Cerveteri (19/04/2019)

When my brother managed to get a day off from work we decided to take a train and head to visit the town and archaeological area of Cerveteri. Its Etruscan necropolis of the Banditaccia is included in the Unesco site together with another one located in Tarquinia. So after reaching the station we started on foot and headed towards the city located about a 1hour walk northwards. Once we reached the old town, we passed by the medieval walls and headed to the Piazza Santa Maria, the town's main square. Here we first visited the church of Santa Maria Maggiore, consisting of two churches, a modern one from 1959 and a much older from the 11th century. At the northeastern end of the square lies the nice 16th century Palazzo Ruspoli, with an elegant loggia. On the opposite end of the square is the castle which holds the National Museum. We entered it and explored its rooms filled with Etruscan objects coming mostly from the archaeological site of the Banditaccia close to the old town. Beautiful vases, urns, and other funerary objects were exhibited showcasing the life after death for the Etruscans. After the visit to the museum, we then walked through the old town passing through the central Piazza Risorgimento with its nice fountain with a clock. We then decided to take some lunch and opted with taking a pizza from a restaurant called Jolly and take it to eat a the local public park. After lunch, we finally headed to see the necropolis located just north of the old town. After reaching the entrance and paying the ticket we entered the archaeological area and immediately marveled and the peculiar and interesting forms of the circular tombs coming out of the ground like huge mushrooms. Out of 400 hectares supposed to represent the whole necropolis, just 10 hectares with about 400 tombs are part of the viewable part. The oldest date to the 9th century B.C. with the newest, and most lavish, dating to the 3rd century B.C. The wonderful part was that nearly all the tumuli could be visited inside. That meant creeping through narrow spaces and crevices to see the funeral spaces of the Etruscans. In fact, despite not knowing much of Etruscan ways in their daily life, we know nearly everything of their funeral practices due to archaeological sites such as this one. The only tumulous which could not be fully explored, apart from those filled with water, was the Tomba dei Rilievi which was closed off by a glass window due to having still some remaining frescoes and funerary decorations on the walls. Another nice addition was that for some tombs an interactive light and sound show would take place when the entrance was approached together with pressing a button on the audioguide. As we walked through the paths leading through the tombs we then encountered some later types of tumuli which were called "dice style" as the consisted of a long stretch of squared tombs lined along the side of the way, compared to the more traditional round ones. As we continued we tried to see literally every possible tomb we encountered, admiring them all as if it was the first time we saw one. They were extremely interesting and worth visiting. In the end, we spent several areas walking through the archaeological site. Once we were done we stopped to talk with one of the guardians about the site and other places in the region. Then it was time to go, so after another hour walking, we finally reached the train station once more from where we took our ride back to Rome.

The Palazzo Ruspoli

Cerveteri's castle

The fountain with the clock

Etruscan tombs outside the archaeological site

The main path of the archaeological site of the Necropoli della Banditaccia

     

Typical Etruscan tomb

   

The circular tumuli

  

Another interior of a tomb

The "dice" styled tombs

  

Interior of a tomb

More circular tumuli

Another view of the tumuli

Spoleto (18/04/2019)

