Cremona & Crema (29/06/2018)

After graduating in Krakow and having come back to Italy, I decided to join my aunt once again and go with her to Cremona, since it is where she had to work there that day.  I had already visited the city of Cremona three years prior, but I had missed some things to see and was then planning to follow my aunt to the next town she was heading to. So after being dropped off in the city center, I directed myself, thanks to the ever-present bell tower jutting out among the rooftops wherever you were, to the city´s main square. I gave a quick look at the impressive Cathedral, which having previously visited, nonetheless amazed me each time I saw it. From there I walked a little bit before reaching the Archaeological Museum. Since 2009 it is hosted in the Church of San Lorenzo, dating to the 12th century and in the Romanesque style, it now holds the collection of mostly roman antiquities with a few pieces from the middle ages. I particularly enjoyed it and the Roman mosaics inside were worth a visit, as well as the Cappella Meli, a 15th-century chapel annexed to the church. After the visit, it was time to have lunch so I met up with my aunt and we went to eat at a place called Hosteria 700 where I had some really tasty ravioli with pumpkin, though there were just a few and I was filled yet so I shared an appetizer of cold cuts and cheese with my aunt. After lunch, we got in the car and headed to the next town: Crema. Similarly named, this town is the province of Cremona but actually half between it and Milan. So after getting off the car, I headed towards the main square first, passing by the Cathedral which was still closed for lunch break.  Right in front of the church´s facade stands the impressive Arco del Torrazzo, built in the Renaissance style during the 16th century. On the side of the square is a fresco on its central part, while on the opposite side is a statue of the Lion of St Mark, symbolizing that once Venice used to dominate the town. The arch divides the Palazzo Comunale in half, which dates from the same period and holds the coat of arms of mVenetiantian patrician families which ruled the city from there. Now it still serves the function of administrative office but by the local city council. Right next to it, on the northern side of the square, is the Palazzo Pretorio which used to be the residence of the Venetian Podestà, who ruled over the city. At its center stands a 13th-century tower with the lion of St Mark. From there I walked along the streets of the city center passing by the nice Baroque Palazzo Bondenti Terni de Gregory, set in a small picturesque square. Then I decided to head out of the old town and reached in about twenty minutes of walking the Santuario di Santa Maria Della Croce. It was built in the 15th century, in the typical Lombard Renaissance style, in the location of a supposed miracle. The story goes, that a certain Caterina Degli Uberti, part of a noble family from Crema, had to marry a bandit from the area of Bergamo named Contaglio, who wished her just for her dowry. In fact, just a year after the marriage, as they were leaving the city, the man attacked his wife with a sword, amputating her hand and leaving her to die on the ground. Before dying, Caterina invoked the Madonna to allow her to get the sacraments before dying. Miraculously the bleeding stopped and she was helped by passersby to a nearby house. It was late so they had to wait for the next day to be then brought to Crema where she was first visited by a medic and then blessed by a priest on her request. After the blessing was over, the bleeding started once again and the lady died shortly after. Because of this story, the church was built on the site of the apparition and subsequent miracles were said to take place. So after reaching the complex I entered through the main door and found myself in a large circular room, with a painted ceiling and nice renaissance and baroque altars and decorations. I then headed back towards the city center and entered the Cathedral, which had finally reopened. Built between the 13th and 14th centuries, it features a mostly Gothic structure, with the exterior made in the typical red Lombard Gothic and the interior featuring some Romanesque parts. The interior was quite dark,  and despite the 18th-century restructuring highly damaged the interior, there were still some medieval frescoes to see. The bell tower, which just from the southeastern part of the church is very similar to that of Cremona, both in aspect and style, but much smaller in size. Walking through the Arco del Torrazzo I then reached and entered the Church of the Santissima Trinita, a classic example of sumptuous Baroque and dating from the 18th century. Nearby I then gave a quick look at the Santuario di Santa Maria Delle Grazie, built at the beginning of the 17th century in the Mannerist style, and with frescoes dating to the latter part of that same century in a more baroque form. After the church, I continued my walk and passed by the Baroque Palazzo Premoli, and passed the pretty square Piazza Trento e Trieste where the Teatro San Domenico is located, inside the former Church of San Domenico. I then reached the main square, Piazza Duomo, again where I then called my aunt to meet up and head back to Vicenza.

