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PAOLA…..A VISIT TO ITALY!

BUON GIORNO VINATGE CONTESSA READERS!

I am pleased to introduce you to A BEAUTIFUL LADY in ITALY who KNOWS HER STUFF!

I forget how we found each other but so happy we did!

I recently took a couple of her classes on line and LOVED THEM SO MUCH.

I thought this would be a wonderful way to introduce some of you to ITALY where I lived for three years with THAT ITALIAN HUSBAND!

PAOLA has studied ART HISTORY and has re-visited many museums MORE than once!

BELOW IS HER ANSWERS TO ALL MY QUESTIONS……..I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO FIRENZE (FLORENCE,ITALY).

I WAS MARRIED THERE SO IT HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART!

 

Carissima Contessa,

Thank you so much for featuring me on your blog! What a delight to share a bit about me and my life in Italy with your readers!

CAN you please give us a short BIO on who you are and where you live and how you became interested in ART HISTORY?

I am an art historian based in Florence, Italy. I grew up in the house full of artists, as my father was a painter. So, I feel alive when surrounded with art, and creativity of any kind.  The Italian Renaissance has always fascinated me – in my past life I must have lived in Florence in 1400s as I feel like I personally have met personages such as Cosimo il Vecchio, or his grandson Lorenzo il Magnifico.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED IN FIRENZE (FLORENCE) and VIAREGGIO?  

I came to Florence in 2006 having won a prestigious scholarship from Syracuse University in New York. They have an amazing graduate program that allows students to spend a year in Florence, studying with the leaders in the field of art history, and in the Florentine archives. I was meant to be here for a year, and… I never left.

Your ENGLISH is EXCELLENT! Explain how that came to be? 

My family moved to the USA during the war in Ex-Yugoslavia, and all my advanced education was in English.

If I heard  correctly you have a few degrees in ART HISTORY?

Yes, after getting an MA from Syracuse University, I also attended a special graduate program at the University of Siena in Management of Cultural Heritage. It was a unique program where the guest experts ranged from the director of the Colosseum of Rome to the special carabinieri force that specialize in art smuggled across the Italian borders.

Can I ask who are your TOP THREE FAVORITE RENAISSANCE PAINTERS?

This is a tough one, as my favorites change all the time! Beyond the “Holy Trinity of Renaissance art”: Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael, I am fascinated by their respective teachers Verrocchio, Ghirlandaio, and Perugino.

If you can tell us WHY?

In the Renaissance it was all about what the previous generations were able to create, and then the youngsters built upon it. For example, if there was no Donatello, we would not have someone like Michelangelo.

WHAT PAINTING SPEAKS TO YOU IN THE UFFIZI IN FLORENCE?

I never miss visiting with the portrait of Eleonora of Toledo (1522-1562), a Spanish noblewoman born Doña Leonor Álvarez de Toledo y Osorio. Her 1539 marriage to Cosimo I de’ Medici, the grand duke of Florence is one of the most romantic stories of the Italian Renaissance, which lasted till death did them part. Eleonora died at the age of 40 after giving birth to 11 children – in only 14 years. A daughter of the viceroy of Naples, Eleonora brought in a series of court rules to the Palazzo Vecchio, along with successful farming and business “startups” that she financed herself!  (Her own family, with its great wealth, had financed the New World explorations of Christopher Columbus!) During their wedding celebrations, Eleonora was referred to as “a new Beatrice—a 17-year-old beauty who claimed Cosimo’s heart as surely as Beatrice Portinari consumed Dante’s.” Theirs was truly a match made in heaven.

Eleanora was immortalized in 1545 in a beautiful portrait by the court artist Agnolo Bronzino.  The 22-year-old Duchess of Florence poses with her second-born child, Giovanni, who at the time was only two. This beloved portrait in the Uffizi Gallery might be the first “state” portrait to include a young child and the ruler’s heir. Tragically, both Eleonora and Giovanni died of malaria, on the same day: December 17, 1562.
2022 is a special year as it marks the 500th anniversary of Eleonora’s birth.

