The study of Italy's formation as a landmass is
fascinating, revealing much of our Earth's history and
physical processes. Composed of marine limestone, volcanic
rock and marble, Italy's distinctive elongated boot shape,
kicking a large island Sicily, topped by the rising Alps
and cradled by blue sea, is recognisable worldwide.
TWEETING DAVINCI sounds irreverent, but the title jauntily
joins the past with the present in this likeable book.
Italy lies on not two but four continental plates, from
the
major African and Eurasian plates whose collisions are
raising the Alps, to the Adriatic and Anatolian plates
which are pulling or twisting land including the
Appennines
down the spine of Italy, and sea floor. Earthquakes and
volcanic activity are frequent occurrences. Marine fossils
found high in the Alps caused scientific study by people
like Leonardo daVinci and the first geologist Nicholaus
Steno, into whether the world had been changing.
Chapter by chapter we view the history, peoples and
stunning landscape. First the Etruscans, who exploited
rich
mineral deposits and established a prosperous culture
before becoming absorbed into the Roman Empire. One of
their sacred sites was Lake Bolsena, the second largest
volcanic lake in the world, containing two islands. Types
of stone suitable for everything from sculpture to
aqueducts were quarried. The Etruscan god Sethlans of
volcanism, was renamed Vulcan by the Romans. The Seven
Hills of Rome result from the city being surrounded by
volcanoes. I learned that volcanic conditions, with a
plume of ash and fumes in the air, provide perfect highly
charged particles to invite lightning.
The photos are splendid, revealing rock formations,
volcanic craters or ancient cities, marvels of engineering
and beautiful creations. These are sites of the Greek
legends, recorded by Latin scholars, wrought into poetry
by
the Romantics, admired by writers such as Twain, Dumas and
Dickens. I was fascinated by the luxurious Roman town
Baia
which due to subsidence is now underwater, discovered by a
pilot who overflew it and was a skilled diver; he
investigated and found an archaeologist's dream. I also
learnt about gems and pearls. I was fascinated by the
comparison of two similar paintings attributed to DaVinci,
but with one accurate to nature and the other not. This
artist was a scientist and engineer, so the author
concludes that he painted one image and not the other.
Caverns and islands form the topics of the last chapters.
Ann Pizzorusso is a geologist and Italian Renaissance
scholar, who has worked in many fields of geology and
created TWEETING DAVINCI to show the beauty and earth
science of Italy which inspired DaVinci and so many other
people. This is a beautiful and accomplished book, which I
thoroughly enjoyed. Any armchair traveller, art, geography
or geology student or anyone interested in finding out
about their Italian origins would get great value from
TWEETING DAVINCI. He won't tweet back though, I'm afraid.
If Leonardo da Vinci were alive today, he would not just
be
on the cutting-edge of the art scene; he would also be at
the forefront of the technological revolution, the
internet,
as well as scientific and medical advancements. Yet, even
with this great mix, there was something else he offered-
he
was a great geologist.
So now, he's going to be our guide to Italy, revealing
many
of the secrets this land has held for millennia. Many
ancient scientists, historians and writers tried to
understand this fascinating place, but whatever progress
they made was eliminated either by time or by scientific
positions which held that the ideas were folklore.
Interestingly, it is now the advances in science and
scientific testing instruments which are proving that
which
the ancients knew.
You'll learn about: • radioactive waters that are good for
our health, found on an island thought to have a fountain
of
youth • the secret of living in areas with positive and
negative magnetic fields, and how they influence our
health
and well being • a visit to the real Underworld, with
scorching steam and noxious vapors • how amber has healing
properties to reduce body pain and cure throat ailments •
mysterious roads carved 30 meters into volcanic rock which
crisscross necropolises • ancient votive offerings in the
form of body parts which can be found today as religious
candles • sacred cave drip waters used by women to insure
fertility and abundant breast milk • the stairway to
Heaven
as noted in the Bible and the Led Zeppelin song •
unexplained "earthquake lights" that are thought to be
UFOs
• the ominous or auspicious meaning of thunder occurring
on
certain days • the oracles who forecasted the future while
in a trance induced by inhaling gases emitted from the
earth
You'll see how the dramatic geological landscape of Italy
has provided abundant Earthly inspiration for some of the
greatest cultural, literary and artistic achievements of
mankind.
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