Thursday, March 14, 2013 (part 1)
Early in the trip, Carlo drives us past some of the sprawling
and famous 16th and 17th century mansions near Camigliano
where the rich families of Lucca used to live—and show off their wealth with
elaborate gardens, fountains and ornate and imposing manors. We see the exterior
of many of the most famous: Villa Mansi, Villa Torrigiani, Villa Reale, Villa
Oliva, Villa Grabau and another few whose names I don’t remember.
Gramolazzo is not in the valley itself but up in the Alpi
Apuane mountains west of Piazza Al Serchio. Snow is still visible in piles as
we enter town and stop to get a church key. Then we make a call at a restaurant
so Carlo can inform the proprietors we’ll be back soon for pranzo. The Chiesa di S. Bartolomeo e S. Rocco was built in 1959,
without the ornamentation and frescos of the older churches. Carlo, who has an
acquaintance in the town, noticed the plainness of the walls and hatched an
idea to have Franco adorn them with frescoes. He presented the idea to pastor
Don Gloria Giannetti, and the idea soon picked up steam.
“One Sunday morning, sitting on a bench waiting for the
pastor to start the celebration of Mass, while I was intent looking at the
white walls of the nave, a strange idea began to flash in my mind,” he said.
I have read enough to know that painting in affresco technique is difficult because
once the artist has applied the lime plaster to a section of the wall, he
has to complete that section the same day—thus each section is called a giornata. To “build” a fresco, plaster
is applied in several layers, starting with the rough arriccio layer and finishing with the intonaco coat. Franco tells me that unlike acrylic or oil, fresco
painting cannot be covered over, thus making every stroke permanent. If the
artist feels dissatisfied with some part, the plaster and paint either must be
scraped off while still wet, or if dry, chipped off and the process started
over again with the arriccio layer.
Carlo locks up and we drive to
the restaurant for lunch. I often find that the best meals in Italy are served in
country restaurants that have no menus, and as usual, I am not disappointed.
The minestrone is fantastic, and I sip slowly to savor every spoonful. I also have
grilled chicken and ceci beans. We have a superb red house wine, and I can’t
resist refilling my glass. I feel sorry for Carlo, who declines more than a sip
knowing he has to maneuver the curving mountain roads. I never find out if the
meal price is the usual country bargain because Carlo insists on paying.
We make two more visits in town
before heading farther into the Garfagnana on other business. First we stop at
the home of Don Gloria, where Franco shows him some ideas for the next section
of the wall, where Franco wants to paint The Last Supper. Don Gloria tries to feed us and give us wine, but
we decline on the very valid excuse that we are full from lunch. Then we stop
at the home of Roberto Davini, the director of the Bank of Gramolazzo, where the dolce is brought out and
the wine bottle opened even during our polite attempts to refuse. Roberto has pledged financial support for Franco’s next fresco, and Franco wants him to see his sketches as well. By the end
of the conversion, I have tried all three types of sweets and had two more
small glasses of wine, so by now I have had about as much wine as I usually
drink in a month. I do not realize there is more to come today.
I hardly know the words to describe this fascinating day. Carlo
Spadoni picks me up at 9 a.m., and in the next 12 hours, I will have more
adventures than in my previous 10 days in Italy. He is accompanied by his good
friend Franco Del Sarto, an accomplished artist who has created a fresco in a
small church in Gramolazzo in alta Garfagnana,
which is about a two-hour drive from San Salvatore.
Villa Mansi |
Carlo and Franco carry on a steady conversation the entire
trip, and I struggle to understand, mostly a losing battle. At times they slow
down and ask me questions about myself, and then I am able to participate in a
halting and ungrammatical way.
To reach Gramolazzo, we have to drive about two-thirds of
the way up the scenic Garfagnana valley, a trip Lucy and I have taken twice
before and enjoyed immensely. Today our route takes us through San Romano, the
birthplace of Leona and Renata Donati, both of whom married into my family in
the U.S. I know there are still Donatis who live in San Romano, but knowing we
have a long day ahead, I don’t ask to stop. Maybe some time I will come back
and take a walk around.
Il Battesimo di Gesu' nel Giordano, by Franco Del Sarto |
Franco Del Sarto, self portrait |
“Being a native of Ponte Buggianese, where the master Pietro
Annigoni has painted the interior of the Chiesa della Madonna del Buon
Consiglio, aided my thinking: If only this church could be completely frescoed,
what a wonder that would be. I immediately thought of my friend Franco Del Sarto,
a painter of the school of Annigoni. The church of Gramolazzo could become his
church.
“A day later I proposed this to Franco, and with his
agreement I talked with Don Gloria. I committed myself to realizing the fresco
in the hope that others would continue on this path so that one day upon
entering the church you will find yourself in front of a wonderful show that
delights the eye as well as helps you to grow in faith.”
When the church is opened and I see the fresco up close, I
realize what a privilege it is to have the project explained to me by the artist
himself, and I also come to appreciate his mastery. I have seen other modern
paintings done in classical style, and often they have an amateurish look, but
this looks like it could have come out of the Renaissance—the only difference
being the colors are still bright and fresh rather than faded from centuries of
weathering.
Franco Del Sarto with the famous Paul Spadoni. Oops, got that a little twisted around. |
The fresco intentionally combines aspects of the Biblical
story of the baptism of Jesus with other historical characters as well as
symbols of the Garfagnana. Thus the river looks like a mountain stream that
could be found locally instead of the River Jordan. The sheep grazing nearby
are typical of the nearby hills. Watching from the lower corners are the patron
saints of the church, accompanied by symbolism that represents their lives. Saint
Bartolomeo is depicted under a fig tree, where he was found when first seen by
Jesus. A knife is embedded in the earth in front of him because of the traditional
medieval story that he was martyred by being skinned alive. Saint Rocco is
shown as an impoverished pilgrim with a dog because he gave away all his
possessions and once was saved from dying in the woods by a dog that brought
him bread and healed his wounds by licking them.
Franco tells me the work took about a year to realize, with
the first half taken for research, sketches and preparation of the wall, and
another six months for the painting. I ask Franco who paid for the work, since
the church is in a small and isolated community. I don’t completely grasp his
answer because of my weak language skills, but it sounds as if some donations of
money and labor were received, with Carlo being the most significant monetary donor and Franco doing the work for no fee. He
also tells me that a figure on the right of the work bears the likeness of
Carlo’s mother holding Simone, Carlo’s older son, and another figure on left of
is Carlo’s late wife Sandra, holding their other son Francesco.
I am given a booklet and CD that describe the background of
the project and includes a list of Franco’s awards and accomplishments, which
takes up three full pages. Later I read online about the fame of Pietro
Annigoni, one of Franco’s maestros. Besides creating frescoes and having
exhibited work all over Italy, Annigoni painted portraits of Queen Elizabeth II,
John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Pope John Paul XXIII, the Shah and Empress of
Iran, Princess Margaret and numerous other famous figures.
Carlo Spadoni, Franco Del Sarto and Paul Spadoni pranzano a Gramolazzo. |
Franco shows his sketch to Don Gloria Giannetti. |
From there, we are off another pursuit,
to find more Spadonis—dead or alive. And that will be part 2 of today’s adventure, coming soon on
your favorite blog.
What an interesting day and learning about the fresco process. Such a permanent painstaking process. Great to hear you are having such authentic experiences. Just what you were hoping for.
ReplyDeleteCalvin