How about the LOUVRE in PARIS?

So many exceptional Italian Renaissance works are there. I love the intimate family portrait of the “Old Man with his Grandson” painted by Domenico Ghirlandaio at the end of his short career (Ghirlandaio died at the age of 46). Even though the man portrayed has a medical condition known as “strawberry nose” he is shown with so much dignity here. A famous American art historian from the turn of the last century, Bernard Berenson wrote about this portrait, “there is no more human picture in the entire range of Quattrocento painting, whether in or out of Italy.” Any grandparent will relate to the tender and loving exchange between the grandfather and his grandson. Their love is timeless.

Do you give WALKING TOURS in FLORENCE?

I do! I have been a licensed tour guide of Florence since 2008, after going through an extensive 900-hour training program (on top of my graduate degrees!). I love sharing my love of Florence with visitors from all walks of life and have been very fortunate to meet a few celebrities such as Beyonce and Reba McEntire. I design custom itineraries to make sure my clients experience the best Florence has to offer no matter how long or short their visit to the city is.

I attended two sessions of your STUDIOLO’S. How did these come to be?

I started “Paola’s Studiolo” at the beginning of the pandemic. The virtual interviews are inspired by a concept of a Studiolo, a room that was dedicated to study and contemplation in the Renaissance homes and I have had the honor to interview some of the most important museum directors, curators, and writers of our time in the field of the Renaissance and beyond.

How are they conducted?

They are on zoom, usually on Saturdays at 10am PST/1pm EST/7pm Italy

WHO or WHAT gave you that idea?It all started with a celebrated author and an esteemed friend Ross King who talked about his bestselling book “Brunelleschi’s Dome.” Here is that very first interview:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Asu5yLxdKJE

I especially enjoyed the EX-FBI AGENT talking about NON-VERBAL language in the paintings and REAL LIFE. For example, did you know that fingers not touching means “HAPPY” like a HIGH FIVE and that fingers “CLOSED” or touching means SAD?

A foot behind or to the side refers to an escape that can be made if necessary.

One see’s this A LOT in paintings. Also, the FEET tell MORE than a FACE this is in REAL LIFE TOO!

Yes, that was such a great interview with the nonverbal communication expert Joe Navarro. It was so much fun to look at some of the iconic works with Joe’s discerning eye, such as the Mona Lisa. It is with great pleasure that I share truly unique interview for your readers: https://youtu.be/P-FUTmml0PQ

Another interview that I am sure they will enjoy is with the founder of Casanova Museum in Venice, Carlo Parodi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7tScPcwFi4

For anyone interested in more here is the entire line up: https://www.paolavojnovic.com/paolas-studiolo

And  “Friends of Paola’s Studiolo” have access to all the past interviews! You will find more information here: https://www.paolavojnovic.com/friends-of-paola-s-studiolo

Do you offer other classes beside the STUDIOLO?

Yes, I curate a series of classes on the Renaissance. They are informative, fun and well researched look at a specific artist of 15th and 16th century Italy. Some I teach in their entirety, and for others I call upon my colleagues and experts whose work I admire.  So far, I did different series of well attended and highly praised sets of Masterclasses on the art of Florence and Venice. The last one was dedicated to the “Forgotten Stars of the Renaissance” such as Paolo Uccello, Filippo and Filippino Lippi, Piero della Francesca…

Are they weekly or monthly. How long?

The lectures are usually over a 6-week period, once a week. So, six one-hour sessions, followed by 15 min Q&A. All the sessions are recorded and sent to those that register.

READERS as a past student of hers I found all the classes very interesting.

Thank you so much Elizabeth for registering yourself and giving my class as a birthday gift to your friend! It was such joy to have you!

 

 Did you know dear reader the gown on a portrait sitter tells wealth as do pearls.

Indeed, even the color has its meaning. Wearing RED in the Renaissance was like wearing GUCCI or PRADA today!

