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The day began with us not knowing what to do, and by midday were on the top of a hill surrounded by stone towers and thousands of tourists.
Welcome to San Gimignano.
Not sure whether the plethora of towers here is the result of penis envy or something similar, or that they great and the good liked to look down on everyone else, and that meant building skyscrapers, long before the term was thought of.
Towers, let us not forget, that erupt from the stone buildings of a hilltop fortress, so are lofty indeed, and you'd need locks of great length for you prince to climb up some of these.
I had not been here before, but suspected it a tourist trap, so we had to leave early in order to get a parking spot. Yes, in the 16 years since we were last here, tourism in Tuscany seems to have gotten really popular, in most cases, more popular than the infrastructure can stand, but still the people keep coming.
Including us.
Tuscan us not large, distances, as the Tuscan crow flies are modest, and yet travelling 50 miles to Florence or San Gimignano takes 90 minutes or more, as roads twist and turn up and down mountains, through woods and picturesque hilltop villages.
Everything takes time, so it had better be worth doing, and doing well.
Some Italians. Some, like to tear around the place like their in Monza even if they're driving a 20 year old Jimny, and when they come up against the Englishman abroad in his Audi, they sit three inches from the back bumper. So I brake. Sharp. And wave them past, usually passing them in the next village talking with their Nonna.
And so it goes.
We set out at half eight-ish, heading up through the hills past Siena and nearly into Florence, up and down, round and round the roads went, and I kept to them.
Which was nice.
West of Florence, we joined the train of traffic heading up the hill to San Gimignano.
At the top there are three car parks, two big ones a smaller on between. The smaller one had 26 spaces, so we went in, and after driving round and round, we found the lower level and some spaces.
So I parked in carefully the space at the end so whoever parked next would have plenty of space, and leave space for us to get back into the car.
That was the plan.
From there it was a short walk to the city gates, and already the main street leading to the piazzas with the towers was already pretty busy.
However, we had made it, it was just after ten, so we stopped at the first place for breakfast: a fresh roll with Tuscan preserved meats and a strong coffee.
And then up to the squares. A bit of a climb in the warm, nearly hot morning. But we made it fine, then in the square, the guided tours had begun. I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but if can't guide yourself round a small hilltop village with a book, then you really shouldn't leave your house.
But I digress.
The first square is entered through a large arch, it is surround by impossibly old buildings, most with a tower, double or triple its height, then on and up to the second square, were the Cathedral looks down on not just the town, but all of creation.
Thankfully, its just a fiver to get in. I queue to buy tickets, then through the gates and into the cool dark space beyond.
Its walls are covered in frescoes. The south wall with scenes from the Passion, and the North had at least one scene from Exodus and the fleeing across the Dead Sea.
And it wasn't that crowded, in fact at times there was just half a dozen of us in there. So I take as many shots as I want, and we leave by the front door, the square laid out below us.
So, we people watch.
Jools comes back to say she has found a place to eat, so I follow here down a steep alley to a small door with two chairs and tables, but inside its larger, and no other customers.
We were offered a table, and from the brief menu we order the Charcuterie board which I followed with roast suckling pig and vegetables.
The starter was excellent, made so with a small jar of local honey dropped on the meat, but the main, and I know what suckling pig means, was delicious, and was the house speciality. And washed down with a glass of Brunello for a fiver, was a bargain.
We walked back down through the town, through the gate to the car. Where someone had had parked so close i couldn't get in, and Jools only just managed it.
But we got the car out, loaded it with supplies, and we high-tailed it out, down the hill and back towards Roccastrada.
The same hills, the same bends, the same villages. And the same occasional inpatient local drivers.
We went to the CoOp again, as we needed fruit. Cheese. Bread. Wine. White wine. Pasta. Passata.
Jools went for a wander and bought two more artisan ice creams, which would defrost on the way back to the apartment.
Then we could eat and enjoy. And relax.
Which we did.
It was five in the afternoon, clouds were building. But it was the weekend. Apparently.
