Mamma is cherished in Italy and has always been the bedrock of the family. Mother’s Day — La Festa della Mamma — was “officially” recognized in Italy in 1958 about fifty years after it was established here in the States. A parish priest began the now annual tradition in the Umbrian hilltown of Assisi in 1957, with surrounding towns joining the celebration of Mamma and her unconditional love. The local festa was so popular, La Festa della Mamma was immediately adopted all across Italy. But even before then a special day for mothers — Giornata Della Madre e del Fanciullo — “The Day of the Mother and Child” had been celebrated in December.
Not surprisingly, images of the Virgin Mary with her son are among the most beloved in Christian art. Devotion to Mary in her dual role as the human mother and a divine being reached its peak in the 14th to 16th centuries, creating tremendous demand for mother and child depictions. The term Madonna is Italian for “my lady” and was conferred as a title of respect or high rank, but came to be synonymous with the mother of the holy child and with tender representations of the two.
This slideshow features 32 Madonnas by Italian artists such as Raphael, Botticelli, Andrea della Sarto, Luca della Robbia, Bellini, Tiepolo and Barocci from major museums, including those in Washington DC, London, Vienna, Berlin and New York (The Met),as well as the Walter’s Art Gallery in Baltimore, the Vatican Museum, and Michelangelo’s exquisite Madonna from The Church of Our Lady in Bruges.
Venice is a city of surprises, filled with contrasts and apparent contradictions that, somehow, fluidly coexist. It is a city of water and of stone, the most pliant and most solid of natural substances. For much of its history Venice has been guided by BOTH church & state and by both honor & profit. And, like the Roman god Janus, Venice has always faced in two directions at the same time: to the West and to the East.
But most improbable of all is Venice’s amazing historic arc . . . over a millennium Venice went from a marshy hideaway for refugees to one of the greatest economic and political powers in the world.
Whenever I visit La Serenissima and revel in the architectural confection of St. Mark’s Basilica and the Gothic grandeur of the Doge’s Palace I am reminded of the twin pillars upon which Venice built its improbable success: an unwavering faith in a higher being and a more earth-bound faith in the ingenuity and resourcefulness of its fellow Venetians to navigate and triumph in a challenging world.
Venice and all of Italy will bounce back and once again astonish and delight us all.
Andra! Tutto Bene!!
Throughout its rich and storied history, Rome has come back from invaders and setbacks of all descriptions.
The Eternal City will surely do so once again. The world’s prayers are will you.
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As you all know, the situation in the country we all love so much is dire. ‘We the Italians’ founder, Umberto Mucci has undertaken a fundraising campaign to assist on behalf of the Spallanzani Hospital, the leading Italian hospital for infectious diseases. Spallanzani Hospital represents one of the front lines of doctors, nurses and researchers who are working tirelessly to save as many lives as possible. In this video link the hospital’s Director General, Marta Branca, explains the situation and what the Spallanzani Hospital needs most urgently. https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-the-italians-against-coronavirus
Please donate and help the Italy that you love and want to visit again. No amount is too small; and please share the video link on your social media accounts. Whatever you are able to do as well as your prayers, will be gratefully appreciated. Both Marta and ‘We the Italians’ promise that the entirety of funds raised will go directly to the hospital and be used for the most urgent needs related to the coronavirus crisis.
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