I know Italy very well, I was there nearly zillion times, but last time in 2008... I really missed the country, and especially its amazing capital Rome. Since - despite the fact it's end of April - the weather in Brussels keeps on being terrible (neverending rain, greyness, clouds and cold) I decided to make some warmer break on the south of Europe.
However, when THE weekend was approaching, it seemed that Rome will also welcome me with rain. I just couldn't believe it, still, I decided to enjoy it.
Leaving Brussels was more challenging than usual. After the terrorists' attacks, the security measures at the airport were enforced, and now it was impossible to enter the building without scanning the luggage. However it also delayed much more the procedure and it took me one hour to enter the airport.
After my arrival to Rome I was very positively surprised. The weather was nice, it was warm and most importantly there was no rain! It was everything what I needed :) The rest of the weekend turned out to be equally pleasant with small occasional showers only. I loved this short stay in Eternal City. We walked with my friend Ana through the city's major attractions, with short stops for caappuccino and ice creams :)
The highlight of my stay in Rome was exhibition of the Czech artist - Alphonse Mucha - one of the greatest figures of Art Nouveau and one of the most celebrated artists in turn-of-the-century Europe.
Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in Ivančice, which at that time belonged to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. He then in Munich, but eventually moved to Paris, where for many years was trying to make a career. It was the coincidence that made him famous. On Christmas 1894 he was asked by the most famous French actress of that time - Sarah Bernhadt - to produce a poster for a play Gismonda in which she was featuring. She rejected all posters produced by other artist, and - since it was Christmas period - it was only Mucha who agreed to do it. Sarah loved it, so loved it the French public. One one day Alphonse Mucha and his unique style instantly became famous. He signed the contract with Sarah Bernhadt, and since then he was tasked with producing posters for all the plays she took part it.
After returning to Prague in 1910, and after Czech Republic regained independence in 1918, Mucha was designing basically everything in his country - from banknotes, through stamps and official documents. But the biggest dream of his life and his life's masterpiece was the Slav Epic. He has spent many years working on a series of twenty huge canvas depicting the history of the Czech and the Slavs (ten of each). It is now displayed in Prague, at the National Gallery.
The exhibition was opened on 15 April, and will last until 11 September in Complesso del Vittoriano, it displays nearly 250 works by this amazing Art Nouveau artist, including paintings, posters, photographs, drawers, decorative works, jewelry ad furniture.
