Tweeting Da Vinci

by Ann C. Pizzorusso

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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Art

244 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2014

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprisingly intrigued by this book. Geology has never held much of my interest until now. The interesting stories combined with beautiful images and over layout of the book brought me into worlds I never really thought about. The title of the book is somewhat misleading, yet it did capture my attention so who is to say.

[Tawney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book compliments of Da Vinci Press through the Goodreads First Read Program.

The variety of the many illustrations (even the inside of the jacket) announces the book's theme: that the geology of Italy has directly influenced the beliefs and the arts of the peoples who have lived there for thousands of years. The introductory chapter explains just how complicated the formation of Italy has been. The results - volcanoes, fumaroles, mineral springs and caverns - influence religion, building material and agriculture. Etruscans, Romans, Renaissance Italians reflected these influences in their lives. Pizzorusso sets out to show us how. (Leonardo's love and curiosity about the natural world has been a large influence for her, which apparently leads to the book's title.) She points out that the reader can open to a section, read that, then bounce somewhere else. That is possible because it is kind of a grab bag of topics that can be read like magazine articles. I read it straight through which is chronological with asides and found it fascinating. The Etruscans attached meaning to lightning, Virgil didn't imagine the entrance to Hell so much as describe it, many of the pigments used over the ages are seriously poisonous, building a grotto was a status symbol and much more. It is well documented and the picture credits include urls for those found online.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so enlightening because it connected various disciplines and made me look at culture through the lens of geology of all things. We live on the Earth yet we don't really take the time to look at the landscape around us. Ann Pizzorusso shows us that some great individuals like Dante, Goethe, Virgil as well as prehistoric man and the Etruscans all looked at their surroundings as something sacred and vital to our well being. The book is richly illustrated and can be read in chapters out of order. For all of its profound insight, it is easy to read and so, many of the wonderful gems in this book are easily remembered and make interesting topics for general conversation.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! I wish that there were non-fiction books wit this beautiful art and so much information. While I don't quite understand the title, it is catchy. This book was fill of all sorts of information ranging from history to important maps to facts you would never have guessed or known otherwise.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in history and in the development of Italy and it's lovely history! 4 out of 5!

[Jackie Trimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a Goodreads win years ago. I have great guilt because I entered for it, thinking that my nephew would like this, too. However - sadly - he is no longer with us, having passed away a couple years back. I think this is a beautiful love letter to Italy. The beginning of the book really confused me because Da Vinci wasn't talked about at all, really. But, there are entirely interesting things to learn from this book!

[Jim Razinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book through a Goodreads giveaway. Reviewing a gift is an odd thing...but I need to be fair to future readers. The title is quite misleading. Save for a brief mention in the Foreword, and two sections late in the book, there is little da Vinci. And no tweeting.

Instead we are treated to a pretty and nicely made book printed on quality paper that is all over the topical map. The author talks of Etruscan history and geologic formations, Virgil and volcanism, geology, poetry, more history, Goethe, Dante (lots of Dante) wrapped in 51 pages of gems and gemology...before da Vinci make his appearance on page 143. Pizzorusso shows here appreciation of da Vinci's attention to detail before segueing into a discussion of the minerals used in paint pigments.

She does a nice comparison of two versions of Virgin of the Rocks attributed to da Vinci...only one of which could be his, specifically comparing the geological and botanical details of the real one vs the mistakes in the copy.

Pizzorusso knows her stuff when it comes to geology, but she makes a lot of tenuous connections on other subjects. When discussing a fresco of the Etruscan psychopomp Charun she invokes Jungian psychology. What does that have to do with Etruscan mythology? And after stating that caves make great natural shelters (Italy has many), she imbues them with religious import. An odd one was tying a phrase in Dante's Paradiso to Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, calling the Plant/Page composition a resonation of a spiritual journey. Robert Plant said it "was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after that". Only later did he say the lyrics may have been inspired by Lewis Spencer's The Magical Arts in Celtic Britain. Just another departure from the implied topic. I'm not going to address the amber and radioactive waters sections. Caveats at the end are too easy to miss when the context is too accommodating to mysticism and legend.

So...summary: a touch of da Vinci, a lot of geology, a bunch of Etruscans and Virgil and Dante and gems, with a lot of pretty pictures.