View of the main square and Cathedral of Cremona

  

The Torrazzo of Cremona

  

The archaeological museum

  

The bell tower of Crema's Cathedral  

The Piazza Duomo in Crema

The Arco del Torrazzo

Crema's Cathedral facade

The Torre Pretoria

  

The backside of the Arco del Torrazzo

View of one of the streets in Crema

   

The Palazzo Bondenti Terni de Gregory

  

The Santuario di Santa Maria della Croce  

Another street in Crema

  

The Cathedral and Bell Tower

  

Poznan, Gniezno, Bydgoszcz & Torun (09-11/06/2018)

After having gone to Hamburg for the wedding of Ania´s best friend, Kerstin, we came back to Poland to finish our thesis and for my graduation in late June. We thought though to take a few days to see a few cities in Poland while we were still in the country. So after taking a regional train, we slept a night in Katowice and the next morning took a train to Poznan. The journey took four hours and after reaching the destination we found a locker to put our bags and then explore the city on foot. We passed in front of the monument of the crosses commemorating the 1956 protests, several massive protests which took place in that period against the communist government ruling the country at that time. Right by the monument stand the imposing Imperial Castle, built in 1910 for the German Emperor William II when the city was under German rule. It was part of a larger project which involved also the city of Strasbourg in France. Being these two cities, recently annexed the Empire had in mind to germanize them and build new buildings to exalt the fact. The castle was thus built in the Neo-Romanesque style as it was felt that architectural style best represented the German Empire as the successor of the Holy Roman Empire. After seeing the building from the outside we continued on and passed the large Plac Wolnosci reaching the National Museum set at its eastern end. The entrance was free on that day and the building houses a large and nice collection. It centered mostly on Polish art from the 16th to 18th centuries, European art from various centuries, Antiquity and middle ages, and a part dedicated to modern art. Right behind the museum, we then passed by the church of St Anthony of Padua, built during the 17th century in the Baroque style. We decided to check the interior as the doors were open and were amazed by the lavish Baroque decorations and fittings, and particularly by the impressive red main altar. Next to the church, on a small hill, stands the Royal Castle, differing from the Imperial one we previously passed, as this one was built during the 13th century and served the kings of Poland. As it was mostly destroyed during WWII, what can be seen now is a 2010 reconstruction, which reminded me more of a Disney building or a Lego construction. From there we finally reached the Stary Rynek or Old Town Market Square. Like in many other Polish cities and towns it was lined with beautiful tenement and burgher colorful houses. As the town suffered heavy damage during WWII most of them had to be rebuilt, but the process was done beautifully and they now shine with their renaissance splendor. At the corners of the square are fountains representing the Roman gods Apollo, Neptune, Mars, and Proserpina. There is also a statue of St John Nepomucene and the punishment post typical of medieval cities. At the center of the square are the Waga Miejska, the weighing house originally built during the 16th century and rebuilt like other structures around, and the Town Hall which we proceeded to visit next. Built when the city received its first charter during the 13th century, it was then rebuilt in its present Mannerist style by the Italian architect Giovanni Battista di Quadro between 1550 and 1560. Above the main entrance is a clock which holds one of the most popular attractions in the city. At noon, in fact, the clock strikes, the bugle play (like the hejnal in Krakow) and two mechanical billy goats butt their heads against each other. We then entered the building and after paying the ticker, explored the small museum hosted inside. The museum presents objects detailing the history of the city, and the rooms have nice decorations particularly the Great Hall which still features the original Renaissance stuccoes. After reaching the top, we had a nice view from the windows of the top floor and then descended back down at street level. We gave another round of the square, admiring the view and walking through the markets stalls, and then headed along one of the streets radiating out of the square and reaching the scenic Lesser Basilica of St Stanislaus at the end of the street. As it was built during the 18th century for the Jesuit order, it already announced beauty and lavishness. This was, in fact, already evident by its beautiful and imposing red facade. Once inside, in fact, the amazement did not end and confirmed its richness and beauty reminding me greatly of the Baroque churches in Rome. Next to the church, and once part of the complex, stands the former Jesuit College now holding a ballet school. It was here that Napoleon resided in 1806, 1807 and 1812 during his campaigns. In front of the college is a small monument with the statues of the two clock goats, which have become a symbol of the city. After exiting the old town and a little walking we then reached the Ostrow Tumski. Like its counterpart in Wroclaw, this cathedral island sits between two branches of the Warta river, and as its name suggests, is where the city cathedral is located. This was the oldest settlement of the city, and after the slow relocation to where now the old town is, this part came to the exclusive use of the Bishop.  