The Museum of Rescued Art

Posted on February 10, 2023 by babbityjean

The Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage is Italy’s world-renowned police squad dedicated to recovering stolen art.  Founded in 1969, it has tracked down and repatriated to Italy more than 3 million artifacts.  Established in 2017, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York has returned more than 1,300 antiquities to their homelands.  Working together, these two crackerjack squads have repatriated enough stolen art from American museums and collectors to populate a new museum in Rome.

The Museum of Rescued Art opened in June 2022 in a hall that was built as part of the Baths of Diocletian and is annexed to and overseen by the National Roman Museum.  Its first display, which runs through mid-October, includes 100 Etruscan, Greek and Roman figurines, statues, urns, plates and coins that date back to the eighth to fourth centuries B.C.E.  They had been stolen from across Italy and smuggled into the United States.  One artifact on display is a white-on-red pithos from the seventh century B.C.E. that depicts the blinding of Polyphemus, the one-eyed giant from Greek mythology and recounted in Homer’s Odyssey; it had been recovered from the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.  Another notable piece is a marble bust of Roman emperor Septimus Severus, which had been stolen from an Italian museum in 1984 and was found decades later in New York just before going up for auction at Christie’s.

“Rescued Art” is a broad term, and the museum will eventually showcase the many ways in which artwork can be salvaged—not only from thieves, but also from the rubble of earthquakes, from ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, and from the ravages of time by Italy’s expert restorers.  The museum intends to “show the world the excellence of our work” in all these fields, says Dario Franceschini, Italy’s Culture Minister.

The policy of the Italian culture ministry has been to eventually return recovered artifacts to the museums closest to the site from which they had been most likely looted.  Given the clandestine nature of the excavations by tombaroli, or tomb raiders, the re-homing process can be arduous for the team of archaeologists assigned to the task.  Many of the prized pieces originally came from Cerveteri, an Etruscan town northwest of Rome, known for its well-preserved necropolis complex, and today for its archeological museum.  The treasured Euphronius Krater will be displayed there; it had been looted from a Cerveteri tomb in 1971 and sold a year later to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for $1 million, an unprecedented sum at that time.  Joining the krater will be a kylix, or drinking cup, also by Euphronius, which the Getty Museum returned to Italy after evidence emerged of its murky provenance.

Returning artifacts to their original sites helps to place them in historical context.  Cerveteri, for example, was an important Etruscan hub, a major market.  Repatriated art gives local museums fresh opportunities to broaden their appeal.  The Euphronius Krater has now become a symbol of the city itself. 

The current works on display at the Museum of Rescued Art showcase the work of the art theft squads in both countries.  Working on the evidence provided by the Carabinieri unit, the Antiques Trafficking Unit turned over 200 artifacts to Italy last December, the single largest repatriation from America to Italy.  In July 2022, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office arranged for the return of 142 additional items, including the Ercolano Fresco, which had been stolen from Herculaneum, a town buried under volcanic ash after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.C.E.  The joint endeavors from both countries will provide ongoing displays at the new museum in Rome, and possibly more importantly, thwart the black market in archaeological artifacts.

For more posts on this topic, see:

  • The controversy of who owns the art of the world, October 2015
  • Why are so many Italian masterpieces found outside of Italy?  March 2017
  • The statue of Zeus enthroned, July 2017
  • The “Getty” Bronze, March 2019
  • Stolen, Gestohlen, Rubato, April 2019
  • Italy’s “Monuments Men,” August 2019
  • Culture and criminality, May 2022
Posted in Arte, California, Campania, English, Foto, Italia, New York, Roma, Storia | 2 Comments

San Pellegrino (in italiano)

Posted on January 27, 2023 by babbityjean

San Pellegrino è uno dei marchi più importanti di acqua frizzante in bottiglia non solo in Italia, ma anche nel mondo. Dal 1395 San Pellegrino Terme in provincia di Bergamo (Lombardia) è la sorgente delle iconiche acque che in passato venivano chiamate “miracolose”. Anche Leonardo da Vinci visitò la città nel 1509 e in seguito scrisse un trattato sull’acqua. Nel corso dei secoli, i medici hanno raccomandato le acque a persone con malattie renali, alle vie urinarie o altre.