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The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta or Duomo di San Gimignano is a Roman Catholic collegiate church and minor basilica[1] in San Gimignano, in Tuscany in central Italy. It contains important cycles of Renaissance frescoes by artists including Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi. It falls within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the "Historic Centre of San Gimignano", with its frescoes being described by UNESCO as "works of outstanding beauty"
The first church on the site was begun in the 10th century.[3] During the early 12th century the importance of San Gimignano, and its principal church, grew steadily, owing to the town's location on the pilgrimage route to Rome, the Via Francigena.[3] The present church on this site was consecrated on 21 November 1148 and dedicated to St. Geminianus (San Gimignano) in the presence of Pope Eugenius III and 14 prelates.[3] The event is commemorated in a plaque on the facade.[3] The power and authority of the city of San Gimignano continued to grow, until it was able to win autonomy from Volterra. The church owned land and enjoyed numerous privileges that were endorsed by papal bulls and decrees.[4] It was elevated to collegiate status 20 September 1471.[5]
During the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the church was enriched by the addition of frescos and sculpture.[4] The western end of the building (liturgical east) was altered and extended by Giuliano da Maiano between 1466 and 1468, with the work including vestries, the Chapel of Conception and the Chapel of St Fina.[3] The church was damaged during World War II, and during the subsequent restoration in 1951 the triapsidal eastern end of the earlier church was discovered lying beneath the nave of the present church.[3]
The church possesses the relics of St. Geminianus, the beatified Bishop of Modena and patron saint of the town, whose feast day is celebrated on 31 January. On 8 May 1300 Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany.[6] Girolamo Savonarola preached from the pulpit of this church in 1497.
The Collegiate Church stands on the west side of Piazza del Duomo, so named although the church has never been the seat of a bishop.[7] The church has an east-facing facade, and chancel to the west, as at St Peter's Basilica. The architecture is 12th and 13th century Romanesque with the exception of the two chapels in the Renaissance style. The facade, which has little ornament, is approached from the square by a wide staircase and has a door into each of the side aisles, but no central portal. The doorways are surmounted by stone lintels with recessed arches above them, unusual in incorporating the stone Gabbro.[8] There is a central ocular window at the end of the nave and a smaller one giving light to each aisle. The facade, which is stone, was raised higher in brick in 1340, when the ribbed vaulting was constructed, and the two smaller ocular windows set in.[7] Matteo di Brunisend is generally credited as the main architect of the medieval period, with his date of activity given as 1239, but in fact his contribution may have been little more than the design of the central ocular window.[8] Beneath this window is a slot which marks the place of a window which lit the chancel of the earlier church, and may be the most visible sign of the church's reorientation in the 12th century rebuilding, although this is not entirely agreed upon by scholars.[8]
To the north side of the church, in the corner of the transept and chancel, stands a severely plain campanile of square plan, with a single arched opening in each face. The campanile may be that of the earlier church, as it appears to mark the extent of the original western facade, or it may have been one of the city's many tower houses, pressed into service of the church. To the south side of the church is the Loggia of the Baptistry, a 14th-century arcaded cloister with stout octagonal columns and a groin vault.[9]
Internally, the building is in the shape of a Latin Cross, with central nave and an aisle on either side, divided by arcades of seven semi-circular Romanesque arches resting on columns with simplified Corinthianesque capitals.[10] The chancel is a simple rectangle with a single arched window at the terminal end. The roofs throughout are of quadripartite vaults which date from the mid 14th century.[7] Although Gothic by date and decoration, the profiles of the ribs are semi-circular in the Romanesque manner. The clerestory has small windows, inserted when the nave was vaulted, along with lancet windows in the north aisle, the aisle windows were subsequently blocked for the painting of the fresco cycle, making the interior very dark.
The Romanesque architectural details of the church's interior are emphasised by the decorative use of colour, with the voussoirs of the nave arcades being of alternately black and white marble, creating stripes, as seen at Orvieto Cathedral. The vault compartments are all painted with lapis lazuli dotted with gold stars, and the vaulting ribs are emphasised with bands of geometric decoration predominantly in red, white and gold.
The church is most famous for its largely intact scheme of fresco decoration, the greater part of which dates from the 14th century, and represents the work of painters of the Sienese school, influenced by the Byzantine traditions of Duccio and the Early Renaissance developments of Giotto. The frescoes comprise a Poor Man's Bible of Old Testament cycle, New Testament cycle, and Last Judgement, as well as an Annunciation, a Saint Sebastian, and the stories of a local saint, St Fina, as well as several smaller works.
The wall of the left aisle had six decorated bays, of which the paintings of the first bay are in poor condition and those of the sixth have been damaged and in part destroyed by the insertion of the pipe organ. The remaining paintings, with the exception of a repainted panel in the sixth bay, are the work of Bartolo di Fredi, and, according to an inscription, were completed around 1356.[11] The paintings are in three registers and proceed from left to right chronologically in each register.
