L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ,2016 www.italoamericano.org 17 L'Italo-Americano SIMONE SANNIO ALL AROUND ITALY TRAVEL TIPS DESTINATIONS ACTIVITIES A mong all the American "italophiles" that have contributed to the shaping and defining of our current idea of Italy over the last centuries, Henry James seems to be an out- standingly meticulous observer. Not only has this great writer detailed the relationship between Americans and Europeans at large in his most famous novels, he also wrote extensively about the Bel Paese in his travel jour- nals and essays, to begin with those collected in Italian Hours (1909). In a sense, this product of James' forty years of wandering through the Italian peninsula con- tinues to be valuable even today, if only as a sort of century-old handbook for those travelers who want to visit Italy by re-discover- ing long-forgotten paths in search of remote places that time has possibly left unchanged. Of course, as a passionate stu- dent of Italian culture and art, James did as well include in his itinerary the main steps of the classical Grand Tour, with a lot of pages devoted to the impressions of Venice, Rome, and Florence. If it weren't for the usual land- marks, though, these cities would now seem almost unrecognizable to the modern tourist: sure enough, the writer himself – who visited these locations again and again between the 19 th and 20 th centuries – had already warned how the passing of time threat- ened to disconnect Italy's ancient beauties and its new industrial reality. In fact, James felt that even the simple changes in the way of visiting over four decades – first by coach, then by train, then by car – somehow contributed to make Italy and the USA look too much alike: an assumption rein- forced by epiphanies such as the one the writer experienced in noticing that the votive taper of a Tuscan wayside shrine was fed with kerosene. But however cities like Florence may have modern- ized during the last hundred years, none of the places visited by this author has probably been preserved better than Tuscany and its countryside. After all, many are the unspoiled land- scapes in this "genial" region that still provide present-day tourists with the "exquisite sense of the scarce expressible Tuscan quali- ty" by which James was also struck. To experience a similar sense of timeless beauty, each traveler may just look at the vivid words that this writer had, for example, for the beautiful tower in Siena's Piazza del Campo, in itself "a Declaration of Independence". Or one can simply follow James' footsteps firsthand on the road to Cortona, Volterra, Montepulciano, or San Gimignano. Yet the best way to lose yourself in this author's self- proclaimed "luxury of loving Italy" while at the same time exploring less-traveled roads is to look for the unusual attractions that lie hidden between the lines of Italian Hours. Once again, some of the most interesting are to be found in Tuscany. For instance, you can surely quench your thirst for ancient times by embarking on the jour- ney through the woods that sur- round the Vincigliata Castle. If you have never heard about this once-popular location near Fiesole it is because, unfortunate- ly, its breathtaking gardens, ter- race and courtyard are now used mainly as a wedding venue. But even if you do not really plan on marrying in the near future, the castle should nonetheless arouse your curiosity. Built roughly a thousand years ago, around 1840 – some decades before James passed by – the fortification was raised from its ruins by the rich English lord John Temple Leader, who acquired it with the intention to "restore" its medieval glory and thus fulfill his Romantic dream: the result, after ten years of works, was "a massive facsimi- le, an elegant museum of archaic images, mainly but most amus- ingly counterfeit, perched on a spur of the Apennines". However it may have seemed kitschy to James, the "sense of the past" the castle exudes is reinforced by a local legend, according to which the spirit of Donna Bianca – a young girl who died on her wed- ding day, after she witnessed the assassination of her betrothed from the main tower – still roams in the silent halls of Vincigliata, protecting all the lovers who will marry here. Ultimately, this is just an example of the many unconven- tional itineraries that can be inspired by James' pilgrimages. Another of these excursions off the beaten track, at least, is worth-considering before we Ancient center of village Volterra, Tuscany, Italy— Photo by kavita leave each traveler to his or her adventures. The advice is to take all the time you need to look around the "pictured convent of Monte Oliveto" near Asciano (Siena), a 14 th century Benedectine abbey overlooking the Crete Senesi. Even if the paved uphill route may not be as evocative as in James' times, you might meet a lonely abate (abbot) there, similar to the solitary over- seer that the writer captured under the frescoed masterpieces by Luca Signorelli and Il Sodoma: just further evidence that – in spite of all the noise of modern life – Italy still offers all visitors a wide range of journeys through the past. Italian Hours, Tuscan Notes: A Taste of Henry James' "Luxury of Loving Italy" Cortona is one of the most ancient Etruscan town and given the elevated position 600 meters it enjoys a wonderful view over the whole Valdichiana— Photo by robertonencini

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