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14 October 1884 — Perugia | |
Tuesday. 14th October [1884]. Breakfast 8 & at 8.30 started in a landau to drive to Assisi. We stopped at the bottom of the Hill of Perugia near Ponte di S. Giov. to see the Tomb of the Volumni an Etrusco Roman tomb which was discovered a few years ago & which contains the urns & ashes of the Volumni family all complete and beautifully preserved– In a small partition were the tombs of the servants of the family—& other urns brought from the neighbourhood & placed here lately. The tomb was cut out of the solid rock & the ceiling carved as tho’ they were built stones with Medusa heads in the center & terra cotta serpents heads stuck in the walls over the tombs. In the centres were remains of lamps still hanging from the ceilings. The large stone which had closed the entrance was close by it, a modern wooden door having been put instead to be able to open & shut easily. At the door grew masses of drooping maidenhair. The whole entrance has been roofed over & forms a kind of house. It was a raw cold morng & we were glad of some wraps lent us by Mme Brufani the hotel keeper’s wife who is an Englishwoman. We drove to a village called Bastia & went into the church to look at a picture by Niccolo Alunno—not very pretty– Then on to the Angeli where there is a fine church built over St Francesco’s house & the cell he died in. Service was going on—a fine organ playing, a man’s voice hidden in the choir sounded very well– We then drove on up the hill to Assisi. We went to the Lower church of S. Francesco & found the service nearly over & the organ still playing; a nice old monk showed us round the church & described all the frescos. He took us down to see the tomb of St F. in the crypt & then took us up to the upper church & leaving us there went away to have his dinner & we remained & examined the frescoes at our leisure. Then we walked up the deserted town to the Leone and did not meet a single soul en route. I suppose all the inhabitants must have been at breakfast. At 1 we lunched. At 2 we went to Sta Chiara where there are 2 or 3 not very important pictures. Then round by the Roman Temple back to the Lower Franciscan church & went round it & the carriage fetched us there at 3 & we started for Perugia. Arrived at the hotel abt 5.15. Had a cup of tea to warm us– The sun had come out feebly just as we were leaving Assisi & it was less cold than the morning. Read till dinner time. At dinner sat opposite the Westenbergs & had 3 secretaries one Dutch & the other German by us who had just come from Rome. Spent the evening with the Westenbergs in their room. | |
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