Siena

Gothic architecture on the side of the duomo.

How do you make a gargoyle to wrap around a corner...hmmm...

Top of the duomo.

Majolica shops are everywhere in Italy.

Down a side alley in Siena... the stall where one of the contradas keeps its prized horse during the race. Someone stays with the animal 24/7 for the week before the race, to protect it from any suspicious activity.

In the main piazza where the annual horse race takes place.

The floor of the cathedral...just the floor...overall it is very overwhelming. Very rich. The floor is uncovered only once a year for viewing.

In the duomo.

The main duomo, or cathefral.

The duomo.

Last year's horse race winners...

Went to the town of Siena on Friday. This was our least favorite trip. The city has good architecture and history, but it is very urban and crowded, and there was very little time to actually see or do anything. It was a rushed trip.

Sienna is known for its annual horse race, a competition between local neighborhoods or contradas. Each contrada sponsors a horse and rider, and about ten to thirteen competitors run three (?) laps around the main piazza in the center of town. The riders must ride bareback and it is very treacherous. If a rider falls off, but his horse continues to the finish line, the contrada still wins. It is the horse the wins the race, riderless or not. This is a frenzied and highly competitive event... I don't think even the Packers and the Vikings have a greater rivalry.

The floor of the main duomo (cathedral) is uncovered only once a year for viewing, and we were lucky enough to see it. The duomo is extremely awe-inspiring...grandiose. Very beautiful, very Rennaissance, very midieval. It is dark inside...they were not yet into large stained glass windows. Built around 1250.

Rome

In the New Palace, now a museum. It was built following Micaelangelo's design.

Excavated cobblestone streets among the ruins.

Colums are everywhere.

Sunset at the tomb of the unknown soldier in center city.

Base of the column that marks the center of the city.


Column marking the center of the city. I think.


Hey, I got on the computer at the hotel for a few minutes. We are in Rome now, having successfully navigated the bus, train, and taxi to get to a real room with a real bathtub. This is a luxury. We will sleep in tomorrow and then go to see the main sights...the coliseum, the Spanish steps, perhaps St. Peter's basilica (with Michealangelo's painted ceiling) and the Vatican in the distance. We were told not to go to some areas because of "the mafia"...seriously. And to watch out for pickpockets, which is evidently a huge problem.

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous this whole time...just on the verge of autumn and sunny. Looking forward to having a great final couple of days. Home on Monday. Please be safe and use the contacts we sent today via email if you need us.

Love to all,

mom/teresa

Village of Volterra

Volterra was our favorite town to visit. It is more rural than any others, surrounded by agriculture and farmlands. It is way up on top of a hill and takes quite a bit of stair climbing. Alabaster is one of their main products and little shops and artisans that deal in the making of alabaster ornaments are everywhere. Very, very quaint, quiet, and unspoiled. Ancient. It started out sunny, but a small thunderstorm came through just before noon. We ducked into a small trattoria in an alley way and enjoyed a lovely and romantic lunch while it drizzled and thundered outside. The food was awesome. A wonderful day spent here.

Steps leading up to the village on a rainy afternoon.

Beauty in imperfection...

Volterra horizon from the upper story of the Etruscan museum in the village


Candles lit in the side chapel of the church of St. Francis. In the reflection it looks like they are coming from the Body.

Statue of St. Francis.

Interior of the Church of St. Francis.

The Church of St. Francis, built around 1270 and connected to a Franciscan monastery built around 1220

Old and new.

Inside the main duomo (cathedral)

Inside the main duomo.

Main duomo.

A lantern hanger inside the palace.

The amphitheatre that excavated at the edge of the town.

