Following the chocolate indulgence, we visited the Church of Saint Francis, home to a legendary fresco cycle by Pierro della Francesca. The cycle, entitled "The Legend of the True Cross," depicts the tale of Christ's crucifix, made from the Tree of Good and Evil. It ends with a scientific "experiment," in which three crosses were passed over a dead body until the true cross brought the body back to life. Artistically, the cycle is noted for its beautiful, complex landscapes and its use of linear perspective, the 3D technique innovated by Pierro. The cycle is also noted for the depiction of lighting- all the shadows appear to be created from the one window in the middle of the fresco.
(the image of a man getting tortured is the "christian method" of extrapolating the location of a religious reliquary from a pagan heathen)
Following a comprehensive tour, we walked through the streets of Arezzo, past 12th century medieval buildings and Renaissance piazzas. Though not described in many guidebooks, Arezzo is truly a beautiful town, one that I would love to linger in on a hot sunny day.
The walk wrapped up in front of la Chiesa San Domenico, an obscure Dominican church hardly noticeable from the street. However, inside of the church is Cimabue's famous Crucifixion, dating back to 1280. The cross is important because it is one of the final pieces of Italo-Byzantine painting (defined by the "comic" exaggeration of Christ's figures and the exaggerated, stylized anatomy). Thus, this cross is the turning point from medieval art in to the Gothic style, which would precede the Renaissance.
This morning began with a train ride through your standard Tuscan hillside- more snaking rivers, gently rolling hills, and snow capped mountains. Will that ever get boring? At 9 am, those of us enrolled in Origins of the Renaissance Style arrived in Arezzo, one of Tuscany's truly hidden gems.
This concluded our day in Arezzo. Next stop was Sansepolcro, a really small medieval hill town, and the birthplace of Pierro della Francesca. Only four of us went on this leg of the journey, accompanied by legendary history professor Michael Shank and his wife. Shank teaches a class on Pierro, so having his insight at their art museum was fascinating.
A funny thing happened at that museum in Sansepolcro. Every time I walked under a door, I set off the art burglary alarm. Apparently, the alarm is set to go off every time something goes through a door at a certain height. Since no Italians are even near 6'6", nobody had ever set off this alarm before. But I set it off on multiple occasions, drawing good-natured ribbing from the wisecracking security guard.
The guard later showed us a painting he called "The Roast Beef Code," a painting of the Last Supper in which there are only 11 apostles (including Judas). The last apostle is dressed as a female waitress, serving a platter of Roast Beef to Christ. Conspiracy theory anyone?
As we had planned on catching a bus home that didn't actually run on Fridays, we were stranded in the small town for about an hour- not a big deal, since I was able to explore some more of the city (or all of the city's 2 blocks), including the home of Pierro della Francesca and a cool hidden church with some fancy 15th century frescos. All hidden treasures lying deep inside non-touristy Tuscany.
Arrived back at the villa tonight to a dinner of sausage and FRENCH FRIES! So good! Felt like I was eating a bratwurst with fries. Except these fries were home made by a gourmet Italian chef. Good stuff, good stuff.
Tomorrow, I'm off to Assisi- see the famous Basilica and hike throughout Umbria's pictaresque landscape!
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