A newly-found Caravaggio

Mission accomplished! After several years studying the DNA of hundreds of bones, a group of anthropologists at the Bologna University has found the bodily remains of the great artist Caravaggio, who died at 38 in Porto Ercole. The investigation required very precise and sophisticated analysis, particularly using the Carbon 14 radiocarbon dating method.

As four centuries ago painters used lead in their colors, lead was found also in the bones of Michelangelo Merisi called the Caravaggio.

This was not an easy achievement. In the San Sebastiano cemetery , a lot has changed since Caravaggio was buried in there. One of the most recent changes occurred in 1929 when many remains were thrown together in a deep common grave, and they were exhumed only in 1956. Caravaggio’s remains were precisely among the bones in the deepest grave, the most difficult to explore.

Pegeen Vail Guggenheim in Venice

More than 40 years ago, Peggy Guggenheim was informed of her daughter's death Pegeen by a telegram while on a trip to Mexico. In her autobiography, Peggy Guggenheim wrote, "(this was in Mexico) I was informed of the terrible news of the death of my daughter, my darling Pegeen that was for me a mother, a friend and a sister.. "
Pegeen Vail Guggenheim was long forgotten. Her little son, Benjamin Hélion with Benjamin Lanot, both authors bring to life the painter in an illustrated biography: PEGEEN VAIL GUGGENHEIM. At the same time an exhibition is devoted to the Guggenheim in Venice to celebrate Pegeen and her painting.

Peggy Guggenheim Collection
Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
Dorsoduro 701I-30123 Venezia
www.guggenheim-venice.it

The important things

Becoming a father is a huge change in a man’s life, as he needs to change the center of gravity in his life, from himself to his children, from learning to teaching. This is real life: unforeseeable, surprising, and extraordinary.

This and much more is at the core of "Le cose fondamentali" (Einaudi), the latest book by Tiziano Scarpa, just being published, a year and a half after the great success of his Stabat Mater winner of the Strega literary Prize.

Literary contest "un dito nell'occhio": the winners are...

SIGHT: Un'ultima occhiata (Brynja, Kópavogur, ICELAND)

Ho saputo che il mio babbo stava lottando contro il cancro da due anni, ma lui era sempre ottimista ed ero fiducioso che sarebbe guarito. Così ho tardato ad andare da lui, anche perchè c‘erano 400 chilometri tra noi. L‘ho spesso chiamato al telefono, e lui parlava di suoi progetti per il futuro, come al solito ~ era ancora un uomo piuttosto giovane e aveva molto da fare.
Poi mia sorella mi ha telefonato per dirmi che dovevo andare là, se volevo prendere commiato da lui. Una settimana dopo sono salito sull‘aereo diretto a nord. Durante il volo, ho usato il tempo per prendere nota di alcune cose di cui parlare con lui, una sorta di “lettere a mio padre“.
Mia sorella mi aspettava all‘ aeroporto e mi ha subito detto che nostro babbo era peggiorato ed era entrato in coma. Mi ha accompagnato in macchina velocemente fino all‘ospedale .
Mi aveva avvertito che la malattia – e il trattamento – avevano avuto un effetto negativo, però non ero preparato a quell‘aspetto che avevo di fronte. Non conoscevo quell‘uomo anziano che stava là. Solo allora, quando ho preso le sue mani, l‘ho riconosciuto come mio padre. Conoscevo bene quelle grandi e forti mani .
Mentre leggevo ad alta voce la lettera d‘addio, con le lacrime agli occhi, avrei voluto che lui mi guardasse un‘ultima volta, ma non è accaduto.

TOUCH: Risarcimento danni (Carlos, Valencia , SPAIN)

Mi piacciono le curve delle donne. Ogni mattina quando prendo l’autobus per andare a lavorare, mi appoggio su di loro, delicatamente come se non lo facessi di proposito: in fin dei conti sono cieco e quindi molto credibile. Se così non fosse, verrei sicuramente preso a schiaffi. Quando “per caso” la mia mano sfiora, col dorso, una morbida natica, il corpo della sventurata si irrigidisce, fa uno scatto nel voltarsi per reagire, ma poi vede il bastone bianco, gli occhiali scuri e accetta l’oltraggio fino alla fermata successiva.Potrò sembrarvi un approfittatore, ma dal momento che sono cieco dalla nascita, vivo questa mia depravazione come un risarcimento danni. Se avessi 10 diottrie su 10 sarei un maniaco ma così sono solo un povero disgraziato.Oggi però mi è successa una cosa strana: sono salito sul 3 in direzione ospedale, seguendo un buon profumo francese, elegante e sofisticato, sono avanzato nel corridoio centrale con il palmo della mano sinistra ciondolante, ma bello aperto e TAC, raggiungo la miglior natica della mia vita, gentile e muscolosa, stretta su una fascia di viscosa.Nell’autobus risuona un vocione: “Ehi Ray Charles quello è il mio culo!”. Mi scuso balbettando per l’imbarazzo, poi con un accento straniero il possessore di tanta perfezione, a bassa voce, mi dice: “ciao! Io sono Carlo e anche Consuelo, ti interessa l’articolo?”. Rifiuto cordialmente, ma la mia vita da oggi è più felice perché ho scoperto che mi piacciono anche le curve degli uomini!

Giovanni, Paolo and the mystery of the puppets: the antimafia cartoons

Rosalba Vitellaro and Alessandra Viola are two very creative and professional Sicilian women, who are madly in love with cartoons.
One day, while driving to the beach, they are listening to a song by the Sicilian songwriter Carmen Consoli dedicated to Giovanni Falcone, the prosecution Attorney killed by the Mafia. “I think it would be wonderful to make a cartoon about Falcone and Paolo Borsellino [the other D.A. killed by a mafia bomb] – says Rosalba –. The new generations do not even know who they were and what they did.” It took the two artists a longer time than expected to make the idea come true. Nonetheless, thanks to Raitrade – which presented the cartoon at the international buyer convention in Cannes and will distribute it worldwide-, Raifiction production, Larcadarte – a Palermo production company- and the Sicily region, the project was finally realized. "Giovanni e Paolo e il mistero dei pupi” is now a 26-minute long cartoon, which develops a sophisticated metaphor of good versus evil, with the magic soundtrack by Samples from Verona. Alessandra explains the project: «We want it to be a fantastic story because it needed to reach the youngest audience in school and on TV in the most efficient way. The message had to be clear and unmistakable. We didn’t want the good characters to succumb in the end, and the evil characters to be charming and fascinating. The cartoon tells the story of two best friends, Giovanni and Paolo, who in the 1950s are getting ready for the celebrations at Saint Rosalia Festival. Unfortunately, the happy atmosphere is spoiled by the evil Mago Malvagio who transforms in puppets those who ask him for help. The two children fight with all their strength to “free” the puppets and will eventually succeed thanks to the help of other children and their parents. The evil Mago Malvagio will be ultimately defeated, though his shadow will survive and will be reincarnated in another evil person.” Hence, as the cartoon wishes to teach, one should never lower its guard and be always vigilant against evil, which can take any shape, even of a shadow.
The cartoon was approved by Maria Falcone – sister of Giovanni Falcone – and by the widow Borsellino, who both were involved in the project since the beginning.

Studying languages is good for your health!

According to a recent research at the Tel Aviv University, studying a foreign language keeps the mind young. It has being discovered that elderly people who speak more than one language are lucid and alert. This is because different languages stimulate different neurological processes, thus contributing to the health of the brain, as well as a better mental flexibility. So, remember: being multilingual keeps your brain young!

Also, several medical studies show that studying foreign languages help fighting brain degenerative diseases.