Il percorso dell’acqua minerale S. Pellegrino inizia a 700 metri sotto la superficie terrestre. Sgorga da sorgenti naturali ai piedi delle Alpi italiane. Ci vogliono un totale di 30 anni per raggiungere la superficie. Questo lungo viaggio rende l’acqua naturalmente ricca di sali minerali, calcio e magnesio. Quando l’acqua raggiunge l’impianto di imbottigliamento di San Pellegrino Terme, non viene assolutamente gassificata. All’inizio del 20° secolo, l’anidride carbonica veniva aggiunta per prevenire lo sviluppo di batteri, soprattutto durante i lunghi viaggi all’estero.

L’azienda San Pellegrino nasce nel 1899, e l’anno successivo aperte le terme. Poco dopo, sulle sponde opposte del fiume Brembo, sorsero il Grand Hotel e il Casinò, due gioielli architettonici tuttora in piedi. Inizia così il periodo di massimo splendore di San Pellegrino Terme. La borghesia europea accorreva in città per divertimento e svago, per assaggiare l’acqua e per mescolarsi con l’aristocrazia. Ospiti dell’hotel furono la regina Margherita di Savoia, la famiglia dello Zar di Russia, successori del re Farouk d’Egitto e negli anni ’60, Federico Fellini e Giulietta Massina.

Sia il Casinò che il Grand Hotel, progettati dall’architetto Romolo Squadrelli, rappresentano magnifici esempi di stile Art Nouveau (o Belle-Epoque). Il Casinò presenta una facciata imponente ma graziosa; al suo interno è dotato di un grande atrio con un’imponente scalinata divisa, colonne e intricate statue e affreschi. L’attività di gioco d’azzardo cessata nel 1946.  Oggi la struttura ospita eventi teatrali e culturali, ricevimenti nuziali, serate di gala, convegni aziendali e mostre. Il Grand Hotel è un enorme edificio di 7 piani con 250 camere; sia la facciata che gli arredi sono sfarzosi di statue, cariatidi, divinità e ghirlande. Tuttavia, gli alti costi di manutenzione e ristrutturazione dell’hotel ne hanno costretto la chiusura nel 1979.  Si attende ancora un salvatore.

Nel 2012 è stata introdotta una versione in plastica della bottiglia, ma la forma sia del vetro che della plastica è rimasta la stessa dalla sua origine nel 1899. Il packaging ha mantenuto i riferimenti originali al territorio: sul collo è raffigurata il Casinò con la data di fondazione. L’etichetta ha una filigrana bianca e blu che ricorda lo stile Belle Epoque. E la stella rossa era simbolo di prodotti di alta qualità esportati dall’Italia tra 1800 e 1900. 

Sia il 20° che il 21° secolo hanno visto molti cambiamenti nell’azienda. I macchinari introdotti e aggiornati dagli anni ’30 hanno aumentato la produttività. A partire dall’Aranciata, sono stati introdotti nuovi gusti. Nel 1997 l’azienda San Pellegrino è stata acquistata da Perrier Vittel, una divisione della Nestlé con sede in Svizzera. Tuttavia, il marchio viene ancora acquistato e imbottigliato a San Pellegrino Terme. Nello stabilimento San Pellegrino, infatti, vengono prodotte 50.000 bottiglie d’acqua ogni ora, per un totale di un milione di bottiglie al giorno, che comprende acqua frizzante e bibite aromatizzate. 

Diverse versioni dell’etichetta sono state create per collaborazioni, come quella recente con Stanley Tucci, attore americano e conduttore del documentario di viaggio e cibo della CNN intitolato Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Tucci è protagonista di uno spot pubblicitario per il marchio dell’acqua che è stato girato al Casinò. L’azienda ha anche emesso una confezione regalo “Stan Pellegrino” che include copie autografe dell’iconica acqua. 

Attualmente è in corso la costruzione della Fabbrica San Pellegrino del Futuro, che sarà sia una struttura di approvvigionamento, preparazione e imbottigliamento, sia un centro visitatori. Il design presenta archi e vetri per la vista degli splendidi dintorni, tra cui le Alpi e il fiume Brembo. I designer danesi, il Bjarke Ingels Group, hanno affermato che stanno cercando di creare “un quadro per la purezza e la limpidezza dell’acqua minerale in un ambiente caratterizzato da leggerezza, apertura e trasparenza”.

