De Capitolijnse heuvel, doorgaans simpelweg als ‘het Capitool’ aangeduid, wordt al zeker 3.500 jaar bewoond. Volgens de gezaghebbende Atlas of Ancient Rome ontstond op deze heuvel in de midden-bronstijd, zo rond 1600 BCE, een stabiele nederzetting.[1] Toen deze nederzetting zich verenigde met de dorpen op de andere heuvels, werd zo…
Het is niet overdreven te stellen dat de familie Colonna haar stempel op de geschiedenis van Rome heeft gedrukt. Kardinaal Jacopo Colonna (ca. 1250-1318) liet zijn sporen na in de basiliek van Santa Maria Maggiore, Oddone Colonna (1369-1431) wist het als enige van zijn familie tot paus te schoppen en…
During my walks in Brescia I had already passed by the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo more than once, but I had never actually visited the museum. A bit odd perhaps, as in previous posts I have frequently referred to works in the Pinacoteca. Beautiful paintings from various Brescian churches can nowadays…
By now I have visited the church of San Giovanni Evangelista in Brescia twice. I therefore feel an obligation towards my readers to write a post about it. The church is one of the oldest in Brescia, with a history that reportedly goes back to the days of Saint Gaudentius,…
Underrated. Very few visitors. Ignored by travel guides. This basically sums up the church of San Francesco in Brescia. I did not encounter any other visitors in the building and even the custodian had gone outside for a smoke. Meanwhile, I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as there is much interesting art…
Our trip by car to Arcevia was rather exciting. We trusted our navigation blindly, and it led us along the rockiest roads to this charming town, which is situated 535 metres above sea level. We even took a couple of roads we were not sure were roads at all, but…
We continued our tour of the ducal palace of Urbino and came to a number of rooms dedicated to late medieval painting. Here we find large polyptychs from churches in and around Urbino. Sometimes the names of the painters are known, for instance in the case of Giovanni Antonio Bellinzoni…
Several car parks have been created around Urbino’s historical centre. One of these is the Parcheggio Mercatale. When we visited the town, it was not possible to park in the square itself, because it was filled with stands for the annual Festival of the Duke (Festa del Duca). The parking…
The church of San Francesco can be seen very well from the church of San Bernardino outside the centre of Urbino. From the latter church one has a good view of the apse and bell-tower of the building (image below). San Francesco is obviously dedicated to Saint Franciscus of Assisi…
Our visit to the church of San Domenico started with a lot of confusion. We were not so much interested in the church itself, but rather in an adjacent chapel where one could reportedly admire a fresco by the painter Ottaviano Nelli (ca. 1375-1444). Having previously enjoyed his work in…
The oratory of Saint Joseph was used by a lay fraternity whose main concern was caring for those who had been condemned to death. The first version of the building was erected between 1503 and 1515, and co-sponsored by Duke Guidobaldo da Montefeltro (1472-1508) and his wife Elisabetta Gonzaga (1471-1526).…
In the living room of our apartment in Fratte Rosa we found a number of brochures with information about the attractions in the vicinity. There was one brochure that immediately caught my attention because of a beautiful and colourful fresco of Saint John the Baptist on the cover. In a…
After my visit to the cathedral of Urbino, I am certain that I will receive a high seat in heaven. The reason? Well, I managed to reunite an unfortunate Italian with his wallet. This is what happened. While strolling through the nave of the immense building, I suddenly noticed an…
Our visit to Urbino started rather far outside the built-up area of the town. The church and convent of San Bernardino degli Zoccolanti, dedicated to the famous Franciscan preacher Saint Bernardinus of Siena (1380-1444), are situated on a hill to the east of the town. Although our travel guide spoke…
We parked our car close to the hospital of Fano, at a free car park named Parcheggio ex Foro Boario. We had been tipped about this car park by a friend who had previously visited Fano, and especially the aforementioned hospital. For reasons that are quite understandable she did not…
We had limited expectations when we visited the small civic museum in Fano, but were nevertheless pleasantly surprised. The museum is housed in the Palazzo Malatestiano, a fifteenth-century mansion that is a curious mixture of styles. It bears the name of the family that ruled over Fano between the second…
The Duomo of Fano or cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta is intriguing rather than beautiful. My travel guide claims that the first version of the Duomo was built as early as the fourth century.[1] If this is correct, then this cathedral must have been destroyed during the Gothic War (535-554),…
The Roman origins of Fano have been preserved in the name of the town. Once Fano was called Fanum Fortunae. Fanum is the Latin word for a sanctuary, and this sanctuary was dedicated to Fortuna, the goddess of good and bad luck. The area around Fano had been inhabited since…
The archaeological museum of Cremona is housed in the former church of San Lorenzo. The history of that church goes back to the tenth century, but it was built over a cemetery that is much older and was already in use in pre-Christian times. In Cremona itself we find very…
The small but recently renovated Museo Diocesano of Cremona is located right next to the cathedral of the city. In a limited number of rooms visitors learn more about the history and spiritual life in the diocese. That history starts well before that of the current cathedral, as in the…