Tạp chí Travel World tháng 01 và 02 /2010
10.1 JAN.FEB the Food issueWine Goin’ On Truffle Hunts IN ITALY AND OREGON Farm to Fork DINING IN YOSEMITE RELAX IN GOURMET Los Gatos PLUS Adventures On Ice PATAGONIA AND HARBIN * take a serious taste JOURNEY TO THE DAZZLING REGION OF CHAMPAGNE T H E M A G A Z I N E W R I T T E N B Y N O R T H A M E R I C A N T R AV E L J O U R N A L I S T S A S S O C I AT I O N M E M B E R S the Food issueWine TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB 10.1 JAN.FEB FEATURES CHAMPAGNE A sparkling wine from a dazzling region BY GARY LEE KRAUT 14 FARM TO FORK California’s Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite is on the cutting edge of this sustainable agricultural movement STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY INGRID HART 20 MIDNIGHT TRUFFLE HUNTERS Sneaking around in the dead of night proves profitable when you’re in Alba STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JACKQUELINE HARMON BUTLER 24 GOT TRUFFLES? OREGON DOES The West’s culinary gold rush seeking nuggets of white and black fungi BY MARCIE J BUSHNELL 30 LOS GATOS: GEM OF THE FOOTHILLS Where gourmet restaurants and vineyards are at your fingertips BY NELL RAUN-LINDE 34 HARBIN ICE FESTIVAL The Old Paris of the Orient transforms the ice into gold STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADRIEN GALLO 38 PATAGONIAN PANORAMAS STORY BY PETER ROSE / PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER AND HEDY ROSE COLUMNS FROM THE PUBLISHER LETTER FROM THE EDITOR BENEFITS OF BEING A NATJA MEMBER 42 SENIOR TRAVEL Chicago Museums Exhibit an Ethnic Melting Pot / 46 SPORTS & SIGHTS New South Cities Blossom Into Sports Meccas / 50 BY DAN SCHLOSSBERG ARTS & ARCHITECTURE Deep In The Heart of Texas / 54 BY VICTOR BLOCK BY SUSAN JAQUES GADGETS WE LIKE Making Travel Just A Bit Easier 56 BOOK STORE 10.1 JAN.FEB / TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE * FROM THE PUBLISHER Wood-Fired Baby Artichokes & COTTON CANDY I have to say that it takes a lot to impress my tastebuds, let alone the tastebuds of more than a dozen travel writers But there we were, sitting all together at the Bistro Napa (located at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada) ooooh-ing and aaaa-ing at each appetizer, entree, and dessert placed in front of us “Bistro Napa offers the freshest, eclectic, organically inspired seasonal menu with titillating entrées from Scallops Rockefeller to succulent filets, organic salads, wood-fired pizzas, tantalizing side dishes and appetizers from calamari to Kobe beef sliders to wood-fired baby artichokes,” according to Atlantis’ Ben McDonald And titillating is an understatement WAIT Did I say RENO? Indeed, I did The Atlantis was kind enough to host the quarterly NATJA Advisory Board meeting in January And what a treat! We were entertained by the very charming Chef Clay Slieff at the award-winning Bistro as he explained the mouth-watering desserts they had just plopped before us Plates of fresh fondue doughnuts, towering bowls of cotton candy and their famous chocolate burger—a vegetarian dish with a chocolate fudge brownie patty and sweet roll served with a shot of root beer float and mango slices as fries They practically needed a backhoe to roll us out of the restaurant and back to our rooms (or casino) The resort has recently undergone a $100 million expansion and the rooms in the Concierge Tower are quite nice Our view toward snow-covered Tahoe was breathtaking But for me, even more noteworthy was the Spa The 30,000-foot sanctuary has rooms and treatments I’ve never heard of They even have a skin treatment that is offered in less than a dozen U.S spas My two favorite numbers were the herbal steam room and the cool Brine Inhalation-Light Therapy Lounge with heated floors and seating Yep, a nap was not hard to accomplish on this little adventure First, I was feasting in a world-class restaurant Then I was lounging for hours in a spa that I needed a compass to find my way around in I had to chuckle I was in RENO! What a world! Jerri Jerri Hemsworth Publisher E: jerrih@natja.org B: www.travelworldmagazine.com/blog/publisher TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB The Brine Inhalation-Light Therapy Lounge at the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno * LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Drop us a line at Travelworld International Magazine by emailing kim@natja.org 14 20 Happy New Year! While many people may be working on resolutions doomed to fail in three months or less, we here at Travelworld International Magazine refuse to take that approach Our resolutions include exploring new destinations, trying novel experiences, and meeting new people Hey, who says your resolutions can’t match your life’s work? So, we embrace the wonderful world of food in this issue And because, I for one can never get enough of truffles, there are two fantastic stories on them from two very different perspectives (Jacqueline Harmon Butler, page 20 and