Lake Orta

 October 9, 2021

Lake Orta

Today’s excursion was to Lake Orta, a smallish member of the group of lakes in the Lake District, but one with a lovely town, Orta San Giulio, and an island, Isola San Giulio which has an important church.  The church will be the subject of a lecture later in our trip.  We drove about an hour to get to the town, which does not allow cars.  There is a parking area outside of town, and a shuttle to get in:


There’s a lovely small church in the town, dating from 1631:


The entire town has restrictions on changing things to preserve it, and slate roofs are ordinary here:

 


In addition, there’s something I’ve never seen before, slate walls:

 


The town hall is lovely:

 


The major attraction, however, is the small island offshore, Isola San Giulio.  This view shows the island and the convent at the top of the hill:

 


This view shows the Romanesque Basilica as we approach:

 


The streets are too narrow for most cars:

 


We walked the circular path around the island, which can be done in either direction.  Going one way it is named the Walk of Silence and in the other direction it is the Walk of Meditation.  We were not silent, nor did we meditate.  The art work in the Basilica is fascinating as it displays the change from pre-Renaissance fresco to post-Renaissance fresco.  Here’s a panel from 1486 with the figures stiff and quite unlife-like:

 


A close-up of St. Catherine:

 


Here’s an adjacent panel from 50 years later, reflecting the influences of the Renaissance:

 


The church has a remarkable Romanesque pulpit:

 



I need to explore why there would be a centaur and other mythological creatures on a church pulpit!  

There is a crypt under the church; this figure is prominently presented:

 


We went back to the hotel, had a short rest, and went to dinner at a lovely local family-run restaurant.  The highlight was the first course, a ravioli stuffed with chopped olives and ricotta, served with marinated eggplant in a rich tomato sauce.  I’m getting used to the pasta being so al dente that it’s very chewy.

Tomorrow is a relatively down day; two lectures and no physical activity scheduled.  A restful day will be nice—the reading materials we brought with us are untouched!

Comments

  1. Rwa442October 9, 2021 at 4:54 PM

    It always amazes me that these people in their early time built things with artistry and beauty, and we in our modern age are so often just functional...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ralph P. LockeOctober 9, 2021 at 4:58 PM

    So many unusual things, indeed! I've never seen a slate wall, either. Two-sided tape? :)

    On the Romanesque pulpit, are those mountain lions, maybe, attacking a male deer? The carving is very sure-handed and attention-getting (and well preserved). I see some online sites describe Romanesque as ca. 1100-1300. Amazing! Looks so modern, in a way. I could barely stop looking at it.

    ReplyDelete

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