More Norman Stuff

Sorry for the lack of updates recently; the internet here in Brindisi is particularly bad (and I'm tired, because it's hot and I can't sleep).  I'm just going to put everything I did in Brindisi and Ostuni in this one post, rather than separate it out by day.

There were a variety of churches I was planning to see here in Brindisi, and I think I managed to hit them all. But first, a little info about the city itself.  Brindisi has always been an important port city even in pre-Roman times, and during the Roman period (when it was called Brundisium) it was the end point of the Appian Way (the ancient road I saw when I was in Rome).  Today, it is the main port for boats and ferries travelling east, primarily to Greece and Turkey.  The old town seems pretty similar to Bari, although the population of the city is less than a third.  This lack of population made itself evident at obnoxious times, mainly when I was trying to visit churches (I'll get to that).  Like Bari, it was captured by the Normans in 1071.

After checking into the hostel, I went to the cathedral of Brindisi, built in the 11th century.

Unfortunately the original was largely destroyed in an earthquake, so what remains is largely from the 18th century.  As such, there wasn't a whole lot here of particular interest to me.  There were some nice fragments of mosaic pavement, though:

This dates from the 12th century, which was somewhat surprising to me.  I wouldn't normally expect a mosaic pavement in a church built this late (even if it isn't exactly "Roman" in style).

Next I went to see a pair of columns which marked the end point of the Appian way.

They've been dismantled and reassembled in recent years (for conservation purposes), but these are the original columns from the Roman period.  The still erect one has an inscription from a Byzantine governor of the city, while the one that's not really there any longer is currently in Lecce.

After wandering around for a while, I found an archaeological area beneath a modern theater.

The path in the top third of the picture is a Roman road

The first picture is the remains of a patrician household (a room of it), while the second is of an urban bath complex.  Notice the deep channel in the first picture: this was to provide indoor plumbing to the household.  I wasn't expecting to see these ruins, so this was pretty awesome.  I don't remember the exact dates, but I believe these were from the 1st-2nd century AD.

Next I went to San Giovanni in Sepulcro, a church built by the Knights Templar in the 11th and 12th century.

The frescoes date primarily from the 13th and 14th century.  There are also the ruins of a Roman house beneath the church, but as they are still being excavated I wasn't allowed to have a look.

On Friday, I made my way through the remainder of the churches on my list (except one--more on that later).  First was the Chiesa del Cristo, a monastic church near the walls of the city.

The church was built in the 13th century, but very little of the original decorations remain.  The only particularly old thing inside was the above-pictured statue of the Virgin and Child, from the 15th century.

I next went to Santa Lucia.  The current structure dates to the 14th century, and underneath there is a crypt from the previous structure, from the 12th century.

Notice the soldiers in the top center

As you can see, the final picture, of the crypt, is quite blurry.  That's because the lights seemed to be broken, and there was no one around to ask for help.  It looks so bright because I set a 10 second shutter speed (hence the blurriness, since I didn't have a tripod).  This was a real shame; there were clearly some excellent frescoes, but it was much to dark to even look around, much less take any pictures.


Next up was the Monastery of San Benedetto, dating from the 11th century

Cross vaulting on the ceilings, something I hadn't seen yet in Italy (at least I don't think I have).  Much more common in Gothic architecture.

Fragment of a fresco of Mary

Eleventh century door-frame

There was also a 11th century cloister but, once again, I was foiled by the lack of a custodian to help.  The door was locked, but it clearly was an area normally open for tourism.  Without anyone to ask, I had to just leave it be.

I also went to an EXCELLENT archaeological museum, with artifacts from the Neolithic age all the way through the medieval period.  I had some particularly interesting coins, which I greatly enjoyed (being something of a numismatist myself), and a reconstruction of a Roman ship, complete with original cargo.  Unfortunately pictures weren't allowed, but if you go to Brindisi this should be at the top of your list, above any other sights in the city.

Saturday, I decided to go to a nearby town called Ostuni.  Unlike Brindisi it's somewhat inland, and built all over a hill.  I wish I could have gotten a picture of it from far away, but unfortunately the only time I could see it from a distance was from a bus.  I went there because, according to my guidebook (Let's Go Italy 2009), the cathedral was the final building constructed by the Byzantines in Italy, in the middle of the 11th century.  Apparently whoever wrote this section of the book didn't do their homework, because the cathedral had been rebuilt in the 15th century, leaving nothing of the Byzantine church behind.  This is the only problem I've had with this guidebook, but it was very disappointing.  The town was gorgeous, but there was really no reason for me to go there.  Here are a few pictures, anyway:

View from the top.  You can see the Adriatic Sea in the distance

Piazza della Liberta

So, that was kind of a let down.  But, I made up for it this evening, when I visited Santa Maria del Casale, a fairly large church located in the suburb of Casale, about 15 minutes walk from my hostel.  The church was built in the 13th century, but I was there primarily for the interior decorations.  There are a large number of frescoes surviving from the 14th century, and they were undertaken by Italian artisans but in a Byzantine style.

Tree of Life

If you compare these frescoes with the others I've taken pictures of (mainly just fragments, but still) you'll notice that these look more like mosaics such as those I saw in Istanbul than the other frescoes.  The facial features, the poses, the detailing, how static the figures are...it all looks much more Byzantine than western, particularly surprising considering that these were made well after the Norman conquest.  I was pretty disappointed about today, but this church more than made up for it.

Tomorrow, bright and early (ugh) I'm off to Lecce, and then immediately to Otranto.  I'll be staying in Lecce for the night, but spending the day in Otranto.  On Monday I'll be in Taranto, and then Catanzaro for a few days.  Please feel free to ask some questions!