After crossing the bridge and entering the island we passed by the church of Our Lady in Summo built during the 15th century in the Gothic style, which was unfortunately closed, and then reached the main monument in the area: the Cathedral. Built during the 10th century, it is considered as one of the oldest churches in the country. It was then rebuilt in the Gothic style during the 14th and 15th centuries, and again in the 17th century in the Baroque style. Finally, after the war, the decision to return it to its original Gothic aspect was chosen giving us its present form. It was in this Cathedral that Mieszko I was baptized thus marking the official beginning of the Polish nation.  After seeing the rather plain yet historical interior, we then headed out and passed by the church of St Margaret, located in a small pretty square and then through the Brama Poznania, once the eastern entrance gate to the city and now turned into a modern museum containing an exhibition on the history of Ostrow Tumski. After that, we headed back to the city center where we gave one last look at the main square before heading to the train station and catching our train to Gniezno, our next stop.
After reaching the city, as it was rather late already, we decided to head to our accommodation which was right on the Rynek, the town´s main square.  After checking in, we had dinner with some stuff we had brought with us and then went to bed feeling quite tired. The next morning, we woke up early and decided to explore our surroundings. Gniezno is in fact supposed to be the cradle of the Polish nation, even before the baptism of Mieszko I in Poznan, in fact, it was here, as the legend goes, that Lech, one of the three brothers, arrived and after seeing an eagle decided to found a settlement and call it Gniezno, or eagle´s nest. The three brothers were, in fact, responsible for founding the three nations of the Russians, Poles, and Czechs. We thus headed to explore the Cathedral, the town´s main monument and one of the most famous in Poland. Built in the 10th century it was then modified a few times, including the interior in the Baroque style during the 17th century; after WWII it was then returned to its original Gothic structure. The Cathedral is famous for containing the perfectly preserved pair of bronze doors dating to the 12th century and detailing the life of St Adalbert, or Wojciech in Polish. It is also known for being the first coronation site of the Kings of Poland, from the country´s first king Boleslaw I the Brave until about three-hundred years later when it was moved to Krakow. We entered the Cathedral and admired it from the inside, even though a mass was taking place but was at its final moments. I particularly like the gilded Baroque baldachin which covers the tomb of St Adalbert. After the tour, we then exited, walked through the town, grabbed our luggage from the accommodation and headed to the train station to take our ride to the next destination: Bydgoszcz.
After reaching the destination, we decided to head towards the city center on foot, as usual. We passed by some nice neighborhoods; the city, in fact, is known for its Art Nouveau, Neoclassicist, Neo-Baroque, Neogothic and modernist architecture. We reached the beginning of what was once the old town and passed by the Poor Clare´s Church, built in the Gothic style, which was unfortunately closed. We crossed the Brda river and admired the nice refurbished old granaries which now hold a museum. Just a bit ahead we then reached the Stary Rynek, we admired the typical squared structure and then crossed it to reach the Cathedral. Dating to the 15th century it presents a brick Gothic style typical of this area, The interior was quite unexpected, as it featured a bright polychrome covering all the walls and ceiling. After seeing the church we headed out and walked over to the Mill island, a large area surrounded by the Brda river, which contains some refurbished mills and granaries which used to fill up the place. It is now used mostly for events and recreation and in fact, the Jarmark Świętojański, or St John´s fair, was taking place as we visited. There were several stalls selling all kinds of stuff and a stage was set up with local people dressed up in traditional clothes and performing traditional dances. After hanging out for a while and enjoying the event, we decided to head to the train station and take a ride to our last destination of the trip: Torun.
