Castellina’s Tomb of Etruscan Lords

Etruscan wall fresco~ photo credit en.wikipedia.org

The Comune di Castellina in Chianti has a most outstanding archaeological find. It is a small round hill just off to the side of the main road leading into the village. At just over 50 meters in diameter, underneath the mound are long corridors that lead to four tombs designed in a cardinal point (N,S,E,W).  It is the Tumulo di Montecalvario (Hill of Calvary), an Etruscan funerary monument that was accidentally discovered in the early 19th century.

The Comune di Castellina in Chianti, very near the Etruscan tombs

The Etruscans remain a mysterious population with unknown origins. Although a lot of speculation exists, it is all uncertain just where they came from. They were an attractive people who had established firm habitation in the territory north of Rome by 700 BC and continued to prosper until around 400 BC. By then, they were losing ground to the Romans who eventually conquered the territory. Numerous museums in Italy today contain Etruscan displays that provide an impressive insight into these highly developed, artistic and peace-loving people.

While visiting the village of Castellina in Chianti, I stumbled upon this funerary monument as I was driving into town. It was located just off to the side of the road with a small parking area and a pathway leading up to the fenced-in tomb mound.

Below can be seen the design of the tomb on the information board at the site.

 

This dirt pathway encircles the funerary mound. It is believed by archaeologists that the location of this tomb was originally intended to be on the busy byways of its time, where many would pass by on a daily basis.

 

It was discovered that the deceased were no ordinary citizens. It appears that the four were likely members of a lordly family who ruled over the region during the Orientalizing period (distinctive Eastern style impact on Greek art), which was at the end of the 7th to beginning of the 6th century BC.

Four openings lead into the tomb from the circular pathway.

 

Although it is obvious the tombs have been looted long ago, fragments of gold, bronze, iron, bone and ivory were found. Metal objects, including parts of two chariots and sheets with relief decor that embellished the wood structure of the chariots were also discovered. In the south tomb was a lion’s head with gaping jaws made of stone. These items can be seen at the Archaeological Museum of Sienese Chianti.

Long, low lit corridors inside lead to the four tombs.

 

I admit that I did feel a bit claustrophobic.

 

Each tomb felt small and stuffy, yet it was rewarding to see the beautiful arch built out of rock. This interior is a corbelled vault, where the rock ceiling overlaps each other to create a strong arch.

 

This funerary monument was named during the Middle Ages. At that time it was a chapel to the last station of the Via Crucis, or Way of the Cross. Since there are fourteen stations of the cross, this particular one depicted the body of Jesus laid in a tomb.

Although I didn’t feel the need to linger within, it was an enriching experience to see the loving care that these people put into housing their deceased. Many books written about the Etruscans suggest that they were obsessed with death. On the contrary, there are many of us who believe that the Etruscans, as seen in remaining frescos and statuary, were a people dedicated to life and the living, who celebrated often with joy and enthusiasm.

For more information:

*Tumulo di Montecalvario~ SR 222, 53011 Castellina in Chianti SI, Italy

Phone:+39 0577 742090

 

 

Orvieto’s Dynamic Underground Wine Library

Bottle of locally grown wine from the library inside Il Palazzo del Gusto. The Slow Food emblem can be seen as a snail in the background

Underneath the former medieval convent of San Giovanni in Orvieto lies the regional wine library of Umbria, containing over 120 different labels of the best locally grown wines. Displays line the walls along caves and tunnels that have been dug out of tufa rock from as far back as the Etruscan era.  All are listed as DOCG, DOC, and IGT wines grown from the areas most prestigious vines. Touch screens accompany several wine displays, packed with information to acquaint yourself with the featured wine. Sixteen different wines can be sampled from automatic dispensers.

Il Palazzo del Gusto, the Palace of Taste, is more than wine. As part of the Slow Food experience, it is a cultural association that promotes the local artisans, farmers and traditional cuisine through regional events such as wine tastings, farmers markets and taste workshops. Slow Food is Italy’s alternative to fast food.

Sign outside the Palazzo del Gusto in Orvieto

Italy’s Slow Food movement began in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, a food writer living in Rome. He launched a local protest to resist the opening of the first McDonald’s in Italy located near the Spanish Steps. Although there are other McDonald’s in Italy, you won’t see familiar chains such as Starbucks. The Italian culture resists the values and concepts of these institutions.

