Rondanini Pieta

Everyone knows Michelangelo’s famous Pieta in Rome, in St Peters in the Vatican, but the sculptor worked on another of the same theme near the end of his life, from around 1555 to his death in 1564 at the age of 88. It was great to see it, for the first time, a couple of days ago in the Castello Sforza in Milan. The sculpture is unfinished and gives the impression of a three-dimensional sketch in marble. This image shows the faces of Mary and Christ, just roughed out and displaying the chisel marks of the work. By this time the artist must have had pain in every one of his joints. Perhaps he hoped that the same pity evoked in the statue would be extended to him when his soul was judged.

Portofino

Portofino, a picturesque little harbour on the Ligurian Coast of Italy (Genoa is the principal city), is the best known of the scenic little spots of the ‘Cinque Terre’ or ‘Five Lands’. It’s the heart of the Italian Riviera. This is, I suppose, the ‘classic’ view, taken from the Castle Brown, which was built by an English Consul in the 1800s. The super-rich anchor their yachts here and take in the sunshine, which was plentiful today. In September the Italians, and others who come here, are taking what’s left of summer on the beaches and rocks. The waters are crystalline and have all those appealing and radiant Mediterranean hues. The name of Portofino is a corruption, taking place over the centuries, of the Roman name for the port: Porto Delphino, or ‘Port of the Dolphins’, which got shortened to the modern form.