[Zeb Kantrowitz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unless you are a geologist yourself, you are not going to find this book very useful (at least in my non-geologist opinion). The first half of the book (the first three chapters) relates the geological history of the Italian Peninsula, and gives a history of the Etruscan civilization. Pizzorusso discusses how the Etruscans made us of the “Tuff” stone in Tuscany as both building materials and for the digging of tunnels for aqueducts and funeral vaults.

There then is a section on the hot-springs and steam vents in the area around Naples that Virgil used as his example for the entry into the underworld which was later used by early Christians as their version of Hell. Dante later used it as the background in his “Divine Comedy” where Virgil acted as his guide. This is then followed by a discussion of gemstones and the makings of pearls.

The last three chapters are about Da Vinci (finally, remember him from the title). Mostly the discussion has to do with the use of geological forms in his paintings. Lastly there is a discussion of the creation of different pigments for paints and what minerals they could be derived from.

So for me this book was not only misnamed (what does tweeting have to do with any of this) I don’t understand its use. Much of what’s in here wouldn’t interest even an art history student much less the quotidian reader. In many ways it reads like a proposal for a master or doctoral thesis. So for me it’s a one, for art history it’s a two, for geology it’s a three and a half.

Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as part of GoodReads First Reads giveaway.

'Tweeting Da Vinci' is a straight up fascinating read. It talks about various aspects of Italian geography and how that has impacted the culture. The first chapter talks about central Italian geography and how it impacted the Etruscan culture and religion. The second chapter is about how the underworld in Virgil's Aeneid reflects actual Italian geology (like Virgil was describing real places in Italy when describing the entrance to the underworld). The third chapter talks about precious stones and how they show up in Dante's Divine Comedy (Paradiso specifically) and so on for the rest of the chapters.

The most fascinating part of this book (and it was all fascinating) was about a dispute over whether Leonardo Da Vinci had painted a Virgin of the Rocks painting in London. The author compares the geological knowledge shown by the artist of the disputed painting compared to another painting done by Leonardo Da Vinci. And it was eye opening to think that you could identify someone's work based on your knowledge of what they knew.

Overall this book was fascinating. I learned so much about geology and the author's enthusiasm shines through on every page. But there's so much info here that I know I didn't absorb it all. A lot of it didn't really register at the time due to complexity or me being unfamiliar with the subject so this will be a definite reread.

[Keri Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will write a review at a later date after I delve further into this book. I did want to mention my initial reaction. When this package arrived and I took a peek inside, I could barely contain my excitement. It was like opening a gift for a special occasion. Just skimming through the pages, I knew this was a gem. I look forward to discovering the treasures within these pages. In all actuality, this was not the book I thought I was going to be getting. I was initiallly interested in this book because the title, "Tweeting Da Vinci", caught my eye. I chose this book haphazardly because I assumed it was about Leonardo Da Vinci and his life. I guess I should have read the summary. However, I was not disappointed in the least. Though the written material was unexpected, I was content to postpone my desire to read about the intriguing life I imagine Da Vinci must have lived. I do understand the purpose of comparing the world of Da Vinci with the worldly secrets revealed in this book. I now expect that my reading experience will take me on a similar journey of discovery, diversity, and transformation. I will complete this review after I have expanded my awareness provided by the words of Ann C. Pizzorusso. More to come....

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book which focuses on geology and history in Italy. I don't believe the cover does it justice as the interior pages are colourfully illustrated, and lavishly decorated in some cases. The cover just comes across as black, especially in thumbnail.

We learn about the forces and types of rock shaping the Italian peninsula; the legends and their origins in caves, volcanism and waters; gemstones including pearls and amber, and what their uses were in medicine and symbolism (I found this the least interesting part, like a list of facts, but others with an interest in this aspect will be delighted); and races from Etruscans to Romans and Greeks.

With beautiful photos and analysis of a pair of paintings attributed to daVinci - the author believes that the scientist and engineer only painted one of them - there is much to interest armchair travellers, students of art or natural science and anyone researching Italy. There is no reference to tweeting, by the way.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a free copy from the Goodreads First Reads Giveaway Program and think that it interesting. I would recommend it to everyone.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot different from what I expected. Deceiving summary. Deceiving title. Its sort of like a textbook, per say.

Other than that, its alright. (2 stars - it was ok)

[Sweetpea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review. Beautiful book, very interesting read.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A look at Italy through a geological lens. Could all of Italian culture as we know it come from the scientific properties of the country? Read this book to find out more! I feel the title is a bit misleading. One may think the book is about art and social media, so I gave the cover a thumbs down, as it plays into that as well.