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Gnomonic Tour Italy 2004 NEWS n. 1
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Translation by Riccardo Anselmi
Dear friends,
As you know the Coordinamento Gnomonico Italiano (CGI) is organizing a gnomonical tour for next October 2004, with the collaboration and the attendance of the British Sundial Society (BSS). There is no need to say that this event is very important, as we officially host in Italy the biggest gnomonical society in the world. Here we have some relating updates both regarding the programme and the costs.
Length of the tour
The tour will last 8 days, from the 17th till the 23rd October 2004. Perhaps, it may seem to be a little too long, but it follows the idea of the BSS members of planning a gnomonical tourist tour under the organization of David Young and Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd. Anyhow it will be possible to join the tour even partially, choosing thepreferred stages described in the following lines.
This gnomonical tour happens to be the first of its kind to be organized by the CGI, and if it is successful, it will be replicated in future, maybe annually, with different routes lasting only a few days.
The stages and the dates of the tour
Sunday 17th - Tuesday 19th : ROME
The BSS members will arrive in Rome Saturday 16th, in the afternoon. Their logistic point of reference is the Hotel Albani (www.romaclick.it/hotel/tutti/1940.php). In their programme, after seeing quickly the sights of Rome, a visit to the noon-mark dial (Meridiana) in S.Maria degli Angeli is planned, under the guidance of Mario Catamo, thereafter to the catoptrical sundial in the convent of Trinità dei Monti, to the Spada Palace, to the August's Sundial and, finally, to the noon-mark dial in the Room of the Winds in Vatican City. Very short gnomonic conferences will be held, in the evening, in the hotel.
Let's see the details of the programme, subdivided in the three days of staying in Rome:
Sunday 17th
A relaxing day in Villa Borghese, to admire the magnificent public park, the sculpture, the paintings and the finest furnishings. A short coach tour of the city and a visit to the obelisk in front of the Parliament, once gnomon of the famous sundial of the emperor August. The tour carries on to Saint Mary of Angels, the church containing the noon-mark dial by Bianchini, under Mario Catamo's guidance. Return to the hotel for supper.
Monday 18th
Coach trip to Oliveto, about 40 km far away from Rome, to the Sir Mark's estate, the so-called "Meridiana" , where an interesting catoptrical gnomonic complex has been realised. The group will spend the day guest of the local British organisers. Back to the hotel and a short gnomonic conference after supper.
Tuesday 19th
Sightseeing tour of Rome, visit to Spada Palace and to the catoptrical sundial in the convent of The Trinità dei Monti. The trip will continue towards the Vatican City in order to admire the dial in the Room of the Winds.
Wednsday 20th: departure for RAVENNA by coach, stop in FLORENCE
From now onwards the direction of the tour is under the CGI. We'll visit the centre of Florence, the Dome of Santa Maria del Fiore with the baptistery,the noon-mark dial by Toscanelli, Giotto's steeple, the Ponte Vecchio,and the Museum of History of the Science. Stop for lunch in a pre-arranged restaurant. Arrival in the Hotel Italia (www.hitalia.it) of Ravenna in the evening. The hotel is in a central position, near the railway station, therefore easy to find and to reach even for people coming by other means of transport.
Thurday 21st: RAVENNA
The whole day in Ravenna. Visit to the National Museum where we could see a little collection of portable ivory sundials ( with many Byzantine ivories) and a fragment of a medieval sundial. It is probable that the foot of"Ercole Orario" and two fragments of a Roman sundial will be shown in this occasion. These two finds are not usually visible as they are kept in the archives of the underground vaults (in this occasion it will be possible to visit S.Vitale and the Mausoleum of GallaPlacidia. The visit to the Classense library follows. In this occasion the whole collection of portable sundials, several ancient books of gnomonics and a few manuscripts of the Middle Ages will be shown. In the afternoon, visit to S.Apollinare in Classe and to the "Fountain of the Hours", in Cervia, made by Mario Arnaldi and calculated by Gianni Ferrari. After supper a little conference in the Planetarium Hall.
