The Museo dell’Opera del Duomo opened its doors to the public in 1986. Those doors were closed again in 2015 for a much needed renovation and remodelling of the rooms, but as of 2019 visitors may once again enjoy the fine collection of statues, paintings and other objects from the…
On my way back to the railway station of Pisa I accidentally passed by the church of San Sisto. I immediately noticed the multicoloured decorative basins under the eaves. In the Middle Ages, such basins were often part of the booty taken during attacks on and raids in Muslim-held territories.…
The history of the church of San Sisto goes all the way back to the ninth century. It was founded in 874 by Engelberga of Parma, wife of King Louis II of Italy (844-875). This Louis was a grandson of Louis the Pious and therefore a great-grandson of Charlemagne. The…
When he marched on Rome in 253, Aemilianus had taken away many troops from the Danube border. Valerianus had done the same when he marched on the Eternal City with the legions from the Rhine the same year. As a result, these borders were weakly defended and the Germanic and…