15 March 2010
03 March 2010
a.rainy.day.in.assisi
Another Friday means another field trip, and this past weekend took us to the town of Assisi. Famous as the site of St. Francis' Basilica, Assisi is a charming white and pink town seemingly frozen in its Medieval stage (though I doubt the Middle Ages had as many shops shops selling glow-in-the-dark rosaries and light-up St. Francis statues...). Braving crazy wind and chilly rain, our herd of bright umbrellas migrated up the streets of Assisi as we shivered from one church to the next.
Our professor Marco was born in Assisi and still calls this hill town home--therefore he was excited and ready to show off his pride and joy. Our first VERY enthusiastic stop was the Basilica's lower level, following the path tread by Medieval pilgrims, through the middle church, down to the crypt and up to the astoundingly vertical and restored upper church.
We approached the triple layered church in the typical fashion...thus a typical picture. (I think I have this exact same picture from my 2004 trip to Assisi, except of course, with a blue sky).
The stormy skies that never seemed to move from their spot directly over the city gave the town a darker, less romantic attitude, holding more true to its Gothic architecture than to its bubbly pink and white regional stones. The gorgeous rose window of the lower church was the perfect example of the detailed Medieval features of the city:
Also home to the beginnings of the Poor Clares, St. Francis' Basilica is complemented on the opposite side of town by the "girlier" pink and white church.
For a few brief moments as we walked out of the Basilica of St. Clare, the sun peeked through the clouds and gave the top of Assisi's hill the dramatic and surreal appearance of a Hollywood movie set...(and apparently it's often used as one!)
We were turned loose for a short lunch break, and Marco pointed us toward a little cafeteria along the side of St. Clare's, where we snacked on pizza and the most delicious black olive pasta ever (slowly Italy is transforming me into an olive fan, one dish at a time...). Then I did what I do best as a tourist: wander aimlessly. Taking the little alleys of Assisi, you eventually find these nondescript passages that suddenly open up on the valley below, framing it perfectly..
(though these shots remind me of the torturous and endless hours I spent painting individual roof tiles my senior year of high school when I painted one of these Assisi alleys, they're still quite stunning...)
The overlook next to St. Clare's is the perfect spot in Assisi to just stop and stare.
The history of St. Francis often overshadows the history of Assisi itself. Above is the temple to Minerva (now a hideous Baroque Christian Church inside). This insanely well-preserved Roman temple front is one of the few remaining full facades of its kind. Stuck in the middle of Assisi, this extremely rare blip of antiquity is evidence of Assisi's past as a Roman city.
Assisi has created a fantastic underground museum that runs right through the excavated Roman ruins (found directly below the main civic piazza). Of course, we had to go! Carol and Don led us through this interestingly arranged museum, where you are literally thrown into the ruins so closely that you can touch them...
And after exploring the underground museum, we rejoined Assisi's 'modern world', met by the long-awaited sunshine.
A sunny ending to another trip.
Our professor Marco was born in Assisi and still calls this hill town home--therefore he was excited and ready to show off his pride and joy. Our first VERY enthusiastic stop was the Basilica's lower level, following the path tread by Medieval pilgrims, through the middle church, down to the crypt and up to the astoundingly vertical and restored upper church.
We approached the triple layered church in the typical fashion...thus a typical picture. (I think I have this exact same picture from my 2004 trip to Assisi, except of course, with a blue sky).
The stormy skies that never seemed to move from their spot directly over the city gave the town a darker, less romantic attitude, holding more true to its Gothic architecture than to its bubbly pink and white regional stones. The gorgeous rose window of the lower church was the perfect example of the detailed Medieval features of the city:
Also home to the beginnings of the Poor Clares, St. Francis' Basilica is complemented on the opposite side of town by the "girlier" pink and white church.
For a few brief moments as we walked out of the Basilica of St. Clare, the sun peeked through the clouds and gave the top of Assisi's hill the dramatic and surreal appearance of a Hollywood movie set...(and apparently it's often used as one!)
We were turned loose for a short lunch break, and Marco pointed us toward a little cafeteria along the side of St. Clare's, where we snacked on pizza and the most delicious black olive pasta ever (slowly Italy is transforming me into an olive fan, one dish at a time...). Then I did what I do best as a tourist: wander aimlessly. Taking the little alleys of Assisi, you eventually find these nondescript passages that suddenly open up on the valley below, framing it perfectly..
(though these shots remind me of the torturous and endless hours I spent painting individual roof tiles my senior year of high school when I painted one of these Assisi alleys, they're still quite stunning...)
The overlook next to St. Clare's is the perfect spot in Assisi to just stop and stare.
The history of St. Francis often overshadows the history of Assisi itself. Above is the temple to Minerva (now a hideous Baroque Christian Church inside). This insanely well-preserved Roman temple front is one of the few remaining full facades of its kind. Stuck in the middle of Assisi, this extremely rare blip of antiquity is evidence of Assisi's past as a Roman city.
Assisi has created a fantastic underground museum that runs right through the excavated Roman ruins (found directly below the main civic piazza). Of course, we had to go! Carol and Don led us through this interestingly arranged museum, where you are literally thrown into the ruins so closely that you can touch them...
