IL BEL PAESE – Italy from the Risorgimento to the First World War
(Museo d’Arte, Ravenna – 22nd February – 14th June 2015)
‘Fanciulla sulla roccia a Sorrento’ by Filippo Palizzi c.1871 – the painting chosen as the image for the Ravenna exhibition.
It is ironic that Italians still need reminding how beautiful their country is.
Constant political turmoil and endemic corruption can blind citizens to the fact that these ignoble events take place against a backdrop of natural splendour and architectural magnificence.
This excellent exhibition shows us why Italy still more than justifies being referred to as Il Bel Paese (“the beautiful country”), a term first coined in the Middle Ages by Dante and Petrarch. Continue reading
