NIGEL'S RAMBLES: May 2023

Saturday, May 13, 2023

A day in Pistoia

I was in Pistoia for work, and as well as having a lovely lunch outside in the warm spring sun, I had a wander around the town. I have photographed the main monuments in Pistoia on a previous visits, so this time I sought out a lesser known Romanesque church, just outside of the centre of the town as my main focus.

San Bartolomeo in Pantano took the form we see today in the second part of the Twelfth century. The striped lower façade is in the Pisan style, with an interesting lintel over the door depicting the Apostles.

The inside takes the form of a typical basilica with three naves. The column capitals are also in the Pisan style. The most interesting part of this church is the pulpit. This pulpit has been dismantled and rebuilt a couple of times in different positions. The circular patterned panels come from elsewhere. It was built by a Lombard craftsman

San Bartolomeo in Pantano, Pistoia

I also visited the Cathedral to improve on the photographs I took on my last visit. The Duomo we see today mostly dates from the Twelfth century, but is founded on a much older church. The apse dates from the Fifteenth century.

Duomo San Zeno, Pistoia

I discovered that on Tuesdays, the religious buildings where you pay to enter are closed. So Saint Andrea and the Baptistry, will have to wait for another visit. I did take some shots with my shift lens of the outside of these two buildings, to get some shots where the vertical walls are vertical.

Last year I posted a set of pictures of a visit to Pistoia, when I was able to see the inside of S Andrea and the Baptistry

Battistero, Pistoia

St. Andrea, Pistoia

The lintel over the door with the Three Kings is a splendid piece of Romanesque sculpture. We see King Herod being advised of the arrival of the Kings, and then wee see them presenting gifts to Jesus.

St. Andrea, Pistoia

Monday, May 1, 2023

Colours of the Ghiara

Until recently Reggio Emilia's most interesting monument was off limits for photography. It was also badly lit and the frescoes had darkened with age. The Ghiara is a late Renaissance basilica constructed at the beginning of the seventeenth century, to celebrate a miracle. The recent restoration of the frescoes and the well thought out illumination, now makes it easy to enjoy the artwork, a riot of colour and golden decoration. It is on of Emilia's most important Renaissance monuments.

The basilica is in the from of a cross sixty metres long, by forty meters wide. In the centre of the cross a cupola rises up. The walls are quite plain in contrast to the ceiling. The height of the ceiling adds to the drama of this building.

Apart from a Guercino, the artwork and frescoes are by minor Emilian artists. The artwork is at a junction between the Renaissance and Baroque, reflecting the directives of the Council of Trent, aimed at contrasting the Protestant reformation. The aim of the dramatic decoration was to amaze and create strong emotions with the viewer, to keep the flock faithful to the Roman Catholic church.

All the pictures in this set were hand held, relying on the superb image stabilization of my Nikon Z7 that gave me almost "noiseless" high definition pictures even at the high ISO I was forced to use.

Ghiara, Reggio Emilia

Saturday, May 13, 2023

A day in Pistoia

Monday, May 1, 2023

Colours of the Ghiara

Copyright 2023Nigel Voak