Italian artworks

The acropolis is located not too far from the island's main landing place, on the hills of St. Mark's and St. Theresa's, which dominate the port area and were once home to the main public and political offices of the time. There are many finds from Roman times, including an ancient water supply system and three marble heads of the emperors Julius Caesar, Antonia Minor and Titus.

Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club The village inextricably links its name to that of Leonardo, who was born here. Vinci has its centre in the Castello dei Conti Guidi, also known as the "ship's castle" for the elongated shape that recalls the shape of a sailing boat. In addition to preserving a beautiful ceramic Madonna and Child by Giovanni della Robbia, today it houses the Leonardian Museum, one of the largest and most original collections of machines and instruments, dedicated to Leonardo, a technologist and engineer, and more generally to the history of technology in the Renaissance. Also worth a visit are the church of Santa Croce, where Leonardo was baptised, and the contemporary works of art dedicated to him, such as Mario Ceroli's sculpture in Piazza del Castello, Nina Akamu's bronze Horse and Mimmo Paladino's Piazza dei Guidi. Also noteworthy is the Leonardian Library, an international documentation centre. Apart from the birthplace of Leonardo in Anchiano, 3 km from Vinci: here a life-size hologram meets visitors and through digital animations and interactive applications presents the history of the Genius, his biography and his works. The hills around Vinci offer excellent products such as extra virgin olive oil and Chianti wine.

In the Roveto Valley, on a plateau dominating the wide valley crossed by the Liri River, rises Civita D'Antino. A delightful village with considerable evidence of its past, first as Città dei Marsi and then as a Roman municipality. Among its streets hovers an old-world charm, which today attracts many tourists. In the past, between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, it fascinated a group of Danish artists who established an art school here, thanks to the master Kristian Zahrtmann who, during his travels to discover lesser-known Italy, came to Civita d'Antino and was so fascinated by the beauty of the places that he chose this small, remote village as his second home. Every year until 1911, as a guest of the Cerroni family, he spent the summer there, so much so that in 1902 he was recognized as an honorary citizen of Civita d'Antino. Previously, this village had enchanted other artists, the Danish painter Enrik Olrik in 1877 and Edward Lear before that in 1843.

Today, this is mainly noticeable by the abundance of greenery and flowers around the edges of the stone houses, or by certain well-sculpted portals, for example at the Doge's Palace, with its history as a 15th-century fortified building; Oratino has been the home of well-known painters, sculptors and stonemasons, even outside Molise. This can best be seen by entering the church of S. Mary of Loreto, ancient although reconstructed in the 16th century, with remarkable 18th century sculptures and frescoes (of particular note is an Assumption of the Virgin in the vault), or in the parish church of S. Maria Assunta. Oratino, in the province of Campobasso, is perched on a limestone cliff from where the Biferno valley is clearly visible in all its breadth. In fact, this corner of Molise has quite a few cliffs, and in fact the so-called morge, isolated rocky blocks of limestone and sandstone. On the morgia closest to Oratino, which is called la Rocca and is located a few kilometres from the town in the direction of the valley, stands a four-storey square-based tower that, impressively, has more than a millennium of history behind it. The roots of the settlements in the area are actually even older: archaeological excavations conducted around the tower have uncovered materials from the Bronze Age, even before the Samnites, and a mediaeval village. The village is thought to have been abandoned after the earthquake of the mid-15th century, the same one that reduced Campobasso to rubble. Nowadays, this morgia is once again frequented by rock climbers: they use it as a climbing wall. Find out more: https://www.parcodellemorge.it