Marcie J Bushnell, page 24) Don’t miss stories on the Champagne region (by Gary Lee Kraut, page 8) and sustainable food in Yosemite National Park (Ingrid Hart, page 14), and other great pieces by some new NATJA voices and our columnists In NATJA news, the advisory board just returned from a visit and meeting in Reno, Nevada, the location of this year’s annual conference in May It was a pleasure to scout in advance all of the offerings the area holds in store for conference attendees, from dining on the shores of gorgeous Lake Tahoe to relaxing in the stunning spa of our host hotel, the Atlantis, to eating extremely well in a variety of restaurants (with a little bit of gambling in the mix) Hope to see you there! Happy and safe travels! Kim Kim Foley MacKinnon, Editor-in-Chief E: kim@natja.org B: www.travelworldmagazine.com/blog/editor EDITORIAL CALENDAR Mar/Apr 2010 IT’S A GREEN, GREEN WORLD May/Jun 2010 EXPLORE THE NATIONAL PARKS Submission? July /Aug 2010 ADVENTURE TRAVEL Submit story and Sept /Oct 2010 MUSIC/LITERARY LIGHTS photography pitches Nov /Dec 2010 WEIRD & OFFBEAT TRAVEL to kim@natja.org Do not submit images unless requested TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB 24 Visit http://bit.ly/5Tvbrf for more details The Benefits of Being a NATJA Member Travelworld International Magazine is the only magazine that showcases the member talents of the North American Travel Journalists Association Group Publisher Publisher Editor-in-Chief Art Direction/Production Helen Hernandez Jerri Hemsworth Kim Foley MacKinnon Newman Grace Inc www.newmangrace.com Vice President, Marketing Brian Hemsworth Contributing Writers Marcie J Bushnell Adrien Gallo Jacqueline Harmon Butler Ingrid Hart Gary Lee Kraut Nell Raun-Linde Peter Rose Contributing Columnists Victor Block Susan Jaques Dan Schlossberg Editorial/Advertising offices Travelworld International Magazine 150 S Arroyo Parkway, 2nd Floor Pasadena, CA 91105 P: 626.376.9754 www.travelworldmagazine.com Travelworld International Magazine is published bi-monthly by Travel Professionals Inc 150 S Arroyo Parkway, 2nd Floor, Pasadena, CA 91105 Volume 2010.1 January/February Copyright ©2010 by Travel Professionals Inc All rights reserved Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited Advertising rates and information sent upon request Acceptance of advertising in Travelworld International Magazine in no way constitutes approval or endorsement by Travel Professionals Inc or NATJA of products or services advertised Travelworld International Magazine and Travel Professionals Inc reserve the right to reject any advertising Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of Travelworld International Magazine or Travel Professionals Inc Travelworld International Magazine reserves the right to edit all contributions for clarity and length, as well as to reject any material submitted Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts This periodical’s name and logo along with the various titles and headings therein, are trademarks of Travel Professionals Inc PRODUCED IN U.S.A I NATJA List Serve Contact more than 400 professional NATJA journalists and/or associates at one time through the NATJA List Serve I Resource Center Review hundreds of travel publications Includes editor’s name and contact information I Professional Development Annual programs geared to enhancing the skills of our working media and improve the effectiveness of our bureaus, organizations and other professionals I eWire Service Send a query, story or press release to more than 250 major US/Canadian publications electronically via email I Media Member Database—All Access Enhance your professional networking capabilities Search our growing database of over 350 Media Members I CVB and Associate Database—All Access Enhance your professional networking capabilities Search our constantly growing database of NATJA members that include convention & visitors bureaus, hotels and resorts, airlines, restaurants, food industry and growers associations, wineries and wine associations, PR agencies, and marketing and public relations professionals I Travelworld International Magazine Members have access to publishing and advertising opportunities Travelworld International Magazine features stories and photos from our members I The Wayfarer The NATJA official newsletter which includes industry news and media relation contacts I Media Trips Information Press trips, events and story ideas are distributed monthly to members I Personal Web Site NATJA Members can activate their own personal web page It’s free and it’s simple! I NATJA News Connection (NNC) Where active and associate members connect I NATJA Media ID All members can receive a NATJA ID I Annual NATJA Conference & Marketplace www.natja.org/conference www.natja.org C H A M P A Sparkling Wine from a Dazzling Region BY GARY LEE KRAUT No wine is more evocative than Champagne, the king of sparkling wines Yet Champagne is so readily associated with romance, celebration, name brands, and