Tomorrow I leave Udine, and will travel all day to return to Rome and from there will fly home.
Most places are closed now, for the long Italian middle of the day break. Cafes are open, but not much else. The city is very quiet.
I am sitting on a bench outside the cathedral, waiting for a bookshop to open, and then will return to the hotel. There is probablynot much more I can fit in. This morning was spent sdmiring Tieoplo paintings, wondering all the while how they managed topaint such wonderful ceilings and walls so high up from the floor. Is there a study of working conditions for builders and painters?
Mostly Udine is quite flat but in the middle it hasa very steep hill, upon which an impressive castle was built. The other day I walked up there from Pazza della Liberta, and today I approachedit froom the other side. Access was just as steep and difficult, leaving me quite puffed out. Many of the roads and footpaths aremade of small blocks of stone, placed in appealing fanned out patterns. Sometimes stones fall out or break and repairs can be good, bad or indifferent. Pedestrian crossings use large white blocks of stone, which seem an improvement on white painted strips.
But back to the Castello. There is an art Gallery, and archaeological museum, and anotherone, seemingly still being created, on the history of Udine, concentrating on from Napoeon onwards. After Napoleon!s eventual defeat, the territory was given to the Austrians, until such time as Italian unification. The art gallery was interesting but not wonderful. The archaeological museum is terrific. You cannot do anything around here without digging up things from the very dim dark past,
It seems knee deep in objects. There do seem to be vast numbers of tombs, bones, cswords, knives, bits and pieces, glass, intricate jewellery and pottery. I wonder what future archaeologists will make of all our vast and numerous rubbish dumps?
Most places are closed now, for the long Italian middle of the day break. Cafes are open, but not much else. The city is very quiet.
I am sitting on a bench outside the cathedral, waiting for a bookshop to open, and then will return to the hotel. There is probablynot much more I can fit in. This morning was spent sdmiring Tieoplo paintings, wondering all the while how they managed topaint such wonderful ceilings and walls so high up from the floor. Is there a study of working conditions for builders and painters?
Mostly Udine is quite flat but in the middle it hasa very steep hill, upon which an impressive castle was built. The other day I walked up there from Pazza della Liberta, and today I approachedit froom the other side. Access was just as steep and difficult, leaving me quite puffed out. Many of the roads and footpaths aremade of small blocks of stone, placed in appealing fanned out patterns. Sometimes stones fall out or break and repairs can be good, bad or indifferent. Pedestrian crossings use large white blocks of stone, which seem an improvement on white painted strips.
But back to the Castello. There is an art Gallery, and archaeological museum, and anotherone, seemingly still being created, on the history of Udine, concentrating on from Napoeon onwards. After Napoleon!s eventual defeat, the territory was given to the Austrians, until such time as Italian unification. The art gallery was interesting but not wonderful. The archaeological museum is terrific. You cannot do anything around here without digging up things from the very dim dark past,
It seems knee deep in objects. There do seem to be vast numbers of tombs, bones, cswords, knives, bits and pieces, glass, intricate jewellery and pottery. I wonder what future archaeologists will make of all our vast and numerous rubbish dumps?
1 comment:
I have loved hearing about your travels (and travails). Thank you.
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