Santa Maria Nuova and other Marvels

Italian class was cancelled today so that left me with a free morning to head into the recesses of the medieval quarter for more discoveries.  My first stop was Santa Maria Nuova, which though the walls and frescoes date to the late 13^th century, legend has it that is was initially a temple founded in 380 AD by descendants of Hercules.  In fact, when you walk into the church you see many fragments of marble that have been mounted to the walls and these have been dated to the 6^th century.  This much-loved church was restored in the first part of the 20^th century and much of the hideous restructuring removed… that is, ‘updates’ that had been done in the 16^th century.

One amazing aspect is the marble cippus outside the church that declares the foundation of the church in the year 1080.  But the super cool thing is that there is a marble pulpit that Thomas Aquinas preached from in 1266.

My guidebook tells me that this triptych The Savior Giving His Blessing was originally thought to be of the 4th or 5th century.  Contemporary scholars now agree that it must be 13th century.  According to 'an ancient manuscript, the painting was found miraculously in 1283 when the crate which held it was hit by a plow and the oxen suddenly kneeled down and refused to continue plowing.'  Animals are always doing strange things in the lives of the saints and in religious folklore in general.  I like it though!

Here are some thoughts as I’m sitting inside the church:

I then decided to walk to the Papal Palace, which was built between 1255 and 1266 by the order of the Capitano del Popolo, Raniero Gatti.  According to my little history book on Viterbo, the first Pope to live there was Clement IV.  He was elected Pope in Perugia and arrived in Viterbo in 1266.  This was the first of several Viterbo-housed Popes and part of a schism within the Church that had both religious and political repercussions. 

The museum at the Papal Palace is small but full of interesting objects.  Most favorite of mine are the many relics.  I LOVE old bones and especially those that are purportedly of saints.

In the afternoon, the students of the summer session took a bus to Civita Bagnoreggio.  This is like some kind of dream.  Really.  A petite medieval village, perched on an imposing granite hill.  Cut off from the world.  In fact, it’s called the ‘dying city’ and that might just refer to the fact that the pilgrimage up there, i.e., straight up hike, might kill you.  But once you’re up there, GORGEOUS!  And the restaurants are v v groovy.  I had cinghiale (wild boar) that was served with a petite polenta cake.  Yummy with a glass of wine.