Sharing Guy's Journey

Thoughts, comments, observations, reactions, enthusiasms

Personal History

Opera: A “Tannhäuser” to Remember

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We opera goers often find ourselves using the term “unforgettable.” In New York, the idea took on an even more special meaning last Thursday night. Many of us were at the Metropolitan Opera for the first performance of the revival of Wagner’s Tannhäuser, not heard here for a few years . I’m a big fan …

Milan: Raphael’s “The School of Athens” and Me

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[In brief.] Last spring, I had an experience in Milan that surprised me and left me thinking about the effect of remembering things that had happened earlier in my life. My years at university (in his case the University of Virginia in Charlottesville) took place a long time ago, and as with most people, it …

Milan: La Biblioteca Ambrosiana / La Pinacoteca Ambrosiana

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It’s clear by now: Guy fell hard for this glorious city.  And, yes, he will return to Milan when he has the chance.  Until then, these “digital postcards” and the upcoming personal essay will have to do for sharing some of my favorite memories with friends. Of course I can’t write about everything I saw and …

Milan: Cimitero Monumentale

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During last spring’s Milan visit, Sandra Kitt and I had an afternoon at the city’s Cimitero Monumentale. This impressive urban space is one of the city’s two largest cemeteries (the other being the Cimitero Maggiore), and both were created to provide an alternative to the many small cemeteries located throughout the city. Designed by the …

Milan – A Visit to La Scala (In Brief)

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Last spring’s visit to Milan was very special, for many reasons. Primarily, though, we seriously enjoy opera, and if Milan is a destination for tourists in general, within the city Teatro La Scala is the sine qua non for opera lovers. We were hardly settled into our hotel (about three New York-style “short” blocks from …