And after exploring the underground museum, we rejoined Assisi's 'modern world', met by the long-awaited sunshine.
A sunny ending to another trip.
28 February 2010
home.again
After a windy and rainy visit to Assisi, we're enjoying our weekend 'at home' in Orvieto, basking in sun and 65 degree weather. (Not to rub it in or anything, Kansas and Nebraska...)
As I've been getting caught up on sketches for seminar and history classes (procrastination is an international phenomenon it seems) I've completely neglected preparing the next post of weekend activities...my apologies to all my dedicated followers: you'll just have to sit in suspense for the thrilling tales of this leading lady's adventures in Assisi!
(But to tide you adoring fans over, I've added the long-awaited text for the Herculaneum post from way back when...)
As I've been getting caught up on sketches for seminar and history classes (procrastination is an international phenomenon it seems) I've completely neglected preparing the next post of weekend activities...my apologies to all my dedicated followers: you'll just have to sit in suspense for the thrilling tales of this leading lady's adventures in Assisi!
(But to tide you adoring fans over, I've added the long-awaited text for the Herculaneum post from way back when...)
22 February 2010
the.vatican: take.2
After getting back to Orvieto from our three-day South Trip, we celebrated our homecoming at the local cafes, who were featuring live music, crowds, etc. Paul Megli made a quick comment about "Boy, I'd really like to go to Rome before the Vatican gets crowded."
Next thing I know, we're planning our 6AM departure for Rome.
Our mission: conquer the entirety of the Vatican Museums. Oh dang.
We visited everything, included my new favorite portion of the museums: an often overlooked garage under the Vatican featuring all the Pope's transportation history. aka...POPEMOBILES!
(Back when the popemobile had 4 legs and neighed)
Then it was off to the Early Christian, Egyptian, Etruscan, etc et etc before beginning the hike to the coveted Sistine Chapel finale....this walk shall now be referred to as the Vatican Marathon.
During hour 5 in the museum, we finally made it to the Raphael Rooms that precede the Sistine. The sheer detail of these spaces is incredible...former papal apartments, clearly, as even their shutters are over the top:
Now that the tourist path is set up like a maze, we went up and down about 90 staircases, finally surprising ourselves with one last little, nondescript turn, then BOOM! Sistine Chapel.
Our intelligent move to visit the Sistine in the mid-afternoon paid off...all the tour groups had filtered out by 1, leaving us so much elbow room in the famous chapel that we scored bench seats to just sit and stare. No pictures of the Sistine--my apologies to my adoring fans. The Vatican was under contract with the restoration contractors that no photos will be allowed. And there was no cheating and shooting pictures from the hip...one particular short ninja-like Vatican guard was so not falling for it.
After over an hour of gawking, Paul and I finally crossed the finish line of the Vatican Marathon. 7 HOURS IN. But we were rewarded with a nearly empty St. Peter's at sunset.
Despite about 1 foot of bulletproof glass between me and the Pieta's genius, my lil' Nikon was a champ.
Everyone should be as lucky as to visit St. Peter's right before closing...forget the typical tourist experience. The lighting is fantastic, there's usually music drifting around (we had a splendid children's choir performing during our visit), and no crowds to fight with for the coveted nave shot...it's a rare chance to experience the spiritual, personal identity of St. Peters.
Next thing I know, we're planning our 6AM departure for Rome.
Our mission: conquer the entirety of the Vatican Museums. Oh dang.
We visited everything, included my new favorite portion of the museums: an often overlooked garage under the Vatican featuring all the Pope's transportation history. aka...POPEMOBILES!
(Back when the popemobile had 4 legs and neighed)
Then it was off to the Early Christian, Egyptian, Etruscan, etc et etc before beginning the hike to the coveted Sistine Chapel finale....this walk shall now be referred to as the Vatican Marathon.
During hour 5 in the museum, we finally made it to the Raphael Rooms that precede the Sistine. The sheer detail of these spaces is incredible...former papal apartments, clearly, as even their shutters are over the top:
Now that the tourist path is set up like a maze, we went up and down about 90 staircases, finally surprising ourselves with one last little, nondescript turn, then BOOM! Sistine Chapel.
Our intelligent move to visit the Sistine in the mid-afternoon paid off...all the tour groups had filtered out by 1, leaving us so much elbow room in the famous chapel that we scored bench seats to just sit and stare. No pictures of the Sistine--my apologies to my adoring fans. The Vatican was under contract with the restoration contractors that no photos will be allowed. And there was no cheating and shooting pictures from the hip...one particular short ninja-like Vatican guard was so not falling for it.
After over an hour of gawking, Paul and I finally crossed the finish line of the Vatican Marathon. 7 HOURS IN. But we were rewarded with a nearly empty St. Peter's at sunset.
Despite about 1 foot of bulletproof glass between me and the Pieta's genius, my lil' Nikon was a champ.
Everyone should be as lucky as to visit St. Peter's right before closing...forget the typical tourist experience. The lighting is fantastic, there's usually music drifting around (we had a splendid children's choir performing during our visit), and no crowds to fight with for the coveted nave shot...it's a rare chance to experience the spiritual, personal identity of St. Peters.
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