Outside the former convent of San Giovanni

Slow Food aims to promote centuries-old traditions of gastronomy and local farming. Tourists want to understand the culture, so restaurants open their doors in an effort to show them how their products are produced. It opposes globalization (food grown in another country), and industrial food production.

The Palazzo del Gusto in Orvieto is committed to preserving the local traditions of food and wine in the region of Umbria. Food education and training courses are conducted along with tasting, craft and art events. The restored cellars contain a kitchen for the purpose of training professional chefs as well as amateur tourists in the art of traditional Umbrian cooking.

Inside the cellar of the convent, there is seating around small tables. Slow Food supporters share their thoughts concerning the relationship between the small local producers and chefs in local restaurants. Many strive to keep the local cuisine and wine available to tourists as an important factor of the total tourism experience.

We are given tastes of the local wine in one of the cellars

Wine tours grant an education in all phases of wine production, including tasting along with the local cuisine. This provides an opportunity to meet the small producers in Italy and to experience the centuries-old tastes of the region.

We are introduced to the concept of Slow Food, beginning with the wines of the region

Local farmers share their products with us including pasta, crackers, jams, honey and biscuits

After a series of wine tastings, people start to loosen up!

In a world gone crazy over fast food that lacks nutrition from freshly grown ingredients as well as the absence of taste from traditional recipes prepared with care, Il Palazzo del Gusto is an anchor of hope. Come for a guided visit inside the Palazzo and discover the real essence of Italy for yourself.

*For more information, contact Il Palazzo del Gusto at http://www.ilpalazzodelgusto.it

Engaging Orvieto, Born of a Troubled Past

Orvieto stands on top of tufa rock 1,000 feet above the valley floor

Italian hill towns capture my imagination and quicken my pulse. Whenever I catch a glimpse of one, I’m reminded of my childhood fairytale books. Filled with pictures of enchanted castles and medieval villages, they rise mysteriously toward the clouds on faraway hilltops.

Orvieto is definitely one of those. Sprawled out on a massive bed of cavernous tufa rock high above the valley floor, it is a vision to behold. The sweeping landscape is dotted with cypress trees and well-groomed vineyards. Less that 90 minutes north of Rome, the old walled city is rich in medieval charm and is nearly traffic-free.

A medieval street in Orvieto

I love to linger and soak up the surroundings at different times of the day. Dusk is always my favorite. The winding cobbled streets and outdoor cafes take on a romantic ambience as candle light flickers off the stone walls. Trattorias disperse delicious aromas of roast meat and savory sauces. Idyllic.

But don’t let the serenity fool you. From it’s very beginnings, Orvieto has known a troubled past.

Let’s take a quick peek into those bygone years…

It all began with the Etruscans ~

What began as an Etruscan settlement (Velzna) in the 9th century BC, became Roman property after an arduous two-year siege in the third century BC. The Etruscans were ingenious and crafty, and had carved out a large network of tunnels and wells within the expanse of penetrable tufa rock below their feet. The position of the walled citadel increased the difficulty of an invasion, making it nearly impossible for the Romans to take the city.

Orvieto Challenged by the Middle Ages ~

During the early middle ages, Orvieto became prosperous under a developed, well-organized political system and urban structure. This all changed when, sadly, the plague infected the city of 8,000.

“At Orvieto the plague began in May 1348. Some 500 died in a very short space of time, many of them suddenly; the shops remained closed, and business and work was at a standstill. Here it ran its usual five months’ course, and finished in September, when many families were found to have become extinct.” (G. Gigli, Diario Sanese).

Constant fighting among highly ranked noble families also weakened the city. Orvieto was no longer a free municipality and governing city-state, but became a mere shadow of its past. Poverty ridden and sickly, the populace limped along despite pestilence and increasing economic uncertainty.

Orvieto is full of charming nooks and corners

Fire, Brimstone and the Last Judgement ~

The city’s greatest artistic treasures give a strong indication of the political and religious turmoil experienced by the populace. Apocalyptic delirium was inspired by the half-crazed Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola. Luca Signorelli’s paintings in the Orvieto Cathedral chapel reflect the effects of Savonarola’s sermons, resulting in a growing religious anxiety.

Approaching the Orvieto Cathedral

A terrifying Renaissance Apocalypse, a series of frescos by Signorelli painted between 1499 and 1504, fills a chapel in the Orvieto Cathedral. In the midst of the city’s post-plague devastation, it must have been natural for such a painter to envision the full depth of human depravity.