high living that we tend to forget that beyond being wine it’s a region in northeast France Champagne is in fact an earthy product, and the best way to get to know it is to visit the very earth, vineyards, and cellars where it’s produced, some 90 to 110 miles east of Paris That’s close enough that you can enjoy a glimpse and a taste of Champagne in a daytrip from the French capital, though an overnight or twonight stay allows for more thorough explorations Or three nights if you’re on a mission, as I was in late September, when, as the last grapes were being brought in from the harvest, four English journalists, a Canadian journalist, and I set out for a serious taste of Champagne TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB P A G N E The Villedomange Vineyard in winter PHOTO: JOLYOT Smiling angel on the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral PHOTO: C.MAURY Our mission was to get a wellrounded view of all that goes into producing and enjoying Champagne while keeping in mind the mantra “drink the wine, not the label.” That’s a wise approach with respect to any wine, and nowhere more important than Champagne It’s an approach that led us to visit towns and villages, vineyards, grapes, cellars, facilities, Champagne houses great and small, and meet with the variety of individuals involved in the process Along the way, we discovered the variety of the wine as well as of the region There is no one way to visit Champagne, but however you it, whether for one day or for three, you’ll soon learn that three important facets of TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB production define the taste and quality of the final product: the quality of the grapes the percentage in the final blend of the three main grape varieties authorized in the production of Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay the dosage of sugar and liqueur that is added (or in rare cases not) to a bottle after its second fermentation Here are various places in Champagne where you can learn those details and much more about Champagne, both the wine and the region REIMS The two main towns for Champagne production in the region are Reims and Epernay, located respectively north and south of the Mountain of Reims, which is the central grape-growing zone in the region Both Reims and Epernay can rightfully stake a claim to being the centerpiece of Champagne explorations since the major houses are headquartered at one or the other For an overnight, you might include both, but on a daytrip I’d opt for Reims over Epernay for two reasons: Reims requires less planning due to the frequency of high-speed trains to and from Paris (45 minutes each way) and it offers a strong dose of historical splendor with its bubbly The hit parade of Champagne houses in Reims include G.H Mumm, Taitinger, Pommery, Piper-Heidsieck The Spertus Museum displays its collections in an “open depot” style PHOTO: COURTESY SPERTUS MUSEUM The Chicago History Museum is a great place to start your cultural journey PHOTO: COURTESY CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM * SENIOR TRAVEL FAMILY TRAVEL A personal favorite was a display of decorated Easter eggs, an important folk art While the eggs have been meticulously painted in a variety of patterns, they typically include representations of the sun,stars and a rose The Spertus Museum is housed in a magnificent award-winning contemporary building that itself is worth a visit It explores Jewish culture through samples of its collection that are imaginatively displayed on a series of floor-to-high-ceiling shelves This “open depot” arrangement resembles the vaults in which many museums store most of their ABOVE: The Jazz Club at the The Chicago History Museum is a favorite PHOTO: COURTESY CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM ABOVE, RIGHT: The Ukrainian National Museum of Chicago holds a charm for many PHOTO: COURTESY UKRAINIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF CHICAGO ment in America, and the life and legacy of Harold Washington, who served as the first African American mayor of Chicago (1983–1987) Special events include lectures, musical performances and film festivals Despite its variety, my itinerary merely scratched the surface of museum experiences available to visitors to Chicago They also include collections devoted to Mexican, Lithuanian, Swedish and Greek cultures Yet I came away with new-found knowledge of the city and of some of the people who make it a microcosm of our nation items, hidden from visitors At Spertus, objects are placed in what appears to be an unorganized way, without labels, similar to how they might be kept out of sight in a museum when not available for viewing Most objects, like prayer shawls, an elaborately carved Torah ark and Kiddush cups used for the benediction of wine, have direct religious significance One area of shelves contains Holocaust material, much of it from concentration camps, and another holds items related to Jewish immigrants to Chicago