Mysterious Museum Graffiti

Museum courtyard. the  graffiti are located on the upper loggia 

During a recent visit to the newly reopened  Civic Museum in Viterbo a series of  graffiti  caught my attention:  they include  designs and phrases scratched into the plaster  by a prisoner, one Nicolo, son of Francesco Bartoli, from the  town of Barchi, near  Fano in  the Marche.   

Etruscan heads welcome visitors to the Museo Civico 

 When the outside wall enclosing the  cloister’s upper level  was removed and the roof level raised sometime in the past  200 years, these graffiti were re-discovered but the area was closed off to the public until the most recent update a few months ago. 

See the photos of my recent presentation at the Museum. 

Etruscan sarcophaghi and bucchero ware 

The convent and adjoining church S. Maria della Verità have undergone many changes over the centuries: they were damaged  during the bombings of  World War II, and only a  short time ago, the Museum was closed down for  several years when a section of the ancient walls collapsed on to the street. 

Finding  graffiti in old Italian prisons is common,  for  the incarcerated had nothing  to do to  pass the  time and used the walls of their cells as a  canvas or diary.  Visitors to  the Doge’s Palace in Venice and  Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome can visit  graffiti filled cells and even my small city of  Vetralla counts  scores of graffiti  in abandoned churches, historic sites and the building used as a prison, many of which have been  studied by local paleographer, Carlo Tedeschi.

Viterbo’s  Museo Civico  graffiti are particularly interesting for the astronomical scenes depicting the  planets:  the moon is in the center and  Mars, Mercury and Saturn in outer circles. There are  Biblical scenes of  David with  his sling,  sheep and holding Goliath’s head in a bag. There are other probable  religious scenes  too:  an Annunciation with  a bird (Holy Spirit)  hovering over the  Madonna.  

the Museum's explanation of the graffiti 

Davidd (sic)  holding head of Goliath ? 

While awaiting further research on the graffiti, we can only wonder what crime the  young  Nicolo committed to  be imprisoned in Viterbo and why he created this fanciful  world  full of strange characters  such as the  enthroned  figure in baggy bloomers  (King/Pope?) flanked by angels.

Your clues, transcriptions and suggestions are welcome. Please share with friends who  work in this sector. 

a smaller piece of plaster  contains further designs and text

part of text
Visit  the Museum's website  here.

More stories and  information about
  central Italy on  my website  
For books about the  area and its history.

  

Italy's Summer Festival Delimma

 Pisa San Ranieri festival  illumination draws  crowds  

 If you are planning a summer stay in one of Italy’s beautiful mid-size towns be sure to  check the dates of the local summer festival before booking your flight and accommodations.   Many historic Italian towns celebrate summer with  festivals that  draw large crowds such as  Pisa’s  Luminara di San Ranieri and Gioco del Ponte which have been celebrated  in mid June for hundreds of years.

the tower of Pisa  by night 

Other towns like  Montefiascone and Vignanello have  invented festivals or sagre  celebrating  local wine  and local food stars at the Cene in Cantina in my hometown, Vetralla. 

Along with providing entertainment,  these festivals produce  a great  amount of  confusion  annihilating the usual lifestyle of historic towns.   

The  younger crowd  looking for  lots of action may enjoy  the added buzz of  a  summer festival, but if  you prefer more traditional, slower paced living and genuine Italian lifestyle, organize your holiday  stay  before or after the festival or book a place distant  from the festival venue in order to enjoy the festivities and also get a good night’s sleep.

Italian towns cannot  compete with the night life of  Ibiza or Mykonos yet  Vetralla’s  Cene in Cantina festival boasted  4 nights of  rock music  blasted by  powerful speakers  and a strange, sweet "perfume" wafted through the air  from 11 p.m. until well after 2 a.m. 

In Viterbo  the pseudo-cultural Caffeina Festival’s  ten evenings of happenings boasted many food stands cooking up fried foods and selling  alcoholic drinks in medieval piazzas where local restaurants regularly  close down.

circus or cultural festival? 

contrasting  with the medieval architecture 

 As tourists walked  through Europe’s best preserved medieval quarter San Pellegrino, they wondered:  What do energy drinks  and mojito have to do with medieval Italy?

The lower prices and commercial (junk) food served  at the 10-day festival  creates a lot of competition with  permanent restaurants offering quality local fare.. and what about the health safeguards?  During a  street-side show  cooking, a chef was coughing directly  onto the  food  being prepared.  

This year the organizers of the Viterbo festival, perhaps sensing their future demise, decided to milk the city’s major volunteer and cultural associations.

Archeotuscia presents in Cortile dell'Abate 

on the far right, Caffeina staff take "donations" 

 Archeotuscia with its 500+ members was given time and space on the festival  calendar to publicize  their association, but in order to enter  the piazza where the presentation was being held  everyone, including members, was  asked to “donate”  3.50 euro to Caffeina’s organizers. 

A mammoth book stall set up in the  main piazza seemed to be a sign of culture: but after scouring the tables loaded with books  and interviewing a volunteer (one of  250 who receive only a free meal and T shirt) I realized there was a complete  absence of books, authors and publications from and about  the Viterbo/Tuscia area.  

book tent at Caffeina

There are a smattering of local authors presenting their latest books during the quiet dinner hours, and hopefully the audience will not mind paying a ticket to attend.

 It was a surprise  to see  an entire stand dedicated to Gabriele D’Annunzio’s  Vittoriale located on Lake Garda in northern Italy. This was done to  thank  a commercial writer  whose books have been presented numerous times at the Festival. 

The city's older residents,  families  and sleep deprived working people become prisoners of these summer festivals for they have little access to their neighborhoods and can be seen schlepping  their groceries from distant parking areas.

Local tourism operators, restaurants,  B&Bs and  artisans who keep the  historic center (especially San Pellegrino ) alive all through the year are not happy with the filth, broken bottles, hooligans and extra garbage produced.

San Pellegrino,  8:30 a.m. 

 Inhabitants and administrators are beginning to realize that concentrating large doses of festival/culture/action may not be worth the problems created.  This year the discussions concerning  these noisy  summer festivals  have been rife  and  the idea of  sustainable tourism is now  being considered.

historic fountain and portapotty

A set of guidelines and  rules of behavior are needed to protect the  rights of citizens living in the areas where the festivals are held.  Safeguarding  fragile medieval and Renaissance buildings, fountains and  piazzas  is another priority.

historic fountains masqueraded as plant holders

massive speakers for a tiny piazza 

 The architectural  monuments that make our towns and cities so special should not be masked by garish  carnival rides and  plastic flowers.  

A summer festival that involves high decibel  music should  have a proper  container: a stadium, a large outdoor space or  theatre  not  a tiny, flower filled piazza which serves as an outdoor living room to its inhabitants.

 Read  more about this on my previous blog  article.  

Your comments and shares are appreciated. What are summer festivals like in your area?