Tuesday, February 12, 2019

A Trip to the Castello di Masnago


Tuesday, 12 February, 2019

With a Prima Squadra practice tonight, I did not want to wander too far away so I looked at my trusty Varese area map and opted to visit the nearby Castello di Masnago.

The Z line bus took me there in a bit of a round-about way but, what the heck, I got to see a few parts of the old city for the first time.

 The Castello's gate was interesting
but certainly not gaudy

 I liked the playground for the
little kids just inside the same gate

The grounds were spacious and
well kept but why was this
mini-wall here?

 Getting closer to the Castello itself

 This is a Castello?

In talking to one of the Castello's docents, he informed me that the Castello was built in three phases. The first was in the 1200s followed by Phase II in the 1400s.

I'm guessing this was the 1700s Phase III version but it looks a lot newer than that to me.

At this point, I was definitely a little disappointed.

Whoa, now that's more like it!

NOW we're talking Castello!

 Hard to properly use this old
sun dial as a clock with that
overhang in the way

When I asked the docent what the cost of entry was for an old person, he responded that it was free for anyone over 50 years of age.

I gave him a little "Yahoo!" and then he asked for a document to prove that I was indeed over 50. I handed him my passport and I was in for free.

I swear that I don't look a day over 49 some days.

The real treasure of the Castello di Masnago is all found once inside when you finally see the richly murals.

TOUCHDOWN SKORPIONS!

Looks like Mary made a stop
in Varese at some point

 Old, fading half-lunette

A fine old wood carving

Interesting hat, don't you think?
  
Concrete proof that baseball
was invented by the Italians

I heard that an evangelist in the USA
says that Trump is orange because
the Holy Ghost speaks through him

I'm sure that's the reason. 

Is the art the portrait or
the frame?

If it is truly a Castello,
it MUST have a tapestry!

The eyes

 A medieval stringed
musical instrument?

 Loving the murals!

 Nice headgear

 Rowing the boat

 At least it was a clean break

 How did this modern art
get in the Castello?

Sneaking a peek

 NOT from medieval times

Colorful but STRANGE

This I liked!

More with the strange headgear

 Pope Paul VI
the former Cardinal of Milano

Oh, I see at last,
the weird headgear is used
on bad hair days

 I'm guessing from the 1200s

 This one too

A serious face

 Happy lions

 A Crucifixion scene was a MUST!

A new sculpture in an
old setting

Italian 1930s air power

A delicate face to end my trip
to the, as it turned out, fascinating
Castello di Masnago

In the evening, we had two practices to supervise.

Skorpion Field was looking MUCH
better than at last Saturday's scrimmage

U16s warming up

In order to not tear up Skorpion Field any more than it already was, the Prima Squadra returned to our synthetic turf alternate field again tonight.

 Yet another spirited, competitive
Prima Squadra workout tonight

Reading Is FUNdamental!

Another so-so read from the
formerly interesting pen of
Patricia Cornwell

I used to love reading Cornwell's Scarpetta books but the last two of her tomes, both without the Scarpetta character, have been less than stellar.

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