Almost every church in Italy has a crèche scene. I enjoyed seeing this one in a small church, Chiesa di Sant’Andrea, in Orvieto. Located on the Piazza della Repubblica, it dates to the 12th century and is noted for its distinctive decagonal bell tower.
The nativity scene, which is called a crèche in French or presepioin Italian, is a representation of the birth of Christ, which originates from late ancient and medieval traditions; the custom, initially Italian, of setting up the nativity scenes during the Christmas period is widespread today in all Catholic countries of the world.
I’ve seen a lot of crèche scenes, but this is the first one I’ve noticed with a field of sand. It makes sense.
These are not the best videos I ever made, but keep in mind that the painting is within a set of iron gates that are never open. I had to slide my phone thru the bars and film, while desperately afraid I was going to drop my phone inside!
No matter, this is one of my favorite Italian paintings! I’d do anything to photograph it!
Mantova. Mantua. No matter how you say or spell it, you must see it! The treasures within are astounding.
One of the most amazing edifices in Mantova is the Palazzo D’Arco. Here is a video I took while visiting the Sala dello Zodiaco (Zodiac Room) in the palazzo:
The Palazzo D’Arco is a Neoclassical-style palace located on Piazza Carlo D’Arco #4. The palace houses the Museo di Palazzo d’Arco, which displays the furnishings and artwork collected by the Duke D’Arco.
The site had once likely housed a royal palace in the 12th-century. The palace we see today is a reconstruction around a series of earlier buildings, with a long and complex history.
The facade has elements that include the coat of arm of the D’Arco and Chieppio families, and also displays in the tympanum the Habsburg double-headed eagle of the then Austrian rulers of Lombardy.
In 1872 the building was enlarged further by Francesco Antonio d’Arco, buying by the neighboring Marquis Dalla Valle’s palace.
The palace was bombed during World War Two. Finally by the 1978, the will of the last member of the family, Signora Giovanna dei conti d’Arco Chieppio Ardizzoni, marchesa Guidi di Bagno endowed it to foundation to create a museum and retain the interior decor. The museum collections include furniture, ceramics, paintings, musical instruments, and a grand library.
My favorite part of the whole complex is the period kitchen. I’ll post about it separately.
One of the masterpieces in the house is the large frescoed room of Sala dello Zodiaco, painted by Renaissance painter Giovanni Maria Falconetto, circa 1520.
Ask an art historian about Volterra and Rosso Fiorentino and his masterpiece, The Deposition, will be mentioned.
I got to see this fabulous altarpiece last month and it did not disappoint.
The painting is currently under restoration, so I could not get up as close as I would like, but I’m happy the painting is being well cared for!
The Deposition is housed within the Art Gallery and Civic Museum of Volterra. The Museum is housed within the PalazzoMinucci Solaini, from the Renaissance era. The collection contains paintings, sculpture, medals, ceramics and coins from the Medieval to modern times. The collection is strong in Sienese and Florentine schools of the 14th and 15th centuries.
The museum also is home to this completely authentic 19th century sculpture studio, the Ecomuseo dell’Alabastro. The brochure says “In this museum, you can follow the history of the working and selling of alabaster that, for centuries, was at the base of Volterra’s economy. This stone has been known and has been worked on since the Etruscan period but it was only in the 18th century that an active industry centered on it, arose. Here you can admire vases, sculptures, and other objects’ there is also a large area dedicated to design and to works of art made in alabaster.”
Bottega Pagni: I didn’t get to visit this site, but I want to give it some mention for anyone planning a visit to Volterra. Bottega Pagni shows how alabaster was worked before the use of power tools. There are drawings, tools, hand-powered machinery and rough stones in various stages of processing, as well as information about how artisans spent their days.
For more of the arts of Volterra, including Etruscan and Roman ruins, see my earlier post on Volterra, Nov. 1, 2021.
get back, lauretta! 
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