L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano c h u r c h , t h a t o f S a n Lorenzo, as well as part of the village itself, were also b u i l t . T h a n k s t o i t s p o s i t i o n , P o r t o v e n e r e b e c a m e p a r t i c u l a r l y i m p o r t a n t a s a m i l i t a r y o u t p o s t d u r i n g t h e w a r between Genoa and Pisa to control the Tyrrhenian Sea. In 1494, it was attacked by the Aragonese, but Genoa rebuilt its fortifications, n a m i n g t h e m a f t e r i m p o r t a n t s a i n t s , S a i n t F r a n c i s a n d S a i n t Ambrose. W h e n N a p o l e o n B o n a p a r t e c o n q u e r e d Northern Italy, at the very end of the 18th century, Portovenere became part of the Dipartimento del Golfo di Venere. Portovenere's magic and connection with art began earlier than the times of Byron and Shelley: here, in t h e 1 5 t h c e n t u r y , Simonetta Vespucci was born. Her name may say nothing to you, but you are likely to be very familiar with her features, as she w a s S a n d r o B o t t i c e l l i ' s muse. And because of the c o n n e c t i o n b e t w e e n t h e v i l l a g e a n d t h e g o d d e s s Venus, many believe that Botticelli was inspired by t h e s e a i n f r o n t o f Portovenere when it came t o p a i n t i n g h i s f a m o u s "Birth of Venus." E u g e n i o M o n t a l e celebrated Portovenere in a n e p o n y m o u s p o e m , i n which the village becomes a t i m e l e s s p l a c e , w h e r e land and sea merge into one another, while the line between myth and reality, past and future, poetry and life disappears: There — comes Triton from the waves that lap the threshold of a Christian temple, and every near hour is ancient. Every doubt takes you by hand as if by a young girl friend. There — no one's eyes nor ears are bent on self. Here — you are at the origins and deciding is foolish: re-begin later to dusk or intently observing the horizon melting into t h e s e a f r o m t h e promontory. In fact, the connection between the British poet and war hero and Portovenere is found a l s o i n a s p e c i a l p l a c e n a m e d a f t e r h i m , t h e grotta di Byron, Byron's grotto. Officially known C a l a d e l l ' A r p a i a , i t i s believed Byron would come here to find inspiration for h i s p o e t r y , w h e n s o inclined. From its location to its name, from its connection to the goddess of beauty a n d l o v e , a l l t h e w a y t o Botticelli's muse and to the most gifted quills of the assume a nature. B e f o r e N o b e l P r i z e M o n t a l e , o t h e r s p o e t s loved Portovenere, George Byron and Percy Shelley -- along with his famous wife M a r y , a u t h o r o f Frankenstein -- in primis. For them, well-to-do artists coming from the British h i g h b o u r g e o i s i e , t h e Italian Riviera was part of t h e G r a n d T o u r t h a t brought so many of their generation to the continent in search of inspiration. But the Riviera di Levante i s p e r h a p s t h e m o s t p r e c i o u s t o t h e m , a l o n g w i t h N i c e a n d h e r C ô t e d'Azur, their presence still f e l t a n d s e n s e d t h r o u g h buildings, street names and a t m o s p h e r e i n m a n y villages in these areas. While in Portovenere, it's easy to understand why it attracted artists so much. B e s i d e t h e b r e a t h t a k i n g b e a u t y o f i t s s e a a n d landscape the village itself i s d r e a m y , w i t h i t s medieval churches and the Doria Castle, but especially with its narrow alleys and colorful homes along the s e a s i d e , s o t y p i c a l o f L i g u r i a . I t ' s e a s y t o imagine the melancholic, troubled, romantic Byron walking along its streets at p a s t 3 0 0 y e a r s , P o r t o v e n e r e s h o u l d b e c o n s i d e r e d m o r e t h a n a tourist destination: it's a place of quiet and serenity, of delicate beauty where connecting with nature is simple and seeing beyond the veil of reality possible, if we only take the time to sit down and look. The church of Saint Peter and the Doria Castle (Photo: Kirk Fisher/Dreamstime) Continued from page 20 The colors of Liguria in Portovenere (Photo: Iryna1/Dreamstime) ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES Eugenio Montale celebrated Portovenere in an eponymous poem, in which the village becomes a timeless place, where land and sea merge into one another, while the line between myth and reality, past and future, poetry and life disappears

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