The HALO’s above the heads (who’s heads) mean what PAOLA?

It is a radiant circle or disk surrounding the head of Christ, Saints, and other holy figures. We find halos in Byzantine and Renaissance art. It is a representation of spiritual character through the symbolism of light. Christ often has a special halo with a cross, as you can see in this example in the 13th century mosaic of Christ with Mary (left) and San Miniato (right). Elizabeth, I chose the example from the San Miniato because I know it has a special place in your heart, this is the church where you got married to “your Italian!” 

 

Which city fascinates you the most in your Bella ITALIA?

Every region of Italy has its charm. For me the most magical is the city of Venice that has such surreal, magic quality about it. If I could travel back in time, I would love to visit Venice at the end of the 1500s when the city had 180,000 residents (sadly, that number is about 60,000 residents now). Peggy Guggenheim fell in love with Venice and decided to live there. Her home is now one of the most important modern art museums in Italy. I was fortunate to intern there in 2000, and the time I spent there made me love and appreciate Venice in a special way. For Venice lovers, here are two Studiolo interviews. One is the interview on the Mysteries of Venetian with the author Alberto Toso Fei whose family has been living in Murano for centuries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qVK-fWFY2Y

And an informal interview with my friend Monica Cesarato who just published a book on cicchetti – the famously fabulous Venetian finger food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBOF2L5knw0

How much is a cappuccino today at a BAR?

It is still only 1 EURO in most places, if you take it standing up at the bar!

BARs are not what we AMERICANS are use too.

Can you explain a BAR in ITALY?

In fact, bars are cafes – the heartbeat of any Italian piazza big or small. It is where the day begins with a quick caffe and a warm cornetto – la colazione (breakfast) my favorite part of the Italian day!

Many bars offer a light lunch menu (Italians eat at 1pm on the dot) and then transform to bustling aperitivo spots by 6pm (where a glass of wine or light alcoholic drink is served with small bits of food, known as cicchetti in Venice). One very important Italian rule – you should NEVER order a cappuccino after 1pm!

Does it still cost MORE money if you SIT at a BAR or to STAND?

Yes, it does. Italians generally take their espresso standing at the bar and then go about their day. You will be charged more for table service and sometimes that can be quite pricey. But I find that every cent you pay is worth it – you can have so much fun just watching the world pass by! My favorite spot in the world is Piazza San Marco’s Caffe Florian at sunset, with their orchestra playing Italian tunes and the mosaics on the facade of Basilica of San Marco dance with the last rays of sun. Florian is the oldest cafe in the world, having opened its doors in 1720! Here is a detail of a painting by Canaletto showing the café and piazza painted in 1750.

 

Can you leave us with a quote from one of the RENAISSANCE PAINTERS?

“My eyes, longing for beautiful things, together with my soul longing for salvation, have no other power to ascend to heaven than the contemplation of beauty.”                                                                                        ~Michelangelo

And speaking about the contemplation of beauty, allow me this opportunity to invite your readers to an upcoming Studiolo session! This spring in Florence there is a special once in a lifetime there is a wonderful exhibition of Donatello, one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. A hundred and thirty works of art from almost sixty museums feature in two exhibition venues: Palazzo Strozzi and the Bargello. In honor of this important exhibition, a very special Studiolo guest is coming on Saturday, May 21st. Professor Victor Coonin, the author of the first biography of the artist to appear in 25 years, will talk to us about Donatello’s Secrets. 

I hope to see YOU there! You will find more details here: https://www.paolavojnovic.com/post/a-conversation-with-victor-coonin

PLEASE GIVE US YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLETS and EMAIL so MY READERS can contact you if they are so LUCKY to be heading to ITALY!

My email is [email protected] I try to post regularly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paola50122 where I post stories on art and daily life in Italy (where you never know what wonderful surprise is around the corner!) 