Another institution that has special meaning today is the DuSable Museum of African American History It is located in Hyde Park, the long-time home of President Barack Obama The collection is named for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, a Haitian of African and French descent, who established a trading post in 1779 which evolved into a permanent settlement that later became known as Chicago Among stories related by the exhibits are an exploration of Africa region by region, the civil rights move- An appealing aspect of a visit to Chicago is programs that are of particular assistance to seniors Chicago Greeters are knowledgeable volunteers who spend two to four hours guiding visitors on tours of neighborhoods and places of special interest One- , three- and seven-day passes provide unlimited rides on the Chicago Transit System All buses are equipped with lifts and ramps helpful to anyone who has trouble with steps For more information about visiting Chicago, call the Office of Tourism at 877-244-2246 or visit www.explorechicago.org TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB Victor Block is an established, award-winning travel journalist whose work has appeared in a variety of major outlets for over a quarter-century His specialties include off-beat travel, overseas destinations and seniors travel He augments basic information with an introduction to the people, culture and essence of places he visits He currently focuses on newspaper travel features He is based in Washington, D.C., and can be reached at shayphred@aol.com * SPORTS & SIGHTS New South Cities Blossom Into SPORTS MECCAS WHAT MAKES THESE WONDERFUL LOCALES SO APPEALING? By Dan Schlossberg The twin beacons of the New South, the gleaming cities of Charlotte and Atlanta, combine past and present and point to an even brighter future Tied by background and proximity, Charlotte and Atlanta sit just 244 miles apart—about four hours by car if traffic allows Charlotte was settled first, by Thomas Polk (uncle of future President James K Polk) in 1755 He built a home at the intersection of two trading paths that later became Trade and Tryon Streets, focal point of today’s Independence Square Residents of Charlotte, named for the German wife of British King George III, have always had an independent streak Disdained by Cornwallis because of their open resentment of occupying British troops during the Revolutionary War, they earned the title “Hornet’s Nest” for their town—and Charlotte’s pro basketball team bears that name three centuries later The city survived the Revolution, the Civil War, and even the nation’s first gold rush, with cotton and transportation preceding banking and tourism as leading industries The most successful survivor was the Charlotte Mint, created to process local gold 25 years before the Confederates seized it but standing today (in a different location) as the Mint Museum of Art It is one of many museums in a surprisingly diverse downtown Tops on the list is the Levine Museum of the New South, home of a centerpiece exhibit called “Cotton Fields to Skyscrapers.” The Charlotte Museum of History covers a wider timespan and includes tours of a 1774 house that is the oldest surviving structure in town Discovery Place, a Center City science museum with an IMAX theater and 300 exhibits, while the North Carolina Blumental Performing Arts Center features three separate venues, one of them a 2,100-seat theater TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB Called the “Most Livable City” by the U.S Conference of Mayors, Charlotte is also deemed one of the “most walkable” by Prevention Magazine, which cited its climate, parks, and points of interest They include the Victorian homes of the historic Fourth Ward, the art galleries of NoDa (short for North Davidson Street), the unique boutiques of Plaza Midwood, and the upscale SouthPark neighborhood, where a restaurant called M5 Modern Mediterranean blends Old World recipes with 21st century chic Also not to be missed are the new-wave Zada Janes Corner Café and Lulu, which calls itself “the cure for the common menu.” Visitors with lots of leg power but limited time should join Walk Charlotte, an escorted on-foot tour that starts at the Visitor Information Center in Center City Another way to see the city is the two-yearold South Corridor light rail line, which runs antique streetcars on weekends Both the line itself and the adjacent trolley museum are being expanded Charlotte has big-league football (Panthers) and basketball (Bobcats), minor-league hockey and baseball, college basketball tournaments, plus a plethora of additional spectator sports A hotbed of hot rods, it hosts three major NASCAR races and serves as home of the NASCAR fast lane and the NASCAR Hall of Fame, slated to open in 2010 The U.S National Whitewater Center, a half-hour from downtown, features the world’s largest manmade whitewater river with Class III-IV rapids An official Olympics training site, it offers amateur competitions for canoes