Upper level
The upper register occupies the lunettes beneath the vault and depicts the story of Creation.[11]
Creation of the Firmament
Creation of Man
Adam names the animals
Creation of Eve
God commands Adam and Eve not to touch the forbidden fruit
The Original Sin (lost)
Middle level
The second register has ten remaining scenes, with two at the furthest right having been lost with the insertion of the organ.[11]
The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (very incomplete)
Cain kills Abel (very incomplete)
Noah and his family building the Ark
Animals entering the Ark
Noah and his family giving thanks after the Great Flood
The Drunkenness of Noah
The departure of Abraham and Lot from the land of the Chaldeans
Abraham and Lot go separate ways.
Joseph's dream
Joseph is put into a well by his brothers
Story of Joseph in Egypt (lost)
Story of Joseph in Egypt (lost)
Lower level
In the lower register, there are ten scenes.[11]
Joseph, has his brothers arrested (very incomplete)
Joseph makes his identity known to his family (incomplete)
Moses changes the rod into a serpent
The army of Pharaoh are drowned in the Red Sea. (this scene occupies two sections)
Moses on Mount Sinai
The devil is sent to Job by God
The men and herds of Job are killed
The house of Job falls, killing his sons.
Job prays to God
Job, plagued by boils, is visited by friends. (incomplete)
(Lost scene)
New Testament cycle
The six decorated bays of the right aisle, with scenes of the New Testament, pose a problem of authorship. Giorgio Vasari states that they are the work of "Barna of Siena" and relates that Barna fell to his death from the scaffolding.[12] The name "Barna" in relation to paintings at the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano appears to have originated in Lorenzo Ghiberti's Commentaries. In 1927 the archivist Peleo Bacci made the suggestion that Barna had never existed and that the paintings are the work of Lippo Memmi. This hypothesis received no support and little comment for fifty years.[13] In 1976 discussion of Bacci's attribution was revived, with Moran suggesting that there had been a mis-transcription of "Bartolo" as "Barna", with the name "Bartolo" referring to Bartolo di Fredi, painter of the Old Testament cycle.[14]
The attribution of the New Testament cycle to Lippo Memmi, perhaps assisted by his brother Federico Memmi and father Memmo di Filippucci, is now generally agreed.[13] Lippo Memmi was influenced by his more famous brother-in-law, Simone Martini.[7] Lippo Memmi also painted a large Maesta in the Town Hall of San Gimignano, in imitation of that done by Simone Martini at the Town Hall of Siena. The New Testament cycle of the right aisle appears to pre-date the Old Testament cycle and is generally accepted to date from c.1335-1345.[15]
The scenes within the New Testament cycle are organised into four separate narratives, and do not follow a clear left-to-right pattern as do those of the left aisle. As with the left aisle, they are divided into three registers, the upper being the lunettes between the vaults.
Upper level
The upper register shows the Birth of Christ. The series reads from right to left, in six bays.[15]
The Annunciation
The Nativity and adoration of the shepherds
The adoration of the Magi
The Presentation at the Temple
The Massacre of the Innocents
The Flight into Egypt
Middle level
The middle register shows scenes of the Life of Christ, beginning at the 4th bay, below the picture of the Presentation at the Temple, and reading left to right, with eight scenes.[15] The scenes have been skilfully juxtaposed so that narrative elements may be compared or contrasted. Within the fourth bay is shown the Presentation of the Temple, Jesus sitting among the Doctors of the Temple of Jerusalem as a twelve-year-old, and Jesus before his crucifixion, enthroned, crowned with thorns and mocked.[15]
Jesus among the Doctors of the Temple of Jerusalem
The Baptism of Jesus
The Calling of Peter
The Wedding at Cana of Galilee (damaged in WWII)
The Transfiguration
The Resurrection of Lazarus
Jesus enters Jerusalem
The people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem (the final two scenes are a single event spread over two frames)
Lower level
The lower register, showing the Passion of Christ, continues beneath the Entry into Jerusalem, and is read from right to left in eight scenes over four bays.[15]
The Last Supper
Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
The Kiss of Judas
Jesus at the Praetorium
The Scourging of Jesus
Jesus crowned with thorns and mocked
Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary
Bays five and six
Bay five, beneath the lunette of the Slaughter of the Innocents, has a single large scene of the Crucifixion.[15]
Bay six, beneath the lunette of the Flight into Egypt contained four scenes (destroyed in the 15th century) of post-crucifixion events[15] which are thought to have been:
The Deposition
The Descent into Limbo
The Resurrection
Pentecost
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiata_di_Santa_Maria_Assunta,_...
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
A young woman who came with her mother to our photography group. She ended up posing for a number of us while we learned about some studio lighting techniques.
Nate's hunch fortunately proved itself correct: that strange black-haired boy was as sweet as honey. Very different from the fox-eared girl, who ran away from him when he tried to get closer. Too bad... he would have loved to know more about her...
