which i had my eye on since
our amazing introduction to
the Ferrari Puppet Museum
it was hard to gauge the intended audience
as the puppets seemed quite fashioned
for adult stories & intrigue
however, upon arrival, we discovered
an audience primarily filled with
young children & their parents
&, much contrary to my expectations,
the parents were completely
unsurprised by the storyline
(which involved terror, physical altercation
of puppets, darkness, and death), &
Italian preschoolers are blasé
when confronted with dark puppetry,
as there was zero distress from anyone
& much applause after our hero had
bludgeoned to death the specter of his nightmares
oh, also, it was
- of course -
completely in Italian
(with the cadence & speed
one might expect from puppets),
so slightly challenging to follow
anything that wasn't
explicitly and graphically
acted out
after this interesting
& slightly confusing event,
we wandered to dinner
via a church
(of course)
more gasping faces
& a sweet turtle
and the outside of those beautiful
bottle glass windows of the Duomo,
gleaming their rainbows at night
it's possible this was in the Duomo
(can't recall)
but these are vestments
at the ready
fabulous doorknocker along the way
thinking art club drawings?
another great one!
pretty store window
on the way to our
fancy dinner at Ristorante La Greppia
we hadn't considered making reservations,
thinking to just pop in somewhere
(anywhere)
for a late dinner...
not particularly making note of the fact
it was New Year's Eve!
but la Greppia had a table-for-two
in the very back
near the kitchens
(which, actually, had an entire glass wall
looking out onto the restaurant -
so you could see all the action...
and the chefs could see all of us
enjoying their food)
they said the table was available
for a short window
before a reservation arrived -
we said YES!
so, without planning, we had
quite a superb menu
for our NYE dinner
la Greppia translates to
the Crib (or Manger),
as in a stable -
which, upon reflection,
likens the clientele
to horses or cattle,
i suppose
after this, we may have
taken a repose back at our place
before deciding to venture out
and see how Parma celebrates
the New Year's arrival
(which likely took some persuading
of this early bird by
my night owl husband -
i'm over half a century, and i still
need to remind myself
regret is usually in the NOT-doing
than the doing)
so here is
New Year's Eve in Parma
it's a bit of a wild affair,
with fireworks literally
on the streets
though there did appear to be
designated locations for this,
it still felt slightly alarming
it's actually been a few years
since i even stayed up
to welcome the New Year
(true confession)
so surely this boldness
is a fortunate sign
for 2023!
we strolled home
via the other
neighborhood Christmas tree
& manger scene
just one full day
left of our Parma sojourn