On this day I decided to take a train and head to Spoleto, located in the central region of Umbria. After reaching the station, I decided to visit the Chiesa di San Salvatore first, located outside the city center on a hill next to the local cemetery. Built prior to the 9th century in a Romanesque style, it features repurposed ancient roman columns thus making it part of the Longobard Unesco world heritage site scattered around Italy. The church was unfortunately closed due to the earthquake which had hit the region three years prior. Thanks to a glass window though I was able to peer through the main door and admire the spoil nave with the roman columns at the end of the apse. After that, I then walked further and headed to the nearby Monastero di San Ponziano, also standing isolated on a hill outside the city center. As I reached the place three Spanish tourists had arrived by car and were standing in front of the complex which was closed. At one point though a car arrived and an old man descended and asked us if we were hoping to visit the church. After a positive answer, he opened the doors and let us in. while starting to explain the complex´s history. The church, featuring a romanesque exterior was refurbished at the end of the 18th century and features now a neoclassical interior. A crypt, which survives from the earlier times of the church, was located below the main nave and the old man showed us its magnificent medieval frescoes and roman repurposed columns. After thanking the man I headed into town by crossing a small bridge over the dry bed of a small river and then happily took advantage of the public escalators used by the inhabitants to move between the upper and lower parts of town. After getting off the escalator I reached the central Piazza del Duomo with lovely buildings surround it.  At its eastern end, stands imposing the beautiful Duomo built between 1151 and 1227 in the Romanesque style with Renaissance and Baroque additions in its interior. The facade presented a beautiful front with gothic rose windows and a 13th-century mosaic representing the blessing of Christ. Once inside I then admired the baroque refurbishing which luckily left the beautiful Cosmatesque floor typical of early Christian churches of the area. Of particular note were the renaissance frescoes decorating the cathedral´s apse completed in 1469 by the painter Filippo Lippi. I then exited the church and walked across the square up the staircase and through the old town looking for a place to eat lunch. I ended up choosing a place called La Taverna dei Duchi where I had a tasty pasta with guanciale and a glass of red wine. After a nice meal, I then continued on foot and walked through the Piazza del Mercato, once the central area of the Roman city. The square is crowned to the north by an elegant fountain with a clock from the 18th century. A little further I then passed under a roman arch called Arco di Druso and dating to the 1st century A.D. Continuing along pretty streets lined by typical stone buildings I then reached the highest point in town characterized by the Rocca Albornoziana, the town fortress. Built at the end of the 14th century it was requested by the then Pope Innocent VI who wanted to fortify the Church´s presence in these areas. The view from there was great, with the old town to the north and west and the hills with the medieval bridge, Ponte Delle Torri, to the south. I then entered the fortress and visited its interior which features the National Museum of the Duchy of Spoleto. The collection presented objects and artifacts from the Roman times to the 15th century, and despite the fortress having served as a prison from 1817 to 1982, its rooms still featured some interesting medieval frescoes. After seeing the place I then headed back into town and decided to visit the diocesan museum. Hosted inside the Bishop´s Palace it presented a series of religious paintings ranging from the medieval to the early modern era. Included in the ticket was the visit to the 11th-century church of Sant´Eufemia with nice repurposed ancient capitals. After the museum, I went to visit yet another museum, the National Archaeological Museum located in the western part of town. Hosted inside what was once the monastery of Sant´Agata, it featured artifacts and objects of archaeological sites from the surrounding area dating mostly to the Roman times. A great feature was the well-preserved Roman Theatre standing right next to the main loggia. As I then left the museum I headed south and out of the old town, reached the church of San Pietro located out of the center and on a low hill. Even though the interior was refurbished during the Baroque period I was still glad to be able to admire the beautiful facade decorated with 12th-century reliefs. As I then followed the road I reached the beautiful Ponte Delle Torri, a 13th-century medieval aqueduct/bridge which crossed over the Tessino river at a narrow point of the gorge. Due to security reasons after the earthquake, the access to the bridge was closed so in order for me to head back to town I had to take the longer panoramic route. I passed by the Fortilizio Dei Mulini, a medieval structure with a tower that once served as a watermill and followed a path called Giro dei Condotti which wound around the valley between trees granting beautiful views of the old town. After the whole round, I then reached the town once more and took once again the escalators to reach the Cathedral and take some pictures at sunset. I walked further into town and visited the church of San Filippo, dating to the 17th century in a nice Baroque style. Descending down I then passed through some narrow pretty streets and by the impressive Torre dell´ olio with its 45m of height making it the tallest in town. I then finally reached the lower part of town where the Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi is located and tried to visit the Basilica di San Gregorio Maggiore which was unfortunately closed. From there it was then time to head to the train station and get a ride back to Rome.

View of the city

The crypt of the Monastero di San Ponziano

The Cathedral square

Baroque chapel inside the Cathedral

  

The beautiful Cathedral's facade

  

View of the Piazza del Duomo and the Cathedral

  

The fountain with clock in the Piazza del Mercato

   

The Rocca Albornoziana

The renaissance courtyard inside the fortress

   

View of the old town from the fortress

   

A lavish room inside the Bishop's Palace

The Roman theatre

View of the fortress and the Ponte delle Torri

Another view of the fortress and medieval bridge

A street in the old town

The torre dell'olio

Another street in the old town

Anguillara Sabazia & Bracciano (17/04/2019)

