Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Rejoicing of the Law
The Feast of the Rejoicing of the Law at the Synagogue in Leghorn (Livorno)
1850, oil on canvas by Solomon Alexander Hart (1806-1881)
The Jewish Museum, New York
1850, oil on canvas by Solomon Alexander Hart (1806-1881)
The Jewish Museum, New York
Using one of the artist's few observations of a Jewish structure during his Italian tour, the work shows the interior of the magnificent synagogue in Leghorn, originally built in 1591.
This interior is perhaps the foremost example of the lavish redecoration common to Italian synagogues in the eighteenth century. Hart captures a romantic vision of the exotic dress of his Italian coreligionists as they parade the scrolls of the Law on Simhat Torah, the feast of the rejoicing of the Law.
This marks the end of the fall harvest festival, Sukkot, and is the holy day on which the yearly cycle of reading the Pentateuch ends, immediately beginning again with Genesis.
(Masterworks of the Jewish Museum, New York, 2004)
The old synagogue was destroyed in the Second World War, but some of its balusters survive in the tebah of the new one.See also: Synagogue of Livorno - Inside the Synagogue - Moses Montefiore
External links: The Jewish Museum, New York
Search labels: synagogue
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Welcome Back Pogoria
Once in a while the training ship “Pogoria” comes back to Livorno.
The Polish barquentine is based in Genoa and usually sails in the Mediterranean, to take part to some Tall Ship Races in summer.
Yesterday afternoon she was berthing at the Capitaneria pier.
It is always nice to see her calling back at our port safe and sound after the near disaster of July 2009 in the Baltic sea.See also: Pogoria - STS Pogoria - Goodbye, Pogoria!
External links: Pogoria (Official website) - Troubled Polish Ship Towed into Hanko Harbour (YLE)
Friday, February 11, 2011
Civic Center
The new Civic Center in the “Corea” quarter of Livorno opened last year. The roomy and bright building houses several decentralized municipal offices and a media library.
A long balcony on the eastern side of the building offers a vantage point over the quickly changing neighborhood.
The old council houses of the densely populated neighborhood are being gradually walled up and torn down, to make room for more modern public housings.Thursday, February 10, 2011
Lantern
Luckily not all of our street lights are rusty or stripped to the bare essentials: here is a simple but quite nice one in “Via Magenta”.See also: Rust Never Sleep - Temporary Forever - Low-Cost Lamp Post
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Coat of Arms
This is the old version of the city of Livorno coat of arms, hanging just above the main entrance of our town hall. The royal crown has been recently updated to a mural crown.
In this 1926 image we can see that during the Fascist period two “fasci” were added to the crest, to be quickly chipped away after the fall of the regime.See also: Mural Crown - Town Hall - Piazza del Municipio
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Cloudy Day
A bend in the “Fosso Reale” (Royal Canal), opposite where once was the “Bastione San Cosimo”. In fact, the canal was a moat.
A garlanded votive image on a facade in “Piazza Grande”.
An interesting display in a “Via Maggi” shop window.
Paintings at the Sunday market in “Piazza Cavour”.
The cheered-up black basket of a grey bicycle.More Walks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