I am also on twitter: https://twitter.com/PaolaVojnovic

And to get notifications first of the upcoming videos, please subscribe to my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PaolaVojnovic

 

THANK – YOU PAOLA for giving us an insight to your work and daily LIFE!

Thank you, Contessa, for having me as a guest! Wishing you and your readers a wonderful summer, filled with magic and wonder!

XXX 

WEll, I hope YOU enjoyed this CLASS on ITALIA and part of it’s HISTORY!

I am way over due for a TRIP to SEE FAMILY AND FRIENDS!

WE NEED TO FIX THAT!

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. FASCINATING INTERVIEW CONTESSA!

    Paola’s knowledge and her sharing is bellissimo!

    also love the wedding photo’s!!
    xo
    Debra

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  2. What a wonderful interview with an amazing woman! So enjoyed this. I’m a huge museum person and the Uffizi is one I dream of getting back to. I loved it and the Borghese in Rome – two of my favorites. I may have to take one of these classes. So fascinating learning more about the Renaissance like the story of the mother and child in the portrait! Thank you for this and I am now going to go follow Paola.. SO is she from Yugoslavia originally? x Kim

    Reply

      • Dear KIm, I look forward to meeting you in Florence one day! Uffizi awaits with 14 new rooms that opened up during the quiet time of the pandemic. I hope to see you in my next on line class – dreaming up something special the the Fall!
        Yes, I was born in exYugoslavia, my family moved to Arizona in 1995.
        Warmest,
        Paola

        Reply

  3. Wow, what a spectacular lady! Such an education she has and sharing it generously with many. Thanks for bringing Paola over to your blog, LA CONTESSA. I have been to Florence once and had the pleasure of touring The Uffizi. Paola’s passion comes right off the computer screen. I would love to return to Italy as well. I hope you and your Italian get back for a visit. 🙂

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  4. I loved knowing about her, I wish I would have known about her when I was there. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  5. Oh meant to say I love guided city tours and my last guy,, Rogue Historians who were based in Rome, have retired. I want to do a Paola tour!

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    • Dear Kim, It would be such a pleasure to take you on a tour of Florence! Hope very soon – I promise to make it special!
      xoxo,
      Paola

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  6. I enjoyed “meeting” Paola very much! I will mention her walking tours to a friend who is planning a trip this fall.
    I had to smile when she mentioned the coffee sipped at the bar was a euro…we sat down in the cafe across the street from the Vatican and were charged 8 euros each!
    Thank you Elizabeth for sharing your post.
    Leslie Lord

    Reply

    • Dear Leslie, Thinking where you were seated E8 is not bad! 😉 I would be delighted to be a guide for your friends! Thank you!
      Warmest,
      Paola

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  7. …. Wow! Contessa you sure raised the bar with Paola. I watched an interview, of a woman living in Venice, on YouTube, conducted by Paola. It was so interesting and intimate. So enjoyed it. Paulo came across so down to earth. I would have had a cappuccino with her ( before 1 ) not realizing she was way over my head. I am so impressed with her accomplishments. She would be the one to take a tour of Venice with….discovering and watching the art come alive. In fact, she made the art come alive in your interview.
    Funny she seems to even have the renaissance look herself. Very beautiful.
    You have such a memory of your completely romantic wedding. How special was that day! Nice of Paola to feature the church.
    Wonderful interview, Many Thanks to you both.
    Dee

    Reply

    • I KNOW THE WOMAN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!I FOLLOW HER ON INSTAGRAM!
      I want to say MIMITODHUNTER is her name but I may have that wrong!She lives on the GRAND CANAL?
      PAOLA will KNOW!!!
      XXX

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    • Dear Dee,
      thank you for your most kind words! Yes, I do have that Renaissance look, curves and all! 🙂
      I would love to share the cappuccino with you (before 1pm of course) and take you to my favorite places in Venice.
      I think you are referring to my interview with Monica Cesarato, about her new book on finger food in Venice. Our interview was lovely but we did it in a very busy Venetian place and the crowd was getting louder as the night went on (and it was pouring outside), so thank you for your patience to watch it!
      Elizabeth is referring to another interview in her comment, with a friend of mine – infinitely stylish Mimi Todhunter in Venice. Here is that interview: https://youtu.be/HQD7eACj2qo

      Hope you enjoy that one too!
      My very best,
      Paola

      Reply

  8. What a wonderful and generous post. I long to return to Italy!!
    Thank you so much for this. I’m in tears over the beauty of it all.
    Isn’t there so much to learn in the world and we can each share our knowledge and experiences with each other for the betterment of all.

