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Tag Archives: Churches

Hill Towns of all Sizes

02 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by winifredcreamer in Tuscany

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Churches, Museums

We visited three of the smaller hill towns: Monteriggioni, Montepulciano and San Gimignano. All of these have most of their ancient encircling walls intact, and a central area with narrow streets and relatively tall buildings that date from times when people  felt safer living within the walls. Each town has its charms.

Visitamos tres de los pueblos amurallados: Monteriggioni, Montepulciano y San Gimignano. Todos estos tienen la mayoría de sus antiguas murallas intactas y un área central con calles estrechas y edificios relativamente altos que datan de tiempos en que la gente se sentía más segura viviendo dentro de las paredes. Cada ciudad tiene sus encantos.

San Gimignano is known for the 13 towers that remain from more than 70. They are very imposing from up close. While some are stark towers like those on the left, others have windows and other decoration.

San Gimignano es conocido por la 13 torres que quedan de mas de 70. Son muy imponentes de cerca. Mientras que algunas son torres severas como las de la izquierda, otras tienen ventanas y otra decoración.

 

 

Main gateway of Montepulciano.

Each town had a main gate. Today these often mark zones that limit automobile traffic. Tuscany is known for wines and these towns are involved in wine-growing and the wine business generally, especially Montepulciano. At the same time, tourism is an important part of their economy. We saw lots of Asian tourists, but also Australians, Americans and people from all over Europe and Russia.

Cada ciudad tenía una puerta principal. Hoy en día suelen marcar zonas que limitan el tráfico automovilístico. Hoy en día la Toscania es conocida por los vinos y estas ciudades se dedican a la viticultura y el negocio del vino en general, especialmente Montepulciano. Al mismo tiempo, el turismo es una parte importante de su economía. Vimos muchos turistas asiáticos, pero también australianos, americanos y gente de toda Europa y Rusia.

6.28.17 San Gimignano-051sm
Both pictures were taken in San Gimignano
Both pictures were taken in San Gimignano

All these towns were started before 1000 AD, and you see remains of columns and wall decoration that have been reused in later structures.

Todos estos pueblos amurallados se iniciaron antes de 1000 dC, y se ven restos de columnas y decoración de paredes que se han reutilizado en las estructuras posteriores.

Siena is too large to call a hill town, but it was at one time and has a central tower like Florence does. The city encompasses several hills and getting to the Duomo involves a steep uphill walk.

Siena es demasiado grande para llamar a una ciudad de la colina, pero fue en un momento y tiene una torre central como la de Florencia. La ciudad abarca varias colinas y llegar al Duomo implica una empinada cuesta arriba.

 

 

 

The Siena Duomo has its own tower, even if it’s called a campanile (bell tower).  Inside the Duomo is a riot of decoration that the Florence Duomo lacks.

El Duomo de Siena tiene su propia torre, incluso si se llama campanile (campanario). Dentro del Duomo es un alboroto de la decoración que el Duomo de Florencia carece.

6.23.17 Siena-051
6.23.17 Siena-046

The Duomo in San Gimignano has a similar explosion of religious painting. Some of the artists came from Siena.

El Duomo en San Gimignano tiene una explosión similar de pintura religiosa. Algunas artistas llegaron de Siena.

Here’s a fresco of the Last Judgement from San Gimignano showing sinners going to Hell.

Aquí está un fresco del Ultimo Juicio, en el Duomo de San Gimignano que muestra a los pecadores que van al infierno.

Good to Know: Tuscan hill towns in a nutshell.

The terrain is steep and will involve walking uphill. If you have a car, try to park as far up the hill as you can get.

 

San Gimignano
San Gimignano
Montepulciano
Montepulciano
Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni

The towns were walled and gated in the ancient past. Admire the battlements and walk around the tops of the walls if you can. There are great views of the Tuscan countryside.

Stop for a coffee or lunch. Sitting in a cafe in a hill town watching the world go by is one of life’s great pleasures.

Don’t worry about shopping. They may be lots of interesting things, but most of them can be found elsewhere. That being said, if you see something you like, don’t hesitate.

Quit while you’re ahead. Remember you have to walk back to the car or bus. If your legs are killing you, that may be all you remember of the day. (Another reason to take a break in a cafe.) You don’t have to visit every hill town. There is no “best” or “must see” town.

Visiting local museums and churches is a very individual pastime. Some people don’t want to miss a single church (Nora, this is for you). I like Joyce’s “church of the day” plan. Unless you take notes you may not remember more than one church unless you are a big fan or specialist in some related topic (a specific saint, church organs, or opus sectile). This is neither Gandalf nor Dumbledore, but it is an example of opus sectile (pictures made of inlaid stone).