Yesterday we saw the little town of Volterra, the most perfectly preserved midieval town we have seen yet. Less tourists, absolutely stunning architecture and history. Toured another Etruscan museum and some cathedrals.
The best for me was going into a small church on the far side of town, away from all the tourist traffic. No one around. This church was established in 1270 by the Franciscan friars, attached to a Franciscan monastery that was built in 1200 to 1220 while St. Francis was still alive. He was there and visited. Bob and I went inside and viewed the fading frescoes, the sunlight coming through the windows and falling softly on the altar and huge paintings. On one side was a tiny room with statues of Mary, the body of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene at the crucifixion. I lit two candles...one for Mom and one for Cynthia, and prayed for a few minutes. The church was completely empty and silent... A roll of thunder tumbled slowly through the sky, and it began to rain.
It was magical. I wish you all were there with me.
love you all, see you next week. Cant call or email after this... happy birthday Ben!!!! I love you sooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

love,
mom

Second Visit to Florence

Monday we re-visited Firenze (Florence) to see the Ufizi, a national museum of art. Here are housed some of the greatest collections of Gothic, Rennaissance and Florentine art in the world. It was filled with many, many religious paintings and Roman sculptures by some of the most famous artists in history, including Botticelli, Michealangelo, and DaVinci. . Incredibly, you are able to stand within a foot or two of priceless paintings, the most valuable of which are protected behind thick walls of glass. But you can see them clearly, close enough to touch. No photos are allowed inside so I can’t show it to you. It was striking to think that at one time the work of artists was valued as a commodity like gold and silver. But artwork is not a “thing”…it is a person’s soul. And yet many of these sculptures, statues and paintings don’t even bear a name of the creator. We viewed Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus “, Michealangelo’s “The Holy Family”, and DaVinci’s “The Annunciation”. The sun came through the windows just right, and I stood leaning over inches away from DaVinci’s work…. I have seen the very brush strokes of his hand. I was in tears.

Potting

Potting
Monday was spent glazing our pieces and learning about the specialized process and chemistry of “carbon trapping” in Shino glazes. This process (if we are lucky) involves filling the kiln with black smoke early in the firing, and then trapping that smoke marking in the glaze body and sealing it over with a higher firing temperature. It is fickle and tricky, so nothing may work. Each firing is unique. We will see on Wednesday how it turned out and then spend another afternoon glazing a second kiln load. Some pictures of our studio:

Assistants Lucca and Jean Lucca loading the kiln. They are so sweet and cute...

Malcolm Davis, "the king", lecturing on pots and glazes.

The dining room where we have lunch...beautiful view of the countryside.

The coffee break area... coffee breaks are at 10:30 am and 5:00 pm...a little espresso and cookies.


The studio turned into a banquet for the evening. An Italian tenor and wonderful guitar player came in to serenade us and there was a fantastic spread of food... and wine from the local vineyards. Lots of wine! We got happy. :)

Visit to Chiusi

Visit to Chiusi

(photos: street in Chiusi and rosemary growing over the town wall)

On Sunday we went to visit the small midieval town of Chiusi, south towards Rome. Along with more spectacular architecture and antiquity, we had the opportunity to tour some catacombss and the national Etruscan museum.
The catacombs were built/excavated during the time that the Christians were persecuted during the Roman era (estimated to be around 300 – 400 AD).

At first they were probably begun as a single set of burial sites for a noble family, because the Romans demanded cremation for funerals and the Christians wanted to bury the bodies underground to wait for the resurrection. When the Romans began to persecute the Christians, the area was excavated to include burial sites for others in the community and also an area was hollowed out to serve as a

church for secret worship service

It was also used to hide people during the Roman era, and again during WWII. It is dank and damp, with many, many coffin-like graves and Latin writings carved into the stones. There are a few bones still lying around and still bodies down there. Tunnels go out in several directions. I just felt a great weight of sadness when I was down there.
The Etruscan museum was awesome… It was filled with pottery and bronze relics from 1500 BC through Roman times. The pottery floored me… to see the same forms and types of decorations that I do myself, with the marks of hands across thousands of years… the most vital of all items to tell us about history and the lives of other cultures. I could barely tear myself away. I was entranced. I also got some great handle and form ideas that I can apply to my work to reference the ancient styles.

Photos of Our House and Area

Secret sitting spot on the back side of the house...



Picking grapes by hand in the field next door...

Old side door to the cellar on the side of the house...

View from the dining room...

Entrance area to the dining hall...