One of the most famous cities in Poland due to its large and preserved old town, it was put in the Unesco World Heritage Site List and thus is quite touristy. It is not the typical Polish town, because for most of its history it was first a possession of the Teutonic Order and then part of the Hanseatic League for about two centuries. The city is famous for being the birthplace of the astronomer, Nicolaus Copernicus, and the Torun gingerbread produced here since the middle ages. So after reaching the city and checking in our hostel which looked quite shabby and unsanitary, we headed out to explore the old town. Not far on we reached the Rynek Staromiejski, the old town square, which is one of the main attractions of the city. At its center stands the large town hall, built during the 14th century when the city was administered by the Teutonic Order, so in its most prosperous period. It is a perfect example of brick Gothic with an additional floor built during the 17th century in the Mannerist style. The town hall holds a museum inside which we decided to visit after paying the entry ticket. It detailed the history of the city in the historic halls of the building, starting from the merchant´s hall at the ground floor with gothic arches, containing stained glass windows and objects relating to the medieval merchants´ crafts. On the upper floor were mostly paintings from different centuries both polish and European. After that, we climbed the tower which had an extra price but was well worth it. It is the oldest part of the building, and was first built during the 13th century and then expanded the following century to its present form. It is based on Flemish belfries, as Torun established trade links with that region early on. Once we reached the top, we had a great view of the old town with its typical medieval layout and its many churches scattered around. The weather was not as fine as in the previous days but it was still a great view from there. We then descended back down and headed to visit the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Built in the 14th century, and belonging to the Franciscan order it does not possess a bell tower. The interior holds some nice baroque altars as well as some medieval paintings. After the visit to the church, we walked on and reached an interesting landmark, the Leaning Tower. So-called because its top is displaced to about 1.5 meters from its bottom making it a fun place to test your balancing skills when leaning against it. Built during the 13th century, it is one of the many towers which dot the walls that nearly completely encircle the old town. We walked along the walls, passed through the Brama Klasztorna, or monastery gate, and then passed by the House of Nicolaus Copernicus, a Gothic tenement house considered to be the birthplace of the astronomer. We then walked out of the walls again and admired the view of the Vistula River which passes here before heading north towards the Baltic Sea. We then walked along the walls and past the Brama Mostowa reaching the eastern end of the old town where the ruins of the Castle stand. Built during the 13th and 14th centuries by the Teutonic Order, it was largely destroyed by a rebellion in 1454 and then later fell into disrepair.  From there we headed back towards the main square where we decided to have dinner at a place called Manekin, a nalesnik, or polish crepes, chain which I had previously tried in Warsaw. After dinner, we headed back to the hostel to sleep. The next after an early wake-up and breakfast with polish pastries, we then headed to visit the Cathedral of St John, which was closed the previous day. Built in Gothic brick from the 13th to the 15th century, it is one of the largest churches in Poland and has a nice airy interior. It is also famous for holding the baptismal font in which supposedly the young Copernicus was baptized.  We then continued walking, passing by a large street filled with shops which eventually led to the Rynek Nowomiejski, or the new town market. Despite its name, this part of town dates to the enlargement of the city which took place at the end of the 13th century so not so New if considering it from today.  On the northeastern side of the square stand the large church of St James, erected during the second half of the 14th century. As we entered we found out it was mostly covered in scaffolding, but it was nonetheless really nice, with a large Gothic vault with some medieval frescoes still remaining on the side walls and columns. A particular thing which stroke me was its unusual basilica type structure, more typical outside of Poland and thus differing greatly from the other Gothic churches of the city. As we exited the structure, the sun had decided to shine again, and thus we decided to spend a while touring aimlessly the new and old town's streets while passing by the main landmarks. For lunch, we decided to eat at a place called Chrupiace Pierogi, which as the name suggests, served the polish dumplings. It was more of a semi-fast food chain, and despite quite good we could´ve chosen better. Finally, it was time to go, so we headed towards the train station where we took our five-hour ride back to Krakow.

