SABBATICAL ADVENTURES

From the museum The last commedia dell'arte character on my list is commonly known as IL DOTTORE, "The Doctor." His real name is "Il Dottore Balanzone" and he's from Bologna. He's part of the older generation of characters, "I Vecchi," (The Old Ones) and he's best friends with Pantalone, another "vecchio." Il Dottore  Balanzone is not a "medicine" man but rather a "Doctor of Letters," a man who has been educated in the first university in Italy and the oldest university in Europe: The University of Bologna. Il Dottore is "physically heavy" because of his knowledge, hence his name Balanzone, which derives from "balanza/bilancia," meaning both "balance" and "scale."  Although Il Dottore has many names, he has been worldly recognized as "Il Dottore Lombardy" thanks to Carlo Goldoni's famous play, "The Servant of Two Masters." However, in Bolonga he...

From the Internet If I ever doubted that Bergamo doesn't recognize Arlecchino, I only need to go to Villa d'Almè. Villa d'Almè is about 30 minutes from Bergamo and is the entry point from the north (coming from Switzerland) to the first major Italian city: Bergamo. The highway from the north converges with two others from the south (one from Bergamo, the other from Ponte San Pietro.) The conversion happens at the only major "rotatoria" (roundabout) in Villa d'Almé.   It is here, in this rotatoria, centrally located where the three main highways meet, that a 10-feet/18 ton statue of Arlecchino is found. The roundabout is knowns as "La Rotonda di Arlecchino." And Arlecchino stands in the middle of the roundabout with a very clear messages by its feet: "Valle Brembana; Terra di Arlecchino," (Brembana Valley, the land of Arlecchino.)  Personal Collection The statue is made of marble and was sculpted by Milanese artists Nicola Gladiardi. The sta...

As part of the Arts and Culture 2023 Festival going on between the cities of Bergamo and Brescia, one event, involving a commedia dell'arte character, is the "Arlecchino's Cloak Project," better known as "Il Mantello di Arlecchino," which concentrates on "Arlecchino's costume" rather than his mask.  This is an interactive installation and theatre piece put together by two international artists: Kaarina Kaikkonen (art installation) from Finland and Vero Cendoya (theatrical presentation) from Spain. TTB Pocket Theater of Bergamo is the hosting theatre for these two artists. The first step of the project is for the theatre company to go around the neighborhoods knocking on doors and asking residents to donate a "shirt" for the project. It doesn't matter the type, the size, or the color, what matters is that the shirt has a story. An added piece to this "donation" is asking the residents if they want to share the story. They...

I'm starting this post with a disclaimer. There is place in the Bergamo region that claims to be "Arlecchino's House" and also "Arlecchino's Museum." This place is known as "Casa Museo di Arlecchino."   The "house/museum" is located in the village of Oneta (San Giovanni Bianco), in the province of Bergamo. Oneta is located 35 miles north of Bergamo and one can either reach the village in a private car or by bus. By bus it takes 1 hr 40 minutes one way, so the total traveling time is 3 hrs 20 minutes. Because the house/museum is so far away, it is only open for a few hours on specific days and by appointment only.  The house/museum is located inside the Palazzo Grataroli. The palace, who is known by the locals as "Casa di Arlecchio" is linked to the Renaissance actor Alberto Naselli, who represented the Zanni and Arlecchino's characters in the main European courts, and whom, according to tradition, stay at the Palazzo. Ho...

While Napoli embraces Pulcinella as part of its arts and culture, the entire region of Campagna also embraces the character as part of its popular pop culture. Bergamo, on the other hand, and the entire region have not made Arlecchino or Brighella part of their popular pop culture. And if you recall an earlier post, the majority of people do not considered Brighella a commedia dell'arte characters from Bergamo, at least not in the way they considered Arlecchino.  As I roamed the streets of both Cittá Bassa and Cittá Alta, I saw a few signs of Arlecchino's presence. And the few things that are there, are significant because, to me at least, they emphasize the importance of Arlecchino as a symbol of art, culture, and pride for the Bergamo region.  There is, for example, the "Dispensa di Arlecchino" restaurant. A famous eatery and a very difficult place to get in without a reservation. This restaurant is in Cittá Alta. The title translates to "Arlecchino's Food ...

By the time I arrived in Bergamo I knew two things: 1) Arlecchino and Brighella are the two commedia dell'arte characters with roots in the city, and 2) somewhere in the city of Bergamo a statue to Arlecchino exist.  What I didn't know was that my arrival to Bergamo coincided with the 2023 Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of the World Culture Festival. As soon as I knew of it, I quickly set out to figure out what theatre events, especially in relation to commedia dell'arte were happening. My search brought me to "The Puppet Theatre Museum," better known as "Il Museo del Burattino."  Here, I had the opportunity to learn the history of, and admire the many different types of hand puppets that had been created in the Bergamo region, along with learning about the invited Italian guests' collections representing China and Japan. The museum exists mainly thanks to La Fondazione Benedetto Ravasio and the collaboration of five other families from the Bergamo ...

While the City of Bergamo doesn't show the same "enthusiasm" for Arlecchino as Napoli shows for Pulcinella, Bergamo still recognizes Arlecchino as part of their culture and their art. Within half a block from Bergamo Centrale train station, a statute of Arlecchino welcomes everyone arriving to the city. If you are leaving Bergamo, Arlecchino still is there to wish you safe travels.  The statue was created by artist Mario Gotti and commissioned by "Il Ducato di Piazza Pontida," an arts and cultural private organization in the city of Bergamo. In 2002, "Il Ducato" decided to donate the statue to the city of Bergamo with the goal of placing it in an open space for everyone to admire. As a result, the statue was placed in the garden of one of the main government buildings known as "Provincia di Bergamo," a garden that serves as an open-air gallery. The only issue is that people only visit such a place if they have official business to conduct in ...

Bergamo, Italy The city of Bergamo, in the region of Lombardy Italy, is located about 25 miles north of Milano and about 18 miles south of Switzerland. I mention its location because no other city is further north in Italy than Bergamo. There are very small villages, like Oneta, to the north of Bergamo with 700 people--but no city is found further north.  Città Alta Bergamo is divided in two: Città Alta and Città Bassa (Upper Bergamo and Lower Bergamo.) Città Alta is the old part of the city and Città Bassa is the new part of the city. As the older part of the city, Upper Bergamo is characterized by narrow cobblestone streets and Venetian walls. In fact, the look of Città Alta is  a combination of Medieval and Roman architecture. Upper Bergamo is not only at a higher level than Lower Bergamo but it is also encircled by a massive wall, known as the "Venetian Defense System," which today is a UNESCO Heritage Site. There are four entry gates around the Città Alta, and only one o...

One of the most entertaining commedia dell'arte characters who is also less known to most people is Il Capitano (The Captain.) Like Pulcinella, Il Capitano was born in Naples, although Napoletani don't pay homage to him the way they do to Pulcinella. There are several reasons for this.  First, Il Capitano Matamoros was created by Silvio Fiorillo, based on the main character created by Plautus in his play "Miles Glorious."  Il Capitano Matamoros is a caricature of Spanish soldiers, hence his name "Mata-Moros" (Kill Moors) in reference to Spaniards fighting the Muslins during the "Reconquista" (8 c. -1492). Il Capitano is a braggart soldier, just like Miles Glorious, but unlike him, Il Capitano is also a cowardly soldier who spoke with an undefined language, which was a mix of Spanish, Latin, and Neapolitan lingo.  Second, as an actor, Fiorillo left the military and joined different acting troops, traveling to the northern part of Italy such as Flore...