| Subiaco
Arts and Monasteries
Arriving from the Sublacense road, after Tiburtina
road and/or the motorway A 24, you enter in the city passing under Arco Trionfale,
erected in 1789 from the "sublacense" population on plan of Giulio
Camporese, in honor of pope Pio VI.
Before the Arc you can admire the bridge of S.
Francisco, constructed from Ademaro Abbot in the 1358 in memory of the victory
of the Sublacensi on the Tiburtini (Tiburtini were the citizen of Tivoli, situated
between Rome and Subiaco). Made by single arched long 30 meters, constructed
in blocks of cardellino, typical stone of the zone, the bridge came restructured
in 1789 in occasion of the visit of Pope Pio VI.
Crossed the bridge, following the road that coasts the waters of the Aniene
river, you reached under the convent of Saint Francisco (built up in the
1327 in place of the ancient house donated from Lando Abbot to S. Francisco
d' Assisi in the 1224), that it accommodates to its inside valuable chorus
in walnut and some splendid paintings of Pinturicchio, Sodoma and Antoniazzo
Romano. |
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The outside of the church is characterized from the cloister in Romanesque
style, with, in the center, a granitic column coming from the ancient
villa of Nerone (Roman Emperor), while the walls of the porch are frescoed
with 22 paintings of Ludovico Romano Grillotti, representing the life
of Saint Francisco and other saints of the Franciscan Order.
Triptych of Antoniazzo Romano
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Continuing for the center of the city you arrives in
public square of S. Andrea, where the Cathedral di S.Andrea Apostle
is found, built up from pope
Pio VI in 1789. In its inside, of Latin cross, you
can admire altars in marbles sections from Emperor Traiano town house
and some burlaps of Sebastiano Conca. It was damaged seriously during
the second world-wide conflict.
Cathedral of S. Andreew Apostle
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Little distant from the Cathedral, going up the perron that leads to the
medieval quarter, there is the Church of Saint Peter, reconstructed former
novo in 1949/50, after the strafings of the second world war from which
escaped the bell tower (sec.XI), first example in the Lazio of Romanesque
architecture.
Church of Saint Peter
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 Interesting
and characteristic, always to the inside of the historical center, they
are the Pietra Sprecata (Wasted Stone) characteristic square and the house
that ospitated Abbot of Subiaco, Giovanni Torquemada.
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| Before arriving to the Rocca Abbaziale (the Fortress of
Borgia), that dominates all the hill on which is constructed the medieval
center, there is from visiting the S.Maria Church of the Valley, erected
in 1798 from the V.Gizzi archpriest, consecrated in 1851. Little more up
there is the little church of Madonna of the Cross, constructed around to
the 1100, but currently sluice to the cult. To its inside there are some
frescoes of senese school. |
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Therefore it is arrived, to the top of the medieval quarter, to the Rocca
Abbaziale (or Rocca of Borgia), constructed from Abbot Giovanni V between
the 1073 and the 1077. Restored in the 1476 from Rodrigo Borgia, it was
from these yielded to the cardinal Giovanni Colonna after he became pope
under the name of Alexander VI. Undressed the furnishings in 1799 from
the Napoleone's troops, in the inner it conserves splendid frescoes of
Liborio Coccetti and the Zuccari brothers.
Unfortunately the Rocca comes opened to the public only during the summer,
therefore it is advised to telephone to the local Tourist Office (Tel.
(+39) 0774/822013) for more information.
 
Frescoes in the inside of the Rocca of Borgia
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From S. Andrea square, coming down towards Resistance's square, the alley
of the Factories can be covered where, during the christmas festivities,
they come recalled the customs of the Middle Ages, repopulating ancient
artisans' workshop. Here they come exposed to ancient tools and instruments
of torture, and you can be stopped to watch one theatrical rappresentation
or one exhibition, or to taste sweets and dishes prepared with ancient
prescriptions.
Still coming down, to the time of the bridge of S. Antonio
who connects to the zone more ancient of Subiaco, called Pianello, can
be gone back to the Church of Saint Lorenzo (in the photo). To see, moreover,
the Arc of Menio, with the sarcofago of the same,
the pertaining one to the Aniense tribe.
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The Monasteries
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Exceeded the ruins of the Nerone's town
house (in the photo), climbing a panoramic
road or several perrons that border it (for the most adventurous people
that want to go up on foot), you arrive to the Monastery of Santa Scolastica.
It must cite, however, the small monastery of Saint Clemente, first monastic
residence of Saint Benedict and of its followers. This complex - than
it does not appear mentioned from the tourist trusts in how much are limited
to give the indication of "Ruderi of the neroniana villa" -
is found hardly to the beginning of the way of the monasteries, just along
the perron that border the ruins of the Nerone's town house.
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Above these there is the Monastery of S.
Scolastica, where the "Lattanzio" was printed,
the first book printed in Italy with mobile characters technology.
Very little it is remained of the first construction, because of the strafings
during the second world war and of previous barbaric invasions.
 
The first nucleus, more recent, comprises a cloister of the XVI century,
the second is carried out around to the cloister of 1300 in Gothic style,
on which the church shows oneself, rimaded in Neoclassic age. The third
part, finally, includes the most ancient "cosmatesco" cloister,
of the XIII century. An imposing Romanesque bell tower realized in the
XI century, the church in the inside on Latin cross, in the taste Neoclassic
of 1700 and the library, rich of the most ancient printed books, renders
the complex much evocative and interesting to visit.
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Gohtic Cloister
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But the pearl coffer is the Monastery of San
Benedict, masterpiece of the Benedictine architecture from the
not codificabile style, "cistercense" or "cluniacense",
with to the Sacred Speco, mystic amalgam of overlapped churches, nails
head and coves.
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The advanced Church is of the 1300, with only navata divided in two parts,
equally rich of art. The frescoes and the other paintings in the adjacent
cappelline and in the sacristy are valuable. Then there is the Inferior
Church. Coming down there are frescoes on the walls, Pope Innocenzo III
with the bubble of the donations and hagiographic episodes, until the Sacred
Speco, the cove where Saint Benedict for many years sheltered itself. And
still, the Entrance hall with paintings of the Judgment, the Nail head of
S. Gregorio Magno, the Saint Scale, with frescoes of senese school (in particular
a Triumph of the Dead women), the gotica Nail head of the Madonna, shepherd's
cave, with frescoes of the VIII century (most figurative testimoniance).
At the end there is the Ossuary, the Sanit's Rosary, where born the monastery,
and the sweet twilight of Simbruini Mounts, that wrap the visitor in a beautiful
and surrealistic panorama. |
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