On my recent visit to San Miniato al Monte, (see this post: https://getbacklauretta.com/2026/06/15/a-short-sweet-visit-with-an-ancient-friend/) I was struck by the monumentality, simplicity, and modernity of this funerary monument. Settled in a place of honor among many more traditional tomb monuments in the presitigious cemetery that forms a part of the grounds of the august basilica, I knew I was in the presence of someone of great importance, but I did not know who. I began a lovely, short voyage of discovery!

I moved in closer for a better view and was rewarded for my efforts with a clearer view of this spectacularly simple but evocative engraved slab of what appears to be a travertine block. The area was blocked off and I could not get closer for a better look.

At this distance, I could get a better look at the tombstone and was even further impressed with the design of overlapping blocks of white stone that invoked the idea of books stacked up. Was I in the presence of an author?

My readers know that I know a lot about Italian art, but my knowledge of Italian literature, history and politics is spotty at best. It will take the rest of my life to develop a decent familiarity. But, I’m working on it!

The cemetery, Cimitero delle Porte Sante (The Sacred Doors), is a monumental churchyard in Florence located within the fortified bastion of the Basilica of San Miniato al Monte. Although the basilica is ancient, the idea of a burial site near San Miniato was only conceived around 1837 and it took the camposanto (sacred ground) 11 years to be inaugurated in 1848.

The project, originally entrusted to architect Niccolò Matas (the designer of the 19th-century facade of the Basilica of Santa Croce), was enlarged; in 1864 Mariano Falcini took over and expanded the cemetery to cover the entire area of the 16th-century fortress lying around the church, including the front, sides and back of the church.

The project of the new cemetery grew parallel with the development of the new road network, elaborated by architect Giuseppe Poggi, which, with the opening of the Viale dei Colli and the new monumental staircase to the basilica itself which I climbed on this visit as I have on countless others, created new ways to access the church and surrounding cemetery.

Poggi, about whom I have often posted in this blog, is remembered for his leadership in expanding the city of Florence in recognition of its new status when it became the Capitol of the new kingdom of Italy in 1865. Poggi was appointed to direct the expansion of the city to reflect its new status. This important public commission took up all his time from 1864 to 1877 and brought him wide recognition. His work involved the creation of new avenues and squares for the city; flood defenses; modernization of the sewage system; an official plan for new residential areas and road layout; improvement of the water supply; a new livestock market and abbatoirs; the relocation of the railway network and the creation of a new station on the outskirts of the city; and the construction of the Viale dei Colli and Piazzale Michelangelo, for which he achieved most renown.

In the photo above you see the church in the background and parts of the cemetery at the lower foreground. Spadolini’s grave is in this section.

Looking closer at the top of the monument we see an engraved facsimile of Spadolini’s signature, with the stunningly simple epitaph, UN ITALIANO (an Italian). That simplicity gives a jolt of power because the rest of the cemetery is filled with the more Victorian era types of funerary monuments which are very traditional and sentimental.

Ok, I give up! Who is this man?

Giovanni Spadolini (1925 – 1994), born in Florence, was an Italian politician and statesman, who served as the 44th prime minister of Italy. He had been a leading figure in the Republican Party and the first head of a government not be a member of Christian Democrats since 1945. He was also a newspaper editor, journalist and historian. He is considered a highly respected intellectual for his literary works and his cultural contributions..

Spadolini was the first Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Environment from 1974 to 1976. He became Prime Minister in 1981 and he led two successive cabinets which were supported by a coalition of parties in Parliament but this only lasted a few months. He was Minister of Defence in the governments headed by Socialist leader Bettino Craxi from 1983 to 1987 before being elected President of the Senate. In 1991, Spadolini was appointed Lifetime Senator by President Francesco Cossiga.

Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Florence, he was the author of numerous historical works. He was also a journalist and editor-in-chief of the Bolognese newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, then of the Milanese newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

And who designed this beautiful, evocative modern gravestone? Bruno Catarzi, c 1994, unique marble monument crafted to resemble a stack of overlapping books. The design pays homage to Spaolini’s life as a writer, academic, and passionate historian.

Bruno Catarzi (1903 – 1996 ) was Tuscan sculptor and engraver. He began his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts of Florence under Domenico Trentacoste. He was a prolific designer of medals. In the 1930s, he taught at the Scuola d’Arte of Pistoia (among his pupils were Agenore Fabbri and Jorio Vivarelli), and from 1963 to 1973, he taught at the Istituto d’Arte of Arezzo.

RIP

I recently posted about the incredible Caravaggio paintings hanging in a chapel in this church (see here: https://getbacklauretta.com/2026/06/17/weird-and-wonderful-baroque-and-mannerist-details-inside-the-basilica-of-santa-maria-del-popolo-rome/). On my recent visit, I loved walking around the church and just admiring all the weird details! No study, no label reading, just looking and laughing on the inside!

One day I want a Venetian mirror. Maybe not this big or elaborate, but I crave the beauty and the provenance!

Just glancing into an antique shop in Rome fills me with pleasure. I don’t need to own anything. I just like looking!