The same is true of museums. Most towns have a museum of some kind, or several. Many of these were private collections that made their way into the public domain or were opened to visitors. There is a certain sameness to these collections: a selection of paintings by local artists, home furnishings, collections by the former owner (medals, stuffed birds, porcelain). If you are captivated by one of these themes, by all means explore the local trove, but if you are not on a quest they could start looking much the same after the third one.

Tuscan hill towns are highly varied in size and liveliness, and people vary in which is their favorite. I recommend them all.

Bueno saber: las ciudades toscanas amuralladas en breve.

El terreno es empinado y implicará caminar cuesta arriba. Si tienes un coche, intenta aparcar lo más lejos posible de la colina.

Las ciudades fueron amuralladas y cerradas en el pasado antiguo. Admire las almenas y camine alrededor de las tapas de las paredes si usted puede. Hay excelentes vistas de la campiña toscana.

 Parada para un café o almuerzo. Sentado en un café en una ciudad pequeño viendo el mundo pasar es uno de los grandes placeres de la vida.

 No te preocupes por ir de compras. Pueden ser un montón de cosas interesantes, pero la mayoría de ellos se pueden encontrar en otros lugares. Dicho esto, si ves algo que te gusta, no dudes.

 Retírese mientras usted está adelante. Recuerde que tiene que caminar de regreso al coche o autobús. Si tus piernas te están matando, eso puede ser todo lo que recuerdas del día. (Otra razón para tomar un descanso en un café.) No tienes que visitar cada ciudad. No hay “mejor” o “debe ver.” Todos tienen algo especial.

 Visitar museos e iglesias locales es un pasatiempo muy individual. Algunas personas no quieren perderse una sola iglesia (Nora, esto es para ti). Me gusta el plan de “iglesia del día” de Joyce. A menos que tome notas, puede que no recuerde más de una iglesia a menos que sea un gran fan o especialista en algún tema relacionado (un santo específico, órganos de la iglesia o “opus sectile”).

Esto no es ni Gandalf ni Dumbledore, pero es un ejemplo de opus sectile (cuadros hechos de piedra incrustada).

Lo mismo ocurre con los museos. La mayoría de las ciudades tienen un museo de algún tipo, o varios. Muchas de ellas eran colecciones privadas que llegaban al dominio público o se abrían a los visitantes. Hay una cierta similitud con estas colecciones: una selección de pinturas de artistas locales, muebles para el hogar, colecciones del antiguo propietario (medallas, aves rellenas, porcelana). Si usted está cautivado por uno de estos temas, por todos los medios explorar el tesoro local, pero si no está en una búsqueda que podría empezar a buscar mucho lo mismo después de la tercera.  

Ciudades toscanas son muy variados en tamaño y vivacidad, y la gente varía en la que es su favorito. Los recomiendo a todos.

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Try Parma

25 Sunday Jun 2017

Posted by winifredcreamer in Tuscany

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Antiques, Churches, Food

Arches of the Pilotta Castle, a vast building in Parma that houses museums.

I wasn’t thinking about visiting Parma, but Jonathan asked how we could pass up the place that is home to PARMAsan cheese, Eggplant PARMAgiano, and PARMA ham. We had to go. What we found is a city with impressive historic sights, a Duomo painted and frescoed from floor to (a very high) ceiling, great shopping and an interesting antiques market. Traffic is limited in the central area, making our visit less congested and polluted than in other cities. Lots of people ride bicycles. There are bike rental stations here and there if you have an urge to join in. We found all these things without doing much advance research.

No estaba pensando en visitar Parma, pero Jonathan me preguntó cómo podíamos dejar el lugar que es el hogar de PARMAsan queso, Berenjena PARMAgiano, y PARMA jamón. Tuvimos que irnos. Lo que encontramos es una ciudad con impresionantes vistas históricas, un Duomo con fresco y pintura de abajo hasta arriba (muy arriba) y un interesante mercado de antigüedades. El tráfico es limitado en el área central, haciendo nuestra visita menos congestionada y contaminada que en otras ciudades. Mucha gente monta en bicicleta. Hay estaciones de alquiler de bicicletas aquí y allí si usted tiene un impulso para unirse. Encontramos todas estas cosas sin hacer mucha investigación en las posibilidades.