    Reply

    • Aww Carolyn, I am so glad to know that you enjoyed our interview! Thank you for taking the time to read it – I know it was a big long!
      Make sure you take time in your day for an “Italian moment” and do something that Italians do well – savoir the simple pleasure of life like an impromptu chat with a friend, or a good espresso!
      And you are so right about learning… as Michelangelo said in his late 70s “I am still learning!”
      Warmest regards,
      Paola

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  9. I want to visit again but until I do you have provided a wonderful way to learn more. Wetting my appetite! Thank you Contessa!

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  10. What a WONDERFUL post! It brought back so many special moments in Italy – romantic and otherwise. There was one week in Firenze when I happened to fall into a special fashion week, with designers displaying in historical sites – magical! I will love following her and going to her events. Thank you.

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  11. Thank you, Contessa, for such an enriching conversation with Paola. I look forward to following her. Italy, art, and beauty. What could be more civilizing?

    Reply

  12. FAbulous! What a wonderful post!

    I am on my way to Sicily…..dream come true with my daughter, Ella, granddaughter Penelope (who is graduating from Stanford June 13, and I need to see you! I will be there for 4 days!) and my grandson Tommy, a freshman at USC (fight on!) Ells and I both went there!
    We are going to Noto on Sicily…..the White Lotus is being filmed there the second season….(Poppy was the writer,, producer, director , creator’s “special assistant” the first season! when Stanford was just on computers..she took the year off!
    We will be in Noto for a week! And see th great villa of Jacques Garcia! (google it!) you will faint!
    I loved loved loved this post!

    What a gift you bring to all of us!!!

    Reply

    • WELL HELLO PENELOPE!
      YOUR GRAND DAUGHTER DID ALL THAT ON WHITE LOTUS?!!!
      THE CRAZY WOMAN AND ALL HER DOINGS?
      I KNOW THE GAL WHO HELPED WITH HER KIMONOS PARTS OF HER OUTFITS!
      I CANNOT THINK OF THE ACTRESSES NAME!!!
      WELL WE KNOW YOU WILL GET USE OUT OF THE CAFTANS YOU PURCHASED HERE!!!!!!
      WHAT A TRIP!
      I WANT TO GO TO SICILY!!
      WILL LOOK UP NOTO!
      WHEN DO YOU LEAVE?
      CALL ME!
      XXX

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    • Dear Penelope,
      Very excited to for you! Sicily is so wonderful in so many ways! Noto is very close to Siracusa, a lovely town with an incredible ancient section Ortigia. Visit if you get a chance.
      And congratulation to your granddaughter!
      Warmest wishes,
      Paola

      Reply

  13. I love this post. It made me fall in love with Florence and Venice all over again. Your wedding pictures are fabulous. I’m off to look at Paola’s Instagram now and I would like to find Mimi’s, the lady who lives in the Grand Canal.

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  14. I love this post. It made me fall in love with Florence and Venice all over again. Your wedding pictures are fabulous. I’m off to look at Paola’s Instagram now and I would like to find Mimi’s, the lady who lives in the Grand Canal.

    Reply

  15. Thank you for giving Paola a platform to share some of her knowledge and opinions about Italian art history. To me, nothing beats Italy for culture, food and people (I may be biased because I am half Italian.) Firenze is my favorite city in Italy. Viva l’Italia!