Luca Signorelli’s fresco of The Damned in the San Brizio Chapel of the Orvieto Cathedral

Signorelli’s frescos had a huge impact on his contemporaries, including Michelangelo, who studied them before he created his own masterpieces on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the Last Judgement on its far wall.

Almost there!

A Cathedral Hides a Precious Relic ~

Prior to the plague’s devastation, Pope Urban IV took up residence in Orvieto due to the civil unrest in Rome. It was he who commissioned the Cathedral to begin construction in 1290 as a resting place for the holy relic named the Corporal of Bolsena. This relic is the result of a Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena.

As the story goes, it was in 1263 that a traveling Bohemian priest, burdened by doubts concerning his faith, stopped at the tomb of St. Christina in Bolsena to take communion. As he held the host, red drops of blood dripped from it onto the linen. Immediately, his faith was strengthened and the stained linen relic came to be housed inside a small chapel within the Cathedral.

The Orvieto Cathedral

The Cathedral’s grey and white striped exterior must have given a glimmer of hope and lifted the spirits of the people. Built very similarly to the Duomo in Siena, it was also a competitive move towards them as Orvieto’s arch-enemy.

The papacy brings prosperity ~

As Orvieto became an important papal province, its economy began to prosper. It grew in popularity with cardinals and popes, who were drawn to an ambrosial sense of peace and security, so contrary to the past few hundred years. Beginning in 1600, urban renewal and profound architectural restoration occurred within the city and have continued to the present.

The town hall has an official symbol that embodies the recent history of Orvieto. It consists of a red cross on a white background, symbolizing the loyalty of the city to the papal party named Guelfi, a black eagle which refers to the Roman domination, a goose which is a reference to the geese who saved the Campidoglio (Capitoline Hill) in Rome, and the lion that symbolizes the loyalty to the papacy of Orvieto.

Symbol of Orvieto

Today, Orvieto is bustling with tourists who enjoy the medieval architecture, shopping, abundance of cozy Italian restaurants and some of the best wine in Italy. The ambience changes after dark. Quiet and serene, it is the perfect place for an after dinner stroll through its medieval maze of golden lamp lit streets.

Striped Medieval architecture

Orvieto is prosperous and friendly with much to admire. It is the result of a people who endured waves of hardships that threatened to wipe them out. They chose to work toward and embrace hard-won achievements that are visible throughout the city today.

Restaurant on the Cathedral Piazza

Memoirs of Capri: Alluring San Michele

High above the steep rock walls of Capri stands a lone figure. Rays of sunlight dance and shimmer along the golden embroidery of the garments covering his large, well-built frame. Obsidian eyes search the green-blue sea laid out before him, coming to rest on a distant land – his own empire. His eyes narrow as he slowly inhales. Emporer Tiberius turns sharply and passes quickly along the cliff wall of his villa and into its sunless interior. The year is 32 AD.

Forward to the 20th century……a new villa sits upon the very site where Tiberius once stood.

“Open to the sun and wind and the voices of the sea, like a Greek temple, and light, light, light everywhere…”   Axel Munthe

Villa San Michele Soars High Above the Sea

Villa San Michele

Setting high above the Mediterranean Sea like an exotic pearl, Villa San Michele majestically adorns the island of Capri. Her stately architecture and elegant whiteness shimmer exquisitely under the warm Italian sun. Beautiful green gardens climb and wind their way around the bleached walls and the colonnaded pergola. Lovely white columns follow the edge of a cliff offering a breathtaking view of the sea and sky. A wonderful blending of art, nature and architecture has inspired this villa unlike any other.

Axel Munthe and Friends.

Swedish doctor Axel Munthe acquired the estate and devoted himself to rebuilding the ruined Tiberian villa of Capodimonte. Beginning in 1896, the new villa of San Michele encompassed the old villa floor plan of Tiberius. Originally, Emperors Augustus and Tiberius had built 12 palaces and villas on Capri since the time it was established as an imperial estate in 29 BC.

Doorway to San Michele

On a cool spring morning walk, I find myself standing at the doorway to Axel’s exquisite villa. Over the arch I read the inscription San Michele in gold mosaic accompanied by marble friezes with animal and plant motifs. I learned  that at his passing, Axel Munthe willed his villa to the Swedish government, who have kindly preserved it as a museum.