The Imperial Castle in Poznan

  

The church of St Anthony of Padua and the Royal Castle

  

The beautiful Baroque interior of the church of St ANthony

      

The tenement and burgher houses on the Rynek

        

The Town Hall

   

Another view of the Rynek

     

One of the rooms inside the town hall

      

The Lesser Basilica of St Stanislaus    

The monastery of the St Stanislaus Basilica

   

View of the Cathedral in Ostrow Tumski

  

The Cathedral

Interior of the Catedral

             

View of Gniezno and the Cathedral

  

The Baroque baldachin

     

Gniezno Cathedral

  

The Poor Clare's Church in Bydgoszcz

    

View of the Odra river and the the city center

     

The Cathedral

  

View of the Mill island

    

One of the refurbishes mills

     

View of the Cathedral

            

View of the old town from the top of the town hall tower in Torun

The main square in Torun

Torun's town hall

The Leaning Tower

   

The Brama Klasztorna        

View of the town hall tower from the hostel room

      

The town hall

    

The church of St James 

The new town square

   

The Dwor Mieszczanski       

Another view of the town hall

Bike Trip to Bardejov (13/05/2018)

I decided to take an early regional train from Krakow to the small town of Muszyna, located at the southern tip of Poland right on the border with Slovakia. After a long four-hour train ride which cost me only 8 zloty, I reached the destination. My plan was to rent a bicycle and head on to visit the surroundings, so after having looked up for a place which would rent one, I got off the train and crossing the Poprad river entered the small Grzyb Hans Cafe where a guy gave me a bicycle and telling me I could bring it back whenever. I then left the place and started cycling towards my destination. After a little bit, I passed by the small town of Powroznik and stopped at the church of St James. Together with others in the surrounding area, it is a World Heritage Site part of the Wooden tserkvas of the Carpathian region in Poland and Ukraine. As such it is an Orthodox church, built in wood during the 17th and 18th centuries. The interior was closed so I had to admire it from the outside, while then an older cyclist came by and started talking to me really fast in Polish. I got a bit of the jest and understood he was just talking about the day and the cycle he did and then asked me where I was headed, I told him Bardejov, and at that exclaimed "wow that´s a long way, good luck!" and left. After a bit of uphill I reached the town of Tylicz which had its own wooden church. This was fully painted in red and was not orthodox but belonged to the Greek Catholic denomination. Built during the 18th century, it was also unfortunately closed so that meant getting back on the bicycle and continuing on. From here it was all uphill and that meant a large unwanted stress on my legs. At one point I was taking a picture of the landscape while pedaling when accidentally my phone slipped from my hands and fell on the ground, with me obviously passing over it with one wheel. I cursed loudly and picking it up noticed I scratched a large part of the screen. I blamed myself for my stupidity and thought that it was still rather new and meant I would soon need a new one, as it might easily slowly fall into pieces (as I'm writing this though it is still in the same shape and thus lasting longer than expected). After a little bit I had finally reached the border, and thus crossed into Slovakia; from there it was a long and pleasant downhill way. As I pedaled, I started to gain speed as the incline was quite steep and felt rather thrilled of rushing at such speed. All around me were beautiful verdant fields with the occasional rapeseed fields showing in patches of bright yellow. The downhill turned into flat ground and after passing some small towns I finally reached Bardejov. A Unesco World Heritage Site, the town presents a nice intact medieval center. So after reached the old town, I parked my bike next to the Basilica of St Giles and then proceeded to visit its interior. Built during the 14th century in the Gothic style it suffered damage throughout the centuries and after a terrible fire which nearly destroyed the whole city, it was mostly rebuilt in the Neo-gothic style, including the bell tower. After admiring the nice interior I then paid the ticket to climb the aforementioned tower. Standing at 76m, the view from the top was really great, and I could admire the whole old town below me. The main square, which was right below was