Doing anything while trying to hold down a full time job (or, like 300 part time jobs) and managing to have some semblance of a social life is no easy feat. My hats off to anyone that goes above and beyond their usual commitments to do something else. Maybe it's just me, but for me it's been a bit of a struggle to find the right time and head space to write, slash and burn, re-write and then repeat the process again to complete my debut novel Vinyl Tiger. But my goal has been to write something that's like a good pop album. Something that is sometimes pulpy and fun, but that is also capable of packing a punch and sticking in your memory. Well, I'm really excited to announce that work on my debut novel is nearly finished meaning D-day(!) has almost arrived. I'll be blogging as usual here on paperlesstiger, but intend to keep the posts about Vinyl Tiger here to a minimum. In the lead up to its release, though, I've set up a Facebook page which will include some excerpts, some background information about the book, and information about where you'll be able to find it once it's released. If you're interested in learning more about the novel I'd encourage you to visit the Vinyl Tiger page on Facebook, and popping a 'like' onto it. A huge thanks for stopping by the blog, by the way. I really appreciate it. You can find the Vinyl Tiger Facebook page here.
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A FEW years back, I posted about the unfortunate situation here in Italy regarding the management of cultural heritage.
Actually, I have posted numerous times about how due to funding constraints, so much of the sector here seems to be run so poorly, and how the result is that it keeps a lot of Italy's remarkable heritage out of reach. It's really a bit of a hit and miss affair. Some collections and sites are maintained to best practice standards. Others are just laughably, and sadly, mismanaged. Anyhow, back in the past I noted that the world famous Riace bronzes were out of circulation. Back then, unless you happened to be working in art conservation, or on a guided tour of a conservation facility, you were likely to visit Calabria without seeing what are perhaps its most significant artistic objects. There's no denying Italy has one of the most spectacular collections of archaeological and artistic patrimony that exists in the world. Certainly, in Europe, there is no country that can match it for the breadth of interesting sites and for the mosaic of heritage that it represents. I think we often forget that Italy as we know it today was only formally united in 1861: prior to that it was a collection of states who had their own, distinct histories and traditions to call upon. Once upon a time, Italy was a collection of different nation states that had their own capitals, their own kingdoms, and often their own dialects. Often, certain swathes of the lands were part of larger political entities or broad, geographic zones. For artists and archaeologists it means that you have to look at different places across the peninsula in different ways: what was happening artistically and architecturally in one city may have been in complete opposition to something happening just a couple of hundred kilometres away. The way that most people absorb this idea is through the greatest hits tour of Rome-Venice-Florence. They are so dominant in the consciousness of people because as cities they are exceptionally interesting. I don't know anybody that isn't astounded by how amazing and different they are to each other. But so few people venture further afield because we tend to think that significant and eye popping history is only found in these particular clusters because there isn't enough being done to manage and promote collections further afield where what's on offer is just as extraordinary. Truth is that we can link a lot of Italy's history with larger, broader movements that occurred in the wider area. Beyond the greatest hits there's a wealth to dicover among the Roman empire, Byzantine capitals (including Ravenna), the kingdoms of Naples and Sicily, the Renaissance (hello central Italy) and the Vatican (there we are again, back to Rome and Vatican City) If Italy had a greatest hits album, those would be the shining hits. But there's a lot more on offer own south. Problem is, people are really tough on the south of Italy. There's a general us vs them mentality that divides Italy unequally into two. There are a lot of problems in some parts of the south that account for this, but on a bigger scale, I think we underestimate the resentment people have in the south because we tend to underestimate how history in a place like Europe can really live on in the minds of its people. Before the modern day narrative kicked in, where Italy's north triumphed in economic and political terms, it was in fact the south which was the richest part of the lands. Over time, the North's pillaging of the South's riches and manufacturing industries turned Italian society on its ear and into the Italy we recognise today. It's only now that some historians are acknowledging this significant and unjust turn of events. With the complete U-turn of Italy's economy towards the north, a disparity of wealth was created: a giant ghetto of sorts that has still not been addressed despite a lot of measures having been taken to try and promote more investment and interest in the southern Italian regions to redress the situation. These days, a lot of people are heading South again, simply because the poorer states offer better value for money and because their beaches are amongst Europe's most beautiful. But the South, in addition to having once been the centre of the Italian economy, was also an area which was pivotal for its ongoing contact with the ancient centre of civilization and economy: (modern day) Greece. Amazing how a few thousand years can change things so completely and how a trip here today can make you feel like you're not in Italy but in a former Eastern bloc country. So, why the meandering, pick and mix history lesson? Because it's important to acknowledge that places like Calabria and Puglia (and Sicily) played incredibly important parts in (pre)Italian history. Those three regions (along with Basilicata) formed the bulk of Magna Grecia, an area that was first settled by the Greeks in the 8th century BC. The establishment of Magna Grecia brought with it an incredible exchange of ideas and economy in the south of the Mediterranean that continued until the Romans eventually prevailed. If you need an indication of how mighty Magna Grecia was, you need only consider that places like Naples and Syracusa were born out of this Hellenic past, and remained Hellenic cities until the Romans prevailed in the 3rd century BC. A visit to any of the southern states will reveal at least some level of the Hellenic golden era. And it is this vestige that makes the now poorer southern states of Calabria and Puglia (and Sicily) so much more historically important than the stereotype of mafia and crime will have you believe. The problem is, that until recently, economic issues have obscured this and left a giant vacuum of power and economy across the region that has been filled in unfortunate ways. This is the slower vehicle in the two speed Italian economy, and it's not a coincidence that many people here still see Naples as being their nominal capital rather than Rome, because once upon a time, the southern states here were part of the Two Kingdoms (Sicily and Naples) which, despite the modern day turn, was documented as once being the most socially and economically advanced of the old Italianite kingdoms. Nothing like a good road trip!
As I have a friend who is working away on a television series in Calabria, used that as an excuse for a road trip over to Reggio Calabria and the surrounds. Never been before and don't know how likely I would be to return but the Calabrian coastline is amazing and there were some memorable (and out of this world) moments. UPDATE: The photo in this post was taken at the National Archaeological Museum in Reggio Calabria, Calabria's capital city. In the past there has been criticism that the restoration work being carried out in Calabria has meant that a lot of art and artifacts have been left off limits to the public. So, when you arrive at the museum, one of the first things you get to see is a beautiful, intricately carved statue which is also undergoing restoration. It's a smart move and one that has you wondering how many other treasures does this place have in its pocket that it has not yet brought out? I know a lot of y'all aren't fans of Madge. She's past her relevancy date/she's old/she has nothing new to say/blah blah blah. Well, fashionistas, last year may have been all about the bolero, but this year it's all about the cape. And for someone who has baited and borrowed from the Catholic Church so much, it must be refreshing to have them finally repay the favour. Case in point. In one of these videos, someone who works in a trashy, showbiz style environment where moral guidelines are murky and questionable is making their grand entrance. And in the other, Madonna does the same thing. All I will say is that there are a lot of rebel hearts out there, and you can always count on Spanish fans to bring it! A lovely confluence of the matador meets the church. Thank you Archbishop of Valencia! |
Dave
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Dave Di Vito is a writer, teacher and former curator.He's also the author of the Vinyl Tiger series and Replace The Sky.
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