Friday, February 16, 2018

On the Road Again to the Certosa di Pavia Monastery and the City of Pavia Itself


Friday, 16 February, 2018

My original plan for the day was to head to Milan by train and then board another train bound for either Turin or Genoa, whichever came first.

Then I changed my mind and opted to drive south for about an hour to the university city of Pavia and its nearby, spectacular, Certosa di Pavia Monastery.

But first in Venegono Superiore . . .

I needed something  . . .

. . . to go with my morning cafĂ©

After much thought, I went with an apple square to the right in the first picture.

Tasty!

I was ready for my first long drive of theEuroBall XII season.

 About half way to Pavia

 I love the simple but hardy food
served at these Autogrills

A solid lunch consumed, I was ready for the final push to the Monastery.

What tales would this venerable,
old building treat us to if it could?

GREAT Mailbox!

I arrived at the monastery about 25 minutes before it re-opened from the staff's three hour lunch break.

Good union.

I found a small, locals only style café bar open just 100 meters from the monastery's entrance.

It was cold outside, the bar had a warming fire raging in its fireplace, the espresso was good and we had a locals card game going full bore.

Locals in Action

Did he just pull a new card out of his lap?

The things you see
over an espresso . . .

 The Certosa di Pavia Monastery's
main entrance

Still about five minutes before opening hour.

Hopping the fence is probably
NOT a good idea

Outside the fence

This was outside the fence too

And definitely not open for business.

The doors opened exactly on time, what were the odds of that happening?

 Colorful Entrance Hall . . .

. . . with a painted ceiling of course

The Certosa di Pavia Monastery

It is actually located about 10km north of the city of Pavia.

From Milan, Gian Galeazzo Visconti founded the monastery in 1396 A.D. as a private chapel and mausoleum for the Visconti family.

It was finished over 100 years later in a hybrid of late Gothic and Renaissance styles.

Some "chapel" . . .

Eventually, the Carthusian Order of Monks ran the facility.

He looks wise

"Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet!"

Oversized angels are a good thing

 Another wise man

 I liked their hats

Cover me, I'M GOING IN!

 Oh, My . . .

 Impressive everywhere I looked

Stark statues with colorful ceilings

Frescoes are BIG in this "chapel."

So is the color blue

Appealing to my eyes

 Spread your wings little one

Egyptian influence?

 I see dead people . . .

 In the choir room

The monastery's huge cloister

Off with their heads!

Each doorway seen here is the
entry to the monks' quarters

 Excellent ornamentation

On to the monastery's museum . . .

The flag of Milan's Sforza Family

BATTLE!

DON'T do whatever this
lad did!

WE'VE GOT A BLEEDER!

More ceiling frescoes

If Peter Pan got old?

Self-Flagellation?

The Prophets Ezekiel and David

How do they do that with their beards?

Gian Galeazzo Visconti
the monastery's founder

It was a good experience
and I got both my Church
and Museum needs satisfied

On to the city of Pavia, population 71,000, founded by the ancient Romans as a military garrison.

The university was founded
in the 14th-century

It is considered to be one of the best in all of Italy.

 The three Medieval Towers
are on the university's grounds

 Italian born Alessandro Volta was
the inventor of the electric battery

What is this big old building?

Ah, it is Pavia's Duomo

Rules are made to be broken.

I went into my second church of the day.

I liked the fancy pulpit but,
overall, it was quite stark inside

An old Bishop

A nice Holy Water Font

It was time to head home but it was definitely a good day in Italy's Lombardy region!

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