May 21, 2024 - Classic Italy
Perugia
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| From Orvieto, we drove about an hour and a half east to Perugia, where we spent the night in the very nice Hotel Brufani. The hotel is positioned at the highest point of Perugia and we had a great view out of our room. The hotel first opened its doors in 1884 when celebrated hôtelier Giacomo Brufani spared no expense to emulate the finest luxury hotels of Europe. |
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Perugia wasn't a sightseeing destination, but the next day we did have a little time to explore the town.
Perugia is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. It was one of the main Etruscan cities.
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| Lynnette out in front of the Palazzo Priori, used as the townhall, but currently hosting the "Galleria Nazionale", Umbria's most important art gallery with works ranging from the 13th to 19th-century. |
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Inside the art gallery, we encounter these strange bronze sculptures. They are Griffins, the city's symbol, , which can be seen in the form of plaques and statues on buildings around the city. The Griffin is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion, and the head and wings of an eagle with its talons on the front legs. |
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| The museum displayed a large exhibit on medieval Christian art: painted crucifixes and altarpieces. |
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| This fresco narrates some historical event. |
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| This one as well, most likely the death of a pope in what looks like the Orvieto cathedral. |
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This painting depicts the Lamentation over the Dead Christ or Deposition from the Cross, a common theme in Christian art that portrays Christ being taken down from the cross and mourned by his followers. The composition includes key figures such as the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene, St. John, and others mourning Christ’s lifeless body.
The detailed and emotive expressions, the balanced composition, and the realistic rendering of figures suggest it belongs to the Renaissance period. This work could be by an Umbrian or Tuscan artist, possibly influenced by masters like Perugino or Raphael, given the naturalistic style and soft use of light.
If this painting is part of the collection at the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria, it may have been created by a prominent local artist.
From ChatGPT, which I am trying out for the first time!
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"The haughty, elegant young lady dressed in the fashions of the latest Empire style, who may be identified with Caroline Bonaparte, Napoleon's younger sister and wife of one of Napoleon Cavalry Marshall, later the king of Naples, Joachim Murat.
In 1814, she supported her husband's decision to make a separate peace with the anti-Napoleonic allies, keeping his throne while Napoleon was deposed.
Then, during the Hundred Days of 1815, Murat came out for Napoleon. During his absence, Caroline was left as regent of Naples. Murat was defeated and executed, and Caroline fled to the Austrian Empire. Whilst in exile, she adopted the title 'Countess of Lipona'; 'Lipona' being an anagram of 'Napoli' (Naples). After her husband's death she lived in Florence until her death in 1839.
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Piazza IV Novembre, Perugia's central plaza, featuring a 13th-century fountain plus the St. Lawrence Cathedral in the background. This square is at the meeting of five roads.
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| Lynnette hangs out at the Fontana Maggiore, a 13th-century fountain decorated with statues and scenes of biblical and historical events.. |
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| More Griffins! |
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| Looking back down main drag, Vannucci Avenue. |
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| A nice view of Perugia. |
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| Looking out our hotel balconey at the Umbrian countryside. |
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| Not a whole lot to see in Perugia, but with more time we would have liked to seen the inside of the St. Lawrence Cathedral, an Etruscan Well and the Carducci Gardens. |
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