a sight to take in, with the beautiful burgher houses all lined around and standing one next to the other. The square used to be the core of the old town and its marketplace, and now it seemed so deserted with no one around apart from the occasional passerby. I descended back down to street level and decided to walk around the whole perimeter of the square to admire it from every possible angle. At its northern end, stands a statue of an executioner, giving the square an eerie touch. After circling around I then decided to enter the town hall which stands right in the middle of the square. It was built in 1505, and features a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles.  The interior holds the Saris Museum, so after paying the ticket, I toured the rooms. The collection displayed is not very large, as in the limits of the structure of the building, and because it is also displayed in other areas of the region, but the collection is quite nice and it details clearly the history of the city.  After the visit, I got back on my bike and decided to tour around the old town to admire the preserved medieval fortifications, regularly punctuated by imposing towers. After that I continued on and exited the city; after a few kilometers, I reached the small town of Hervartov which contains the Church of St Francis of Assisi, a Unesco site this time part of the Wooden churches of the Slovak part of the Carpathian Mountain Area. After leaving my bicycle right outside the church, I took a break and drank some water. I was expecting the church to be closed like all the others I had encountered so far but luckily managed to notice some people coming out of it. I curiously headed closer and saw that a lady was proceeding to close it. I pleaded to see it quickly and after a bit of convincing, she allowed me just a few seconds to tour the interior. The church was built during the 15th century, like all other examples fully in wood, and it contained some beautiful wall paintings ranging from the 17th to the 19th centuries. After thanking the lady i got back on the bicycle and continued on the trip. It was time to head back to Muszyna as I still had 30km to go and I rather hoped to reach Krakow by dinnertime. After a few kilometers though, pedaling along a rocky country road sided by beautiful fields and hills, I heard a loud noise while speeding downhill and to my dismay found out the rear wheel had popped. It was still a long way to go, so I continued pedaling. The wheel was completely flat and my efforts were double with half the speed and distance covered. At one point I needed to give my legs a rest so I unmounted and walked with the bicycle by hand for a bit. An old man who had just exited his house by car noticed I was approaching and decided to stop and help me. He untangled the tube from the wheel and told me to try; he saw i was barely able to pedal and thus asked me where I had to go. I told him Poland and he then thought a little, as he probably had something else planned. Nonetheless, he invited me to his house to clean my hands from the grease and oil and then hauled the bicycle in the car. Then he drove me a few kilometers uphill to to the border with Poland and asked if there was ok. I was super thankful and wanted to give him some money for his trouble; he didn´t want it and waved me goodbye and good-luck. I luckily had most of the way downhill so managed to reach quite far before having then to pedal hard to proceed further. After 10km, which took me about three times as much as if I had a working rear wheel, I finally reached Muszyna and the Grzyb Hans Cafe. I entered and told the guy my wheel had popped, he was not too much bothered by it and asked me an extra 10 zloty to cover for it; for a total of only 35 zloty for the whole rental. I then walked happily back having managed to reach my destination without needing to sleep out in the forest that night. I then even managed to take a late bus which finally brought me into Krakow in time for a late dinner.

View of Powroznik

  

The Orthodox tserkva of St James in Powroznik

The wooden church of Tylicz

   

The Slovakian countryside

   

The way to Bardejov

     

The main square in Bardejov

  

The interior of the Basilica of St Giles

View of the main square from the tower of St Giles

    

View of the old town from St Giles

    

The Basilica of St Giles

View of the town hall and the Basilica of St Giles

      

The medieval walls

  

The interior of the Church of St Francis of Assisi in Hervartov

The wooden church of Hervartov