The two boys talked for a while, in that luxurious garden, but Nate could see his new friend was nervous about something... as if he feared to be spied on. So the human offered him to get back to the forest with him. Which he agreed to after a brief hesitation. They easily crossed the boundary, and found Rocket wainting for his master. Surprisingly enough, the raccoon, who was so scared of that weird garden moments ago, quickly got at ease with the stranger. Nate smiled inwardly. That was a telltale sign; the boy couldn't be evil.
All three walked back to Nate's house, talking cheerfully along the way. Only when they were setted comfortably inside did Nate finally asked the question that was burning his tongue all this time:
"What are you exactly?" He stared intensely at the other. "I can tell. You're not human. So... are you some kind of fairy?"
His friend's eyes widened in stupor, pale cheeks blushing. He hadn't seen this one coming!
"You... you're not... scared?" he said in a very small voice.
But Nate flashed him a grin.
"Of course not! I've had a fairy inside me, y'know?" He giggled, and grabbed the other's sleeve, pulling playfully. "Come ooon, tell me! We're friends right?"
Friends... Now that sounded sweet. The black-haired boy couldn't help but smile back.
"Yes... I do believe so." And, straightening himself, he confessed: "My name's Seimei. I... I am what your kind calls a demon."
Nate has a thing for attracting every fantasy creature in the world, huh XD.
Next part coming soon...!
Knowing about Abdominoperineal resection of rectum with @http://docturs.com/dd/pg/groups/11183/abdominoplasty/
Knowing the chemotherapy would cause his hair to fall out soon, Dylan decided to try something different!
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
First, I know I broke some rules of photography in this frame. Knowing this, I still do like this image somewhat.
If you have opinions of this image, please critique and let me know whether it is any good or not, and specifically what you like or do not like about. Thank you so much if you take the time to do this!
Have a great weekend friends, and happy shooting!
Having a hard time knowing where to start so I'll just muddle through. I'll be writing up a full report when I get my notes in order because there was so much awesome on this trip it's hard to summarize. So here goes ...
I have been piecing together hints of a spring in a remote canyon on BLM land outside Death Valley. It fascinated me with mention of the ruins of a ranch, petroglyphs from at least 1000 years ago, mustangs who would water there and then retreat to the relative safety of the high country.
This week I made the leap from Google Maps to being there in person. Was eager to see if my research had paid off. So I found myself clambering up a sandy wash strewn with boulders between cliffs that rose hundreds of feet on either side. Pinons and Joshua Trees dotted the route.
At last the walls opened outward into a splendid valley and immediately I noticed water trickling down toward me. I pushed further in and saw the tumbled down stone walls that had been the ranch house, its wood mantle still clung crazily to the wall above the fireplace. A couple rusted bed frames and chair still stood within the confines of the walls. As I stood there happy that I'd found the place, I had the sudden feeling something was watching me. I turned around and on the ridge 150 yards from me I saw a dark head peering over the crest. I took a couple steps forward and the shape crested the ridge. Before me was a beautiful stallion. It regarded me for a moment and then trotted downslope and disappeared. I fumbled with my pack to get to my other camera with the 150-600mm on it and began walking quietly in the direction the stallion had gone.
He hadn't seemed unduly alarmed by my presence and I had seen a watering hole in that direction. Figuring he'd gone down for a drink, I had an idea of where I could get a shot of him. When I approached the hole, I couldn't see him but as I took another step there came an explosion of hooves on rock. Whinnying and snorting, he exploded out of a thicket near me and climbed the hillside opposite me. He stood there, snorting and pawing, expressing his displeasure at my presence. Glorious thing.
We talked a bit, I told him how beautiful he was and he snorted derisively at me. Having enough of my intrusion, he trotted off, up and around behind me which didn't make a lot of sense until I saw why. Two other horse heads were peeking over the hill at me. One was a bay, the other dark - was hard to make out since I was looking east into the sun.
Clearly this was the stallion's herd and he had been evaluating the danger I posed. All at once the trio wheeled around and disappeared behind the hill. I stalked up it, hoping to get some shots of all of them but when I made it to the top, they were gone. Still, they couldn't have gone far - it's relatively open country, so I ascended the slope to the north. Nothing. It was as though the earth had swallowed them up. I didn't see them again the entire time I explored the area.
Magical, beautiful experience I will never forget.
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
Not much to look at in thumbnail. It looks much better in the large size view, but I assure you that it's best seen in the original size view. Trust me.
What is it, you ask? I'll explain tomorrow... :)
[Time passes...]
Ok, it's now "tomorrow". Here's the story.