and kayaks plus rafting, rock-climbing, biking, hiking, and even gastronomic adventures (i.e., fried pickles at its River’s Edge restaurant) More water adventures await on Lake Norman, north The U.S National Whitewater Center just outside Charlotte features the world’s largest manmade whitewater river with Class III-IV rapids PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT CHARLOTTE The Georgia Aquarium is the world’s largest aquarium * SPORTS & SIGHTS The Wachovia Championship is played at the Quail Hollow Club in the Charlotte area PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT CHARLOTTE of town, or Lake Wylie, to the south, while more than 80 golf courses are sprinkled throughout the area Tiger Woods plays in the Wachovia Championship, staged at Quail Hollow Club since 2003, and future Tigers can perfect their game at the top-rated Dana Rader Golf School, located at Ballantyne Golf Resort The nation’s second-largest financial center, trailing only New York, Charlotte has given the world Andrew Jackson, James K Polk, Billy Graham, Richard Petty and Clay Aiken The six-county metropolitan area is home to 1.6 million residents and the nation’s fastest-growing airport Atlanta, not to be outdone, is home to the world’s busiest airport, serving 90 million passengers per year It also has the world’s largest aquarium, the tallest hotel in the Western Hemisphere, and more than 100 streets that include the name “Peachtree.” That’s not surprising for a one-time Indian village called Standing Peachtree Sold to white settlers in 1822, Atlanta had numerous different names before Georgia railroad engineer J Edgar Thomson suggested “Atlantica-Pacifica,” soon shortened to its present form Incorporated in 1847, Atlanta was a Confederate rail and supply center before Union forces torched it in 1864 That event was vividly portrayed in the 1939 film Gone With the Wind, based on the Margaret Mitchell novel The Road to Tara Museum, in suburban Jonesboro, features paintings, photographs, and other memorabilia of the movie,which starred Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, while Mitchell’s Atlanta home is also a museum The true story of the Battle of Atlanta is best recounted at the Cyclorama, where a theater-in-theround accompanies artifacts from what locals call the War Between the States Much has happened since Rebuilt to reflect a New South economy that pushed its agricultural heritage to the back seat, Atlanta now relies on tourism, transportation, and exposure to the world stage The long-time capital of Georgia is home to the Martin Luther King, Jr National Historic Site, the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, and the soon-to-come Center for Human and Civil Rights Other Atlanta icons include the High Museum of Art, CNN Center, the Fernback Museum of Natural History, and the Center for Puppetry Arts During the last decade of the 20th century, the city hosted the Centennial Olympic Games and five World Series that involved the Atlanta Braves During the first decade of the 21st, it opened the Georgia Aquarium, the World of Coca-Cola, and the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame Timeless attractions range from Stone Mountain, the world’s biggest hunk of exposed granite, to The Varsity, an 81-year-old greasy spoon that caters to everyone from local hero Andrew Young to students at nearby Georgia Tech Order a “naked dog walking” and the fast-talking crew behind the counter will serve up a plain hot dog to go A visit to The Varsity is both a spectator and participation sport—Nipsey Russell started as a car-hop there—but it is one of many in Atlanta The city has seven pro sports teams, including one in each of the Big Four, plus plenty of collegiate action The 71,000seat Georgia Dome, regular home of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, has also hosted Super Bowls, NCAA Final Four games, and Olympic events For many Atlanta visitors, golf is a passion East Lake Golf Club, opened in 1904, is not only the city’s oldest but also its most famous The original home course of golf legend Bobby Jones, East Lake has hosted nearly two-dozen championships The nearby Charlie Yates course offers stunning views of the Atlanta skyline plus daily instructional classes for neighborhood schoolchildren In a city of neighborhoods, Buckhead is probably one of the most desirable In addition to 1,400 retail stores and 90 art galleries, new hotels are rising more quickly than the phoenix that symbolizes the city’s recovery from Sherman’s torch The 291-room W Atlanta-Buckhead, a sleek cylinder with proxim- ity to the MARTA subway system, and the 150-room St Regis, a 26-story tower, both are thriving after opening earlier this year Atlanta also appeals to the off-beat, with sports massages at the The Art of Touch, a midtown B&B lookalike, and New Orleans-style breakfasts at Parish, an Inmark eatery in a restored 890 pipe foundry building Lunch gets an unusual twist at FLIP, a burger boutique offering “fine dining