    Reply

    • Dear Kathy, thank you for taking the time to visit the blog!
      You are right, Italy is hard to beat!
      xoxo,
      Paola

      Reply

  17. Thank you for a great interview with Paola! She is a treasure and has been a vey strong and positive connection for me ( and many others ) to Italy during these challenging times. I’ve been fortunate to have been in all of her exceptional and ‘horizon expanding’ classes and can only say that it has been a magnificent journey.

    con appetito,
    R.Ross
    Bainbridge Island

    Reply

  18. Hi Elizabeth,
    Art, art history, Italy, Venice, Florence! What’s not to love in this interview?! I’m thinking hard about spending some time in Italy studying art, just looking for the right program. This is all so much a part of my heart, a place I’ve only experienced as a child but I long to return and absorb everything at this time in my life.
    Fascinating interview,Elizabeth!
    Xo Heidi

    Reply

  19. Bravissima!!! What a marvelous woman. What a marvelous resource.I would hire her in a minute to take me through Florence. To be honest I have seen a lot of Florence because of my love of that divine period of history. The Renaissance. But there is always more. Just delightful!!!!

    Reply

    • ALWAYS MORE TO SEE…………..WE MUST GO!
      HAVE YOU BEEN IN THE SECRET PASSAGE FROM The Uffizi TO THE BOBILI GARDENS?
      WHY CAN I NOT THINK OF THE NAME OF THAT PALACE???
      XXX

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      • The Vasari corridor connects Uffizi to Palazzo Pitti. It is closed for the restoration at the moment, with plans to reopen at the end of the year – just in time for your visit! 😉

        Reply

    • Dear Sandra,
      I would be delighted to be your guide in Florence! There is so much to discover, you are right!!
      Hope we make it happen, and our dear Elizabeth too!
      Warmest wishes,
      Paola

      Reply

    • Dear Sandra,
      There is so much to discover, you are right!! Hope we meet in Florence on day, and our dear Elizabeth too!
      Warmest wishes,
      Paola

      Reply

  20. Paola! Contessa has been telling us about your wonderful art history Zoom’s … and now we know more and see why she’s enthralled. I need to read your interview again, from top to bottom. So much to take in. Now that we are traveling again how lovely it would be to tour Italy with you as a guide. What a delightful interview. I just started following your Instagram and I just may pop up in one of your classes. Contessa … you are always bringing us such wonderful women and fascinating history. xo

    Reply

    • Dear Juliet, So lovely to meet you and hope we see each other on zooms and also in person very soon!
      Thank you for much for taking the time to read the blog – it is quite long – I just could not stop writing! La Contessa asked such great questions.
      See you on IG too!
      xoxo,
      Paola

      Reply

  21. What a wonderful world to be exposed to! Thank you for introducing me to such rich history, art, and culture. I will for sure be doing a deeper dive on her YouTube channel.

    The wedding pictures are amazing… so much joy in your smiles.

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  22. That was a fascinating interview. Paola is very knowledgeable and I need to come back and listen to those interviews she shared. I wish I could move to Italy tomorrow. It’s such a beautiful country. My last post on the blog is about another Tuscan gem.

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  23. Beautiful interview! I learned so much. I’m not very intelligent when it comes to artwork. I just know what I like. I love going to galleries and museums. Because of my heritage, I tend to lean towards Native American art, but beauty is beauty. By the way I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that last picture of you and your hubby!

    Reply

    • THANK YOU!
      I HAVE TO SAY IT WAS A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE BEING MARRIED IN A CHURCH ON THE HILL THAT MICHELANGELO COVERED WITH MATTRESSES DURING THE WAR WITH PISA………have a got that right PAOLA!
      Then we headed down the HILL to VILLA CORA for the reception!
      WHICH ONLY A REAL CONTESSA should be allowed in!!!
      THANK YOU!
      XXX

      Reply

  24. Semplicemente deliziosa, preparatissima,una musica.Seguo la Signora Paola da un po’ e ringrazio Elisabeth di avermela fatta scoprire.. Grazie.

    Reply

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