A Very Brief History of Venice

Venice was just a lagoon but in the Fifth Century invaders from the north caused people from the nearby mainland to flee to a place where ship-less Huns were not likely to attack and by the Eighth Century Venice had an elected government and soon was strong enough to repel Charlemagne and in 828 acquired relics of Saint Mark (symbol: Lion)

for its basilica and over the next few centuries became a center of trade (Marco Polo et al.) and a military power, dominating the seas, assisting in crusades and generally having its way until about the Fifteenth Century when things started going downhill (a figure of speech, as lagoons tend not to be hilly), not only with other countries opening new sea routes but also a reoccurrence of the Black Death and finally with Napoleon showing up in 1797, ending over a thousand years of Venetian independence; however, in the following century after a lengthy Austrian occupation Venice regained its independence and became part of modern Italy, but not before becoming popular as a tourist destination and if global warming gets out of hand it may well go back to being just a lagoon.
Ciao.

Venice Mix

Today I picked up a Venice Chorus pass, which provides access to fifteen churches where much of the city's fine art is being preserved or restored. One also gets to enjoy weaving through the maze that is Venice in search of each church. As taking interior photos is discouraged, for this post I've decided to just include a mix of pictures from walking about the city. First, like most Venetians, I'm residing down an alley. This one is in the Castello section. My rooms are up one floor, on the left, where one can see the open shutters towards the end of the alley.

In Saint Mark's Square there are some interesting vendors; this one sells fine glasswork.

Here's a closer look in one of the windows.

And another one.

Across the piazza, by the canal, one may wonder, just how close do those large cruise ships pass by Saint Mark's Square? This close.

One can imagine, on those occasions when the canal water rises up and flows into the Square (note the portable walkways stored in the middle), larger vessels probably send wakes across the flooded piazza. There is controversy about the impact of large ships, for undoubtedly their wakes take a toll on preservation efforts. No surprise if the ship lanes change in the future.
There is a delightful Italian movie called Pane e tulipani or Bread and Tulips, much of which takes place in Venice. On impulse, a woman who is separated from her family on vacation ends up in Venice, and cannot quite bring herself to leave. When her not-overly-understanding husband sends a very amateur detective to find her, she meets the detective briefly in a small campo before running away again. The campo is in a very out-of-the-way section of Venice, through a maze of alleys. Here is Campo Do Pozzi.

On the campo there's a nice small bar where one can go for a coffee and pastry in the morning.

Back to one of the most popular attractions in Venice, the Rialto Bridge, spanning the Grand Canal.

By looking under the bridge one can get a sense of its actual width, with crowds crossing over the middle and far side as well.
Back in my Castello neighborhood, one can walk a short distance and cross one of two bridges onto the island of San Pietro di Castello (formerly Olivo), which was one of Venice's original settlements, going back at least to the Sixth Century. Here was located Venice's first cathedral. In more recent centuries it has been home to the Church of San Pietro di Castello.

The church has a separate bell tower, another one of Venice's leaning towers.

In a neighborhood on the island, a window was open so a winged resident could enjoy the fresh air (look carefully).

A bit further along was a wall shrine.

Took a different return route that included a nice campo on wash day.

Of course, a serious clothesline can span an entire canal.

In a nearby alley came upon this unique door. The upper sign may be translated as "Genius at work. Do not disturb." Probably best to not knock.

Finally, back to my alley, with this picture from the apartment window.

Ciao.

Early Morning in Venice

Was out early this morning, enjoying Venice before the crowds arrived. There were few people about and it was pleasantly quiet.

Passed the Hotel Danieli, a Venice landmark, interesting on the outside and quite luxurious within.

And a more famous landmark, the Bridge of Sighs, connecting the Doges Palace with the prison.

Looking toward the Grand Canal from Saint Mark's Square.

A very quiet and peaceful Saint Mark's Square.

The Clock Tower had not yet struck seven.

A closer look at the time.

Some of the exterior detail of Saint Mark's Church, including the four horses.

Another view.

And a closer one.

Although the canal water level was a few feet lower than the Square, the sea has a way of rising. Thus, portable walkways sit ready to be assembled in front of the Church.

Between where I'm staying in the Castello section and Saint Mark's, looking down a canal one sees the leaning church tower of San Giorgio dei Greci. (or perhaps this is a poorly aligned picture of a straight church tower in a tilting neighborhood)

While graffiti pollutes many neighborhoods in the U.S. and Italy, here one occasionally stumbles across thought-provoking political or humanitarian statements. The crowds of Venice span the very rich to the very poor, and many of the latter beg or vend their wares along the walkways and bridges. This directional sign caught my attention.

By now the morning sun was shining in Castello.

Finally, one more glimpse of Saint Mark's Square, only this time early afternoon.

Ciao.

Church of Santa Margherita in Assisi

Leaving for Venice tomorrow. One of the places I'll miss in Assisi is the small church of Santa Margherita. It sits above the Basilica of Saint Francis in a well-preserved medieval section of town. The little piazza out in front of the church offers some of the prettiest views in Umbria.

Santa Margherita, with its simple façade, is large enough to seat about 70 people.

On weekday evenings at 6:00 p.m. (5:00 p.m. in winter), a Franciscan priest arrives to celebrate mass. The Franciscans have been ministering to the congregation at Santa Margherita since the Thirteenth Century. Records indicate the church was already in existence in 1246, or not long after the very first Franciscan. 

There are about five senior ladies (senior senore?) who attend the weeknight mass regularly. They unlock the door, prepare the altar and begin reciting the rosary before the priest arrives (and heaven help any guest priest who tries to start mass on time if the rosary hasn't been completed). They assist in the readings, including vespers, which are included in the mass.