between two buns.” Its milkshake bar includes flavors that range from Krispy Kreme to foie de gras (which actually tastes good, despite its unlikely name) Celebrity sightings are common Elton John lives in Atlanta; Jimmy Carter attends Braves games; and Jane Fonda hasn’t left despite her divorce from Ted Turner Famous faces, including Gladys Knight and Ashton Kutcher also appear at local restaurants they own Former Braves pitcher Tom Glavine, an Alpharetta resident, is invariably polite to autograph seekers In fact, Southern hospitality is one tradition that has not disappeared into the dustbin of history That’s one of the main reasons a visit to the New South is still so appealing The Cyclorama in Atlanta houses a theater-in-theround that accompanies artifacts from what locals call the War Between the States PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLANTA CYCLORAMA Former AP newsman Dan Schlossberg of Fair Lawn, NJ is president emeritus of the North American Travel Journalists Association, travel editor of Sirius XM’s “Maggie Linton Show,” and author of 35 baseball books 10.1 JAN.FEB / TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE * ARTS & ARCHITECTURE Deep In The HEART OF TEXAS A RENAISSANCE MYSTERY SOLVED By Susan Jaques In 2006, a young London curator visited the University of Texas’ art gallery to study its Genoese and Baroque paintings That’s when Xavier Salomon first saw an unidentified portrait catalogued as Head of an Angel “I thought it was a fragment of something larger, but I did not know what,” Salomon recalls “What struck me at the time was its quality.” The small image made a big impression Last year, while researching Paolo Veronese’s Petrobelli Altarpiece for an exhibition at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Salomon had an “aha” moment worthy of Scotland Yard In a flashback to Austin, he connected the angel he’d seen two years earlier with Veronese’s monumental altarpiece The angel, as it turns out, is actually Saint Michael, the missing figure in the 16th century masterpiece Salomon’s stunning discovery solved a mystery that had baffled generations of historians Saint Michael had vanished without a trace in the late 18th century after a Venetian art dealer carved up Veronese’s 16-foot-tall altarpiece and shipped it piecemeal to the highest bidders Though fragmentation was commonplace at the time, this particular crime sent shock waves through the art market “…it will be sold just like meat in a butcher’s shop, poor Paolo, poor painting,” lamented one Scottish buyer Eventually, three dismembered pieces found homes at the Dulwich, National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh and National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa Now, thanks to ace detective work, high tech art forensics and conservation, and serendipity, Veronese’s ill-treated masterpiece has been lovingly restored and reassembled There’s a rare chance to see the reunited work in “Paolo Veronese: The Petrobelli Altarpiece, Reconstructing a Renaissance MasTRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB terpiece” at the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin, the show’s only U.S venue Acting on Xavier Salomon’s hunch, Jonathan Bober, Blanton’s curator of prints, drawings and European paintings took the 16-inch by 12.5-inch portrait to Ottawa last spring where National Gallery of Canada’s chief conservator Stephen Gritt fired up the X-ray machine “When we unwrapped the painting and put it close to ours, we could see it had the same DNA,” says Gritt “Within an hour, we had proof in spades.” An infrared image of Blanton’s fragment showed Veronese’s initial drawings, done in a charcoal-rich material over pale, chalk-based priming On the left side, a drawing and painting of the edge of a column appeared On the far right more evidence emerged— the plumb line for the painting’s vertical center and an adjacent vertical line through Saint Michael’s face dropped down from Christ’s reference lines Gritt’s team restored Saint Michael, removing old varnish and paint from a previous restoration and retouching his head, vibrant orange tunic and copper green sash.“It was in the best condition of all the fragments and one of the most beautiful bits of the painting,” says Gritt.