Orvieto - Cathedral and Museums

There were too many photos for just one blog on Orvieto so I have split it into two parts.

You turn a corner and see this vision at the end of the street.

The photo does no justice to the colours at all. This cathedral is simply breathtaking.

The pillars are made of alternate layers of travertine and basalt.

The panes are made of very thin sheets of alabaster that allow the transmission of light. They make the regular stained glass appear ordinary.

The melon colour behind the organ is magical.

Gigantic frescoes by Signorelli. This the the Resurrection of the Flesh.

And the Damned Cast into Hell. Those blue bottoms are definitely unusual.

Iron bands.

Upper part of the Corporal Chapel.

Really intense blue glass. This chapel is the more famous of the two because of the relic that it houses and was crowded with tourists. I preferred the other.

At the train station I had bought a ticket that gave me entrance to most of the museums as well as the Duomo. So I went into the Museo C. Faina across the piazza from the Duomo. You can see at the entrance a military vehicle with armed soldiers. Most of the major tourist sites in Rome are guarded as well which is just as well in this age of terrorism. The soldiers looked very bored.

To the left is the cafe where I 'enjoyed' the wine.

The museum houses the collection of an archaeologist of the 19th century. These gold epaulets are the prize items.

Along with these coins found in the area surrounding Orvieto.

Attic vases.

I was quite intrigued by this young lady who looks so modern, quite unlike other women of the era. Interestingly, the painter was a woman, Giuseppina Anselmi Faina and a selection of her works were on display in the museum.

Self portrait and the sketch.

Figurines.

The next museum feature bronzes by a local artist.

The artist.

The Popes traveled around every now an then and they needed a suitable place to stay. With mangers being out of fashion, a papal Palace was constructed behind the Duomo.

Underneath the Duomo.

Some stray heads. There is just so much 'stuff' in Italy, there is no place to display it all.

After looking at the painting of the young lady earlier, I began to speculate about who these subjects were. How were they chosen and how much were they paid.

I presume a copy.

I presume the original.

Sometimes you think to yourself, I have seen that face before and you keep trying to remember who it was. I failed in this case but I suspect a girl from schooldays.

I wonder what the model thought when she appeared with two different skin colours.

Now the one on the left could have been the original for Jaws from the 007 films.

And the same models were used many times.

It's sacrilegious but when I saw this I could only vision a sad fisherman describing the size of the one that got away.

Another interesting face but by now I had my fill of museums.

Interestingly, I was the only visitor in each of the museums I visited.