The heart of the Catholic world, St. Peter's Basilica is the most majestic basilica in Christianity, built on the site where St. Peter was buried. Covering an area of 22,067 square metres, it is 218 metres long (including the portico) and 136 metres high from the ground to the cross on the dome. The ancient imperial basilica was built by Constantine on the burial site of the apostle Peter. Like many other early Christian churches, it was left in a state of decay until the 15th century when, first by the decision of Nicholas V and then under the pontificate of Julius II, reconstruction work began in 1506, following a design by Bramante. Following Bramante's death, other famous architects followed, including Michelangelo, commissioned at the age of 72 in 1547, who simplified Bramante's original design and created what was to be his absolute architectural masterpiece: the dome. Unfortunately, Michelangelo died before seeing it finished, and it was left to Giacomo della Porta and Domenico Fontana to complete it. The façade of the basilica, made by Carlo Maderno in 1614, can now be seen in its original colours after careful restoration in 1999. Preceded by a three-tiered staircase, it is divided by eight columns and pillars that support a trabeation crowned by a balustrade. The central balcony above the portico is the Loggia of Blessings, where the pope blesses the city and the election of the new pontiff is announced. Michelangelo's dome is an immense double-shell structure covered in mosaics. Five bronze doors serve as the entrance to the basilica: the last on the right is the Holy Door, which is only opened in Jubilee years, the middle door has magnificent panels taken from the Constantinian basilica, created by Filarete (1439-45). The doors in the other entrances are modern; the last one on the left (the Door of Death) is by Giacomo Manzù. In the central nave, near the door, is the disc where Charlemagne and the other emperors knelt to be crowned by the pope. The bronze statue of St Peter, probably from the 13th century, ushers in the grandiose area below the luminous Michelangelo dome, supported by four pillars, at the base of which stand the statues commissioned by Urban VIII. Above, four Bernini balconies hold precious relics of the Church. An ideal view of the interior and the perception of space and proportions can be captured well from here, near the papal altar. In the middle, above the altar, rises the bronze Baldachin by Bernini (1624-33), who, according to popular opinion, melted down the Pantheon bronzes to make it. Francesco Borromini also collaborated on the architectural features of the majestic structure (29 metres in height). Barberini's bees rest among the tendrils of the twisted columns, while above, four angels hold festoons and four volutes are joined to support a golden globe surmounted by the cross. Behind the altar, in the apse, the background is occupied by the Chair of St Peter, by Bernini (1656-65), which is a large gilded bronze throne supported by four 5 m tall statues of the church fathers. To the right of the throne is the monument of Urban VIII by Bernini (1627-47) and to the left, that of Paul III by Guglielmo della Porta (1551-75). In the passage between the third and second chapels in the left nave, stands the gilded bronze tomb of Innocent VIII by Pollaiolo (1498), which was moved from the ancient basilica in 1621. In the left transept, in the Madonna delle Colonne Chapel, a marble altarpiece by Alessandro Algardi (The Meeting of Leo the Great and Attila, 1646–50) stands above the altar with the pope's relics. In the next arch is the funeral monument of Alexander VII (1672–78), a lavish work by Bernini in polychrome marble. Halfway down the nave, the Presentazione Chapel houses two of the basilica's most recent works: monuments to John XXIII by Emilio Greco (right) and to Benedict XV by Pietro Canonica (left). Under the next arch are monuments to the Stuarts, designed by Filippo Barigioni, and a somewhat erotic memorial stone by Canova in the form of a stele (1817–19). The lid of an ancient porphyry sarcophagus, possibly belonging to tomb of Hadrian and later to that of Otto II, forms the basin of the baptistery. In the first chapel of the right nave we find the beautiful and touching marble group of Michelangelo's Pietà, which has continued to impress for centuries and is the only work that bears Michelangelo's signature (you will find it on the band across the Virgin's chest). It is a youthful work by Michelangelo (1498-99): he was only 23 when he created it, but already in full possession of his technical virtuosity and expressive maturity. On the pillar immediately after the Pietà is the funeral monument to Christina of Sweden by Carlo Fontana. Continuing on, you arrive at the chapel of San Sebastiano, which houses the tomb of Pope John Paul II and, then, to the opulent baroque Blessed Sacrament Chapel with works by Bernini, Borromini and Pietro da Cortona. Beyond the chapel, near the imposing monument of Gregory XIII, Camillo Rusconi, you will find the tomb of Gregory XIV. In the right transept, the monument to Clement XIII (1784–92), with the statue of the pope kneeling in prayer, is one of the most accomplished pieces of work by Antonio Canova.

The Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls stands relatively far from the centre of Rome, outside the Aurelian Walls, as the church's name suggests. For visitors to the Eternal City, however, it is a site not to be missed. Not only is it the largest Roman church after St. Peter's (five naves, 65 metres wide, over 130 metres long), but it is also one of the oldest Christian basilicas, adorned with outstanding works of art: a beauty that also extend to the adjacent Benedictine Abbey of St. Paul Outside the Walls, with which the basilica forms a single complex. It is still the extraterritorial property of the Holy See, which is no wonder, since it is a place of fundamental importance for Christianity. It stands on the site where Saint Paul was buried, was commissioned by the Emperor Constantine himself and was consecrated by Pope Sylvester I in around 330. Rebuilt later in the 4th century, between 15 and 16 July 1823, it was destroyed by a fire that spared only the transept, the holy arch and part of the façade (which was, however, demolished). The basilica was promptly rebuilt with the same dimensions and floor plan, replicating the decorations where it was not possible to save the original ones. On the internal side of the right portal are preserved the bronze doors of the ancient basilica, which were cast in Constantinople in 1070. Inside, the masterpieces include the Gothic ciborium on the high altar, a 1284 work by Arnolfo di Cambio, possibly made with the help of Pietro Cavallini, the large mosaic on the apse, which dates back to the time of Honorius III (pope from 1216 to 1227, seen portrayed in minuscule form at the feet of the Blessing Christ), and the paschal candle stand, made in the 12th century by Nicolò di Angelo and Pietro Vassalletto. Mosaics from the medieval church can also be seen on the arch of triumph. Under the Papal Altar, the tomb of St. Paul and the remains of the Constantinian basilica were found. From the right arm of the transept you access the art gallery, with 16th-century Umbrian works and paintings by Bramantino and Cigoli. The splendid cloister is the work of the Vassalletto family, who completed it in the early part of the 13th century. Its twin columns are of different shapes, some with mosaic inlays, and it contains artefacts belonging to the ancient basilica and the Ostiense burial ground, a large necropolis that stretched between the cliff known as the Roccia di San Paolo, not far from the church, and the bend in the Tiber.