“It’s not a workshop painting — we know it’s all Paolo.” Ottawa already had extensive experience with the altarpiece For decades, the top water damaged pieta, The Dead Christ Supported by Angels, lived in storage, buried in dirt, varnish and over paint It took conservators nearly two years to clean the fragment, restore the arch, add a lining, and repair missing paint Additions were purposefully executed to be clearly distinguishable from Veronese’s original paint The painstaking restoration offered an opportunity to clear up misconceptions about the fragment’s authorship A technical study of the under drawing and new caption analysis of paint samples supported the conclusion that the fragment was the work of Veronese, not his assistants “It was in really bad shape but with all of this, as we’re cleaning, there was a great deal of beauty,” says Gritt We’re seeing it’s Paolo Veronese.” Veronese became part of an artistic triumvirate in Venice that included Titian and Tintoretto Unlike his rivals, Veronese’s corpus includes splendid frescoes at villas like Palladio-designed Villa Barbaro According to Gritt, historians misjudged Veronese, interpreting his balanced compositions and courtly style as decorative “We don’t have much information on Veronese’s personality and he didn’t try to stab anyone like Tintoretto,” says Gritt “Historians gave Veronese the bronze medal on the podium of painting “Titian is gold, but Veronese is definitely silver.” Earlier scholarship connected Ottawa’s Pieta and the two large Edinburgh and Dulwich donor portraits as part of a grand Veronese altarpiece Further research identified the finely-dressed donors as Girolamo and Antonio Petrobelli, wealthy landowners from northeast Italy who commissioned the altarpiece for their family burial chapel In the complex, highly symbolic work, Veronese depicts his supplicant clients, their patron saints, and Christ with a supporting cast of angels and putti But both the identity and whereabouts of the missing central figure remained a mystery Then in 1949, curators found a smoking gun—hidden beneath layers of paint While restoring the Dulwich fragment, a museum conservator got more than he bargained for The cleaning exposed a lion on the bottom right, bright green drapery at St Jerome and Girolamo Petrobelli * ARTS & ARCHITECTURE The Head of Saint Michael the left edge, and a floating dismembered hand holding a scale with a tiny human figure “The lion identified the figure as Saint Jerome and the hand and scale suggested the missing figure might be Saint Michael weighing human souls,” says Salomon, Dulwich’s chief curator A decade later, the Saint Michael theory was confirmed when Edinburgh’s cleaned fragment, Antonio Petrobelli and Saint Anthony Abbot, suddenly sprouted the archangel’s wing, plus his arm and a spear To make the donor fragments look like separate paintings, dealers had painted Saint Michael out With the four fragments reassembled in the Blanton Museum’s tall octagonal gallery, the Petrobelli Altarpiece is striking for its sheer scale and beauty Over five centuries ago in a monastery church, set in a limestone frame above an altar, its impact on parishioners must have been profound Even with a void for the archangel’s body, believed to have been either damaged or sacrificed when the altarpiece was cut, serene Saint Michael steals the show, holding the balance of good and evil Veronese’s staggering technique and vibrant color palette is on glorious display—from Saint Jerome’s crisp crimson and white robes to Girolamo Petrobelli’s salt and pepper beard and the fur lining on his elegant damask coat Veronese’s unique palette included ultramarine and pale blues, silvery whites, pinks and oranges, lemon yellows, and the greens so admired by the Impressionists “If you bought your red pigment in Naples it would have been cut several times, but the guys on the island (Venice) had TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB access to the best materials and biggest range,” says Gritt “It isn’t just that Veronese can handle tints, it’s all about his modeling without shadows.” How Veronese’s Head of Saint Michael wound up at a small university museum in Austin is almost as incredible as Xavier Salomon’s discovery In 1994, Robert Manning, a Texan and the son-in-law of noted Austrian art historian William Suida, dropped by the Blanton unannounced Recently widowed, Manning was looking for a permanent home for his family’s trove of 240 paintings and nearly 400 drawings, including works by Rubens, Poussin, Lorrain, Tiepolo, and three paintings by Veronese Where and when Manning’s father-in-law acquired the Head of Saint Michael is unknown, as is its provenance According to Jonathan Bober, when Suida fled the Nazis in 1939, he hid the portrait with the rest of his collection in either Milan or Venice In 1998, the Blanton acquired the Veronese fragment along with the entire Suida-Manning collection over giants like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sotheby’s Also on view with the Petrobelli Altarpiece are four Veronese paintings drawn from the Blanton and the National Gallery of Canada Though Veronese exercised good quality control over his workshop, the contrast between autograph works and knock offs is dramatic “Veronese like Tintoretto relied upon his workshop more and more as he received lots of commissions,” says Bober In the Repentant Magdalene, likely commissioned for a high wall of a private chapel, Veronese purposefully elongated his subject’s neck and torso to make her proportions appear normal when viewed from below “In autograph works like the Magdalene, Veronese modified the composition at each stage of the process,”says Gritt who did a technical study of the painting The