Sacred and Profane Art in Viterbo

Viterbo's Baroque  Gonfalone church 

Sacro & Profano  is the name of the itinerant art exhibit being held in Viterbo from now until January  31^st . Visitors and local art enthusiasts  stroll  from one historic building to another in the center of Viterbo to view the   important works of art on show. 

chapel  Palazzo dei Priori, Viterbo 

Begin in the Viterbo city hall Palazzo dei Priori to see  works by  Salvator Rosa, Marco Benefial, Bartolomeo Cavarozzi , Domenico Corvi and Romanelli, most of which are on loan from the Museo Civico of Viterbo. If it is your first time in Viterbo, don’t miss the  opportunity to see the   frescoed Sala Regia and other public halls of the Renaissance Palazzo dei Priori.

San Tommaso  by Salvator Rosa

A short walk from Palazzo dei Priori brings you to  the church of San Silvestro in Piazza del Gesù  where a series of frescoes depicting the 14 virtues are on show after having been rescued a few years ago from the illegal art market by Chief Inspector Felice Orlandini. 

 See more about these interesting frescoes here.

the rescued 14 virtues hung in San Silvestro church 

San Silvestro church, Piazza del Gesù 

tower facing San Silvestro, Piazza del Gesù

The Gonfalone church on Via Cardinal La Fontaine  deserves a visit also for its  frescoed walls and recently restored  Baroque architecture.

Baroque ceiling, Gonfalone church 

Other sacred and profane  works of art dating from the 1400s to the 1700s  are visible at the Museo Civico including Sebastiano del Piombo’s iconic  Flagellation. The Museo del Duomo next to the Papal Palace and Duomo of San Lorenzo offers  a vast permanent collection of the  Viterbo area‘s sacred art.

 If you have a car you'll want to  make the  panoramic drive to San Martino al Cimino where you can  admire the borgo’s fascinating town planning  as well as  paintings by Mattia Preti housed in the Museo dell’Abate.

reliquary Gonfalone church 

brochure  of the exhibit

detail  Gonfalone  church 

 Please share with friends interested in art (its easy just use the  icons for twitter, Facebook)   and leave a comment .  For more ideas for travel, itineraries  in the Viterbo area, check out  my website www.elegantetruria.com . 
Order signed copies of  books about the area   here  directly  from the author. Discounts  are available for groups, students, tourism  and  travel companies.

Vallerano : Christmas in small town Italy

grotto shrine in the main church, Vallerano

Vallerano, a typical small hilltown north of Rome  is known  for its hazelnuts, wine production and lively summer festivals. 
 The symbolic  lily of the noble Farnese family adorns towers, fountains  and the ancient walls that have kept the town’s  medieval flavor in  - and the cars out.  

Farnese lily symbols abound 

At  Christmas  time the sober  decorations are low key and traditional, ignoring  the crass commercialization seen in  big cities and suburban malls.

pedestrian access to Vallerano 

 Piped music entices locals and visitors  to stroll along  the narrow streets of the medieval  quarter  where doorways, piazzas and cantine are decorated with  Christmas nativity scenes.  

holy water fount in San Vittore church, Vallerano

Renaissance palace with  climbing Santa 

One can find handmade  local crafts in wood and wool as well as traditional foods  and sweets, vintage and antique pieces as well as a train ride. 

wooden bracelets and design objects 

Luciano's mini furniture

Here are some photos taken today. If you feel a need to escape the  hype of big city Christmas, take a drive to Vallerano next Sunday, Dec 21^st  for  the final day of “Vallerano Incantato”.
Have you visited Vallerano or any of the other hill towns in Northern Lazio?  Your comments are welcome. Please share with friends. 

a side altar San Vittore, Vallerano

cat in a corner of the town

window garden 

Madonna del Ruscello  (1609) 

archway 

train through the historic center 

 Many more stories and information about life in central Italy, Northern Lazio  can be found on my award winning  website ,  Hope you find time to check it out! 

Chocolate and Cinema in old Viterbo

Viterbo's main street 

chocolate show at the cinema 

 The Italians  love for chocolate  and cinema is celebrated together at an historic theatre located  in the center of Viterbo. 

King Kong in chocolate 

ticket booth unchanged since 1948 

The Genio theatre was one of the first  examples of post-war reconstruction and its moderistic style is evident in every  detail: the ticket booth, the glass showcases, original chairs and the curved lines of the ceilings. 

Older residents tell me that it was the town’s favored place for entertainment  in the days before TV. 

Many were  introduced to rock and roll music  in the 1950s  thanks to films seen at  this  elegant movie house. 

salami, cheese and eggs made from chocolate 

During this month  Viterbo's chocolate  shop Casantini  (I wrote about their  erotic themed chocolates here) has filled the vintage foyer  with giant chocolate creations  based on  films  such as King Kong.   The exhibit and sale of chocolate masterpieces  continues throughout the Christmas season.

This historic cinema can be hard to locate  for it is hidden away inbetween two narrow medieval lanes. 

1950s vintage jewellery 

The easiest way is to take Via Roma (see first photo)  to  central Piazza delle Erbe and  then  follow the red carpeting flanked by stalls selling vintage jewellery, handmade  art and clothing set up especially for the event. 

  At the end of the tiny Via S. Maria Ezigiaca  you will find   Cinema  Genio, surrounded by medieval buildings.   

Italy's Free Museums : Civita Castellana's Fortress

Edward Lear- Ponte Clementino and Fortezza Sangallo
with Monte Soratte in the background 

Recently  Italian  Culture Minister Franceschini  announced that museums in Italy  would be free  on the first Sunday of each month. At the same time he  annulled  the existing  free entrance for  citizens over  65, annoying   pensioners who  had been enjoying this valuable  cultural opportunity during the week.

one of many papal  monuments  

Julius II  fireplace 

 He is also  getting into  hot water  with other European member  states for cancelling  existing reciprocal agreements. Somehow it doesn’t make sense to be able to visit  state   museums in France, Spain and other European community  cities freely while paying a full price entrance ticket  to visit museums in  one's own  country. 

main courtyard  of the Fortezza di Sangallo 

It was a nice surprise then  to visit Civita Castellana’s  Museo dell'Agro Falisco  last Saturday  and also enjoy  a free hour-long  tour with  the  head of the museum for the past  30 years.   

with Claudio, Caposervizio  at the Museum for over 30 years 

Signor Claudio showed us and another couple around, explaining  the history, architecture and exhibits as if he were showing friends around his own home.

  The imposing  fortress/museum was built by Sangallo the Elder  for  the Borgia and Della Rovere popes (Alexander VI  and  Julius II) in  the  Renaissance  years  in order to guard the roads to  Rome, a day's march away.

Later it used as a prison for the Papal  States  and during the second world war numerous  homeless  families found refuge here  after  the city was bombed.   

The fortified castle has a very picturesque  setting  with   towers and moats overlooking  steep  gorges  and the  Clementino  bridge. Since it was  constructed  in 1712, the bridge  has been  a favorite subject for painters  of the  Grand Tour as well as those  contemporary artists who come to paint here each summer.

well head with Pope Julius II's coat of arms

crossing the drawbridge 

one of the painted loggias 

The museum’s collections include Etruscan and Greek vases once belonging to the local noble  Feroldi family, a unique Etruscan chariot, terracotta and marble sculpture  and funerary monuments.

bronze chariot 

Visitors  can  admire  objects of  the Faliscans  and realize what a shame it is that so  little is left  of  this  pre-Roman   civilization  which flourished   in Falerii Veteres, nowadays known as  Civita Castellana.