I was in a meeting at work. There were about ten people going page-by-page through a federally-required state planning document., seeing an MS Word version of it projected on a "smart board" screen, all weighing in with how the text should be revised and then dictating new language to our clerical support (a grueling job for them, BTW), who would type it. We were in there all day for most of the week.
One morning, I was munching on something out of the bag when I took a look at one of the "somethings" and saw it was oddly-shaped. Instead of being a tapering cylindrical shape (solid, not a hollow cylinder), it had this hook of the stuff at the thick end.. I set it aside, finishing the rest. At a break, I proudly displaying my find - the great American Eagle, I intoned. The staff were tolerant... very mildly amused... and knowing me, it was just expected... :)
I hung onto it the rest of the day. Near the end of my workday, I remembered it and noted that it had gotten soft and puffy and somewhat desiccated. It still looked like the head of a bird, but not so much an eagle anymore.
I decided to put a single dot for eyes, one on each side, using my blue pocket pen (hey, I'm a writer and a poet - I don't go anywhere without a pen), and take a picture of it. So I picked the "bird-head" and, holding it up to the beaded cubicle wall, took a picture of it. Then I ate it. :)
After getting home and downloading the images from my Canon 400D, I realized that the single photo I took of the thing was out of focus. I was distraught. (Well, not really. But disappointed.) So I started playing around with the image, using one or another Photoshop filter on it, until I came across this - using the plastic wrap filter. I was amazed with the results. I mean, the penned "eye" dot looked incredibly like a real eye! And there was character in the bird's profile... expression... personality.... It looked world weary and sadly wise... a knowing bird.... And the blurriness wasn't a problem with this filter applied. I made some color saturation adjustments and cropped the image, and the rest you know.
That's the story. I posted the image and you got a look at it.
So what is the food item you're looking at? A peeled, short-cut baby carrot.
Thanks for the curiosity, everyone... :)
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
The day began with us not knowing what to do, and by midday were on the top of a hill surrounded by stone towers and thousands of tourists.
Welcome to San Gimignano.
Not sure whether the plethora of towers here is the result of penis envy or something similar, or that they great and the good liked to look down on everyone else, and that meant building skyscrapers, long before the term was thought of.
Towers, let us not forget, that erupt from the stone buildings of a hilltop fortress, so are lofty indeed, and you'd need locks of great length for you prince to climb up some of these.
I had not been here before, but suspected it a tourist trap, so we had to leave early in order to get a parking spot. Yes, in the 16 years since we were last here, tourism in Tuscany seems to have gotten really popular, in most cases, more popular than the infrastructure can stand, but still the people keep coming.
Including us.
Tuscan us not large, distances, as the Tuscan crow flies are modest, and yet travelling 50 miles to Florence or San Gimignano takes 90 minutes or more, as roads twist and turn up and down mountains, through woods and picturesque hilltop villages.
Everything takes time, so it had better be worth doing, and doing well.
Some Italians. Some, like to tear around the place like their in Monza even if they're driving a 20 year old Jimny, and when they come up against the Englishman abroad in his Audi, they sit three inches from the back bumper. So I brake. Sharp. And wave them past, usually passing them in the next village talking with their Nonna.
And so it goes.
We set out at half eight-ish, heading up through the hills past Siena and nearly into Florence, up and down, round and round the roads went, and I kept to them.
Which was nice.
West of Florence, we joined the train of traffic heading up the hill to San Gimignano.
At the top there are three car parks, two big ones a smaller on between. The smaller one had 26 spaces, so we went in, and after driving round and round, we found the lower level and some spaces.
So I parked in carefully the space at the end so whoever parked next would have plenty of space, and leave space for us to get back into the car.
That was the plan.
From there it was a short walk to the city gates, and already the main street leading to the piazzas with the towers was already pretty busy.
However, we had made it, it was just after ten, so we stopped at the first place for breakfast: a fresh roll with Tuscan preserved meats and a strong coffee.
And then up to the squares. A bit of a climb in the warm, nearly hot morning. But we made it fine, then in the square, the guided tours had begun. I mean, I don't mean to be rude, but if can't guide yourself round a small hilltop village with a book, then you really shouldn't leave your house.
But I digress.
The first square is entered through a large arch, it is surround by impossibly old buildings, most with a tower, double or triple its height, then on and up to the second square, were the Cathedral looks down on not just the town, but all of creation.
Thankfully, its just a fiver to get in. I queue to buy tickets, then through the gates and into the cool dark space beyond.
Its walls are covered in frescoes. The south wall with scenes from the Passion, and the North had at least one scene from Exodus and the fleeing across the Dead Sea.
