Whenever experts are gathered together to share knowledge and experience there is the opportunity to discover entirely new realities. Such occurred with the visit of the second Club Salviatino event participants, geniuses of film: Jerry Carlson and Andrzej Krakowski. Both are professors at CUNY.
Producer Carlson and Director Krakowski
Since their week began on the first day of Passover, the hotel provisioned the sitting room of Andrzej’s room for a First Seder at sundown. It was an inspiring and beautiful communal event for both of the guest speakers and their families.
First Seder in the Marcello suite
Their week began with the exploration of the treasures of Florence, and during the guided tour, we were treated to a rare, probably once-in-a-lifetime experience of Michelangelo. When we entered the Medici Chapel, our guide conferred with a museum guard. The result was a most special offer: we had been invited to view the secret, graffiti room occupied by Michelangelo under the New Sacristy during his work on the Sacristy. It lay undiscovered from about 1530 until 1975. The guard had been employed there when it was discovered, and he told us that the trap-door leading to the secret graffiti room had been covered by a large, very old piece of furniture - a wardrobe or set of shelves (my Italian remains weak in some areas), which when moved, revealed the passage. At first the room was open to the public, but by 1979, it was permanently closed due to its fragility. We were all in awe as we were ushered into the little guard-room on one side of the New Sacristy, the door to the chapel was closed behind us so others could not see what we were doing, and the guard opened the trap door. We squeezed down the steps and into a narrow, long, arched room whose walls were covered with charcoal drawings - all by Michelangelo when he was hidden there during a siege of Florence. All of us got chills to be so close to the random drawings of this genius - ones that we had not even known existed.
Some of the Michelangelo graffiti beneath the Medici Chapel
More charcoal sketches on the walls
The guard asked our film producer and director to sign a guest book of visitors to the room, and the previous signatures were of Edward Kennedy, and Pope John Paul II. Andrzej signed the guard’s book and included his own, hand-drawn cartoon as a memento for the guard. Our guide told us that she had not been in the room for 25 years, and might not be again for another 25. By that time I figure I will be “headed for the bone-yard,” as my great-grandmother used to say, so it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime discovery and experience for me.
Later in the week we were invited to a cocktail party at Palazzo Tornabuoni to discuss film with some of their guests. We met in the Palazzo’s library, and met a wonderful group of Italians and Americans.
Palazzo Tornabuoni Library © Club Tornabuoni
One of the guests was Rolando Beramendi, the famous gastronomic expert who created Osteria Tornabuoni for the Palazzo, which is featured in the Michelin Guide for Italy. 2010.
Rolando Beramendi
In addition to Rolando’s 6ft 7in. frame, a visitor from Dallas, Texas, Barry Williams, was also at the reception. He towered over us all at 6 ft. 8in of height. Barry is one of the most highly regarded designers in Dallas, the home-town of both Jerry Carlson and me. We all discovered that we had a number of acquaintances in common in Dallas and had lived in close proximity of each other despite the years of distance from Dallas that Jerry and I have accumulated.
Barry Williams © D Magazine
Barry visited il Salviatino the following day and remarked with great approval its extensive, but restrained use of leather, wood, silver, and white roses. That is a gratifying compliment, coming from such an accomplished expert in his field.
Simple, but elegant leather, wood, candles, roses
Toward the end of the week, we had a dinner for the entourage at il Salviatino. The Chef again produced a miraculous series of courses for everyone that left us all wanting more. We enjoyed the fantastic wines from il Salviatino’s cellar, and our film guests summarized their week here as “a dream.” Again, coming from a couple of dream-creators, that is one of the best compliments they could pay il Salviatino.
The Producer and Director table at dinner in il Salviatino
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