Bari, Puglia, Italy
Bari, Puglia, Italy
Scilla, a beautiful seaside town north of Reggio Calabria in the toe of Italy. On the Strait of Messinia, facing Sicily.
In the late 14th century, Raimondello Orsini del Balzo visited the Holy Land, including the monastery of St. Catherine. In his desire to possess a relic of the saint, he bent down to kiss the mummified body and bit off one of her fingers, which still wore a ring.
On his return to Italy, he built a church to house the relic in Galatina between 1384-1391.
The church building is a combination of the Apulian Romanesque and Gothic.
The interior frescoes, commissioned by Raimondo’s wife, tell the stories of the Apocalypse, the seven sacraments of the Catholic church, stories of Genesis, and other subjects.
Ceiling vaults. Part of the cycles about the seven Sacraments and the hierarchy of angels.
Detail of decoration in the nave. Scenes from the Apocalypse to the right.
The side aisles were also frescoed.
Reliquery of St. Catherine’s finger. The green stone of her ring is visible.
The basilica is a hidden gem. Well woth a visit if you are in the heel of Italy.
Noah’s Ark and the bodies of the unfaithful.
The historic center of Lecce, the capital of the Salento region in Puglia, is built of a soft white limestone that is easily carved.
Lecce met the Baroque on its own terms, with the local stone used both on the exterior and in the interior.
Unfortunately, the stone is so soft that it erodes easily.
Fossil shells can be seen in worn surfaces.
Over time, the white stone turns yellow. In the past the stone surfaces would have been plastered, but the plaster also deteriorated.
Arrived in Lecce today. Tomorrow I join a tour of Southern Italy. So happy to be traveling again. My view for dinner at the Hotel Patria Palace. A perfect way to start my trip.
The Smile, Havana, Cuba
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