And it wasn't that crowded, in fact at times there was just half a dozen of us in there. So I take as many shots as I want, and we leave by the front door, the square laid out below us.
So, we people watch.
Jools comes back to say she has found a place to eat, so I follow here down a steep alley to a small door with two chairs and tables, but inside its larger, and no other customers.
We were offered a table, and from the brief menu we order the Charcuterie board which I followed with roast suckling pig and vegetables.
The starter was excellent, made so with a small jar of local honey dropped on the meat, but the main, and I know what suckling pig means, was delicious, and was the house speciality. And washed down with a glass of Brunello for a fiver, was a bargain.
We walked back down through the town, through the gate to the car. Where someone had had parked so close i couldn't get in, and Jools only just managed it.
But we got the car out, loaded it with supplies, and we high-tailed it out, down the hill and back towards Roccastrada.
The same hills, the same bends, the same villages. And the same occasional inpatient local drivers.
We went to the CoOp again, as we needed fruit. Cheese. Bread. Wine. White wine. Pasta. Passata.
Jools went for a wander and bought two more artisan ice creams, which would defrost on the way back to the apartment.
Then we could eat and enjoy. And relax.
Which we did.
It was five in the afternoon, clouds were building. But it was the weekend. Apparently.
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The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta or Duomo di San Gimignano is a Roman Catholic collegiate church and minor basilica[1] in San Gimignano, in Tuscany in central Italy. It contains important cycles of Renaissance frescoes by artists including Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi. It falls within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the "Historic Centre of San Gimignano", with its frescoes being described by UNESCO as "works of outstanding beauty"
The first church on the site was begun in the 10th century.[3] During the early 12th century the importance of San Gimignano, and its principal church, grew steadily, owing to the town's location on the pilgrimage route to Rome, the Via Francigena.[3] The present church on this site was consecrated on 21 November 1148 and dedicated to St. Geminianus (San Gimignano) in the presence of Pope Eugenius III and 14 prelates.[3] The event is commemorated in a plaque on the facade.[3] The power and authority of the city of San Gimignano continued to grow, until it was able to win autonomy from Volterra. The church owned land and enjoyed numerous privileges that were endorsed by papal bulls and decrees.[4] It was elevated to collegiate status 20 September 1471.[5]
During the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, the church was enriched by the addition of frescos and sculpture.[4] The western end of the building (liturgical east) was altered and extended by Giuliano da Maiano between 1466 and 1468, with the work including vestries, the Chapel of Conception and the Chapel of St Fina.[3] The church was damaged during World War II, and during the subsequent restoration in 1951 the triapsidal eastern end of the earlier church was discovered lying beneath the nave of the present church.[3]
The church possesses the relics of St. Geminianus, the beatified Bishop of Modena and patron saint of the town, whose feast day is celebrated on 31 January. On 8 May 1300 Dante Alighieri came to San Gimignano as the Ambassador of the Guelph League in Tuscany.[6] Girolamo Savonarola preached from the pulpit of this church in 1497.
The Collegiate Church stands on the west side of Piazza del Duomo, so named although the church has never been the seat of a bishop.[7] The church has an east-facing facade, and chancel to the west, as at St Peter's Basilica. The architecture is 12th and 13th century Romanesque with the exception of the two chapels in the Renaissance style. The facade, which has little ornament, is approached from the square by a wide staircase and has a door into each of the side aisles, but no central portal. The doorways are surmounted by stone lintels with recessed arches above them, unusual in incorporating the stone Gabbro.[8] There is a central ocular window at the end of the nave and a smaller one giving light to each aisle. The facade, which is stone, was raised higher in brick in 1340, when the ribbed vaulting was constructed, and the two smaller ocular windows set in.[7] Matteo di Brunisend is generally credited as the main architect of the medieval period, with his date of activity given as 1239, but in fact his contribution may have been little more than the design of the central ocular window.[8] Beneath this window is a slot which marks the place of a window which lit the chancel of the earlier church, and may be the most visible sign of the church's reorientation in the 12th century rebuilding, although this is not entirely agreed upon by scholars.[8]
To the north side of the church, in the corner of the transept and chancel, stands a severely plain campanile of square plan, with a single arched opening in each face. The campanile may be that of the earlier church, as it appears to mark the extent of the original western facade, or it may have been one of the city's many tower houses, pressed into service of the church. To the south side of the church is the Loggia of the Baptistry, a 14th-century arcaded cloister with stout octagonal columns and a groin vault.[9]
Internally, the building is in the shape of a Latin Cross, with central nave and an aisle on either side, divided by arcades of seven semi-circular Romanesque arches resting on columns with simplified Corinthianesque capitals.[10] The chancel is a simple rectangle with a single arched window at the terminal end. The roofs throughout are of quadripartite vaults which date from the mid 14th century.[7] Although Gothic by date and decoration, the profiles of the ribs are semi-circular in the Romanesque manner. The clerestory has small windows, inserted when the nave was vaulted, along with lancet windows in the north aisle, the aisle windows were subsequently blocked for the painting of the fresco cycle, making the interior very dark.
