Pienza
Ten of our people folded themselves into two smallish cars and headed out into the Tuscan countryside.
Our first stop was the walled Renaissance city of Pienza. Suddenly the architecture became fancier than the plain Jane Roman style we have been enjoying up until now.
The basilica is built on the edge of a cliff in such a way as to provide the proper shadows out on the piazza on the equinox. The result of this requirement makes for a church that kind of feels like it is collapsing down the hill.
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| The ceiling designs drew my eye heavenwards. |
The most intriguing part of the church for me is a labyrinth down in the basement. It's not just a labyrinth pattern on the floor, is a real maze of creepy hallways that go up and down. I felt like I was in a real life Nancy Drew book.
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| Labyrinth dead end. |
Montefollonico
Next stop, lunch in Montefollonico at the Ristorante 13 Gobbi (13 Dwarves).
We all had the specialty of the house. Homemade tagliatelle tossed on a wheel of pecorino.
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| John holding court at his table. |
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| Taylor holding court at both tables. |
Monte Oliveto Maggiore
Lunch over, it's time to move on to Monte Oliveto Maggiore monastery. We had a long interesting drive through the countryside with Google Maps deciding to take a rest break (no connection). Fortunately, Sue, in the back seat, had a paper map. We found the paper map to be somewhat helpful...actually it's more of a suggestion, because most of the roads are unmarked. We eventually made it to the monastery, one half hour late for our tour.
Antonella gave us a wonderful tour of Monte Oliveto Maggiore explaining the history of this Benedictine order, which started in 1313. She provided a detailed interpretation of the historic frescoes representing the founding of the monastery. The painter put in nasty little jokes about the monks because they were usually late with their payment for his work. The frescoes are unusually colorful and sensual. They are even somewhat erotic because they demonstrate how the monks were constantly having to avoid the temptation of evil women.
The tour was so enthralling, that I didn't take any pictures. Trust me, those frescoes are worth seeing if you come to this part of Tuscany.
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