That line was in the black-sesame seed, fortune cookie at The Lantern Thursday night. No, I do not know just how it applies to my life but I am sure at some point in the future that there will be (maybe), a situation where it will be applicable. But I am not holding my breath. Whatever happened to the fortunes where you get lucky numbers or a prediction of riches?
Today is TOSCA, Puccini’s opera set in Rome in June 1800, with the Kingdom of Naples's control of Rome threatened by Napoleon's invasion of Italy. This is, as DH relates, a typical opera since the leading characters are all dead by the end of the story. Act I is set in a Roman church; Act II in the Palazzo Farnese and Act III at the Castel Sant’ Angelo, (below, right) the scene of an firing squad execution.
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My preference is the second act inside a palatial sixteenth-century historical building, now used as the French Embassy in Rome.
Palazzo Farnese was designed in 1517 for the Farnese family, the palace building expanded in size and conception when Alessandro Farnese became Pope Paul III in 1534, to designs by Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, its building history involved some of the most prominent Italian architects of the 16th century, including Antonio da Sangallo the Younger, Michelangelo, Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta.An 18th-century engraving of the Palazzo at right.
This is the opera that makes me hungry for Chicken Marengo, as the dish was created and named for the Battle of Marengo (depicted in the painting below).
The news at the end of Act II is that Napoleon’s forces have been turned back so all the villagers have reason to celebrate. But -
With Napoleon's success at the Battle of Marengo (1800), it fell to France and became the capital of the Napoleonic Département of Marengo. During this period another substantial fort was built to the north of the city containing impressive and substantial barracks which are still used as a military HQ and stores (2006).
Their celebration was short lived as during Act III Napoleon's reinforcements arrive thus defeating the local army and giving the French a major step towards the occupation of Italy. I first learned this when taking an OLLI course some years back on opera history from James Brevard, who I am sorry to say has since died. His classes were exciting and in-depth and his knowledge base was endless. At the time I researched and found a recipe for Chicken Marengo which DH and I loved, the only problem is that it is complicated, takes many ingredients and too much time. Plus it is very similar to Chicken Cattiatorie, the “hunter style” poultry dish.
See Giada de Laurentiis’ Marengo version at: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/chicken-cacciatore-recipe/index.html.
What's for dinner tonight? Fruit and cottage cheese. bb
