What a wonderful off day this is turning out to be. Breakfast buffets have all but disappeared due to COVID. It is kinda nice to look, and choose.
I decided to do some sightseeing and also look for where tomorrow's trail starts from. I counted twelve of these long staircases and quit counting because that alone was making me tired. This was the way up to the Duomo and the Rocca Albornoziana.
The Duomo di Spoleto or Spoleto Cathedral.
A zoomed photo of the mosaic, "Blessing Christ" (1207) by the Byzantine Solsternus located above the front door.
The beautiful center altar
The Duomo is known for its colorful Apse -- The Coronation of the Virgin.
The frescos in this chapel, once used as a baptistry, were painted by Pinticchio in 1497.
I thought the organ pipes were exquisite.
Another impressive ceiling.
I don't know this area's name, but I think it is where the important people, maybe church officials, sit. I thought it was magnificent. Somebody help me out with the name.
The Cathedral is dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta.
After all those stairs I took up, there was a dandy switchback climb to the Rocca Albornoziana.
The Rocca Albornoziana, located at the top of the San'tElia Hill (hill!), is a fascinating fortress constructed between 1363 to 1367. It was impenetrable to numerous adversaries, including Hannibal.
Lucretia Borgia's memory is still alive. In 1499, at the age of nineteen, her father appointed her the duchy of Spoleto. The tower on the left is known as the Tower of the Possessed Lady by locals, a hint to the cruelty and vengefulness of the lady in the castle.
Looking down at Spoleto and the Roman Walls.
This area was an arena.
A view of Spoleto from inside the walls.
There was a terrific view of the Pointe della Torri from the Roca. The Pointe dell was constructed in 1350 A. D. and measures 264 feet high and 760 feet across. Before the 2018 Earthquake, it was part of the Via Francisco trail, and Pilgrims had to cross its top to stay on the trail. I am most disappointed not to be able to walk on this fascinating structure. It must be quite a view!
I liked this fashionable bronze statue outside of a boutique. The little streets and alleyways were filled with boutiques. I enjoyed window shopping as I was seeing the major sights.
Looking back at the fortress.
My favorite thing about traveling -- FOOD! I stopped at this elegant little restaurant and ordered "carciofo al porfumo di mentuccia ripieno di caprino" an appetizer of goat cheese stuffed artichokes. The whipped goat cheese had that sharpness so necessary for good goat cheese. And what is not to like about artichokes. It was an unusual combination but a good one.
I had heard that the lentils in the part of Italy were particularly good so I ordered "zuppa di lenticchie di Castelluccio di Norcia," translated as Lentil Soup of Castelluccio di Norcia. The lentils were the brown variety grown in this area. The little crusty, garlicky piece of thin toast was my favorite part, and it just put the soup into a higher category of lentil zuppa. Just like a scarf and earrings, sometimes the accessories make all the difference. There was an herb in the soup that was particularly interesting, and although it was familiar, I couldn't quite place it.
A last look today at the steeple trough one of the alleys.
The Duomo as I walked to dinner. This photo really doesn't do it justice.
This tomato and mozzarella salad was amazing. I haven't had tomatoes this good since I was a child at my grandparent's farm. The combination was exquisite. And the fresh mozzarella certainly wasn't even related to any that we get in the states. There is something to be said for ingredients and the olive oil proved my point. I wish that I had just ordered two of these salads.
My entre was gnocchi with ragu and parmesan. So much of the gnocchi in our country is closer to the weight of a shot putt than this feather-light version that could almost float off the plate. I don't know if it is the flour or exactly what. The only restaurant in the U. S. that has gnocchi that could even compete is Pasta Palazzo, a tiny hole in the wall in Lincoln Park. They make jalapeno gnocchi with a red bell pepper sauce that I love.
So I leave you feeling fat and sassy.
Buonna Notte
P. S. today's mileage was 8.1 mountain miles
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