The three ages of Parmesan, 24, 30 and 36 months

What we had looked into was where to buy salami and cheese, so we aimed for the closest parking area we could find and headed for Via Garibaldi. The two best known shops are on opposite sides of the same block and we stopped at La Verdi. We took home prosciutto di Parma (Parma ham), parmesan aged 30 and 36 months, and the local specialty culatello di Zibello. We stopped for lunch and had a parmesan sampler and some handmade tortelli (ravioli) filled with ricotta and spinach.

Lo que habíamos buscado era donde comprar salami y queso, así que apuntamos para la zona de aparcamiento más cercano que pudimos encontrar y nos dirigimos a Via Garibaldi. Las dos tiendas más conocidas están en lados opuestos de la misma manzana y nos detuvimos en La Verdi. Nos llevamos a casa prosciutto di Parma (jamón de Parma), parmesano de 30 y 36 meses, y la especialidad local culatello di Zibello (un jamon).Paramos para el almuerzo y tenía un sampler de parmesano y algunos tortelli (ravioli) hechos a mano lleno de ricotta y espinacas.

6.20.17 Parma-008cr
6.20.17 Parma-007

The Baptistry is striking. A small but very tall circular building made of pink marble, it glows faintly. The doors are carved everywhere. The day we were there, a group of young women in gray habits and white veils were visiting. I think it was a group of postulants from a convent. They were rapt in their interest and utterly silent inside the cathedral.

El Baptisterio es sorprendente. Un pequeño pero alto edificio circular de mármol rosa, que brilla débilmente. Las puertas están talladas en todas partes. El día que estuvimos allí, un grupo de mujeres jóvenes en hábitos grises y velos blancos estaban visitando. Creo que fue un grupo de postulantes de un convento. Estaban encantados en su interés y completamente silenciosos dentro de la catedral.

6.20.17 Parma-013sm
6.20.17 Parma-011

We went to look at the stands in Piazza Ghiaia and found that there is no longer a market of fruit and vegetables, but there are stands that sell used and vintage items. It was interesting to see the range of goods, and would be worth a visit earlier in the day when I wasn’t quite so tired out from the heat. I recommend a visit to Parma if you are withing striking distance. There is at least a day full of things to do.

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Gaudi Day, the Sagrada Familia church

05 Thursday Nov 2015

Posted by winifredcreamer in Barcelona

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Tags

Architecture, Churches

We were going to use our ICOM cards to visit Sagrada Familia, but it requires waiting in the long ticket line and then returning for the timed entry, often late in the afternoon. We caved and bought the online tickets.

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-051smEven waiting until the end of October didn’t diminish the crowds much, though we got right in at our ticketed time. Now fully roofed and dedicated as a minor basilica (no resident cardinal) by Pope Benedict XVI, Sagrada Familia looks very different from the last time I visited 25 years ago. It is much less a ruin and more a church. The constant loud sound of power tools detracts from the atmosphere, but does show that work is ongoing.

Optimists see the church finished in 2026. The stained glass is beautiful, though Gaudi was also very smart to design the windows of the highest stories to be clear so that the church is full of light.

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-038In some churches, stained glass appears like embers in the dark. At Sagrada Familia it adds color to the light. Here is a single small pane.

 

The color gradations from window to window are spectacular. Here’s the big picture.

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-010sm 10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-011sm 10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-018sm 10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-019sm

I purchased the additional ticket to go up in one of the towers, but I didn’t realize that it was only an elevator UP in the Nativity Tower. You walk down. It wasn’t as bad as I realized and the view was fascinating because you see the work currently underway.

Note the construction office perched in the rafters.

Note the construction office perched in the rafters.

We could see the details.

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-067sm

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-095sm

It is a breathtaking structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gaudi incorporated many animals into his design. Here are some of them.

Snakes
Lizards
Crocodile

Chickens
Tropical bird
Turkey

Kermit

Here is Gaudi’s idea of the ceiling as a forest canopy.

10.29.15 Sagrada Familia-022sm10.29.15 Sagrada Familiasm

I have to point out that God the Father has a lot of competition in this church. Gaudi was sure that his work was great, but he’d be horrified to find that it competed with religious observance. For such a wildly creative person, he was devout and ascetic, never married and worked all the time.

He spent the last months of his life living inside the constructed portion of Sagrada Familia. He died after being hit by a tram, unrecognized for his first couple of days in the hospital because he was dressed in work clothes and carried no ID. Would it have been different if he were wearing a suit and hat, carrying a briefcase?