The Romanesque architectural details of the church's interior are emphasised by the decorative use of colour, with the voussoirs of the nave arcades being of alternately black and white marble, creating stripes, as seen at Orvieto Cathedral. The vault compartments are all painted with lapis lazuli dotted with gold stars, and the vaulting ribs are emphasised with bands of geometric decoration predominantly in red, white and gold.
The church is most famous for its largely intact scheme of fresco decoration, the greater part of which dates from the 14th century, and represents the work of painters of the Sienese school, influenced by the Byzantine traditions of Duccio and the Early Renaissance developments of Giotto. The frescoes comprise a Poor Man's Bible of Old Testament cycle, New Testament cycle, and Last Judgement, as well as an Annunciation, a Saint Sebastian, and the stories of a local saint, St Fina, as well as several smaller works.
The wall of the left aisle had six decorated bays, of which the paintings of the first bay are in poor condition and those of the sixth have been damaged and in part destroyed by the insertion of the pipe organ. The remaining paintings, with the exception of a repainted panel in the sixth bay, are the work of Bartolo di Fredi, and, according to an inscription, were completed around 1356.[11] The paintings are in three registers and proceed from left to right chronologically in each register.
Upper level
The upper register occupies the lunettes beneath the vault and depicts the story of Creation.[11]
Creation of the Firmament
Creation of Man
Adam names the animals
Creation of Eve
God commands Adam and Eve not to touch the forbidden fruit
The Original Sin (lost)
Middle level
The second register has ten remaining scenes, with two at the furthest right having been lost with the insertion of the organ.[11]
The Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden (very incomplete)
Cain kills Abel (very incomplete)
Noah and his family building the Ark
Animals entering the Ark
Noah and his family giving thanks after the Great Flood
The Drunkenness of Noah
The departure of Abraham and Lot from the land of the Chaldeans
Abraham and Lot go separate ways.
Joseph's dream
Joseph is put into a well by his brothers
Story of Joseph in Egypt (lost)
Story of Joseph in Egypt (lost)
Lower level
In the lower register, there are ten scenes.[11]
Joseph, has his brothers arrested (very incomplete)
Joseph makes his identity known to his family (incomplete)
Moses changes the rod into a serpent
The army of Pharaoh are drowned in the Red Sea. (this scene occupies two sections)
Moses on Mount Sinai
The devil is sent to Job by God
The men and herds of Job are killed
The house of Job falls, killing his sons.
Job prays to God
Job, plagued by boils, is visited by friends. (incomplete)
(Lost scene)
New Testament cycle
The six decorated bays of the right aisle, with scenes of the New Testament, pose a problem of authorship. Giorgio Vasari states that they are the work of "Barna of Siena" and relates that Barna fell to his death from the scaffolding.[12] The name "Barna" in relation to paintings at the Collegiate Church of San Gimignano appears to have originated in Lorenzo Ghiberti's Commentaries. In 1927 the archivist Peleo Bacci made the suggestion that Barna had never existed and that the paintings are the work of Lippo Memmi. This hypothesis received no support and little comment for fifty years.[13] In 1976 discussion of Bacci's attribution was revived, with Moran suggesting that there had been a mis-transcription of "Bartolo" as "Barna", with the name "Bartolo" referring to Bartolo di Fredi, painter of the Old Testament cycle.[14]
The attribution of the New Testament cycle to Lippo Memmi, perhaps assisted by his brother Federico Memmi and father Memmo di Filippucci, is now generally agreed.[13] Lippo Memmi was influenced by his more famous brother-in-law, Simone Martini.[7] Lippo Memmi also painted a large Maesta in the Town Hall of San Gimignano, in imitation of that done by Simone Martini at the Town Hall of Siena. The New Testament cycle of the right aisle appears to pre-date the Old Testament cycle and is generally accepted to date from c.1335-1345.[15]
The scenes within the New Testament cycle are organised into four separate narratives, and do not follow a clear left-to-right pattern as do those of the left aisle. As with the left aisle, they are divided into three registers, the upper being the lunettes between the vaults.
