As a student of Renaissance art, I’ve been obsessed for years with the following question: “Am I the only one that’s noticed there is nothing from the New Testament in the entire Sistine Chapel Ceiling?” Think about it. The most important work of Catholic art ever, in the Pope’s personal chapel, consists of panels depicting Genesis, Noah, Jonah … scenes entirely from the Old Testament. Surrounding these panels are prophets, sibyls from pagan mythology, and a frat-house-worth of nudes. 300 figures in all, and not one Saint, Virgin or Savior, the subject matter of 99% of the Renaissance art found in Catholic churches.

So there I was, my first night in Rome, mentioning this to my friend James Barron, an ex-pat art-dealer who has lived there from years, and he replied “Actually there’s a new book about it, a collaboration between a Rabbi and a Vatican tour guide. It made the NY Times best-seller list.” That night I googled it and found, The Secrets of The Sistine Chapel: Michelangelo’s Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican, by Roy Derliner and Rabbi Benjamin Blech. The book argues that Michelangelo, unhappy with the Church and the Pope that commissioned him, drew heavily on Jewish culture and the doctrine of Kabbalah in designing the Sistine Chapel.

So my first point of biz in Rome …

was setting up a tour with Roy Dorliner’s company, Rome for Jews. This wasn’t your Daddy’s Vatican Tour. Although some of their interpretations are over-reaching, the majority of their arguments are sound. Some take-aways:

• Pope Julius II, who commissioned the ceiling, wanted Michelangelo to paint scenes depicting the 12 apostles. Michelangelo railroaded through his entirely different design by taking advantage of the fact that the “Warrior Pope” was off on one of his many empire-building campaigns.
  
  
• When Michelangelo was a teenager, he was taught by the greatest minds of Florence as a member of Lorenzo de Medici’s court. No news there. What’s news to me is that one of his main teachers was Pico della Mirandola, an expert on Judaic texts who had one of the largest Kabbalah collections in the world.
  
• Check out the Tree of Knowledge in the garden of Eden (pictured above). Not the Christian version apple tree, but a fig tree, as described in the Talmud (the source of the proverbial fig leaf). In addition, the serpent has a human face, following the Jewish interpretation. (BTW, is it just me, or does this picture make it seem that Michelangelo never saw an actual pair of breasts, female-style? We know the guy saw a disected body or two, but if you think Eve’s mammories look wierd, check out the puppies on Night, in the Medici tombs)
  
• The authors had a convincing enough argument that they were able to get Professor Enrico Bruschini, renowned expert on the Vatican Museums and the Official Art Historian of the American Embassy, to write the introduction to the book. One of the clues that put him over the edge was a figure wearing the cap of shame and circle on his sleeve that the Church imposed on Jews during that time. Michelangelo places him in the inner circle of the elect, as a blessed soul in Heaven, with an angel pointing it out.
  
  
• The piece of paper painted to the left of the prophet Jeremiah’s knee shows the Hebrew letters alef and ayin. As with many of Michelangelo’s hidden visual messages these are invisible to the naked eye 65 feet below, and can only be seen with binoculars. Michelangelo’s own face appears as that of Jeremiah — the tortured lamenter of the Old Testament.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to ignore the authors’ desire to create a sensation akin to that of the “Da Vinci Code” (which A.O. Scott called “Dan Brown’s primer on how not to write an English sentence”). That part is pretty unappetizing. But anyone with a dog-eared copy of The Agony or Ecstasy in their bookcase knows that there was no love lost between Michelangelo and Pope Julius. And, although Michelangelo was not a participant in the Bonfire of the Vanities (Thank God!), he was a believer in many of Savonarola’s teachings, especially about the need of papal reform, and was unhappy with the Catholic Church under the Warrior Pope. It was not unlike him to place hidden messages in his art works. The Last Judgement is full of them.

For further exploration, there is a very good interview in The American and then there is the good Rabbi’s personal post. Bring a pound of salt for that one. But either way, this enlightening exploration gives the Sistine Chapel a whole new meaning to us non-Christians who love Renaissance art.

I’m here in Rome, camping out between bike trips. While looking up wine bars, I happened across an entry in Hungry Girl, where she runs into Mario Batali and he tells her “I only eat at wine bars in Rome. That’s where the best food is.” So I decided to put my list of bars up against Mario’s. The research has been exhausting! In checking them out, I found some new favorites, found that some of my old faves had gone downhill, and verified that the tried-and-true great wine bars of Rome are NOT resting on their laurels! For this “best of” list assume fabulous wine selections and good food … wine bars with sh**y selections didn’t make the list. Each address below is linked to the google map.