Posted in Alpe, Architecture, Cucina italiana, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Lombardia, Medicina, Storia | 1 Comment

San Pellegrino (in English)

Posted on January 27, 2023 by babbityjean

San Pellegrino is one of the foremost brands of bottled sparkling water not only throughout Italy, but also throughout the world.  Since 1395, San Pellegrino Terme in the province of Bergamo (Lombardy) has been the source of the iconic waters that in the past were called “miraculous.”  Even Leonardo da Vinci visited the town in 1509 and later wrote a treatise on water.  Over the centuries, doctors recommended the waters for people with kidney, urinary tract and other diseases.

The journey of S. Pellegrino mineral water starts at 700 meters (2,300 feet) below the surface.  It flows from natural springs in the foothills of the Italian Alps.  It takes a total of 30 years to reach the surface.  This long journey makes the water naturally rich in mineral salts, calcium and magnesium.  When the water reaches the bottling plant in San Pellegrino Terme, it is not naturally carbonated.  At the beginning of the 20th century, carbon dioxide was added to prevent the development of bacteria, especially during long overseas travels.

The San Pellegrino company was founded in 1899, and the spa opened the following year.  Soon thereafter the Grand Hotel and the Casinò, two architectural gems that are still standing, were built on opposite sides of the river Brembo.  And so, the heyday of San Pellegrino Terme began.  The European bourgeoisie flocked to the town for fun and entertainment, to sample the water, and to mix with the aristocracy.  Guests at the hotel included Queen Margherita of Savoy, the family of the Tsar of Russia, an entourage of King Farouk of Egypt and, in the 1960s, Federico Fellini and Giulietta Massina.

Both the Casinò and the Grand Hotel, designed by architect Romolo Squadrelli, represent magnificent examples of Art Nouveau (or Belle-Epoque) style.  The Casinò presents an imposing, yet graceful façade; inside it features a grand lobby with a massive split staircase, columns and intricate statues and frescoes.  Gambling operations ceased in 1946, and today the structure hosts theatrical and other cultural events, wedding receptions, gala evenings, business conventions and exhibitions.  The Grand Hotel is a huge 7-story building with 250 rooms; both the façade and furnishings are lavish with statues, caryatids, deities and garlands.  However, the high cost to maintain and renovate the hotel forced it closure in 1979.  It still awaits a savior.

Both the 20th and 21st century have seen many changes to the company.  Machinery introduced and upgraded since the 1930s increased productivity.  Beginning with Aranciata (orange), new flavors have been introduced.  In 1997 the company Sanpellegrino was bought by Perrier Vittel, a division of the Swiss-based Nestlé.  However, the brand is still sourced and bottled at San Pellegrino Terme.  In fact, 50,000 bottles of water are produced every hour in the San Pellegrino plant, for a total of one million bottles a day, which includes sparkling water and flavored soft drinks.

A plastic version of the bottle was introduced in 2012, but the shape of both glass and plastic has remained the same since its origin in 1899.  The packaging has maintained the original references to the territory: On the neck is a representation of the Casinò with the date of the founding below.  The label has a white and blue watermark reminiscent of the Belle Epoque style.  And the red star was a symbol of high-quality products exported from Italy between the 1800s and the 1900s.

Different versions of the label have been created for collaborations, such as the recent one with Stanley Tucci, American actor and host of the CNN food and travel documentary titled Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy. Tucci is featured in a commercial for the water brand that was filmed at the Casinò.  The company also issued a “Stan Pellegrino” gift box that includes autographed copies of the iconic water.

Construction is currently under way on the San Pellegrino Factory of the Future, which will be both a sourcing, preparation and bottling facility, as well as a visitor’s center.  The design features archways and glass for views of the gorgeous surroundings, including the Alps and the Brembo river.  The Danish designers, the Bjarke Ingels Group, said that they are seeking to create “a framework for the purity and clarity of the mineral water in an environment characterized by lightness, openness and transparency.”

Posted in Alpe, Architecture, English, Foto, Italia, Lombardia, Storia | Leave a comment