Success! We made it back to Catania yesterday and finally got to see the Burri and Fontana exhibit. Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana are two of Italy's most influential artists of the 20th century. It's an interesting exhibit in a beautiful space. I loved the mingling of the bold, abstract pieces with the graceful, traditional surroundings.The Pallazo Valle underwent a dramatic renovation between 2004-2008. I also loved having Camille with us. She flitted back and forth between the windows overlooking the courtyard and the gallery spaces where she was drawn to the geometric designs and textures, especially the large slashes and holes that characterize their work. We kept our visit fairly short because that's what happens when you have a four year old companion, but plan on returning in the near future for a more detailed visit.If you can't make it to the show, here's a partial on-line tour. But really, like most things, it is so much better in person because you can see the textures, the size, and the beautiful gallery space. Here are the details for those in the local area:
Pallazo Valle, Catania, Sicily8 euro entrance fee, 5 euro for English audio guide.
Free on Tuesdays and Friday evening (5-7pm).
Closed on Mondays
The exhibit is scheduled to end on March 14th
We never got to see the Burri Fontana exhibit yesterday because the museum was closed, but luckily there was a fabulous photography exhibit directly across the street at the Palazza Del La Cultura. Fabrizio Villa is an amazing documentary photographer and his images of the St. Agatha festival are stunning. Images that make you gasp, smile, and stare in wonder. It got us pretty fired up for Friday night and also convinced me that the kids will be staying home with a sitter...enormous crowds, late night, lots of burning candles: probably not a good kid outing (at least not for our first experience of the festival). The exhibit is free and open until February 14th.
The other bonus of the exhibit is its' location. The Palazzo Del La Cultura is a beautifully restored monastery in the heart of Catania (a block behind the Duomo) that is now an exhibition space/cultural events center. We visited the center a few months ago for a fabulous bug exhibit but there didn't seem to be any English speaking staff members so we weren't sure of the history or even the current uses of the building. In addition to the photo exhibit yesterday we had the good fortune of meeting one of their staff members. She was in the midst of restoring a very old, wooden crucifix and body of Christ. Actually it was kind of an eery discovery. Walking down a hall of arches I saw a woman in a white coat working over a body:
I thought I was going to get in trouble for taking photographs, but instead we were escorted into her work space and handed an English explanation of the work in progress. Below is a pic of Christ's arm with a selection of beautiful pigments. It was a wonderful work space filled with light and an interesting assortment of tools. 
It turns out however that we didn't need the paper. Her English was excellent and in addition to talking about her current project, she also gave us a private tour of the current exhibits and even showed us a corner of the building with a staircase descending into a lower level of the monastery that was believed to be St. Agatha's home.
I love these kinds of days and they seem to happen frequently in Italy. Days when our original plans suddenly vanish and are replaced with adventures we never imagined possible. And we aren't the only ones with interesting Italian discoveries. Check out Blogging from the Boot which has a selection of ex-pat blog entries from 2009. I submitted a couple of mine and was honored to make it to the finalist stage. I didn't realize it was a voting sort of competition so I feel kind of awkward about that, but I have enjoyed reading the mix of experiences and perspective. Take a look. No pressure to vote, but wanted to pass it along.
Success! We made it back to Catania yesterday and finally got to see the Burri and Fontana exhibit. Alberto Burri and Lucio Fontana are two of Italy's most influential artists of the 20th century. It's an interesting exhibit in a beautiful space. I loved the mingling of the bold, abstract pieces with the graceful, traditional surroundings.The Pallazo Valle underwent a dramatic renovation between 2004-2008. I also loved having Camille with us. She flitted back and forth between the windows overlooking the courtyard and the gallery spaces where she was drawn to the geometric designs and textures, especially the large slashes and holes that characterize their work. We kept our visit fairly short because that's what happens when you have a four year old companion, but plan on returning in the near future for a more detailed visit.