Upper level
The upper register shows the Birth of Christ. The series reads from right to left, in six bays.[15]
The Annunciation
The Nativity and adoration of the shepherds
The adoration of the Magi
The Presentation at the Temple
The Massacre of the Innocents
The Flight into Egypt
Middle level
The middle register shows scenes of the Life of Christ, beginning at the 4th bay, below the picture of the Presentation at the Temple, and reading left to right, with eight scenes.[15] The scenes have been skilfully juxtaposed so that narrative elements may be compared or contrasted. Within the fourth bay is shown the Presentation of the Temple, Jesus sitting among the Doctors of the Temple of Jerusalem as a twelve-year-old, and Jesus before his crucifixion, enthroned, crowned with thorns and mocked.[15]
Jesus among the Doctors of the Temple of Jerusalem
The Baptism of Jesus
The Calling of Peter
The Wedding at Cana of Galilee (damaged in WWII)
The Transfiguration
The Resurrection of Lazarus
Jesus enters Jerusalem
The people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem (the final two scenes are a single event spread over two frames)
Lower level
The lower register, showing the Passion of Christ, continues beneath the Entry into Jerusalem, and is read from right to left in eight scenes over four bays.[15]
The Last Supper
Judas agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane
The Kiss of Judas
Jesus at the Praetorium
The Scourging of Jesus
Jesus crowned with thorns and mocked
Jesus carrying the cross to Calvary
Bays five and six
Bay five, beneath the lunette of the Slaughter of the Innocents, has a single large scene of the Crucifixion.[15]
Bay six, beneath the lunette of the Flight into Egypt contained four scenes (destroyed in the 15th century) of post-crucifixion events[15] which are thought to have been:
The Deposition
The Descent into Limbo
The Resurrection
Pentecost
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collegiata_di_Santa_Maria_Assunta,_...
Knowing firsthand the difficulty that lesser known artists have in finding a venue to display their work, Marion reopened the Little Gallery to visiting artists after her husband’s death. Today the DeGrazia Foundation continues this legacy during the winter months. We are happy to announce our 2015/2016 Little Gallery application is now online until February 28th! All applications must be filled out and submitted to the gallery by March 31st. Good luck!
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
Knowing that I was in an Elks building, all of could think of when I was in this room was the Stonecutters episode of The Simpsons
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
Knowing a couple trains out of Glenwood had foreign power, i stuck around town to wait for one of them. First whammy.....CP 8899 was placed in front of the NS power on this 611 oil empty, Second whammy? Well, the 1067 was in consist....trailing everything. Regardless, it was fun to see an HU on the Detroit Lakes Sub. As far as i know, this is HU # 3 for the DL behind the SOU and the C of G.
FILMING SESSION with DR2 and Christian Stadil for the program " the meaning of life "(Meningen med livet)
Festival or Climate change conference COP s can be considered like Biennales ( Venice Biennale , Istanbul Biennial , Documenta Kassel , Sydney Biennale , Berlin Biennial , Athens Biennnial , Liverpool Biennial etc ...
www.emergencyrooms.org/biennalist.html
by artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel
!!! do not use any of this copyrighted photos without 1@colonel.dk ( Thierry Geoffroy aggreement )
Welcome to Docturs.com , a single platform that provides all the information related to health and medicare @ docturs.com/dd/pg/groups/2360/amniocentesis/
Day 78 of 365
My teens go along to a youth group that organises the occasional outing, and tonight was ice skating night. Knowing there would be 1,001 kids come along, I had volunteered to help supervise. The names all checked off and accounted for, then wrist bands attached and it was a mad rush to see who could get their skates on and get onto the ice first. I had checked with the staff if it was ok to take photos, and as long as it was only of our group, that would be ok. I did take a stack of photos, but I took them purely as an exercise in trying out different settings – fast to stop the motion, and slow to catch the blur, that sort of thing. I was also waiting for the ice to get nice and wet so I could shoot some reflections, but the ice stayed too dry for what I was looking for. In my head I had the perfect shot, the reality is often very different; you need to factor in the hundred or so teens and adults scooting around at all sorts of speeds and leaving the rink at that same high speed, it just isn’t worth placing yourself at floor level at the exit point, no matter how great the shot could be! Lol! For the record, no I didn’t don a pair of skates, my skating days are long over. Unlike some of the parents who did give it a go, I remember just how hard that ice is when you fall...
These Magnolia flowers have a potent citrus aroma that is delightful, and also beyond my ability to describe. (The flowers are also described as emitting a lemon/citronella scent.)
In addition to their surreal beauty they attract a couple of different kinds of honey bees as an added bonus.
Join me as I peer into "The Magnolia Universe:"
www.flickr.com/photos/motorpsiclist/sets/72157632021058807/
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