Cul de Sac – This has always been my favorite. Why? Walls lined with bottles, outdoor seating, always crowded, perfect location, great array of cheeses and meats, darn good food, too. Along a cute sidestreet close to the Piazza Navona. Piazza di Pasquino, 73

Il Simposio di Constantini – Classy place connected to a very good restaurant. I was sitting at the bar, enjoying a glass of Pinot Nero and the free hors d’oeuvres, and I met a group of ex-pat journalists, which led to two more glasses of wine, which led to …

… a party a couple of nights later, which led to more new friends, which led  … you just gotta love Rome. Close to Castello Angelo.  Piazza Cavour, 16

Enoteca Ferrara –  I can’t totally like this, as it’s the favorite of my ex-hubby, but with 24 wines by the glass and a cruvinet, there is always something interesting to try. Free antipasto served all night. The seating in the front room is kind of cramped in a weird layout and doesn’t lend to a good “da solo” experience, so bring a friend. In a student-y area of Trastevere. Via del Moro, 1/a

Trimani – Great food and atmosphere, and open for both lunch and dinner. Call for reservations, so you don’t get stuck sitting upstairs in Siberia which has next-to-no atmosphere (but good for large parties). Close to the train station. Via Cernaia 37B

313 Cavour One of the largest selections in Rome, and an extensive menu, too. Unlike some Roman wine bars (can you say “Trimani”?), the service is very friendly. But always call beforehand because they are often closed for no apparent reason. (No posted hours). On a traffic-heavy street close to the Coliseum. Via Cavour 313

Roscioli –Incredible cheese and salami case out in the front. Not a lot of food options, but the pasta is truly the best I have ever had in Rome. Great music, great service. Jewish Quarter. Via dei Giubbonari, 21

Il Goccetto – Old, old old school. Lots of Italian wine biz guys hang out here. Some of them look like they’ve been around since the days of Mussolini! The walls are lined with bottles, so go to it and find something great. Little rickety wood tables … place looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in 20 years. But good prices, and what a selection! Via dei Banchi Vecchi 14

Runners Up 

These ones didn’t make the list. If you are only in Rome for a couple of days, these won’t give you the full Roman wine bar experience, but if you are hanging out for awhile, there are still reasons to try these out. 

Enoteca Piccolo – small selection, but other than Cul de Sac and Il Simposio, the only other one with outdoor seating.

‘Gusto– Huge, modern interior. ‘Gusto is a pizzeria, restaurant, grocer AND wine bar. Nothing about this place feels Roman to me.

Casa Bleve – In a 15th Century building off of Piazza Navonna.  Very elegant, but very expensive.

Palatium – Specializing in the not-that-great-but-interesting wines of the area (Lazio). This is an excellent place for lunch as it serves very authentic Roman cuisine. Always hopping with locals. By the Spanish Steps.

Hint: At many places you can reserve a table! It’s such a drag to enter a fun, crowded bar and find out there are no available tables. But a little-known secret is that many of these places will take reservations. Numerous times we got dirty looks from people who had been waiting a long time but because we called ahead, we got seated right away.

My much-anticipated month of biking and wine tasting in Italy finally began last week. Five of my closest wine-loving friends joined me for a ride through the Veneto, which includes Lake Garda and the beautiful valleys of the river Adige, surrounded by the towering and dramatic Dolomites. Of course along the way we had to visit plenty of Amarone and Alto-Adige producers … When I lead a tour the wine is as important as the biking!

On Friday, our visit was to Tenuta San Leonardo outside of Trento, where they make a fabulous and world-reknown Bordeaux blend. A while back I heard of a story where a well-known wine collector from Beverly Hills, who claims to hate all Italian wines, was poured a glass of the San Leonardo and proclaimed it to be a great Graves.

I know my friends at Do Bianchi and MondoSapore are disapointed in me for liking a Bordeaux blend made in Trentino, but San Leonardo has been growing these varieties for over 100 (pre-pheloxera!) years. Insult to injury: the cute doggie in the picture is named Barique.

So we arrive at the estate, which includes the magnificent villa of the proprietor, the Marchese de Gonzaga (if you know your Mantuan history, you’re impressed). It sits among 700 acres of immaculately maintained vineyards, gardens and the forest that extends up to the surrounding mountains. The director of marketing, Fulvio is taking us through the vineyard when a Renault pulls up and out steps the Marchese himself. We chit-chat about biking in the region, the great weather, blah blah blah, but within a couple of minutes, in my broken Italian, I start sharing the story about the BH wine collector.

So next thing we know, instead of the one-hour “tourist tasting” we now have the Marchese himself personally taking us around. The guy is magnificent. He’s in his 70’s but seems 20 years younger and still involved in every aspect of this first-class and high-tech operation. We spent the rest of the day with him touring the grounds and the villa, and drinking multiple vintages, as you can see from the “fallen soldiers” in the picture. In addition to the reasonably priced, and very enjoyable Villa Gresti, he pulled out the San Leanardo ’95, ’99, ’00, ’01 and ’04, which were all fantastic. The San Leanardo is a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and supposedly Cab Franc, but it turns out that the root stock they bought (many many generations ago) is really Carmenere. This may be one of the best regions in the world for this seldom-seen variety. You can see from the pic that (as with all great visits in Italy) it ended with healthy dosages of grappa to send us on our way.