Somewhere I read that the altar stone once rested over the tomb of Saint Francis. Sometimes the church fills up, but often on weeknights there might be 5 or 10 congregants. For all the beauty, art, history and splendor of the larger churches, I can't help but think Francesco would have loved visiting the Church of Santa Margherita.
Ciao.

Monastero di San Giacomo de Murorupto

This post is actually a mix of a few Assisi photos, with the title reflecting the main subject. First, a view of the Basilica of Saint Francis on a sunny Spring Sunday.

The upper church is above on the right, the entrance to the lower one is through the higher arch in the center near where most of the people are gathered. Next is a couple of close-ups of the two thousand year old columns in front of the Church of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, once the Roman Temple of Minerva.

They're in remarkably good condition after twenty centuries. Interesting to consider a young Francis likely leaned against or sat between these columns just eight centuries ago.

Next are a few pictures from the ancient Monastero di San Giacomo de Murorupto (Monastery of Saint James of the Broken Wall) (so named for being close to a broken city wall), one of those special places just off a main walkway in Assisi that many might not even notice. One passes through a couple of courtyards to enter. The church was built in 1088.

On one of the walls are two frescoes, the first a Madonna with Child by the Maestro di San Quirico in the Fifteenth Century.

The second is Saint Catherine of Alexandria by the Maestro dello Stendardo di San Leonardo in the Fourteenth Century.

It's a peaceful and interesting place to visit. Winter has not gone quietly from Assisi this year, with the clouds and sun often claiming the same moments in time.

Finally, two angels brightening a wall.

This may, or may not, be my last post for a while. Leave soon for Venice and the eastern Mediterranean, and am not certain about free time and internet coverage. But will look forward to writing when the opportunity is there. Ciao.

Chiesa Nuova Frescoes

A few days ago I went into Assisi's Chiesa Nuova (New Church), constructed in the Seventeenth Century over Francis' boyhood home. From the church one can descend stairs to rooms that were a part of his family home.
Just beyond the entrance to the church staging had been assembled and a woman was doing detail work on a section of a column.

Exactly what she was doing soon became evident. The column had been covered by what looked like a decorative stucco, resembling marble. Here is the opposite wall.

On the lower part of the above picture, one can see a portion of the decorative covering has been scraped off, revealing older colors underneath. Now, back to the column she was working on, one can see that a significant part of the covering has been scraped off or dissolved, revealing older frescoes.

The task of removing the outer surface appeared to be very delicate and time consuming.

Being neither Italian nor an art scholar, I turned to a book co-authored by my friend Ezio, who is an Italian art scholar. It's called, Guide to Assisi History and Art, is available in English, and is a terrific resource for anyone spending time in Assisi. In a section on the Chiesa Nuova, it states, "The surface of the interior is entirely covered with frescoes dated around 1621 and largely restored in 1925. The stucco decoration was done in 1769." Much of the fresco work is attributed to Cesare Sermei and Vincenzo Giorgetti.
I'm reluctant to just assume that frescoes from the Seventeenth Century, covered over in 1769, are now being uncovered. Any guess could be off by centuries. I'm also reluctant to disturb the artist concentrating on the restoration, not wanting to contribute to even a tiny slip. However, it is interesting to stop by every few days to see how work is progressing. Hope to learn more from Ezio next time I see him.

Ciao.

Madonna dei Tre Fossi and Santa Maria di Lignano

Took a long walk yesterday to continue exploring some of the more remote parts of Monte Subasio Park. Started early and was passing through Costa di Trex around sunrise. Chose a steep country road in the direction of Piano della Pieve, again amused by a warning sign.

Not hard to visualize what can go wrong here. The road itself was partially paved, the remains of once being fully paved. However, in that there were almost no vehicles, it wasn't bad for walking. And the morning views of Costa di Trex were quite nice.

Near the bottom the road wound through a few farms and had a nice tree cover.

After passing through Piano della Pieve, took another country road that started to climb, offering good views behind of Monte Subasio.

Continuing uphill on another road, I eventually came to the small church of the Madonna dei Tre Fossi.

Apparently its full name is the Santuario Madonna della Speranza ai Tre Fossi, or the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Hope at the Three Ditches. (I would assume that, just as "alley" in Italian can mean a beautiful walkway, "ditches" likely connotes the positive presence of three water ways.)

The church has been around since at least the Thirteenth Century and, though renovated in part, has kept its Romanesque style. The apse may be the original.

The church was damaged in the 1997 earthquake, but has since been repaired. Unfortunately, it was closed this day, so I had to settle for the exterior views and the nice rural setting.

Here's a closer view of the bells.

From there I started up dirt roads in the direction of Santa Maria di Lignano.



 

While steep at times, the roads offered fine views of where I had been, extending all the way back to Subasio.

After having some difficulty finding the right roads (even the wrong ones are interesting), Santa Maria di Lignano came into view, recognizable by its church.

Here's a front view.

A lady who had been cleaning outside approached to ask where I was from, and seemed pleased that someone would come to visit their church. Her name was "Benedetta Maria", a nice Italian Benedictine name (the Benedictines have been around here far longer than the Franciscans). This time I was able to go inside.

The roads back to Assisi would be more downhill than up (although plenty of both). Before long Assisi was almost in view. It rests just through the notch in the center-right part of the picture where Subasio descends.

Finally, passing through the town of Ponte Grande (which means "Big Bridge"), I kept an eye open for the bridge, built in 1469, after which the town evidently is named. It was while passing over a modern bridge that I glanced over and saw, almost entirely overgrown, the possible remains of the original ponte.

A good day and a good hike. Ciao.