Friday 22nd: BOLOGNA
Giovanni Paltrinieri will be the gnomonic guide in Bologna. We'll see the great noon-mark dial in Saint Petronio, after that The Palace of Pietramellara, where there is the noon-mark dial of the 17th century made by Montanari ( Cassini's collaborator and professor in the University of Bologna). Then the visit to the Archiginnasio and to the room of anatomy, a real jewel of wooden carving inside the ancient University of Bologna. A visit to the Museum of the Astronomical Observatory is even planned (only if it possible, as it is under restoration), that keeps a rare medieval astrolabe, and afterwards we move to the solar monument in the Quartiere Savena, designed by Paltrinieri.
Saturday 23rd: POMPOSA, ESTE, ABANO TERME
Today's tour takes us a little further. It is rich in very beautiful and interesting sundials. Leaving Ravenna for Este. First stop at the Pomposa Abbey. In the local museum it will be possible to admire a very nice medieval sundial, but the place is worth stopping for its beauty too. At Este theyare waiting for us to show us the most ancient shepherd's dial in the world, in the National Atestino Museum. After leaving the place it will be possible to observe several sundials in different places, and an ancient astronomical clock. After lunch the day has other tourist and gnomonic surprises in store for us ( Arquà Petrarca with the house of the poet, Abano Terme and the square with the large sundial made by Paltrinieri. The itinerary will be supplied with more details later on).
Sunday 24th: back home… at least for the members of the BSS, who are to embark in the airports of Bologna or Forlì.
Prices of the tour
Hotel Abani in Rome
€ 93 per person, comprehensive of breakfast and supper, drinks included.
Restaurant in Florence
The cost of a meal during the stop in Florence at the "I 4 Leoni" restaurant is about €20.
Hotel Italia in Ravenna
The hotel has a limited number of double rooms: 18-20 of them are already reserved by the British members of BSS. Should the reservation go in overbooking other alternative solutions will be proposed.
€ 50.00 per person in double room
€ 15.55 supplement for single
the price includesb&b and a bag with two sandwiches, one fruit, one soft drink and ½ mineral water) for the two or three days spent during the tours out of the city.
The cost of the lunch during the visit of Ravenna (drinks included) is € 13.
Transfers by coach
The per capita price will depend on the number of attendees, but here is a rough idea of the costs:
Trip Rome - Florence -Ravenna€38
Various movements in Ravenna€4
Trip Ravenna - Bologna - Ravenna€12
Trip Pomposa - Este - Ravenna€15
Tickets for museums
Such a price may vary from 2 to 4 € per person ( a guided tour will cost a little surplus, about 1-2 € per capita, depending on the number of the members of the group), but it is completely free for people under 18 and over 65. Therefore such a cost depends on the age of the single person. Just to give a rough idea here you have the ticket prices of some museum already mentioned:
Museum of the Science in Florence€4
National Museum of Ravenna €3 - 4, (depending on the age, if between 18-25 or between 25 - 65)
It is possible to buy a 6.50 € cumulative ticket to see the National Museum, S.Apollinare in Classe and Teodorico's Mausoleum.
Classense Library in Bologna (free entrance)
Ravenna Planetarium (free entrance)
Museum and Abbey of Pomposa €4
Museum of Este €1 - 2 , (depending on the age, if between 18-25 or between 25 - 65)
That's all for now. Furter updates later on.
For inquiries or for communicating your intention to attend the tour, please send an e_mail to cgi-rivista@yahoogroups.com
We wish to remind you that it is important to know, in advance, the number of the participants. It is obvious that, at this preliminary stage, that booking is not definitive, but useful to estimate the futuresteps to organize the tour.
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[ autore Riccardo Anselmi ]
[ inserito da Mario Arnaldi il 23.03.2004 ] |
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