Apparently in the 12th century towers were all the rage. All the cool kids had them, so Bologna desperately wanted to keep up. From that desire, I Due Torri (The Two Towers) were born.
The taller tower, Torre degli Asinella, stands 97m tall (originally 100). It tilts 2m making it Italy's tallest leaning tower (Pisa is tiny at 57m tall). The smaller tower, Torre Della Garisenda, is 3m off true because of poor foundation building. In 1360, 12m were lopped off the top bc it became such a public threat. Sounds like the new highrise in SF! The more things change...
Just up the street from the towers is Casa Isolani, the best preserved 13th century home in Bologna.
Here's the kicker: the Isolani family, who can trace their family origins back to the crusades, still own the house. Talk about pressure not to sell!
We enjoyed walking the city and seeing the sites.
The above pic is the chamber of commerce.
Since today was our museum day, we figured we better get to it. Don't worry, we'll keep it to the highlights. First stop Davia Bargellini Museum.
This is a strange little museum with lots of historical items and paintings crammed into a small area.
The most notable item is a 12th century painting by Vitale, Mary of the Teeth.
Well, friends, I spent sometime looking at this painting and I can't see any teeth. Try again, Vitale!
We were both taken by this 16th c painting by Crespi.
We like her moxy and her pup with a flower pedal sticking out of his mouth.
From here we made our way to the University. There isn't really a campus in the traditional sense we all know, so no pics. We did stop at the Pinacoteca Nazionale art museum. Big fan of religious art you say? Well, buckle up 'cause you're in for a treat!
I will say that much of the 12th c art from Bologna differs from other countries of that era in that there are expressions in faces and style/subject. But as the museum progresses, the art gets more modern and, frankly, more dull. Here are some of the better pieces from 12th c onwards.
Are these the Jewish space lasers Margorie Taylor Green told us about?
I thought for 13th c this was very interpretive.
Despite the pius and boring humans, zoom in on the dog. The artist was getting cheeky!
To summarize art from these eras - As technique improved, life on the canvas faded. Most subjects have doll like expressions or look chronically constipated. It's clear that the church sent a message: less about the subjects; more about the subject matter.
All this art is making us hungry. Time for lunch! See you in Part 2 of today!
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