 

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A lighthearted look at the Romanesque

24 Saturday Oct 2015

Posted by winifredcreamer in Barcelona

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Churches, Museums, Romanesque

The 11th and 12th centuries were a busy time in the Pyrenees, people were building churches in every little valley and painting them from roof to doors with frescoes. That was a lot of work and a long time ago.

Time passed. At the beginning of the 20th century when museums were building their collections in the US, European art was considered essential because it showed a relationship with the Old World, an appreciation of high culture. In 1919, the rector of a small rural church in the Pyrenees with a very elaborate Romanesque fresco behind the altar sold it. After passing through a few hands it arrived at the MFA Boston in 1921 (MFA paid $92,500–how much of that do you figure the rector got?….). For more:

http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/christ-in-majesty-with-symbols-of-the-four-evangelists-31898

frescoGreat publicity ensued and the Spanish in Catalonia got wind of the fact that the artwork in these remote and sometimes abandoned churches was prized elsewhere. As a result, the regional government purchased the interiors of 19 rural churches, removed the frescoes and brought them to Barcelona, to the Museu Nacional del Arte de Catalunya. The galleries have dimensions, apses and niches that allow the frescoes to be shown in positions similar to their original location. The video showing how the frescoes were removed is cringe-worthy today because conservation standards have changed. There were no cotton gloves, no careful peeling of the fresco. There’s some chiseling, and some flapping of frescoes, but they made it and are still around. Here are some of my favorites. WITH APOLOGIES TO THE HISTORY OF ART.

10.23.15 MNAC visit 2 Romanesque-011sm

It was tough to be alive in the 11th century. People had been embarrassed since the days of Adam and Eve.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was difficult to make it to adulthood. If you were a bad child, punishment was severe.

Into the pot with you, bad children!

 

 

Sometimes the stress of life gave a person tremendous aches and pains:

10.23.15 MNAC visit 2 Romanesque-005sm

Medical care was very haphazard. Take surgery, for example. Sometimes, the doctors weren’t even sure where to start.

10.23.15 MNAC visit 2 Romanesque-007sm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t get me started about old age! The treatment for macular degeneration, well, the odds were against a cure:

10.23.15 MNAC visit 2 Romanesque-006sm

Religion was a real force in the world, and people were watching you all the time.

10.23.15 MNAC visit 2 Romanesque-003smFortunately, there was help:

index

Don’t worry apostles, the Power Puff girls are coming! (Same eyes)

 

 

To see all 19 galleries of Romanesque frescoes in Barcelona, visit the MNAC.

http://www.museunacional.cat/en

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Gaudi Week, Day 5. We blink.

05 Monday Oct 2015

Posted by winifredcreamer in Barcelona

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Architecture, Churches

Sagrada Familia, the still unfinished masterwork that consumed the final years of Gaudi’s life, is the single must-see work of Gaudi’s for anyone visiting Barcelona. That’s not my opinion, that’s from tourist statistics that suggest 85% of visitors to the city make a stop at the church. It’s now a ‘minor’ basilica (no resident cardinal) dedicate by Pope Benedict XVI in 2011. Construction will not end until 2026 at the earliest and tall construction cranes hover over the massive structure. Eventually, a street will be vacated to provide space for the final section.

9.29.15 Sagrada Familia-002smThis is the “Nativity” facade of Sagrada Familia. There are two others, the “Resurrection” facade and the “Gloria” facade, each with four tall spires like this one. An even taller center spire is intended to complete the project.

 

 

The newer construction is intended to carry out Gaudi’s intentions, but the Resurrection facade, mostly complete, is created of smoother stone, probably to simplify construction, and you can see the difference.

resurrection_sagradafamiliaThe upshot of our reconnaissance was that we did not purchase our tickets. To get our ICOM admission, we need to wait in line (no on-line sales) and take the next time available. We were put off by the crowds and tentatively plan to visit during the last week in October.

We blinked.

Gaudi can be overwhelming. Maybe it will be better after a bit of a break.

 

 

 

 

What we discovered in visiting Sagrada Familia is the astonishing number of visitors. When we arrived on a Monday (OK, it was midday), the line to purchase a ticket was 30 minutes long. If you purchased a ticket, your entry time would be 4 pm–all earlier times sold out–then you walked to the opposite side of the building, 2 blocks away, to wait. Even with a ticket, it takes another 30 minutes of standing in line to get into the building.

There are more than 3 million visitors per year to Sagrada Familia. To put it in familar terms, that is about 30% more than the largest number of people who have ever visited the Field Museum in a year (Think King Tut, Sue the first year). That means that every day of the year around 8,000 people visit. That turns out to be a lot of people.

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