 | Lady Layard’s Journal Go to a Date Search the Journal |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |
12 October 1884 — Arezzo | |
Sunday. 12th October [1884]. Breakfasted at 8 & walked off to S. Frano to see the frescoes by Pietro della Francesca– Some of them still very well preserved. We went to the Pieve & then to the Piazza to see Vasari’s Loggie which one would hardly have noticed they are plain & uninteresting. Then up to the Duomo. We found service going on so we resolved to go first to the picture gallery wh we knew was close by. We set off to look for it but could find no one in the street who cd direct us to it. At last a very talkative old woman declared she knew & would show us the way & took us all the way back to the piazza to the Library & we found it was not there. A gentleman there told us our way & we got rid of the old woman & walked back to where we had met her & a few steps beyond there it was in a palace called Pappello di Ferro from an iron cardinal’s hat hanging over the door. After going thro’ the pictures we returned to the Duomo & found service just over & were able to see the Della Robbias in the chapel to the Virgin wh are fine. There were a great many devout poor people still kneeling before the Virgin & reverently kissing the altar itself. From the Duomo we went in search of the Church of the S. Annunziata & had to get another old woman to show us the way. We then went to the Museum of Antiquities close by where there are some fine Gabbio plates &c & then walked back to the hotel by wh time it was 12 o’cl. We had sent off Luigi to Perugia by 10.30 train & we had to wait till 5 train but had done our sightseeing sooner than we expected. We lunched & at 2 went out for a drive round the outside of the town. We went to the convent of Sta Maria where there are still a few monks & we saw a splendid altar of marble & Robbia ware. Then round the outside walls to the cemetery. There in the chapel we found a splendid Luca della Robbia & we walked in the cemetery which is modern & then further round the walls & in at a distant gate. We saw a procession of small children with wreaths & tapers & veils being marched off to church for some function or other. They were so small they could hardly toddle & the bystanders said they were probably going to make an offerta to God in hopes of arresting the cholera. Returned to the hotel & rested till it was time to walk to the station with our hand bags. We went by slow train & only reached Perugia at 9.30. There was an omnibus for every body & we were rather a tight squeeze. We were abt ½ hour getting up the hill; found supper ready of wh we were glad & who should come in but M. Westenberg. We had often wondered where their alarm of the cholera at Venice had driven them & here they were. They had been to Botzen & then came here en route for Rome. | |
|
Previous Entry
|
Following Entry
| |