subtle colors of the Virgin and archangel Gabriel in a later autograph work, The Annunciation, illustrate Veronese’s shift to a more muted palette Before his death at the age of sixty, Veronese painted several very large paintings, including The Marriage at Cana and The Last Supper, which he renamed Feast in the House of Levi after getting into hot water with the Inquisition But when it comes to altarpieces, Veronese’s earliest and last works, only two are larger than the Petrobelli — Transfiguration in Montagnana and Martyrdom of Saint Giustina in Padua Veronese took a far more complex metaphysical approach to altarpieces than his Italian contemporaries, combining separate moments in time in completely plausible fashion Seeing the Petrobelli Altarpiece may really be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity When the show closes next February 2010, the individual pieces will be disassembled and returned to their respective museums “We always knew it was going to be a temporary exhibition for a very limited amount of time,” says art sleuth Xavier Salomon “It would be impossible logistically to keep four paintings that belong to four different institutions in three different countries and across two continents Still, it will be very sad to see the pieces go.” “Paolo Veronese: The Petrobelli Altarpiece, Reconstructing a Renaissance Masterpiece” runs through Feb 7, 2010 at The Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas, Austin, 200 East Martin Luther King Boulevard, (512) 471-7324, blantonmuseum.org Tuesday to Friday 10-5, Saturday 11-5, Sunday 1-5 (open until pm the third Thursday of the month) IF YOU GO In addition to world-class music and art, Austin is a great food city Whole Foods Market was founded here in 1980 Central Market is an epicurean institution After a stop at the Blanton Museum, here are some memorable places to refuel: Tex Mex: The Screaming Goat is famous for its crispy “ahogada” flautas drowned in hot sauce and old house ambience (900 W 10th) With its self-serve salsa bar, hand-made corn tortillas and patio dining, Guero’s Taco Bar is a local favorite (1412 South Congress Avenue) El Zunzal cooks up unique dishes like banana-leaf-wrapped tamales and pollo frito en tajadas, fried chicken breast smothered in tangy sauce (642 Calles Street) Barbecue: For barbeque purists, Iron Works BBQ offers traditional finger-licking ribs (100 Red River) Lambert’s serves up meat with an Austin twist, local brewed beers, and live music in a historic downtown building (401 W 2nd Street) Sweets: It’s one of the toughest decisions you’ll have to make—key lime or Toll house pie at Quack’s 43rd Street Bakery Whatever you do, don’t miss the éclairs (411 E 43rd) There are five Austin Amy’s Ice Cream locations (including the airport) to try “Hot Apple Stuff,” a holiday tradition featuring Granny Smiths, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar or the Guinnessflavored ice-cream (1301 S Congress Avenue, 3500 Guadalupe Street) At Veracruz All Natural’s modest trailer, two sisters whip up delicious milkshakes, smoothies and the best agua de sandia (sweetened watermelon juice) in town (2027 E Cesar Chavez) Susan Jaques is a Los Angeles-based travel writer specializing in the arts, cruises, and food and wine Her articles have run in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Toronto Globe & Mail, Toronto Sun and Christian Science Monitor 10.1 JAN.FEB / TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE * GADGETS WE LIKE Making Travel Just A BIT EASIER THERE’S A LOT TO BE SAID ABOUT COMFY AND CONVENIENT ssshhh i’m trying not to listen Shut out the world, or at least your neighbor, with these excellent audio-technica QuietPoint® active noise-cancelling headphones Compact and lightweight, they reduce background noise by 90 percent They work with MP3, CD, DVD and in-flight entertainment systems You can use them with or without 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Tours contain directions, detailed maps, and informative descriptions of the natural, cultural and historic features encountered along the way Price: $16.95 Available at: www.funtravels.com Promote Your Book in the TravelWorld International Book Store! Now you can promote your book in the TWI Book Store Let fellow travelers and readers worldwide know what you’ve published To request rates, place your order or gather more information, contact: librarian@natja.org TRAVELWORLD MAGAZINE / 10.1 JAN.FEB ... safe travels! Kim Kim Foley MacKinnon, Editor-in-Chief E: kim@natja.org B: www.travelworldmagazine.com/blog/editor EDITORIAL CALENDAR Mar/Apr 2010 IT’S A GREEN, GREEN WORLD May/Jun 2010 ... Editorial/Advertising offices Travelworld International Magazine 150 S Arroyo Parkway, 2nd Floor Pasadena, CA 91105 P: 626.376.9754 www.travelworldmagazine.com Travelworld International Magazine... Submission? July /Aug 2010 ADVENTURE TRAVEL Submit story and Sept /Oct 2010 MUSIC/LITERARY LIGHTS photography pitches Nov /Dec 2010 WEIRD & OFFBEAT TRAVEL to kim@natja.org