Another day another day-trip, this time heading north towards the lake area. After taking a regional train from Trastevere train station I reached the town of Anguillara Sabazia in less than an hour. The station, located far from the city center, meant that I had to walk a bit through residential areas before reaching the old town. After reaching the town, which is located on the southeastern end of Lake Bracciano, I then climbed the hill through its old core. On the highest point is the medieval tower, once part of a probably larger structure. A tiny park around it granted a nice view on both sides of the town overlooking the lake. After enjoying the view I then walked down through the old town streets and reached the norther part where the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta is located. Built in the baroque style during the 18th century I entered and quickly had a look of the decorations as a communion was commencing. From there I walked onwards and tried to descend to the lakeshore from the eastern side but found out the street just ended in a small patch of trees closed off by a fence.  I walked back from the way I came and then reached the lakeshore from the other side of town. I first went to touch the lake's water with my hand and felt it was quite chilly. As I started my walk along the lakeshore I decided to take off my sweater as the strong sun had started to make the temperature quite hot. My walk took me over the sidewalk next to the road for quite a while until then I was forced to walk on the street as the sidewalk was not there anymore. Despite the random trafficked area I managed to continue on and then take a side street for a little while. After that, I rejoined the main road again which at some points was rather narrow and the cars drove quite close to me. Luckily as it was lunchtime there weren't that many driving at that time of day. After several kilometers, I started to reach the first houses of the town of Bracciano. After finding a supermarket I headed inside to buy a few things to eat as lunch. Walking onwards I then entered the old town and reached a terrace at the eastern part of town which provided beautiful views over the lake and the town of Anguillara Sabazia from which I had come from, in the distance. That was a perfect spot to stop, relax and enjoy my lunch. After eating I then decided to walk around the pretty streets and passed by the main church of Santo Stefano; it was closed so I just had to content myself by observing its Baroque facade. From the little square in front of it, I could clearly see the eastern walls and tower of the town's castle. I intended to visit it but found out the entrance was located on the opposite side. So after walking downhill I reached the western part of the town where a small park encircled the castle. After crossing a small bridge I entered the complex and headed to the ticket office. After buying the ticket and being giving a small map and description of the building I started the visit of the complex. Built around the 15th century by Braccio da Montone, it then passed under the hands of the famous Orsini family and two centuries later to the Odescalchi family who still owns it to this day. The castle is made up of a set of outer walls and a large fortified central keep with five towers. After walking through the first gate I reached a small courtyard that featured a staircase with a statue of a bear, symbol of the Orsini family, and two doors. The door to the right presented what used to be the castle's armory destined for the weapons and soldiers. The door to then left, which I then crossed, gave way to a staircase that brought me to the first floor. From here I walked through several rooms all featuring beautiful frescoes and decorations. The first was the Sala Papalina, named so because it hosted Pope Sixtus IV, the second was Sala Umberto I, where the king of Italy Umberto I was hosted. Then followed the sala del Trittico and sala del Pisanello both featuring a full band of frescoes right below the ceiling. Then came the sala dei Cesari, the largest in that part of the castle, and featuring busts of Roman emperors. After that the sala degli Orsini and sala di Isabella with beautiful original wooden ceilings and renaissance beds. A staircase then led upstairs to the second floor where another series of rooms followed onwards. I passed through the sala Gotica with germanic styled neogothic furniture and the sala delle armi, called so because it used to host the impressive collection of weapons and armors of the castle. The room was empty though as they just moved all the collection to another room which I saw right after. On a room right above the battlements, a new exhibition had been set up showcasing some beautiful pieces of warfare and the incredible 11 by 4 meters fresco made by Antoniazzo Romano. It represents the life of Gentil Virginio Orsini, on the right meeting with Piero de Medici and on the left a ceremonial gallop followed by an army. After admiring the masterpiece I then walked out onto the battlements and up the eastern tower from where I had a great view of the old town on one side and the lake on the other. Finally, I descended back down and reached the main inner courtyard featuring a typical renaissance loggia and a small building where the kitchens were located. The tour of the castle was over and after walking down the first staircase I had encountered I walked back out of the castle. Then I headed to the train station where I finally took the ride back to Rome.

The tower in Anguillara Sabazia

View from the tower's small park

A street of the old town

View of the same street from a different angle

View of the town of Anguillara Sabazia

The way between Anguillara Sabazia and Bracciano

A street in the old town of Bracciano and one of the castle's towers

View of the lake and the town of Anguillara Sabazia in the distance

A street in the old town

The castle's westernmost tower

The entrance to the castle

View of the lake from the castle

The castle's armory

The Sala Papalina

The decorations in one of the rooms

The Sala dei Cesari

Original ceiling in one of the rooms

View of the lake from the rooms

The new display of weapons

The fresco by Antoniazzo da Romano

Gentil Virginio Orsini

A knight's armor

The inner courtyard

View of the ramparts

The church of Santo Stefano from the castle

The main courtyard with the renaissance loggia