Spoleto valley below Assisi
Typical street, Assisi
I know, it's blurry, but I was caught offguard and had to do it quickly, no tripod
Simple lines, massed stonework
The arches around the doors are invariably massive and varied
Some have "simple" lintels rather than arches
Pure gothic pointed arch
Old lady on foot, touring cyclists, Via Ruffino, Assisi
Piazza del Comune, Temple of Minerva, center of Roman and medieval town
Same scene, Roman version in computer-generated recreation
Model, Temple of Minerva, Museo del Foro Romano
Detail, original forum wall and stair
Corner of pink marble tetrastyle, Roman masonry at original floor level of central square.
Roman urn cover in the form of a phallus, 1st c. BC
Assisi, morning
Frescoed vault, Piazza del Comune, Assisi
Fountain, Piazza del Comune, Assisi
City gate, fortress above, Assisi
Roman, medieval, renaissance fortress: Rocca Maggiore, Assisi
Tower, Rocca Maggiore, Assisi
The Basilica di San Francesco, Assisi
San Francesco, Assisi. Entrance to Lower Basilica below, Upper Basilica above
Assisi, Basilica di San Francesco from Rocca Maggiore
San Francesco, entrance to Lower Basilica, windows of upper basilica above
Typical pink stone wall, Assisi
The improvisational irregularity of the festive medieval stonework
Wall with ivy, Assisi
Santa Maria delle Rose, the purest, simplest Gothic lines, pointed arch and gable
Basilica di Santa Chiara, Assisi
Rose window outer stonework, San Ruffino, Assisi
Right portal, San Ruffino, stonework in the purest gothic style, animals, birds, flowers
San Ruffino, main portal
Stepped street, Assisi
Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi, build around and over the Porziuncola, the tiny church inside.
Fonti Medicee, the Medici fountains alongside the Basilica di Santa Maria degli Angeli, Assisi
The Medici balls
Appenines, from train window
Le Marche, The Marches, east central Italy
Urbino
The Christmas Decorations came on tonight
Piazza del Duca, central square, Urbino, where there are always people standing around chatting, waiting for buses, hanging out...
Sometimes the stonework looks like icing...
Corso Garibaldi, Urbino
Portico of S. Francesco, Urbino, a wireless spot for students
Duomo, Urbino
Interior, Urbino's Duomo
Stucco work, duomo
Urbino duomo, pulpit-- the icing on the cake
Palazzo Ducale and Duomo, Urbino
The iconic turrets of the Palazzo Ducale
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
The stairs are arranged backwards; notice the lip facing you as you look downhill. It's a functional arrangement that works well in both directions.
Cachi, persimmons. They look so bizarre and wonderful because they fruit after the leaves have fallen, skeletal trees covered with bright orange ornaments.
Fish nibbling flower, a very favored decorative motif
Inlaid marble floor, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
Fortezza Albernoz, the fortree opposit Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
Renaissance doors, Urbino
Scrumptious capital, cortile, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
Many capitals, same place. As Ruskin points out, the slavish repetition of motifs with which the Renaissance aped imperial Rome deprives them of their energy and vitality. In a gothic palace, such as Venice's Palazzo Ducale, each capital would be different, abundant with variety.
Oratortio of S. Giovanni Battista, Urbino, a lovely Gothic structure
John the Baptist at work, Oratorio of S. Giovanni Battista, Urbino. This and the following, all from S. Giovanni, were painted in 1416 by the brothers Lorenzo and Jacopo Salimbeni.
Baptism of Christ
Magnificent crucifixion over the altar
San Zaccharia accepts congratulations for the pregnancy of his wife who was barren
Detail, crucifixion
Detail, crucifixion. The gorgeous overlapping of gothic and renaissance styles
Detail
Renaissance grotesque, the Duke's chapel, Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
Door inside a door, Urbino
Della Robbia lunette, Church of S. Domenico, Urbino
View from my hotel window, from the fortezza above, down. This mesmerized me each night.