Living Room of the Villa

Dining Area

Sculptor Court Leading to the Gardens.

The linen-white villa with its dark wooden furniture gives way to an atmosphere of seraphic delicacy. Imbedded in the walls are sections of artifacts, predominately funerary articles, inscriptions and bits of pottery found on the site. Several intact ancient pieces of sculpture adorn the walls, the oldest an Etruscan votive head dating from 450 BC. The large head of Medusa dresses the wall above the modest writing desk, which Axel apparently stumbled upon while exploring the ocean floor! Mounted on another wall is a copy of the head of Tiberius, the original having been stolen. All of these sculptures, I discover, are from the mainland.

Bust of Tiberius

Medusa!

I enter the dining room and see a Pompeian replica of a skeleton floor mosaic in stark black and white. Long and spindly, it holds a carafe of wine in one hand and a jug of water in the other.

 Skeleton Floor Mosaic

I interpret the message as one of moderation in all things, or encouragement to enjoy life to the full while there is still time.

The villa and garden stand 300 meters above sea level with a striking view of the Sorrento Peninsula, the Gulf of Naples, and Mt. Vesuvius. At times the isle of Ischia is visible to the north.  Below me from the garden wall I observe the Marina Grande, busy with hydrofoils and ferries that deliver crowds of passengers while taking others back to the mainland.

Marina Grande from the Garden

The ambrosial gardens of the villa fill me with wonder. Lovely displays of camelias, flowering ash, azaleas, Chinese wisteria, hydrangea, roses and many other varieties enhance its timeless quality. The air is astir with the fragrant perfume of flowers. Statues of antiquity adorn the walkways and peak through the greenery. Tall and stately pine, palm and cyprus trees bring a culmination of palatial elegance.

Colonnaded Pergola in the Garden

A small chapel resides on the gardens with fragments of the original Roman wall and pavement used in its construction. A quick tour through, and I find myself impatient to return to the garden. I inhale its fragrant beauty, hoping to capture the spirit of San Michele.

As I slowly wind my way back through the colonnaded pergola with its elegant white Capri columns, I catch site of the 3200 year old Egyptian Sphinx perched majestically on the terrace parapet. There she proudly sits, watching over her island and the sea in timeless immortality.

Majestic!

 

 

Tuscany’s Castle Winery Leaves a Dashing Legacy

Castello Di Verrazzano in Chianti on a lovely mellow day

Chianti, an area of Tuscany located between Florence and Siena, is beautifully grooved with vineyards over wide rolling hills. Castles often decorate the tops with their surrounding estate of vineyards full of grapes grown plump and aromatic under the warm Tuscan sun. Castello Di Verrazzano, overlooking the town of Greve in Chianti, is one of them.

Gardens of Splendor

Every castle has a moat, of sorts….well, this is actually a large pool

Plump juicy Verrazzano grapes

The “vineyards situated in Verrazzano,” are mentioned in a manuscript dating back to 1170, preserved in the Abbey of Passignano. Olive groves are recorded to have been growing on the estate simultaneously.

Castello Di Verrazzano vineyards

Today, the Renaissance villa is built around the tenth century tower. Originally, the castle was an Etruscan, then a Roman settlement until the Verrazzano family acquired it in the seventh century.

Captain Verrazzano, Explorer of the New World

Giovanni da Verrazzano, born in the castle in 1485, was a Florentine navigator who explored the bay of New York and most of the East Coast of North America in the early 1500’s. Not one to keep a low profile, while seeking entrance to the Pacific Ocean near South America on his third and final voyage, he mistakenly landed on an island with cannibalistic natives. End of story….almost. New York immortalized him by naming their double-decker suspension bridge the Verrazzano-Narrows in 1964.

The Verrazzano Estate’s boundaries have not changed in over one thousand years.

Today the Cappellini family runs the estate after acquiring it in 1958. At the time it was in a neglected state and needed repairs. The villa was restored and the surrounding 220 acres of land reorganized, nourished and replanted in vines which are replaced every twelve years. A system of thorough organic fertilization as well as the practice of agronomic techniques has contributed over time to superior wines. The harvest is done exclusively by hand through a careful selection of grapes.

Vineyards surround the castle

Most good stories have a great ending, and this is no exception. In my next post you are invited to come along with me on a wine tour of Castello Da Verrazzano. I promise a dungeon with cells, but no dragons! Stay tuned…..coming this Wednesday!