10 days in ITALY!! Trip details/cost is here. We will begin in Venice and visit the best vendors, historical sites, and opera/fine dining of the Serenissima for 3 days at the end of Carnevale in February 2024 (because those crowds are meh). Next we will take the train to Ferrara and have a 3-day tour … More Italy with Gigi 2024
Reblogged from https://www.monstrousregimentofwomen.com/2015/02/isabella-deste-la-prima-donna-del-mondo.html Isabella d’Este, marchesa of Mantua (died 13 February 1539) Let Your Highness, I beg of you, keep a tranquil mind and attend wholly to military affairs, for I intend to govern the state with the help of these magnificent gentlemen and officials in such a manner that you will suffer no wrong, and all … More Isabella d’Este “la prima donna del mondo”
I found an extant gamurra for a pious working class woman in Mantova circa 1496! Apparel of: Osanna Andreasi Date Created: 1496 Here is the information on Osanna and her dress from Google Art & Culture: This garment, that the tradition associates to the person of the Blessed Osanna, was a long dress, tight in the upper part … More The Extant Gamurra of Beata Osanna
When Isabella d’Este first arrived in Mantua, she began having a set of rooms (camerini) built to showcase her books, artworks, and musical instruments, and to provide her with spaces for reflection, contemplation, and intimate music-making. Her first camerini were in the Castel San Giorgio in Mantua, adjacent to the Camera degli Sposi, which is decorated with frescoes … More Impresa of Isabella d’Este
From https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/eascfa/dinner_party/place_settings/isabella_d_este Isabella d’Este (Gonzaga) was a powerful and well-educated political figure, humanitarian, patron of the arts, and mother of seven. Known as “The First Lady of the Renaissance,” she was related to nearly every ruler in Italy either by birth or marriage. D’Este was the oldest of six children born into the ruling family … More Art of Isabella d’Este
Isabella d’Este, “la prima donna del mondo” By Sharon L. Jensen (original article here) Let Your Highness, I beg of you, keep a tranquil mind and attend wholly to military affairs, for I intend to govern the state with the help of these magnificent gentlemen and officials in such a manner that you will suffer … More Isabella d’Este – First Lady of the World
For those interested in viewing period heraldry here is a list of Rolls of Arms (with links) containing pre-17th century Italian and Iberian examples: Armorial of the Order of the Annunciation, 1362 and later, Italian http://www.heraldique-europeenne.org/Armoriaux/Annonciade/Amedee_VI.htm Armorial of Cataluña, Castille and Portugal, 15th-16th century, Iberian http://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/~db/bsb00001370/images/index.html? William Bruges’s Garter Book c.1430 to c.1440 English roll of European … More Italian and Spanish Rolls of Arms and Impresa
The articles and books I’ve been reading lately explore pets in the past. They ask and answer questions like: Were pets in the Middle Ages only kept for rodent control and protection or did their owners bond with them and shower them with the same affection we do today? What did Renaissance Italians name their … More Renaissance Italian Pets and Pet Names
La Bella Donna 