The light fixtures are otherworldly beautiful!

Alla prossima! See you soon!

San Miniato al Monte, just outside Florence. I was here last fall and it was completely under scaffolding! Hello old friend! You look marvelous!

A took a short detour through the grave monuments that sit at the bottom of the stairs, before climbing the last steps to the church. When visiting this site, you are constantly turning your head 180 degrees, first to take in the church, then the city, then the church, then the city.

Unfortunately the basilica was not open when I was there, so I just enjoyed the view of the city instead!

Alla prossima!

Deep in the heart of Etruscan Italy, lies this series of man-made valleys between carved volcanic boulders.

Ancient Etruscan roads: The Vie Cave are deep roads carved by the Etruscans. They are today part of the Tufo City Archaeological Park, a fascinating site between Sorano and Sovana in the southern area of Tuscany.

The Vie Cave of Sorano and Sovana are large roads carved into the hills made of tufa, with walls as high as more than 20 meters that lead visitors to discover Etruscan necropolis.

These roads are unique in all ancient civilizations. No one knows exactly what they were used for: were they just communication routes, or canals to collect rainwater, or roads used in some religious ceremony?

The mystery of these winding paths, carved into the tuffaceous rock, remains intact, and driving through them is a truly unique experience: they once connected the various Etruscan settlements, including necropolises.

At the end of our drive, we visited this small thermal springs park. We didn’t get into the water though, because for that we visited Saturnia thermal waters a bit later that day. I’ll be posting on that soon.

Alla prossima!

You say this artist’s name and I think of this church in Rome where 2 of his masterpieces live a very noble life! The church is the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo in the piazza of the same name in the Eternal City.

The Cerasi Chapel (aka as the Chapel of the Assumption) is located within the basilica and houses these 2 masterworks. Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, one of the most important masters of Italian Baroque art, painted them in 1600-01.

In September of 1600  Monsignor Tiberio Cerasi contracted Caravaggio to paint two panels for the side walls of his newly purchased chapel; the contract with Annibale Carracci for the altarpiece has not been preserved. The commissions went to the leading artists in Rome at the time. Caracci painted The Assumption of Mary while Caravaggio depicted the Conversion of Saint Paul and the Crucifixion of Saint Peter on the lateral walls. Cerasi’s choice of the Assumption for the altar seems straightforward enough, while the other two paintings honoured the Apostles central to the foundation of the Catholic Church as well as popular Counter-Reformation themes of conversion and martyrdom. The precedent already existed for this juxtaposition in the Cappella Paolina at the Apostolic Palace by Michelangelo.  Saint Peter and Paul were also the patrons of Rome and they had a strong connection with the papacy. Because Tiberio Cerasi did not belong to the ranks of the Roman aristocracy and he made his career and fortune in the Roman Curia, it was important to emphasize his proximity to papal power and the Church of Rome.

The first versions of the Caravaggio paintings were rejected by the patron and then Caravaggio painted two works on canvas instead of the cypress wooden panels as it had been formerly stipulated. The story of the rejection of the first versions was recorded by Giovanni Baglione in his 1642 Life of Caravaggio.

Tiberio Cerasi died on 3 May 1601 and was buried in the chapel. In his will he named the Hospital of the Madonna della Consolazione as his heir with the responsibility to complete the unfinished chapel. Annibale’s altarpiece was probably already complete at the time while Caravaggio was paid on 10 November 1601 for his work. The paintings were finally installed in the chapel by a woodworker named Bartolomeo in May 1605, and the chapel was consecrated on 11 November 1606.

The chapel was acquired by a descendant of the family, Antonio Cerasi, count of Monterado in 1853 who subsequently restored it.

I swoon with pleasure when I am in this chapel. Two see the 2 Caravaggio paintings in the places where they were intended to go gets me every time! This is why we study and travel!

I’ve spoken on this blog many times about how much it delights me to see modern machinery used to maintain Medieval and Renaissance buildings. I happened upon this scene today and had to take some footage of it.

These views never cease to amaze me!

What a cityscape!

These melagrana blossoms (pomegranate) defy a good photo! The color is so intense and the flowers are so tight, that I am drawn to take a picture, but they never turn out well.

Only in the months of May and June! Sublime wildness of nature against these ruins!

Did you know that fencing is one of Rome’s most celebrated and accessible sports, ranging from Olympic-level foil and épée programs to historic sword-fighting? I did not know. Until recently when I witnessed this:

The spectacle of team foil fencing took over the Pincio Terrace on the second day of the Frecciarossa Roma 2026 Italian Absolute Championships: the women’s team from the Carabinieri Sports Center and the men’s team from Fiamme Oro Roma won the specialty titles. It was another evening of great fencing in the heart of the capital, where the finals were held in a double-header between the Carabinieri and the State Police.

Yes, that’s right, in Rome over 2 evenings, a fencing competition is being held out in the open, for all to see, at the Pincio Terrace on the Pincio Hill, right over Piazza del Popolo in Rome. Again, never have I ever seen such a scene!