Venetian Lions in Verona (IT)

Dear Friends
as you know the Venetian Lion and its representations is one centre of interest of our M.Polo Club. The Lion is the symbol of the power of the Republic of Venice and can be found not only in Veneto, but also in many other modern States in Europe and outside touched by the Venetian commerces and sometime by her domination. It is however amazing to find in Verona many of such Lions. The following images from Verona give you an idea of the traditional representations of the Lion, i.e. normally a Lion having opened wings and an opened book with the inscription: Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus. Some of the Lions were destroyed during the Napoleonian wars and of them remain only traces. Of particular interest is the last Lion in which the book is closed and the Lion is armed with a sword (cf. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_of_Saint_Mark ). I would be greatful to you if you can indicate me the presence of Lions in your country and eventually send me images. Any comment from your side is welcome.
Salutations
Giancarlo

Walking in Ljubljana

Dear Friends
the participation of our M.Polo Club to the Conference Origins of Europeans held in Ljubljana (SLO) on the 01/06/2012 was successful. The attendees manifested interest and submitted pertinent questions about my intervention concerning the New Reading of a Linear A Inscription on the Golden Pin Cr-Zf-01 from Crete. However, the Conference has let me time for walking a bit in Ljubljana and visit many exhibitions and museums. I mentions only: the open air exhibition "60 Ljubljana Festival", showing various posters, moments and artists of the previous Festivals, the exhibition Aftermate - Changing the Cultural Landscape, which tries to show the actual tendencies of the post-ju-
goslavian photography, the exhibition Ancient Wall Paintings at the castle of Ljubljana, documenting the restauration and consolidation of parts of ancient fresoes found in the Castle, the exhibition dedicated to the images of the American reporter and photographer Steve McCurry - among the other images there was also that of an Afghani Girl with impressive green eyes that I personally consider as a modern Mona Lisa. Concerning the museums, I was delight to remark the acquisition by the Natural History Museum of Slovenia of a complete skeleton of a whale and, at the Archaeology Museum, former Narodny Museum, of having the possibility to see a documentary film dedicated to the restauration works on the preserved mummy of an Egyptian pristess of the period of the 15th - 16th Dynasty. Of all these visits and some more I intend to deal with at the next Lecture of our M.Polo Club: Walking in Ljubljana.
The images give you an impression of the Conference and the visits of said exhibitions and museums. Any comment from your side is welcome.
Salutations
Giancarlo
P.S.: because of a malfunctioning of the camera the dates on the images are not correct.

Typographie des Terrors

Dear Friends
yesterday I visited the exhibition Typographie des Terrors - Plakate in München
1933 bis 1945, at the Stadt Museum in Munich. The exhibition is dedicated to the
nazi propaganda posters appeared in Munich in that period. Many of the posters
presented have a clear antisemitic content, many other advertised exhibitions and
concerts with ideological purposes, still other were dedicated to the Army and the
SS. Interesting to note is that also the Deutsches Museum, as well as other public
institutions, played a big role in the nazi propaganda. My general impression is that
said posters are rather harsh and not gay, the background normally dark or uni-
form puts in evidence the subject on it, destinated to remain impressed together
with a simple message of few words in the mind of the public. Unfortunately take
images of the posters was not allowed. However, you can have an idea of said pos-
ters and their contents in looking to the following links:

http://www.stadtmuseum-online.de/sonderausstellungen/terror.html
http://www.tz-online.de/aktuelles/muenchen-zentrum/stadtmuseum-muenchen-muenchen-nazi-plakate-typographie-terrors-meta-2312228.html

Salutations
Giancarlo

Tiefsee at Rosenheim

Dear Friends
I suggest you of don't miss the occasion to visit the exhibition Tiefsee at the Lokschuppen in Rosenheim: http://www.lokschuppen.de/
The exhibition is ideally subdivided in four parts: the means for arriving at and for studying the deep sea, the creatures populating it, the features of its bottom surface and its resources. The models and the images of the ships and instrumentations involved, withness the human interest and effort in the exploration of this deep world, parallel to our, populated by strange fishes and mollusques adapted to survive at high pressures and practically in the obscurity, by curious active geological structures and formidable mineral richnesses. I send you some images in order to give you an impression of this interesting the exhibition and in case of comments, please let me know.
Salutations
Giancarlo

Walking in Moscow

Dear Friends
the last M.Polo Lecture: Walking in Moscow, by myself held on 25/04/2012 at the
EPO was well attended and successful. Notwithstanding a precedent event in the room, the
Lecture started regularly, although I regret that a M-Polo member coming from outside the EPO was not allowed to access the room of the Lecture. Such a possible situation will be taken into account in organizing future M.Polo public events. The Lecture run smooth, but let me say that I was particularly delight by the lot of questions from the public concerning practical aspects and tipps for visiting the town of Moscow (Moscow card, money change, payements, restaurants, russian food specialities, visas, specialised travel agencies for Russia, Siberia and Far East). The following images (although of not very high quality) document the development of the Lecture. The full set of images of the lecture is available on request. Any comment from your side is welcomed.
Salutations
Giancarlo

Die Weltenältesten - vom ABC bis zur Apokalypse

Dear Friends
yesterday I was at the Bayerisches Staatlische Bibliothek for giving back a book, when I was surprised to see strange "sculptures" in the entrance hall and along the stairway. Two boards atop of the stairway advertised the exhibitions: Die Weltenältesten
http://www.bsb-muenchen.de/Einzeldarstellung.403+M59dba07cda9.0.html
and vom ABC bis zur Apokalypse:
http://www.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de/xylographa-ausstellungvirtuell#I
Concerning the first one, I have to say that the meaning of the exhibition, or the message that it tries to communicate is quite obscure. Probably, it methaphorically refers to the transformation of inhanimated matter into living, acrobatic creatures. By means of the following images, you can form your personal opinion.
Concerning the second one, unfortunately, I cannot supply you images because take images was not allowed. However, the information and the images of the books, expecially the Calendar of Regiomontanus, the Chiromantie, the Mirabilia Romae and the Antichrist, are sufficiently complete for giving you an idea of the fascinating content of the exhibition. My only question is: why don't allow to take images if a lot of them, also of very high quality and in 3D, are already in internet ?
Any comment from your side is welcomed.
Salutations
Giancarlo

 

Zoological Museum - Moscow

Dear Friends
the Zoological Museum of the Moscow University http://zmmu.msu.ru/eng/ , not far from the Saviour Cathedral, presents its collections of insects, birds, fisches and an impressive parade of skeletons of present animals of all the environments. Of particolar interest the skeleton of a mamonth. In visiting the museums of Moscow, I realised that I not had the time of visiting churches and monasteries, but it would be the subject of a next visit to Moscow.
Any comment from your side is welcomed.
Saluti
Giancarlo