Tandem Spirits Hit the Road on Vacation
The TandemSpirits love to travel, but we don’t particularly like long drives, especially since only one of us can actually drive a car. In August, we normally head up to Wildhaus, Switzerland to hang out with our German friends Ute and Winnie and escape the 37 – 40 degree heat (98 – 104F). Wildhaus is an 9 – 10 hour drive from Foligno, so we break it up into several smaller segments.
This year, on the voyage north, we visited two cities that we have not been to before: Ferrara and Bergamo. On the way back we revisited Mantua which we visited in 2015. (More about that in our next post!)
Ferrara - Renaissance art and architecture.
We arrived in Ferrara shortly ahead of lunchtime. We took some time to walk around the center. Since it was hot, we decided to have salads. Frutta Stella was the perfect place. We ordered the Prosciutto and Melon and the salad with tuna. Both were much bigger than expected.
We spent that day and the next morning in Ferrara. The cathedral is closed for restoration, but we saw quite a few fascinating sights.
The Palazzo Schifanoia (Unesco web site: .https://www.ferraradeltapo-unesco.it/en/delizie/schifanoia/ )This palace was built for the Este family, which ruled Ferrara from 1391 – 1505, in 1385 for Alberto V D’Este and expanded over time. The Hall of the Months frescos in the large reception hall were done by Francesco del Cossa and Ercole de’ Roberti.
We were also impressed by a collection of illuminated texts. These are incredibly beautiful and if we had our own museum, we would have rooms filled with them!
The Basilica of Santa Maria in Vada. The current church was built in 1494,
The Palazzina Maarfisa D’Estate, which also had an interesting photo exhibit.
The Castello Estenese
The Castello Estenese: This was the actual castle of the Este rulers. In addition to the painted ceilings, there was a exhibition of paintings by Giovanni Battista Cream, a painter from Ferrara. We were very impressed by this artist who was known for the style called Divisionism.
The Cathedral Museum
The Cathedral Museum. We spent quite a lot of time looking at the illuminated songbooks they had on display. They are so intricately designed and the colors are spectacular.
Delicious Lunch!
We couldn’t leave Ferrara without having a nice lunch at Enoteca al Brindisi which is right next to the Cathedral. We ate some very local dishes: Virginia ordered the Cappellacci di Zucca which large pasta stuffed with butternut squash and served with a sage-butter sauce. I ordered the Pasticcio di Maccheroni.
Virginia’s Cappellacci were stuffed with squash and were served with butter-sage sauce. Quite common in this part of Italy. My Pasticcio di Maccheroni was quite a surprise. Here’s a descritpion: it is a specialty dish of Ferrara. This elaborate treat is made with a mixture of maccheroni pasta, truffles, rich meat ragù, and nutmeg-flavored béchamel, all wrapped up in sweet shortcrust pastry, decoratively shaped to resemble a priest’s hat.
BERGAMO - Beautiful and Enchanting
Our next stop was in Bergamo, which is divided into the lower city and the older, ancient, walled, upper city. A short funicular ride takes you from the lower city to the upper city. Bergamo is a charming, vibrant city with lots to see.
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore was incredible. (Link to virtual tour: https://www.fondazionemia.it/it/basilica/visita/tour-virtuale.) Begun in 1137 and consecrated in 1273, the exterior has remained unchanged. The interior is spectacular. The frescoes on the northern and southern wall are from the 14th century, and there are scores of beautiful works dating all the way up too the 17th century. One of the most impressive works was the wooden confessional carved by Andrea Fontoni in 1704.
We also went to the Museo delle storie di Bergamo. (https://www.museodellestorie.bergamo.it/en/ ) . The view from the Camponone was amazing, They also had some creative and informative multi-media and interactive exhibits about the history of the area.
It goes without saying that we also had some delicious food while we were there.
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