10 December 2008
Loooooong time, no pictures...
03 September 2008
Apologies...
02 August 2008
Firenze!
Also, thank you all again for all the emails/Facebook/text messages - your advice, encouragement, and well wishes mean so much!
Orsanmichele! Unfortunately the interior was closed due to ongoing restoration.
Quattro Coronati Saint MarkCantoria by Luca della Robbia, another of my favorites.
Santa Croce Dante - somehow I don't think he'd be too happy about this statue.Gelato count: 7
31 July 2008
Spoleto
The Duomo
The Duomo - S. Maria Assunta
Thirteenth-century mosaic depicting Christ enthroned
Apse frescoes, completed in part by Filippo Lippi, whose tomb is in the Cathedral
Detail of the Coronation of the Virgin Altar in one of the side chapels with a frescoed front depicting Christ as the Vir Dolorum (Man of Sorrows)The fourteenth-century Rocca Albornoziana which was used as a jail in the 19th and 20th centuries.
The scenic Ponte delle Torri, definitely of medieval construction, but which may or may not be built over Roman foundations.
View of the hills and storm clouds around Spoleto from the Ponte delle Torri
30 July 2008
Assisi, Part Two
The Duomo has a very pretty exterior with an intricately carved door and pretty rose window, below which are three carved figures who appear to be holding up the church. The inside is plain and holds in the font in which St. Francis, St. Clare, and the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II were baptized. Cathedral of San Rufino
It was obvious that today was going to be another hot day, so I decided to make the trek up to the Rocca Maggiore, a medieval fortress which overlooks Assisi and the valley below. The walk took about half an hour, almost all uphill, though nothing too steep and the views were well worth the climb.
View of Assisi and Santa Chiara from Rocca Maggiore
The Basilica from aboveThe walk back down to Assisi was all downhill, so within ten minutes, I found myself back in town at the Basilica of Santa Chiara (St. Clare), one of Francis’ followers who founded the Poor Clares, the female branch of the Franciscans. Clare’s church is basically a miniature copy of the Francis’ basilica across town, with the addition of buttresses along the walls of the nave to prevent the collapse of the building due to a poor foundation. The interior of the church has remained mostly unadorned, in contrast to San Francesco. What I found most startling is that Clare’s body is on display in the crypt below, laid out in a glass coffin for all to see. Now, I understand the whole saint/relic thing, and can appreciate it even if I don’t agree with it. But really, an entire body?
The Church of St. Clare Buttresses supporting the church
After that semi-traumatizing event, I came back to the hotel for a few hours since everything shuts at mid-day to avoid the heat. Later in the afternoon, I visited the Pinacoteca, which has some very nice medieval paintings, including two crucifixion scenes, both from the Confraternity of Santa Maria del Vescovato, about which I know absolutely nothing, but hope to find out more.
Crucifixion from Santa Maria del Vescovato
Fragment of a fresco depicting the Crucifixion, also from S. Maria del Vescovato
I spent the rest of the afternoon back at the Basilica of San Francesco taking in the frescoes again. In the Upper Basilica, each of the frescoed scenes is divided by painted pillars and molding, done with perspective in mind so there’s a tromp l’oeil effect and it looks like they’re three-dimensional instead of flat on a wall. There’s also a set of beautiful wooden choir stalls which also utilize tromp l’oeil, this time with wood so that the backs of the stalls appear to have doors or shelves for books. As beautiful as the church is, though, I can’t help but think that St. Francis would be appalled at the opulence spilled out in his name.
Gelato count: 6