Category: Italy, Travel, and Culture
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Sargent & Spain
I did not see much of Sofonisba’s influence at the San Francisco Legion of Honor exhibition Sargent & Spain. I thought I would see her influence since he went to Spain to study the historic painters. But then I saw this painting, and I instantly thought of Sofonisba’s portrait of Eleonora de Medici at the…
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How The Godfather Movies Changed My Life: A Proud Granddaughter of Abruzzo
Adapted from Il Cenacolo San Francisco lecture, San Francisco Italian Athletic Club March 17, 2022 My paternal grandfather was born in Atri Abruzzo in 1894 and emigrated to America at the age of 18. My paternal grandmother was born in Casoli di Atri Abruzzo in 1906. Both of her parents died in the Spanish flu…
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Lady in Ermine in Rome
Lady in Ermine and Sofonisba in Rome with Domina, the novel and new series based on the life of Livia, another historic woman with a story to tell.
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Happy International Women’s Day
And thank you, Leticia Ruiz, for the beautiful curation of the exhibition.
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The Queen’s Gambit Meet Lady In Ermine
With the success of The Queen’s Gambit, Sofonisba’s Chess Game is relevant again. Sofonisba wove a narrative of her own Queen’s Gambit right into the game played in her 1555 masterpiece. It’s dramatized in Lady in Ermine, Chapter Four, “The Chess Game.” I think Sofi would enjoy this series and it’s focus on women and…
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Sofonisba’s Legacy of Invezione Today
I’m delighted to read of Genova’s successful near-completion of the bridge that collapsed so very recently, in 2018. It gives me a feeling of optimism, literally a bridge for the future, inspiring. I can’t resist connecting the success of this modern-day project with Sofonisba’s life of creative invention (invenzione/inventione). Sofonisba and her husband lived in…
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GAME OF THRONES FINALE: THE WRITER MAKES HISTORY
The long awaited Game of Thrones finale was made for historians to love. It modeled so many historical elements. And having gotten the big battles over with earlier in the season, the finale could focus on characters and legacy. Isn’t that what any good legend needs? Tyrion says as much when he nominates Bran. Who…
Lady In Ermine: The Story of A Woman Who Painted The Renaissance 