History
From Divinities to Saints to…Newspapers
While scrambling around Roman temple ruins in Jordan on a recent trip, I reflected on the long reach of l’edicola. Le edicole – small niches holding images of divinities – flanked temple entrances or splendid city gates in the ancient world.
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Peace and Goodwill in Assisi
“Pax et bonum” (“peace and goodwill”), San Francesco to the townspeople as he wandered the labyrinthine Assisi backstreets preaching in the early 13th- century. His greeting lives on in the town.
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Get Lost: in the Assisi Backstreets
I’m not sure that just a few days suffice for all the artistic wonders of Assisi: the Basilica di San Francesco with over 10,000 sq. m of the greatest frescoes in the world of the late 13th-century, early 14th-century certainly merits more than one visit and the Romanesque (1144 AD) cathedral of San Rufino and the pink and white limestone Gothic Basllica di Santa Chiara astound as well.
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San Francesco’s Gestures
San Francesco di Assisi was certainly Italian. No doubt about it: just note how he gestures in various frescoes depicting him in his Basilica di San Francesco in Assisi. My favorite? The Pietro Lorenzetti early 14-th century fresco in the Lower Basilica. You can tell Lorenzetti was from Siena: note the almond-shaped eyes of the… View Article
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“Santo Terremoto”? Earthquake in Assisi, 1997: a Saint or a Devil?
Saint or devil? Certainly, nothing “saintly: about an earthquake, though the term “Santo Terremoto” – utttered sadly, soberly here in Italy – refers to the reconstruction work generated by any natural disaster. Ironically, the restoration work following a tragic natural event can be a lifesaver to many in this moment of economic crisis. Sponsored by… View Article
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