The topper was that he received his notice of “Tre Bicchieri” for the current vintage from Gambero Rosso (the Wine Spectator of Italy … but much more respected) while we were there. Not surprising, as they have won it over 10 times. But Complimenti all the less!!!

And Grazie Mille to my friend in BH. May he enjoy many bottiglie of San Leonardo in the future!

We were munching on some of the yummiest Merlot grapes I have ever tasted when the Marchese drove up! Notice how the grapes are trained on pergolas, the traditional method in the Aldo Adige. The pergolas make for breathtakingly beautiful vineyards, but many wineries are finding that they get better results using the more common Guyot vine training method. Time to go biking through the vineyards of the Alto Adige before they all switch!

I got a lot of grief from people that wanted to hear about biking, not drinking! Here goes, while I’m still in Veneto after-glow:

Biking in the Veneto is, along with the Basque coast of Spain, my favorite place for biking in Europe. Why? How’s this for a short list: 1) you ride along bike trails, not roads, so there is no traffic whatsoever, 2) the scenery changes every day as you ride one day through vineyards, the next along seaside resorts (Lake Garda and Lake Caldaro), and then along the river Adige with the dramatic mountains of the Dolomites on either side, 3) it can be easy riding if you stay along the river, or some of the toughest riding in Europe if you decide to be gnarly and ride up into the mountains. 4) Three, count them, three wine regions: Alto Adige (wonderful whites and Lagrein, Pinot Nero), Trentino (Bordeaux blends), and Amarone Country.  

And yes, in reply to those comments on the SL entry, we brought along plenty of Aveeno diaper cream. It really is the best kept secret among bike tourers. Nothing else works like Aveeno after a 75-mile day of riding!

Thanks to First Light Tours out of London. They did a great job outfitting our trip. Loved the bikes, the route sheets were easy to understand, and as we moved our base camp every two days, our bags would miraculously appear at each new hotel. We stayed in four-star lodging the whole way. All this, and for a third of the cost of a guided trip!

The Grateful Dead are like licorice, not that many people like licorice, but people that like it, really like licorice. – Jerry Garcia

Amarone makes me think of this quote by Jerry Garcia. Many of my friends who love wine (especially the Burgheads) don’t love this wine, which is made of partially dried grapes in the Veneto region of Italy. Amarone is one of the richest wines in the world … and it’s fig-like, bittersweet nuttiness reminds some people of Port, which turns off those who like their wines more nuanced. But people who love it, love it with a mad passion.  

There are two schools of winemaking in the Veneto … There are the old-school producers who make a wine that tastes like the Amarones of old. Quintarelli and Bertani are the leaders in this realm. The new, modern-style producers make a wine that’s fruity, oaky, big and bouncy. That includes, Masi, Allegrini, Zenato, and Dal Forno. Our day was a nice hybrid of the two worlds, we started with Quintarelli (considered , along with Dal Forno, the “grand cru” of the region), then off to Bertani, and finally Allegrini.

Silviana Quintarelli greeted us outside her very modest facility. We walked through room after room of huge Slovanian oak barrels, where the wine is aged for years. Orson Welles and his lame “We sell no wine before its time”  (right … for Paul Masson???) could have learned a thing or two from Quintarelli!  For instance, they are JUST releasing the 2001 while most producers are releasing the 2004! We drank:

2000 Quintarelli Valpolicella, made in the Ripassa style. You may know this as “Baby Amarone”. The main thing about Ripassa is that it is much less expensive, but tastes like a lighter easier-to-drink Amarone. To do this, they ferment the grapes it with the lees of the Amarone grapes, and often they also throw some of the dried grapes into the mix, too. I would rather drink this, at 32 euro, than most Amarones on the market.

1998 Quintarelli Amarone.  My tasting note: “like the most delicious Fig Newton I’ve ever had”. This is very special wine. Several years a group of us did a pretty comprehensive tasting of Amarone. We had both the Dal Forno and the Quinterrelli (both wines are over $300 a bottle). Like red and blue states, the crowd was split down the middle. Half liked the syruppy, rich Dal Forno, while the other half of us preferred the figgy, old world nuances of the Quint.

1998 Quintarelli Alzero.  I really don’t understand this wine. Yes, it is delicious. But it is a Bordeaux blend aged in new oak barique. This flies in the face of traditional style winemaking! Maybe this is a statement by the Quintarelli that they don’t want to be labeled and put into a box.  Either way, this wine is just a bambino and will continue to get better, that’s for sure!

So after that, we went on to Bertani. As you can see from the picture below, this was NOT a modest facility!

Bertani, housed at Villa Novare,  is one of the oldest and best wine houses in the Veneto.

We spent the afternoon touring the facility and were lucky enough to see the grapes just starting the drying process as they had recently completed harvest. It takes 3-4 months to get them dried enough so they are ready for fermenting. Bertani is one of the few Amarone houses that still uses handmade mats. They had rooms and rooms of them, with huge industrial fans blowing to keep the moisture out. Really, it must have covered acres, and it takes hundreds of man-hours to hand-place the grape bunches on the mats.  Almost all of the other producers use bins which simply stack on top of each other.